COBirders, I ditched work today and headed into the teeth of a wicked storm in Yuma County, hoping the southerly flow last night and heavy rains would produce some early migrants. Wray was pretty much a bust, though Stalker Pond had Western and Eared Grebes, a Northern Cardinal pair, and a vocal Eastern Phoebe. A Forster's Tern and Spotted Sandpipers were new arrivals.
Bonny "Res" was my main destination, however, as the mudflats are just spectacular right now. That said, it seems I can't buy a rare shorebird here this year. The shorebird spectacle is pretty cool in itself though. Highlights were 4-digit Wilson's Phalaropes, a Marbled Godwit, 28 Willets, 50+ Long-billed Dowitchers, and 4 peep species. On to the good stuff- I checked the area around Hale, and got very good looks (10 ft or so) at an early GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH. It struck me as large, with no red in the tail, and no buffy tones on the face. It had indistinct markings around the eyes, with less than half an "eye-ring" (bold at the upper rear, absent below), and no "spectacle". Back at Bonny, I got great looks at a male EASTERN TOWHEE along the Dead End Road. There wasn't much else going on migration-wise, but I was pretty stoked on the 2 rarities. Cheers, -- Daniel Maynard Saratoga, WY -- 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.
