[cobirds] Common Loon at Mckay Lake
Alicia Arnold and I found a Common Loon at Mckay Lake in Adams County. The bird was predictably near the middle of the lake barring great photos. Good birding. Tyler Wilson Thornton -- 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/3fe204df-babf-4354-a1f9-8a8f045aabd7%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] Sexual Dimorphism for Northern Black Swift
Hi all An important paper was just published in the prestiges, ornithological journal, Western Birds—Sexually Dimorphic Plumages Characteristic in the Northern Black Swift written by Colorado authors, Carolyn Gunn, Kevin Aagaard, Kim M. Potter, and Jason P. Beason. The paper, all of it’s science all taking place in Colorado, discusses the implication of the depth of the tail fork as an important feature in determining sexual differences. The paper credits, in part, contributions made by the Denver Field Ornithologist, Education and Conservation Fund and the Colorado Field Ornithologist. Everyone reading this post is probably a member of one or both of these fine organizations. Cheers, Bob -- 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/2E8A4695-C3CE-4C5A-8BCB-4E5CF88FB47C%40earthlink.net. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] RFI: Tropical Kingbird
Hi all, I know it's a long shot, but I'll be in Denver this Saturday morning en route to my 20th(!?) high school reunion down in Pueblo, and would love to see that TROPICAL KINGBIRD (it's pretty rare for me to pick up new ABA birds in CO since I've moved out of state!). So, while it seems to have moved on, I'd very much appreciate hearing from anyone who goes looking for the bird. Thanks! Paul Hurtado Reno, NV (Pueblo, CO) -- Paul J. Hurtado http://www.pauljhurtado.com/ -- 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/CABpQ-FXjO4kJY3NLRHVRetM5xrZc2CJEf0%3DUSQ-jO7HSZNHZvg%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] Green Heron, South Platte River, Arapahoe County
Today I was surprised to find a *Green Heron* along my patch of the South Platte River. It the bird did not move I would never have spotted it. I found it across from Hudson Garden stretch, on the opposite bank from the trail and right across from the Red Barn in Hudson Garden, the best land mark I can give. It was hanging out on the rocks along the river bank. I think it is a juvenile bird. Here is my check list with a heavily zoomed in photo, that bird was a ways away. https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49252648 Brian Johnson, Englewood 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 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/757a9d02-6d69-469c-9e63-4dd9fbf41fb0%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] It's Scaup (ID) season!
Ah yes, everyone's favorite time of the year! You know, the time of the year when some Greater Scaup may or may not be mixed in with Lesser Scaup around the Front Range and may or may not overwinter in various places, esp. in Jefferson Co. Now that a few Lesser's are back and some Greaters are being reported, I'd encourage all you scaup lovers (and those that struggle with scaup from time to time or struggle nearly all the time, meaning everyone!) to reread, study, and memorize Tony's great blog post about Scaup ID. There is nothing wrong with reporting birds as "Scaup sp." In fact it's encouraged to use scaup sp. when there is any doubt on the ID. http://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2018/02/greater-scaup-ebird-problem-child.html Cheers, Scott Somershoe Littleton 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 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/CAJmtx%2BWMNbhnFSzQS58G1b1hktovJvnYLNXSjioT-TM_J%2B1tMg%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Re: [cobirds] Yesterday's golden-plover event--and a question for Bryan Guarente
Bryan, thanks for this analysis. One lesson I have absorbed from you in the past is that it's not the surface-level winds that are important, but the wind up a bit higher where the birds are migrating. Why do you focus on surface winds this time? thanks - Sandra Laursen On Monday, October 15, 2018 at 10:40:25 PM UTC-6, Bryan Guarente wrote: > > Cobirders, > when Ted beckons... you get a really long email... > > So the question is: > >1. Why did this situation bring more birds to the Front Range? > > *TL;DR* (Too long; didn't read) -- Super-short snarky answer just for > Ted: it was the wind! The weather had a lot to do with it and which end of > the cold front Colorado ended up on helped dictate that flow of migrants. > Based on percentage of the total flow area behind the cold front compared > to the overall flow, it looked like a 30-40% chance that birds would end up > in the Front Range due to funneling or convergence. > > *Full version:* > >- *Why did this weather situation bring more birds to the Front Range?