Georgia Doyle and I birded Crow Valley Campground this morning. It was not
super birdy but we did have a few nice things:
Gray Flycatcher (1) in the dry creekbed s of the Main Picnic Shelter
Hammond's Flycatcher (1, possibly 2) in the dry creekbed south and sw of the
Main Picnic Shelter
Townsend's Warbler (at least 4 working the elms sw of the Antique Farm Machine
exhibit
Cassin's Vireo (1 very yellow individual, in with the Townsend's Warblers)
Warbling Vireo (1, silent, in with the Townsend's Warblers)
Townsend's Solitaire (1, first of the fall down low for me)
Hairy Woodpecker (2, both mountain form)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2, first of the fall down low for me)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (2)
Unidentified warbler (strongly suspect Tennessee, very short tailed, no obvious
wingbars, light underneath)
Hermit Thrush (2, first of the fall for me down low)
Total of 36 species (including those seen in a brief drive-by survey of
Briggsdale)
Near the Antique Machines we ran into Judy Wright of Estes Park who has been
camping at CVCG with fellow teachers. She reported:
VARIED THRUSH (1 seen and heard well in the creek bed that goes north from the
Group Area out to the gate leading to the Morning Dove Trail/Primitive Camping
area (see saw in an elm and down in the willows along this stretch).
Supposedly another was reported in Estes Park within the last day or so!
WHITE-WINGED DOVE (1) no details
EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE (heard vocalizing, probably the same individual reported by
Steve M.)
We also went out and checked the low spot/ephemeral pond on Weld CR105 a few
miles south of SR14 where Mark Miller reported the Buff-breasted Sandpiper
recently. We had the following:
*Tom Wilberding
*Wilson's Phalaropes (including one that ate a tadpole shrimp, similar to what
Bill Schmoker documented with the famous breeding plumaged Red Phalarope
on the PNG years ago)
*McCown's Longspurs (small numbers came in off and on)
*Savannah Sparrows
*American Avocets
*American Pipits
*A long-horned Opuntia cactus borer in the genus Moneilema (these are fairly
common on the PNG)
*A zillion fracking tanker trunks (these are abundant on the PNG, see eTruck
for a fascinating graphic portrayal of their proliferation over the past few
years)
This site is very much changed from what it used to be when it was a nice,
quiet place to pull over and watch/photograph prairie birds coming in for a
drink. Due to recent high water, the road thru the area, although no longer
closed, is barely passable, is essentially one-lane (even though the trunks are
going both directions), parking is problematic, noise is considerable, etc.
The birds probably don't care because water is water, but anyone going out
there needs to understand the situation. Those things said, this area can
attract hundreds of longspurs and I would wager it has had all four species on
the same day at least once in its past.
At Crom Lake west of Pierce (on CR31 s of 90) we had 15 Stilt Sandpipers, a few
Leasts, a few Baird's, a few avocets, one Semipalmated Sandpiper, 350 Canada
Geese, 1 Ruddy Duck, and a large group of Barn Swallows persists.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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