Is ti still there?
On Saturday, November 21, 2020 at 10:06:50 AM UTC-7 [email protected] wrote: > > > As reported by television station KRQE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, on > October 1st, 2020, a European Golden-Plover was discovered at Maxwell > National Wildlife Refuge, twenty five miles south of the Colorado border. > > The core of the European Golden-Plover breeding range extends from Iceland > across northern Europe to central Russia, and its winter range is from > Great Britain, western Europe and north Africa to Asia. Significant numbers > of Golden-Plovers that breed in Iceland, which would be the closest > breeding range to North America, originated from their wintering grounds in > Great Britain, western Europe, and western North Africa. > > It is known that some spring migrants heading to Iceland become > disoriented and instead of landing in Iceland, and with the help from the > prevailing north-east winds, will continue until they find the first land. > Many times this would be North America, mainly Newfoundland, Canada, where > most of the European Golden-Plovers have been recorded. Where they go after > that is not known; however it is strongly suspected the Golden-Plovers > that make first land in the Canadian polar latitudes would then be aided in > traveling further west by an east-to-west prevailing winds. It is also > thought that since there are very few European Golden Plover records in > Alaska, that those Alaskan records could actually have been birds > originating as Iceland-Greenland over shoots and not from individuals > drifting over from Asia. It is unlikely therefore that the Maxwell NWR > European Golden-Plover originated from Asia. > > Now let us assume, by whatever route, a European Golden-Plover made its > way to the central interior of Canada during summer. Food is abundant and > there are other shorebirds around sharing information. Since most of its > needs are met, there would be little advantage continuing to fly further > west particularly over those forbidding Rocky Mountains. Summer is now > winding down, food is becoming scarce, frost is entering the ground and the > Golden-Plover’s internal biology is suggesting that it is time to move > south. Following the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains offers a > reasonable path south. After many stops for food and rest the plover flies > over the Colorado-New Mexico border, starts descending and shortly has > landed at Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge, where many cameras are now > authenticating its presence. This incredible sighting represents the first > interior record for North America, the first record for New Mexico, and the > almost first record for Colorado. > > Sources: > Howell, N. G. Ian Lewington, Will Russell. 2014. *Rare Birds of North > America. *Princeton University Press. 41 William Street, Princeton, New > Jersey. > > Newton. 2008. *The Migration Ecology of Birds*. Academic Press: London > > Bob Righter > Denver 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/75dfffb3-e184-4ab1-ba6e-9e1bc98d037fn%40googlegroups.com.
