Birders,
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of Melody Tempel.
Birders will know Gale and Melody Tempel as owners of the ranch in
Northeast Bent County that included "Tempel Grove", a well-known migrant
trap that I will unabashedly call my favorite place to look for migrant
landbirds in Colorado. Gale and Melody were fabulous hosts, and, for me
personally, great friends. Melody fought a valiant fight with melanoma
that ended on 3/25/12. Almost every birder in Colorado has stories of
the great birds that they saw here. My favorite was a Louisiana
Waterthrush, observed and photographed in April 2011. I was lucky
enough to spend an evening with Melody and Gale two weeks ago at a
dinner with our mutual friends Lance and Norma Verhoeff. Please keep
Gale and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
I started my work day today with views of the previously-reported
immature female Snowy Owl at John Martin Reservoir in Bent County. This
has been one of the most reliable birds of this species I know of in
Colorado. It has been in essentially the same location for 12 straight
days on cliffs, beaches and promontories one and one-half miles west of
Point Overlook on the north side of John Martin Reservoir, dating back
to March 15th.
I walked around Neenoshe Reservoir in Kiowa County today. I had two
Snowy Plovers on my walk, a bit too early in my estimation. Less
surprising were seven Bonaparte's Gulls and one Franklin's Gull. For
birders looking for shorebirds here, my recommendation is driving in to
the boat ramp (not serviceable) on the west side of the lake, and
concentrating on the northwest corner of the reservoir.
I stopped at the Verhoeff Reservoirs in Bent County on my way back to
John Martin Reservoir. These lakes are private and access is not granted
to birders (except, sometimes, during the "Bent on Birding" festival in
May) I had a large flock of Long-billed Dowitchers, some
reasonably-expected Baird's Sandpipers, and two extremely early Least
Sandpipers.
Respectfully,
Duane Nelson
Las Animas, Bent County, CO
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