Yesterday I did my first Southern circle of the year, In Fremont County I had Pinyon Jays on the road east of Brush Hollow Reservoir, and had a breakfast burrito at Coyote's Coffee Den in Penrose. In Canon City highlights were Rufous-crowned Sparrow at Tunnel Drive, and Western Screech-Owl on the Riverwalk. No Sapsuckers in three locations I checked. I went over to Valco Ponds east side to scope the beautiful Eurasian Wigeon (new fence, gate, sign, and they mean it. It's ok to park just off the road). Some Canvasbacks, Cacklers, and a single Greater White-fronted Goose were among the assortment on the ice.
In Pueblo County at the reservoir there was the huge Greater Black-backed Gull, one Lesser Black-backed Gull, several Herring and Thayer's Gulls. I didn't see reported Mew Or Glaucous gulls. Interestingly weird bird behavior of the day went to a pair of Wilson's Snipes at the base of the spillway, walking just above the waterline, picking something off of the concrete. At one point they started crawling up the dam a foot or so, seemingly unacceptable behavior for a Snipe. On the way back through Pueblo I visited an area that Brandon Percival told me about a few years ago, to look for White-winged Dove. I've seen them every year since, and it was crazy...all up and down the surrounding streets were lots of Eurasian Collared-Doves, and in this one tree, five doves, all White-winged. I'd seen the Red-breasted Sapsucker in Colorado Springs (El Paso Co) last week, I went looking for it again just to study it vs. just mark it down among the birding paparazzi (which includes me). Stunningly beautiful bird, massive bill, but works quietly like the other Sapsuckers I've observed. It mostly accessed existing well holes. Lastly I went to look for the reported Varied Thrush without success, at 4 p.m. it was shady and cool, other than a Brown Creeper and some Chickadees the birds were not active. First time I've been out full-on this year, really fun day. Dan Stringer Larkspur, 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/a34ed87c-6d58-4a93-9514-ae497ea6bf27%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
