Laura, Thanks so much for getting the word out, I know quite a few people <https://flic.kr/p/Qao2GU> were able to enjoy the bird this evening. Who knows, with this mild weather maybe it will stick around for awhile. I've posted a few photos to flickr, but here's my favorite <https://flic.kr/p/2bcedBS>, with the Rocky Mountains in the background.
Good birding everyone, Peter Peter Burke 5590 Spine Rd. #204 Boulder, CO 80301 (973) 214-0140 Flickr <https://www.flickr.com/gp/pgburke/0scHt9> LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-burke-a627885> On Sun, Oct 21, 2018 at 8:51 PM Laura Steadman <lauramstead...@gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks, Bill! > > I'm glad so many of you were able to get out quickly, see the flycatcher > this afternoon, and take hopefully better photos than me! I hope it sticks > around for others to pick up. What a cool bird. > > Happy (and lucky!) birding, > Laura Steadman > Boulder > > On Sun, Oct 21, 2018 at 7:57 PM Steven Rash <srashch...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Here, here! It made up for a frustrating Sprague's Pipit-less jaunt to >> the state line this morning. That's for sure! >> >> Happy Birding, >> >> Steve Rash >> Denver Co. >> >> On Sunday, October 21, 2018 at 7:48:03 PM UTC-6, William Kaempfer wrote: >>> >>> With these simple words at 2:49 p.m., Laura Steadman made lots of people >>> happy this afternoon: >>> >>> >>> >>> “While looking at the stilt sandpiper and plover (both still present), >>> happened to catch site of a fork-tailed flycatcher on the western shore. >>> Currently viewing.” >>> >>> >>> >>> It takes three things to make real birding news—finding a great bird, >>> identifying that great bird, and getting the word out. Laura had the >>> hat-trick today. Well, it takes a great bird, too, I guess. After a >>> frustrating, one-observer report of Fork-tailed Flycatcher in mid-September >>> that, I believe, was a first state record for Colorado, this was a species >>> that was on a lot of our minds. A bird to dream about, with its snappy >>> black and white body, and that long, long, long tail. Perhaps the only >>> austral migrant (breeds south migrates north and sometimes gets to North >>> America) semi-regularly seen in the US, this is a bird of interest anywhere >>> north of Mexico. I think it is even the story bird behind the cover of >>> John Vanderpoel’s soon to be published recounting of his North American Big >>> Year in 2011, *Full Chase Mode*. And chase we did. >>> >>> >>> >>> I made it to Prince #2 at about 3:15 p.m., and there were already 8 >>> other birders present. It took a little while to re-find the bird, but we >>> slowly starting thinking that the best strategy might be to walk out on the >>> former County Road 111 in order to be below the dam for best viewing >>> opportunities.. After Peter Burke saw it flying somewhere off to the north >>> of Prince #2, we all began walking that way; groups of us, handfuls of us, >>> dozens of us, scores of us, hundreds of us. Trying to count how many >>> birders were there was like trying to count the number of Western Grebes >>> currently on Union Reservoir, a little bit to the northwest. There was >>> Loch Kilpatrick, and there Mark Chavez. Oh, and Rachel Hopper, and Carl >>> Bendorf, and Bill Schmoker, and Gwen Moore, and Joey Kellner, and Glenn >>> Walbeck, and on and on. Steve Larson and Edie Israel were there, and they >>> fly out South Africa at 3:00 a.m. Monday morning! I bet even the >>> Widowbirds down there won’t be as thrilling. >>> >>> >>> >>> This is not the first time modest, little Prince Lake #2 in eastern >>> Boulder County has made birding news. Way back on October 26, 1975, >>> then-Boulder birder Bruce Webb found what I believe to be the first state >>> record of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Prince #2. This bird elicited the >>> famous comment from Colorado birding icon, Harold Holt, “It isn’t a >>> Sharp-tailed Sandpiper until the Colorado Bird Records Committee says it is >>> a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper”. (fide, Peter Gent). Hey—another great bird >>> during the last 10 days of October. And the year before that, what must >>> have been the first state record of Baird’s Sparrow on, wait for this, >>> October 29, 1974. Prince #2 has also had Red Phalarope, Iceland (Iceland) >>> Gull, and Eurasian Wigeon, and just over the hill at Prince #1 there is >>> still a Yellow-billed Loon somewhere at the bottom of the pond, but that’s >>> a different story. >>> >>> >>> >>> Then last week’s wind-focused fallout brought American Golden Plovers to >>> us, all over the Front Range--but importantly to this story, to Prince #2. >>> A couple of plovers made themselves easy to see in the soft, nourishing mud >>> along the south shore of the small agriculture reservoir, and many went to >>> Prince #2 for their year, state, life, county, or whatever AGPL. David >>> Waltman notes that this was the start of our own Patagonia Roadside Rest >>> stop phenomenon. Those plovers brought Laura Steadman out at 2:48 this >>> afternoon. Well, if the truth be told, I stopped at Prince #2 at 9:55 this >>> morning. So, the Fork-tailed Flycatcher must have arrived between 9:55 and >>> 2:48 (insert smiley face here). >>> >>> >>> >>> Thanks, Laura from 100 Colorado birders, and then some. And, somebody >>> remember to go out there at the end of next October. >>> >>> >>> >>> Bill Kaempfer >>> >>> Boulder >>> >> -- >> 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/f6c7b6ae-09f0-4d04-9709-66075e2b6ec4%40googlegroups.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/f6c7b6ae-09f0-4d04-9709-66075e2b6ec4%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > -- > 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/CAO%3DXtdnaVBMGbzixinxi9WRJ%3DBD1Mh3%2BbRtihV_NDNoqXftS0w%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAO%3DXtdnaVBMGbzixinxi9WRJ%3DBD1Mh3%2BbRtihV_NDNoqXftS0w%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. 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