Still very dry in southeastern CO since I arrived last Wednesday, 2/4.
Tumbleweeds fill many of the irrigation ditches, are piled up against tree
rows, and columns of smoke rise on calm days as farmers/ranchers try to dig out
and burn piles of this exotic vegetation curse (Russian thistle and kochia
weed).
In the Lamar area (Prowers), Northern Cardinals and Red-bellied Woodpeckers
persist at traditional places like the Lamar Community College Woods, Willow
Valley subdivision, and Fairmount Cemetery. There has been a recent influx of
Pine Siskins, something noted during recent years where even if they do not
occur in big numbers during winter, they show up in very late winter/early
spring apparently to breed one time in urban spruce trees before dispersing
elsewhere (to the cooler mountains?) prior to the onset of hot summer on the
plains and brood #2. At LCC are small numbers of other birds like eastern
White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, and Spotted Towhee. I think I caught a
glimpse of a Brown Thrasher at the south end. Two birders have reported a
Golden-crowned Kinglet, a very good bird for Lamar in winter. Yellow-rumped
Warblers are in good numbers near the combination of female juniper trees and
water at various sites and times around town. The female Purple Finch which
showed up earlier in the year at a private feeder in Willow Valley subdivision
has NOT been seen during the recent warm/hot weather (high of 84 degrees two
days ago!). Both shrikes can be found in rural areas. A few roadrunners (at
least 4) have wintered at private farmyards north of Lamar and over near
Granada. I saw one Great-tailed Grackle near Walmart and am told a Common
Grackle is coming to a feeder in Woodland Park subdivision. A juvenile
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker persists in pines in the northwest corner of Willow
Creek Park due east of space between houses numbered 1305/1306A Parkview
Street. An adult male may also be in this same corner of the park in pines
further north near the little stone storage building.
The Harris's Sparrows and White-throated Sparrow (s?) present in early winter
in wild areas (like LCC and the eastern edge of Riverside Cemetery) have
apparently either left or found private feeders.
Water which filled some of the normally dry reservoirs (the so-called "Great
Plains Reservoirs" with formal Native American names and informal local names)
(Kiowa) persists west of US287. The eastern reservoirs like NeeNoshe and the
Queens Reservoirs are dry. King Res has a little bit of water. Over the last
two days Janeal Thompson and I found a couple nice birds at one of the private
reservoirs west of US287: two early Greater Yellowlegs, about a dozen Herring
Gulls, and a juvenile Thayer's Gull. These birds, along with several types of
both dabbling and diving ducks, along with several Ring-billed Gulls, indicates
food in quantity is present, but it is baffling where this came from as there
are no apparent inlets or outlets. Nonetheless, we saw the Thayer's Gull most
assuredly gobbling a pan-sized, pale something (perch? young carp? tiger
salamander nymph?). Unless this water was intentionally stocked (unlikely),
unintentionally "seeded"somehow by waterfowl contaminated with fish eggs or
there has been a response from dormant/locally migratory salamanders (makes the
most sense), I am stumped. Would love to get out there with boots and net and
figure this situation out. The yellowlegs apparently have moved on, and with
no proof whatsoever, my sense is they were northward migrants and not
overwintering birds (nearby water, what little there is of it) has been frozen
sold much of the last few months.
Cranes are starting to show up. "White" and "white-cheeked" geese are around
in local concentrations but are not conspicuous. County roads with high
tension poles are the best for raptors, including more Golden Eagles than I
remember seeing in years past. A good number of prairie race Merlins are in
the area. Rough-legged Hawks are around but in low numbers. I have only heard
one Lapland Longspur among sparse Horned Lark flocks along local rural roads.
Scaled Quail are present in the usual brushy, semi-residential areas on the
fringe of town (they turn into Desert Cottontails during the middle of the day,
transform back to quail in the late afternoon). Eastern Bluebirds, seen in
early January in Russian-olives near the Hospital complex, have so far eluded
me this visit. Cedar Waxwings are around, solitaires seem very scarce this
winter.
Thurston Res (Prowers) north of town has a fair amount of water and waterfowl
including a few Redheads, a zillion Northern Pintails, and on 2/8 hosted 5
White-fronted Geese and a heard Marsh Wren.
Best birds below the dam at Two Buttes Res (still a walk-in area) (Baca) were
two Western Scrub-Jays, a Brown Thrasher, and a heard Canyon Wren (once again I
whiffed on the female Northern Cardinal that has been reported here). Lots of
water in the res and lots of fishermen on shore and in boats (not a lot of
waterfowl except at the far west end).
I have not gotten over to Duane's turf in Bent County.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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