Cobirders, I also do not want to stir up a big debate on this subject. However, non-native species can be a slippery slope. For example, Russian Olives and Common Hackberry (below) have both been championed by Dave for their benefits to birds in the state and both species are introduced and outside of their native ranges in Colorado. Good Birding, Steve Stachowiak Highlands Ranch, CO
On Saturday, October 11, 2014 2:30:40 PM UTC-6, Dave Leatherman wrote: > As I understand the recent changes to the ABA listing rules that Ira > brings up, this may influence the CO List in regards to California Condor. > Does anyone remember when the Grand Canyon condors visited the Grand Mesa > of Colorado? A good source informed me the condors introduced back to > their historic nesting cliffs at the Grand Canyon began to reproduce on > their own in 2004. One of the new rules seems to indicate after such a > date for this kind of reintroduction into a former historic nesting area, > the species is "countable". If the CO sighting was in 2004 or later, maybe > we have a new bird on the CO list. My unclear memory of the CO condor > episode tells me it was *before* 2004, but maybe I'm in error. Comments? > > On a related but different subject, I am very disappointed by our Colorado > DPW decision to introduce non-native Chukars into new areas for very > shallow reasons supported by what I suspect is shallow ecological > pre-study. I guess only when us tax payers are willing to fund this agency > from general funds (as opposed to license fees only), can we expect them to > do anything other than cater to their base. Chukar introductions in new > places are NOT the fault, really, of the current agency employees carrying > out orders from on high. And, I would stress, I have nothing against > hunting and fishing when done within sound ecological guidelines > but............ When will we learn? I say no more new hybrid fish. No > more introductions of non-native species. Non-game species matter. I'm > not trying to stir up a big debate on this forum but just getting some > things off my chest. > > Had a late Townsend's Warbler in my Fort Collins yard today (eating > psyllids in boxelder). Maybe some more good warblers are still coming for > what has been a lackluster passerine migration in northeastern CO. I would > remind everybody what John Shenot recently pointed out about hackberry > psyllids - just prior to this cold, wet stretch of days, in Fort Collins > the gall psyllid hatch (two species coming from both blister and nipple > type galls) was peaking or could be considered just past peak (i.e. > retreating into their overwintering sites in the bark of host trees and > especially nearby spruce trees). That means a similar flight (look for > tiny "gnats" milling about in the air) should be peaking in areas to the > south of here as soon as we return to daily highs in the 60s, and this tree > is worth searching for small migrants. That said, I would also comment > that because the temps have been fairly mild to this point this fall, all > trees are supporting insect populations to some extent, and hackberry is > not the standout species it normally is. > > Dave Leatherman > -- 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 cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/d59e16d2-ca0d-4163-8e1c-7940a01b2b6e%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