* > > Let's look through the computer models because it is sexier, and makes it > easier for everyone to understand because I can give you data everywhere on > the globe. One could also do this with satellite imagery, but it is harder > to get you to see what I want to see, so I will work with the easier > option. > >- > > https://earth.nullschool.net/#2018/10/14/Z/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-105,40,1706/loc=-105.000,40.000 > > That animation of a single time gives you the idea of what is going on > that made Colorado a hotspot for any migrants yesterday. Any bird trying > to make its way to the southeast from Canada may have started out with good > intentions, but depending on which side of the flow it started from or > ended up in over time, it had a strong chance of ending up heading toward > the Front Range. The cold front itself is the "blue" area with no wind > that curves from Lake Nipigon down through Iowa, Nebraska, then curving > into Colorado. All of the airflow behind that cold front (to the north and > west) is what we want to focus on. The flow had multiple possible end > points at that time: near Lake Nipigon, along the cold front just south of > Lake Superior, along the cold front in Iowa, or into the Colorado Front > Range. > > The highest likelihood location for the birds to end up was actually along > the Front Range. The percentage of the total area of that flow behind the > cold front that was showing a distinct convergence into the Front Range was > about 30-40% (guesstimated). So any birds within that 30-40 percentage of > the total area had a strong likelihood of ending up in Colorado's Front > Range. That means that birds ranging from Alberta through Montana, North > Dakota, Minnesota, and western Iowa and then everywhere southwest of that > behind the cold front, had a strong chance of ending up in the Colorado > Front Range. The door was wide open so to speak. The flow was broad > initially, then came crashing in on itself converging into a small area > (Colorado Front Range). So think of this as your funnel for bird > convergence. On the broad end, you put in any birds you'd like, then on > the other end, you get a stronger concentration of birds because the winds > they like to follow are forcing them together more over time. Other places > are getting lower concentrations of migrants due to the divergence of the > birds from their area into our area. > > This was only one snapshot of the winds at the surface though. For a > period of about 12 hours, this was still the case around this. Earlier it > was less convergent into the Front Range, but picked up, then maximized > around the time I showed you earlier, then tapered off a little. > Importantly though, the time I linked you to was right around sunset when > the snow started to pick up all along the Front Range. This was a bonus > for birders, hindrance for the birds. Both the sunset and the snowfall > made this more important for the birds to get to the ground, and then they > likely stayed the night to try their luck at adding some munchies in the > morning. > > This is the time for American Golden-Plover migration. It also happens > that the location this storm started from had a good chance of grabbing > some of those migrant AGPLs trying to make their way through the Central > Plains like they normally do. However, as luck would have it, they ended > up on the wrong side of the flow behind that cold front. They got stuck on > the Colorado Front Range side, and then we got lucky to see them here. The > number of AGPLs that migrate through this corridor in a short period of > time is HUGE. That also gives us a higher chance of getting them here in > CO. I remember from my days in Illinois that this time of year would > produce fields upon fields of AGPLs numbering in the thousands ea
[cobirds] Orange-crowned Warblers in west Longmont
Monday, while the sun slowly melted all the snow, I had 3 Orange-crowned Warblers in my yard, feasting on something in my burr oak. They were here all day. Kat Bradley-Bennett Longmont -- 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/c970fd66-3511-4ef6-8b40-e3834617140b%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] White-throated sparrow continues El Paso CO
Not see yesterday, but was feeding this morning at 7am in backyard alongside several White-crowned sparrows and juncos. Kathy Miller -- 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/310221C8-221E-447A-9680-04B4ADC38769%40aol.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] Harris's Sparrow [Weld]
Hi all I had a Harris's Sparrow at dusk in yard feeding on ground with mixed flock of White-crowned and American Tree Sparrow. Photos: http://www.friendsofthepawneegrassland.org/albums/view/25/my-yard-nunn Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn http://www.friendsofthepawneegrassland.org/ -- 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/8c35e24e-2e73-455c-8e54-ac0c0e16c13c%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 17 October 2018
