Fall is my favorite time for birding in Colorado. Although this fall hasn't been a good one for eastern warblers, nevertheless a variety of birds is being reported currently (here and on ebird). For a couple of months in fall, just about anything can show up in the state.
Swainson's Hawks, now considered late, were still the most numerous hawk seen along northeast Colorado highways and county roads. Northern Harriers have arrived in large numbers and were seen in many locations with appropriate habitat. Northern Flickers are now everywhere in forested areas. I will also remember this past weekend for all the Monarch butterflies. Here are a few specific sightings from Saturday and Sunday. Crow Valley (Weld County) was quite birdy the morning of October 3, with early morning storms probably somewhat responsible. New arrivals included a Swamp Sparrow, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and an unidentified empid. The previously reported Eastern Phoebe was also present. Midday, I had the unexpected pleasure of a Bill Kaempfer sighting. In the Morgan County playa at the intersection of Hwy 71 and CR JJ, we found a Black-bellied Plover and about 140 Long-billed Dowitchers. At the shrinking North Sterling Reservoir (Logan County), we found a Nashville Warbler in the trees and a continuing presence of many gulls. We were both thinking about jaegers in choosing North Sterling Reservoir as a destination, but we didn't find any. At Jumbo Reservoir (Logan County), I found a Red Phalarope in the southwest corner of the lake. October 4 started off quite rainy and drizzly in Holyoke. The cemetery was birdy, but I only found a small number of species, all common. In the Holyoke town park, I spotted a late Rose-breasted Grosbeak. At "pipit hill" in the South Republican Wildlife Easement (i.e., Hale / Bonny area) in Yuma County, I could confirm 3 Sprague's Pipits, but I think at least twice that number were present. The directions in the county birding guide worked well for finding the pipits. http://coloradocountybirding.org/BySite.aspx?SiteID=903&CountyID=64 Expect the company of some cattle if you visit this area. Bird numbers at Flagler "Reservoir" SWA (Kit Carson County) remain down quite a bit from the peak around Labor Day. In the thicker trees south of the former lake, I found a Magnolia Warbler with other warblers and Ruby-Crowned Kinglets. A Common Poorwill was also resting in the same area. But the highlight was the continued presence of several Broad-winged Hawks. I found 6, and Glenn Walbek has reported as many as 7 previously. David Dowell 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/ffd41e19-3eba-426f-8051-f41d052d69d7%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
