I found a first winter (possibly immature female) Black-throated Green Warbler in Veteran's Park (on H50 across from city admin building) in Canon City yesterday morning. The day before as I was photographing Cedar Waxwings feeding in the juniper trees in this small park I heard a bird calling that I was not familiar with but could not locate high in the trees before it flew off so I returned yesterday in hopes of hearing it again. This Black-throated Green was feeding actively in junipers along the south edge of the park in the company of a Yellow-rumped Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a Townsend's Solitaire that was apparently after the juniper berries (possibly due to food shortage in their habitat due to drought). I got some very nice photos of this beautiful vagrant warbler that I have uploaded to my Birds and Nature <http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com> blog.
I looked again this morning in Veteran's Park but saw little there. I did find an apparent Black Phoebe (did not see close enough to note any hybrid characteristics) working the old sewer pond adjacent to the bluff trail on the Canon City Riverwalk--this is a good place to find flying insects in the rather cool temps as this morning and was the location where I watched the first Fremont County Black Phoebe spend the winter in 1995-96. I also finally spotted a wintering sapsucker--a Williamson's--feeding in the pines by McKinley School (if you intend to bird these trees, which are adjacent to this elementary school, when school is in session, please check into the office so they don't think there is some strange person that might be a threat to the children--it could avoid an embarrassing situation if they call the police). I believe there is likely at least one other wintering sapsucker as I am seeing a few more fresh sap wells at the major sapsucker locations but last year I found sapsuckers feeding at more than 20 locations around town which takes too long to check daily. This afternoon I was surprised to spot a male Ladder-backed Woodpecker in off Shaft Rd in Rockvale, a small community located a few miles southeast of Canon City. It flew off before I could get a photo and I was unable to refind it. Other birds of interest include 12 Greater White-fronted Geese which have been on the east side of Canon City all week. They are sometimes found feeding in the agricultural fields on MacKenzie Ave just north of the RR tracks. In previous years this species has also sometimes are found off Willow St in the fields adjacent to the dairy. I saw a Wilson's Snipe in a small drainage near Sell's Lake (east of 9th Street) by the Canon City Riverwalk and a nearby Marsh Wren bathing there also. On Tuesday I was delighted to see two Golden Eagles, one a juvenile south of Canon City and the other an adult near Brush Hollow Reservoir, in the same day. There was a single Common Loon, several Western Grebes and a small number of common ducks on Brush Hollow that same day as well as a pair of Chihuahuan Ravens in the area. SeEtta Moss Canon City Personal blog @ http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com<http://birdsandnature.blogspot.com/> Blogging for Birds and Blooms magazine @ Birds and Blooms blog southcentral/<http://birdsandbloomsblog.com/category/southcentral/> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