Compiler: Joyce Takamine e-mail: RBA AT cobirds.org Date: October 17, 2018 This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday, October 17 sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. Note that the RBA is using the new AOU checklist. Rare and out of range species for the last seven days include: (*indicates new information on this species is new) Greater White-fronted Goose (*Baca) American x Eurasian Wigeon (*Montezuma) Storm Wigeon (*Montezuma) Greater Scaup (*Arapahoe) Surf Scoter (*La Plata) Bufflehead (Adams, *Baca, Boulder, Fremont, Jefferson, La Plata, Larimer, Rio Grande, *Summit) Hooded Merganser (*Adams, *Boulder, Jefferson) Red-breasted Merganser (Boulder, *Larimer) Horned Grebe (*Arapahoe, *Denver) Common Poorwill (El Paso) White-throated Swift (Fremont, *Garfield) Virginia Rail (*Larimer) Sandhill Crane (El Paso, Fremont, Rio Grande, Teller) Black-bellied Pover (*Boulder) American Golden-Plover (*Arapahoe, *Boulder, *Jefferson, Larimer, *Summit) Semipalmated Plover (Arapahoe, Boulder) Killdeer (*Clear Creek) Stilt Sandpiper (*Arapahoe, *Boulder) Sanderling (Boulder, *Monezuma) Pectoral Sandpiper (*Boulder, Douglas, Larimer) Short-billed Dowitcher (*Boulder) Lesser Yellowlegs (*Arapahoe) Willet (*Summit) Wilson’s Phalarope (Jefferson) Red-necked Phalarope (Jefferson) Bonaparte’s Gull (Adams, Arapahoe,) Laughing Gull (La Plata) Franklin’s Gull (*Arapahoe, *Boulder, Rio Grande) Mew Gull (*Arapahoe, Boulder) WESTERN GULL (*Arapahoe) Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larimer) Red-throated Loon (*Denver) American White Pelican (*Clear Creek) Snowy Egret (La Plata) Green Heron (Fremont) White-faced Ibis (*Arapahoe) Osprey (Fremont, Ouray) HARRIS’S HAWK (Larimer) Acorn Woodpecker (*La Plata) Red-belllied Woodpecker (Larimer) Red-naped Sapsucker (Larimer) Hammond’s Flycatcher (* Montrose) Gray Flycatcher (El Paso, *Jefferson) Dusky Flycatcher (La Plata) Cordilleran Flycatcher (Larimer, Montezuma) Black Phoebe (La Plata) Eastern Phoebe (Jefferson) Scissor-tailed Flycathcer (*El Paso) Steller’s Jay (*Boulder, *Clear Creek, *El Paso, *Garfieldm *Larimer) Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay (*El Paso, *Garfield, *Jefferson) Clark’s Nutcracker (Ouray) Juniper Titmouse (*La Plata) Bushtit (La Plata, Ouray) Rock Wren (*Boulder, *Larimer) Marsh Wren (*Larimer) Blue-gray Gnatcathcer (*El Paso) Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Adams, *Clear Creek, *Garfield,* Jefferson, *La Plata, *Larimer, *Mesa, *Montrose, Ouray, San Juan) Eastern Bluebird (Larimer) Mountain Bluebird (Boulder,*Clear Creek, *El Paso, Jefferson, La Plata,* Larimer, *Montrose, Ouray, Teller) Hermit Thrush (*Boulder, *Denver, El Paso, *Jefferson, Larimer) Curve-billed Thrasher (*El Paso) Sage Thrasher (Fremont, *Mesa) American Pipit (*Arapahoe, *Clear Creek,*El Paso, Jefferson, *Larimer, *Montrose, Ouray, *Summit) Sprague’s Pipit (Larimer) Lesser Goldfinch (*Denver) McCown’s Longspur (*Boulder) Green-tailed Towhee (*La Plata) Canyon Towhee (*El Paso) Savannah Sparrow (*La Plata, *Larimer, Park) Brewer’s Sparrow (*Clear Creek, Ouray) Vesper Sparrow (*Jefferson) Lark Sparrow (*Jefferson) Field Sparrow (Boulder) Sagebrush Sparrow (Ouray) Fox Sparrow (*Boulder, *Larimer) Lincoln’s Sparrow (Adams, *Clear Creek,*El Paso, Jefferson, *Larimer, San Juan) Swamp Sparrow (*Larimer) White-throated Sparrow (Saguache) Harris’s Sparrow (*Boulder, *El Paso) Brown-headed Cowbird (Teller) Orange-crowned Warbler (*Adams, *Clear Creek, Douglas, *Montrose, Ouray) Common Yellowthroat (*Larimer, Mesa) Palm Warbler (*Boulder) Townsend’s Warbler (Gunnison, *La Plata, *Mesa, Pueblo) Black-throated Green Warbler (*Clear Creek) Wilson’s Warbler (*Boulder, Eagle, *La Plata, Larimer, Mesa, Montrose) Western Tanager (Boulder, *Larimer, Pueblo) ADAMS COUNTY: ---On October 15 at Ken Mitchell Park and OS, Adam Besely reported 5 Bufflehead and 2 Bonaparte’s Gull. ---On October 16 at Lowell Ponds (Clear Creek Valley Park), Gabriel Wiltse reported 6 Hooded Merganser and Orange-crowned Warbler. ARAPAHOE COUNTY: ---On October 15 at Cherry Creek SP Marina and nearby Dam Trail, Bez Bezuidenhout, Don Beltz, and Gary Brower reported American Golden-Plover, Semipalmated Plover, and Bonaparte’s Gull. On October 16 at Cherry Creek SP in SW corner, Bob Righter reported 4 Lesser Yelllowlegs, Stilt Sandpiper, and White-faced Ibis (flyover); Edward Donnan reported 2 Lesser yellowlegs, White-faced Ibis (flyover) and 2 American Pipit. On October 16 at Cherry Creek SP—Pelican Point, Loch Kilpatrick reported American Golden-Plover, WESTERN GULL (flyover) and American Pipit. On October 16 at Cherry Creek Reservoir Lake Loop, Ben Sampson reported 2 Greater Scaup, 20 Horned Grebe, and 2 Lesser Yellowlegs. On October 16 at Pelican Point, Ben Sampson reported Mew Gull and Franklin’s Gull. BACA COUNTY: ---On October 16 at Walsh Water Treatment Plant, Tony Leukering reported Greater White-fronted Goose, and 3 Bufflehead. BOULDER COUNTY: ---On October 15 at Prince Lake #2, John Vanderpoel,
