I just got back from conducting my two BBS Routes at Ninaview and Villegreen, both northeastern Las Animas County, and then in the afternoons or working my way back to Fort Collins visiting Higbee Canyon, Cottonwood Canyon, Two Buttes, and LCC in Lamar. Various weather-related and human follies have prevented me from ever getting both routes run in the same year, so that in itself felt like an accomplishment.
Last Chance (Washington) on 4June: still a few pass-thru migrants (1 Swainson's Thrush and 1 Lincoln's Sparrow). A pair of Lesser Goldfinches must be nesting locally. Highlights 5June on the Ninaview Route (Las Animas) (which basically starts north of Kim about 16 miles e of SR109 at the jct. of 223/72.5 (just south of a feature called Pinkney Hill on the DeLorme, page 101) and goes e to 109 and then north for about 6 miles) were: a huge Porcupine lumbering across the road in the headlights on the way to the start at 4:15am, Wild Turkeys gobbling before sunrise at Stop 1, Long-billed Curlews at a few of the mid-route stops, lots of ravens of both species, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, a Bobcat being mobbed by a mockingbird and Juniper Titmouse, multiple singing Chipping Sparrows, and a mass emergence of cicadas (due to recent rains that softened up the soil, more than one species but mostly a very small "clicker" species in the genus Platypedia). No real exotic species like Scott's Oriole or Gray Vireo, both recorded previously on this route. Highlights 6June on the Villegreen Route (Las Animas) (which runs from US160 east of Kim n on 179 and then 177.9 for 25 miles thru some truly awesome country, especially at the north end of the route east of the magnificent Purgatoire Canyon and OV Mesa that Duane talked about in his recent post) were: Long-billed Curlews at a few mid-route stops (which included one individual perching in the top of a juniper (looked like a breeding shorebird scene out of Alaska), and another chasing/harassing a Prairie Falcon), a fly-by Black-chinned Hummingbird male, Hepatic Tanager (yes, as Duane suggested, atop a juniper near pinyons on level ground at the top of a steep canyon at Stop 44), incessantly singing Red-eyed Vireo at Stop 46 (not recorded during the actual running of the route but afterwards), Curve-billed Thrasher seen at Stop 43, Cooper's Hawk (would be an extreme record for breeding if confirmed in this location but it was sitting on a fence post on the prairie), and White-throated Swift (seen over Stop 45 after the route was run, probably foraging from a breeding site in Purgatoire Canyon, the southeastern-most confirmed breeding site in CO). Cicadas of at least 6 species were everywhere! Turbinella Oak and Common Hoptree at Stop 45. No Loggerhead Shrikes or Burrowing Owls on either route. And I gotta say, mockingbirds make the second halves of these routes VERY difficult. The tallies could be much better if copycatted species were recorded as real vs. virtual. Ghost birds included Pinyon Jay, Black-headed Grosbeak, Hepatic Tanger (I think), Northern Flicker, Curve-billed Thrasher, Eastern Phoebe, Plumbeous/Gray Vireo, Cassin's Kingbird, Western Kingbird, Western Scrub-Jay, and many more. Higbee/northeast end of Purgatoire Canyon (Otero) off 109 north of the river seemed less exciting than usual, but maybe it was the time of day (afternoon) and wind. No roadrunner, no Canyon Towhee, no Ladder-backed Woodpecker, no turkeys, no Vermilion Flycatchers at the cemetery, no Rufous-crowned Sparrow. New to my experience here, however, were at least 3 Mississippi Kites. Maybe Duane and Stan or others have noted this species here before. At the far west end (near where the sign proclaims private land if you go any further) was an Eastern Phoebe, a Northern Watersnake hunting fish, and multiple Sulphur-tipped Clubtails (dragonflies). Cottonwood Canyon (Baca) had a singing male Indigo Bunting, Mississippi Kites, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Greater Roadrunner, and Blue Grosbeaks (that to my ear sing differently than those occasionally found in northeastern CO). Cottonwood Creek is mostly reduced to pools that must be the result of springs. Heard a roadrunner give its odd machine-gun alarm note when a Turkey Vulture sailed close to some canyon rimrock. No Lewis's Woodpeckers. It would seem this species is noteworthy just about anywhere in CO at present. Two Buttes SWA below the dam (Baca) on 7June: Wild Turkeys (2) jumping off a cliff north of the east end of the road and sailing southward to the base of the southeastern cliffs (no, I wasn't quick enough on the draw to get a pic), pair of eastern Hairy Woodpeckers, Yellow-billed Cuckoo (1, maybe 2). Not much else. Did not detect the Painted Bunting John and Mark/Brad reported earlier. Got some great insects, more cicadas in evidence - the place is awesome despite how many human visitors treat the place. How could it seem like an OK thing to throw beer cans in the Black Hole and why can't the sheriff and/or DOW bust some littering heads? Lamar Community College (Prowers) on 7June: pretty quiet, pretty windy, pretty dry. Northern Cardinal fledgling and at least 2 Black-chinned Hummingbirds were the highlights. Dave Leatherman Fort Collins -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. 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