Crow Valley Campground (Weld) highlights on 9/19 from 6:45-10am:
Evening Grosbeak (1 bird flying se to nw at about 7:30 - this is the third
flyover I've seen/heard of late, the others being Grandview Cemetery and Lake
Estes)
Red-naped Sapsucker (1 in elms n of Main Picnic Shelter)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (at least 4)
Western Wood-Pewee (1) getting late
Hammond's Flycatcher (1)
White-breasted Nuthatch (at least 3, interior variety)
Broad-winged Hawk (never saw it all that well, but appeared to be a young bird,
flushed from sw corner area, moved east)
Ovenbird (1 in dry creekbed s of Main Picnic Shelter)
Dark-eyed Junco (pink-sided, big influx)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (at least 8, big influx)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (zillions, big influx)
Pine Siskin (heard a couple of times flying over)
Small and medium-sized Accipiters (at least 5, being hassled by Blue Jays,
mostly in the cattle exclosure area n of Group Area in nw part of CG)
Townsend's Solitaire (big influx)
Northern Bobwhite (3, no doubt released by somebody, as has happened from time
to time over the years)
Good assortment of sparrows in Briggsdale, particularly at the football
field and along the southernmost street in the sw part of town (borders
open fields)
no Brown Thrashers
no House Wrens
no Wilson's Warblers
no Townsend's Warblers
no "eastern" Warblers
no vireos
There was a very exciting early morning landing of birds (100 or more
individuals of exactly 30 species (with surely others I missed) in the ne part
of the CG. After attempting to sort thru this delightful, fast-moving mix (in
an area from where the "campground host" camper near the entrance, to the elms
n of the Main Shelter, to the farm machinery exhibit), the whole place was
pretty quiet. That is to say, the birds comprising the dawn assault did NOT
settle into the mature trees along the dry creek channel along the south and
west sides of the CG proper, but apparently kept on moving south along dry Crow
Creek, the old riparian vegetation of which extends for miles south of
Briggsdale.
This autumn, my sense is that either millers (mostly Army Cutworms) did well
enough in the mountain meadows that the return flight of moths to the plains is
more conspicuous than normal, OR other food is scarce enough due to drought
that birds are being forced to focus on millers, OR BOTH. Dr. Steve sent me a
cool shot of a young Six-lined Racerunner (lizard) eating a miller. Everything
is getting them. What seems to be the norm this fall is small birds flush the
moths from vegetation, they (the insects) crazily dive to the ground in
avoidance mode, and the birds follow into the dry litter for the kill. Many
warblers, as well as sparrows and other groups are doing this. Other major
food items for small birds on the plains this fall are elm flea weevils,
hackberry psyllids (now that they are emerging), green lacewings, and various
species (fairly big and small) of midges (especially true of areas near water).
Jackson Res (Morgan) highlights from the west side near the VC and a 200 yard
slice of the west shore e of the VC:
Sanderling (1 juv)
Marbled Godwit (2 juv)
both common phalaropes in small numbers
Pectoral Sandpiper (2, probably more out there)
Large numbers of Killdeers and yellowlegs of both species, not a lot of peeps
(There was a birder I never id-ed working the south and southeast shores -
wonder what he found?)
As for landbirds in the thickets:
Wilson's Warbler (maybe 5, mostly in Russian-Olives and elms)
Townsend's Warbler (2, ditto)
Big influx of the same species fluxing above at Crow Valley (juncos, kinglets,
white-crowns, solitaires)
Wild Turkey (4-5 w of the VC, within sight of multiple DOW trucks, very likely
released and semi-domesticated)
no Long-eared Owls seen, but a vocal uprising by robins and jays at one point
may indicate the presence of at least one in the olive thicket e of VC
Elderberries (tiny dark-purple berries in "grape clusters" on a couple big
woody shrubs) on the east side of the VC grounds are worth checking. They look
great for a Varied Thrush/waxwing/wintering Hermit Thrush exploitation.
Virginia Creeper is full of berries at present - also, lots of bird action.
A Least Sandpiper could touch bottom in the middle of shrinking Jackson without
getting its belly wet (well, almost).
On an unrelated note, and against better judgement, here goes. Last night
about 11pm while walking home from the bistro thru a residential neighborhood e
of downtown FC, I heard, then saw, two large birds flying fairly low from n to
s. I assumed, prior to seeing the birds, they would be Great Blue Herons, but
under the influence of a half-lit moon, they appeared to be White Pelicans. It
was mildly bizarre. Has anyone seen pelicans flying at night, is this normal,
and are they known to give a flight call?
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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