Hello, birders. Hannah Floyd and Andrew Floyd and I visited the San Luis Valley this past Sunday & Monday, Apr. 15 & 16.
We started off Sunday afternoon at Smith Reservoir State Wildlife Area, Costilla County, where the birds were shoulder-to-shoulder straight across the rez. eBird queried pretty much all our counts. Amid 100+ *Eared Grebes,* we saw several *Horned Grebes.* Also *Bonaparte's Gulls* scattered across the lake. Then we spent several birdless hours at Great Sand Dunes National Park, Alamosa & Saguache counties. Well, almost birdless--The *Common Ravens* were most excellent. And lots of cool arthropods, plants, and rocks. A bit after sundown on Sunday, we went owling at the Zapata Ranch, Alamosa County, where we heard *Long-eared Owl, Western Screech-Owl,* and *Great Horned Owl.* Monday morning at the Zapata Ranch, we saw a *Lewis's Woodpecker.* Also one (1) each of *Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Pinyon Jay, Bushtit, Audubon's Warbler,* and *Cassin's Finch.* And a great throng of *Spotted Towhees.* At the nearly Medano Ranch, Alamosa County, we found recently returned *Barn Swallows,* a lost *Mountain Chickadee, Mountain Bluebirds* at nest sites, a *Sage Thrasher,* 4 *Sagebrush Sparrows,* and likely migrant *White-crowned* and *Vesper* sparrows. Up the road at the Colorado Reptile Park, Mosca, Saguache County, we overheard speculation that recently hatched *Emus* were roadrunners. This strange and wondrous place also hosted numerous *Yellow-headed Blackbirds* and *Great-tailed Grackles,* plus several singing *Pied-billed Grebes.* We picnicked at Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area, Saguache County, which was loaded with birds. *American Bitterns, Snowy Egret, Great Egret,* 150+ *White-faced Ibises,* 75+ ibises with brown faces, *Virginia Rails, Soras, Sandhill Cranes, Black-necked Stilts, Lesser Yellowlegs,* flycatching *Franklin's Gulls,* plenitudinous *Marsh Wrens,* and a *Savannah Sparrow.* Here are some pix: <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Pw3U7PbdrDk/Wte8_wN70GI/AAAAAAAAWYQ/YO8NcZcl1HwJocy-XQHTtT32PVN0yRMYwCLcBGAs/s1600/01%2Bbison.jpg> * Bison at the Medano Ranch, Alamosa Co., Apr. 16.* <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yHJk2_jaQik/Wte9XB2w2gI/AAAAAAAAWYU/uUZTT25oZYg4dv6Bla4oHIWovraiGiNPwCLcBGAs/s1600/02%2BSBSp.png> * Hannah Floyd and Sagebrush Sparrow, Medano Ranch, Alamosa Co., Apr. 16.* <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-05df_gFmZyI/Wte96pttNjI/AAAAAAAAWYk/ejBhRsHdI_cSr_4IQU2pd06echK8vEjqwCLcBGAs/s1600/03%2Bemus.png> * "Baby roadrunners." Actually, these are Emus. Mosca, Saguache Co., Apr. 16.* <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d7KJBSPCXkQ/Wte-0g5P4aI/AAAAAAAAWYw/AKu901aB1bAP3QD4kcxCLUrRWrLA4xyTwCLcBGAs/s1600/04%2Bbananahead.png> *Yellow-headed Blackbird, Mosca, Saguache County, Apr. 16.* <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0SotlPEPdt0/Wte_OsHwGLI/AAAAAAAAWY0/n37OwAnYkXAcPzDZbuegmbzMNSsWu266wCLcBGAs/s1600/05%2BPlegadis.jpg> *Brown ibis, Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area, Saguache Co., Apr. 16. We saw many such birds. Are they SY White-faced Ibises? How do you tell them from Glossy Ibises?* <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CTGLsXXK3Sg/Wte_5WpsPtI/AAAAAAAAWZE/MnhNBoVQyxM8M-zDo0en9cZg7bRP23okQCLcBGAs/s1600/06%2Bcheckered%2Bwhite.png> * This is one of the whites in the genus Pontia, probably checkered white** (P. protodice). Mosca, Saguache Co., Apr. 16*. <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wXQ75DzR8GI/WtfAcRo8_fI/AAAAAAAAWZM/AkBG2rmyuRM5a0C-no9nfCVQEiN7lC8PACLcBGAs/s1600/07%2Bnot%2Bsnow.jpg> * It snowed! No, it didn't. These greasewoods flourish (sort of) in the alkaline flatlands of the San Luis Valley. Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area, Saguache* * Co., Apr. 16.* <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1IUmEam9bd0/WtfBdMwbTwI/AAAAAAAAWZY/DkOrNbpTcis34tLyrC5MJzVtlkQ8hYE9QCLcBGAs/s1600/08%2Bepidote.jpg> * COBirds' resident geologist informs me that this pistachio-green* * stone is likely epidote. We found seveal of these at Great Sand Dunes **National Park, Alamosa & Saguache Cos., Apr. 15.* <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9xUebStN7xA/WtfB3IIEOsI/AAAAAAAAWZc/umQGLiZZt8gZv1TK_Nbon54iEqQ7eN9NwCLcBGAs/s1600/09%2Bblowout.jpg> * We think think this is blowout grass, Redfieldia flexuosa. Anyhow, it was the* * dominant (the only?) vegetation up in the Dune Sea, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Alamosa & Saguache Cos., Apr. 15.* <https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RnqiOd7o_jU/WtfB9RSJrTI/AAAAAAAAWZk/LcmHDvN5Mco4WtRQtbUds6TvyRh5-tEBwCLcBGAs/s1600/10%2Bsnake.jpg> *Andrew Floyd and friend. We believe this is a western terrestrial garter snake. **Found at the Medano Ranch, Alamosa County, Apr. 16.* Ted Floyd Lafayette, eastern Boulder County -- 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/5d0cfb26-d42f-4ac6-aea8-ff158d5bc970%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
