Greetings All
Today, Sean Walters and I spent nearly 7 hours birding the semi-flooded and muddied location known as Tamarack Ranch. It was still impressively birdy, with most of the birds being in the semi-flooded riparian areas, with few birds in the shelterbelts. Note that there was virtually no option to pursue birds calling/singing from riparian due to flooding General "Rarities" WOOD THRUSH- singing <1/4 mile west of the road from I-76 to Crook (CR 81, CO 55 per Google Maps and eBird). Not seen, but distinctive song heard repeatedly. Eastern Yellow-breasted Chat- singing near road about 1/8 mile west of road to Crook Carolina Wren - at Tamarack Pond near headquarters/manager's quarters American Redstart - near Wood Thrush, over road; female type Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting - Near river (RBGR) or in fields (INBU) in portion east of road to Crook near parking areas 5-8 Seasonal Rarities 4 Western Tanagers!!! Swainson's Thrush Rare for NE Plains as potential breeders Willow Flycatcher - heard singing, not seen Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher (western) "Rufous-sided" Towhee Mish-Mash 13 not seen 7 Spotted x Eastern; most looked like Easterns with a few stray spots on scaps. One looked like a Spotted with that white check box at the base of the primaries. Most called like Spotted, though one called like an Eastern, if heard. 7 Spotted Towhees; 4 of the usual "Interior Montane" type, 2 of the "Great Plains" or "arcticus"variety, 1 tweener. No solid Easterns found on this trip. Only one female!!! All the others were either singing, or if visualized, were males. The female was a hybrid apparently paired with a hybrid male. Local Specialties 4 YB Cuckoos (3 east of road to Crook, 1 west) 4 RB Woodpeckers (all east of road; lower number than usual) 1 GC Flycatcher (east of road; likely near parking areas 6 or 7) 6 Bell's Vireos (singing. Easily found west of road) 7 Field Sparrows. Best found near Tamarack Pond, or just w. thereof, on south side of fields Numbers: Busting per usual with 129 House Wrens, 48 Yellow Warblers, 29 Orchard Orioles, 26 Warbling Vireos (all singing birds were Eastern, as expected), 17 Western Wood-Pewees, 10 RH Woodpeckers, 9 YB Chats. After Tamarack, we visited Red Lion SWA, where we had 1 GLOSSY IBIS 1 Snow Goose 1 Willet Several Black Terns, in winter-type, or partial breeding plumage There was also a Bell's Vireo in the best plum-hedgerow along the road At Jumbo Res 2 Common Loons, one in breeding plumage, the other not 1 Willow Flycatcher (in willows, just after you turn R towards Jumbo after having traversed Red Lion.) Not Eastern Willow, but not quite right for typical Western Willow Glenmere Park, Greeley, Weld Sean and I visited the colony yesterday mid-day (twice) and today before sunset. The colony appears abandoned. One BC Night Heron yesterday, no herons today except a lone Snowy Egret that flew in at dusk and nestled among roots to roost. We did have a family group of 4 Bushtits in juniper sw. of pond, itself. Good Birding Steve Mlodinow Longmont CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/8D154D6500F0437-2788-24925%40webmail-vm007.sysops.aol.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
