What a fun post and awesome Joe-Phillips reshare! Go Phillips birders!
David Suddjian Ken Caryl Valley Littleton CO Sent from my iPhone > On May 4, 2022, at 3:01 PM, Larry Modesitt <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Joe Roller suspected that honoring Mom on Mother’s Day could be done better > than old-fashioned methods such as personally doing her cooking, decorating, > or gardening. Joe’s advice on Cobirds for Mother’s Day 2009 remain timely and > special today. And Joe would find a way to revere both Mom and bird habitat > by making a special weekend out of Mother’s Day and CFO’s Colorado Birding > Challenge! Since eBird has siphoned off many Cobirders, you might need to > forward Joe’s thoughtful suggestions to your birding friends. > > Larry Modesitt, Arvada > > Although I found that the passerine migration was slow a few days ago in my > favorite place, Phillips County, Colorado, other sightings thrilled me, with > both Eared Grebe (2) and Western Grebes (1) representing new county birds. A > lone drake Wood Duck and two Ring0billed Gulls just added to the fun. Where > were these prime birds – why, at the sewage ponds of Haxtun and Holyoke, of > course. The Cooper’s Hawks still hang out near their nest in Holyoke City > Park. Lark Bunting flocks graced the plains, with a few nice shorebirds at > ephemeral ponds. There were no birds at phemeral water bodies, be warned. > > It occurred to me that tomorrow, Sunday, being the special day that it is, I > might propose a truly novel suggestion – take Mom to Phillips County for a > Mother’s Day treat she will forever cherish. Your older brother and bossy > sister might have taken Mom to the shore or the mountains or Hawaii, but I’ll > bet they never were thoughtful enough to guide Mother to such a gem-like > destination. Let’s face it, birders can be a little grumpy on this holiday. > Mother’s Day was established to occur in mid-May by some wrong-headed > Congressmen decades ago, smack in the middle of spring migration. How > thoughtless! And though each of us birders loves, honors, and respects old > Mom, ornithophiles would never have established this holiday in May, but > would have voted for it to fall sometime in February, when birding is slow. > > But, make the best of it, take Mom on a grand tour of Phillips County, the > jewel of the northeastern plains, a thrill for her AND a birding opportunity > for you I would consider this gesture generous, not selfish, because let’s > face it, every Mother’s Day up til now has not been warbler-centered, but has > been all about her! > > So pack up the SUV, dust off your spare field glasses, head northeast from > almost anywhere in our state and within four to twelve hours, presto, you’re > there. Whether in her birding history Mom has become a seasoned veteran or > remains a rank beginner, Phillips County will surely reveal its avian > treasures to the sharp-eyed. As a warm-up to spotting the avifauna, I’d start > with a meal in the cuisine capital, downtown Holyoke. There nestled together > on a single block are truly savory international places for fine dining – not > just standard American, but Chinese, Mexican, Sub, Donut shop and Convenience > store styles. > > Then how about shopping for a card and gift on cosmopolitan Interocean > Avenue? The Holyoke Hardware Store has a sidewalk display of colorful hanging > floral baskets. Or let Mom go inside and have her pick of Mother’s Day gifts > from the large “75% off rack.” She’ll be surprised at the choices. And at the > Haxtun Super, there are special Mom’s Day sales on Skoal and Copenhagen for > her everyday needs, and for her garden, 25 lbs. of steer manure for $9.99 > (bagged) or for as low as $1.99, “bag it yourself.” > > And now to the birding. I’ll bet that Mom’s Phillips County list is pretty > low. Be sure to have a brand-new notebook and a writing implement. She can’t > miss Eurasian Collared-doves, Horned Larks are ubiquitous, and Swainson’s > Hawks can be seen without much trouble. Swainson’s Warblers can be more > difficult to spot. If she is squeamish about odiferous sensations as you > approach the famed ponds, you can assure her that repulsive olfactory > emanations are just not going to be a problem. (Skip over the fact that the > Haxtun Sewage Ponds are adjacent to the Farfal Brothers’ Feed Lot), And it’s > not just those efficient little lakes that work their magic. Good migrants > can be found along County Road 14 and in the hamlets of Paoli and Amherst. As > evening falls, and you wind your way back home, be patient with your Mother. > She will want to relive the details, as she always seems wont to do on > Mother’s Day, of how intense her labor pains were with you, how numerous were > the dirty diapers she changed, and how her hopes and aspirations for your > development as a person of character were repeatedly thwarted, through no > fault of her own. But let it all go in one ear and out someplace else while > you mentally play back those Vesper Sparrow vocalizations, relive the > wide-open spaces, the high winds, and the rare ducks floating high – on the > sewage ponds of Phillips County. > > Joe Roller, Denver > > -- > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Colorado Birds" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en > * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include > bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate > * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ > --- > 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/448835d1-3966-4bdc-a35c-90ed60daa126n%40googlegroups.com. -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- 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/51E11F43-793B-4EA0-852B-ECE6319DB254%40gmail.com.
