[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 9 March 2014
Compiler: Joyce Takamine Date: March 9, 2014 email: rba AT cfobirds.org phone: 303-659-8750 This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Sunday, March 9, 2014, sponsored by the Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. If you are phoning in a message, you can skip the recording by pressing the star key (*) on your phone at any time. Please leave your name, phone number, detailed directions including county, and dates for each sighting. It would be helpful if you would spell your last name. Highlight species include (* indicates new information on this species in this report). Greater White-fronted Goose (Denver) BRANT (*Douglas) TUNDRA SWAN (*Boulder) Long-tailed Duck (Denver) Barrow's Goldeneye (Jefferson) MEW GULL (Arapahoe) Lesser Black-backed Gull (Arapahoe, *Bent, Weld) Thayer's Gull (Arapahoe, Denver, Jefferson, Weld) ICELAND GULL (Weld) GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL (Arapahoe) Glaucous Gull (Arapahoe, Jefferson, Pueblo) GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL (Weld) Winter Wren (El Paso) Lapland Longspur (Weld) Sagebrush Sparrow (*Montrose) Harris's Sparrow (*Montrose) GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW (Jefferson) Great-tailed Grackle (*Boulder) ARAPAHOE COUNTY: --Dowell reports these gulls at Aurora Reservoir on February 26: MEW GULL, (ad)., Lesser Black-backed Gulls, (2 ad. 1 3rd. yr.), Thayer's Gull, (2 juv., 1 or 2 ad.), GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, (2nd. winter), Glaucous Gull, (1 ad., 2 immature). --On March 3, Walbek reports a similar assortment of gulls from Aurora Res, best seen from the SW corner. BENT COUNTY: --A Lesser Black-backed Gull was reported by Mlodinow at John Martin Reservoir on March 8. BOULDER COUNTY: --On February 1, Wilberding reported a TUNDRA SWAN at Cottonwood Marsh; the swan was seen there again on February 23 by Breitsch, and may still be around. On March 8, at Cottonwood Marsh, Hansely reported TUNDRA SWAN and Great-tailed Grackle. DENVER COUNTY: --On March 3, T. Jones reports two Glaucous one Thayer's Gull from Marston Res. --On March 4 Baker reports a Greater White-fronted Goose on the NE side of Sloans Lake, near Stuart Street. Sloans Lake is near Sheridan and 17th Ave. --Vickery reports seeing a Long-tailed Duck on the South Platte on February 27. It was across the river from the aquarium, with a group of Gadwalls and Mallards. On March 1, Breitsch saw it just SW of Speer Blvd bridge. DOUGLAS COUNTY: -- Stachowiak reports seeing the BRANT, on February 15, at the southeast corner of Redstone Park located in Highlands Ranch. Access the parking lot located on the west side of S Foothills Canyon Blvd approximately 2/10's of a mile south of W Town Center Drive. Look straight ahead as you enter the parking lot or to the left towards the houses on the edge of the park. I have located the bird in this area in the past as well. The Brant was seen by Nunes at Redstone Park on March 8. EL PASO COUNTY: --On February 28 Lee reports that the Winter Wren continues at Fountain Creek across from Mile Marker 18 the concrete gazebo, west of the path. JEFFERSON COUNTY: --On February 18, Hackos reports seeing a Barrow's Goldeneye at Chatfield Reservoir over the weekend. It was in the open water near the dam, west of the tower. On February 28, Kibbe reports the Barrow's Goldeneye continues on the northwest corner of the reservoir. It persisted on March 3, according to a report by Suddjian. --On March 2, Teuton and Brooke saw the continuing Golden-crowned Sparrow at Red Rocks Trading Post. The bird seems to be making infrequent appearances. On March 3, Suddjian reported a flock of 11 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS along Plum Creek at Chatfield SP, downstream of the Plum Creek bridge. MONTROSE COUNTY: --On March 7, Dexter reported Sagebrush Sparrow and Harris's Sparrow on West 5th Ave near the Nucla Serwer Ponds. PUEBLO COUNTY: --On March 3 Percival reports a 1st yr Glaucous Gull at Pueblo Reservoir south Marina. WELD COUNTY: --Lefko reports Lapland Longspurs call over head in Raptor Alley, WCR 100 x WCR 23 x WCR 102 x WCR 27 on February 27. They continued on March 2, when he also found an ad. Lesser Black-backed Gull at Drake Lake. --On March 2 Mlodinow reports these gulls at Woods Lake, east of Severance: a near adult Great Black-backed Gull, a continuing second year ICELAND GULL, 4 Thayer's Gulls a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Upcoming DFO Field trips: Sunday, March 9, DAYLIGHT SAVINGS BEGINS TODAY Chatfield State Park Leader: Paul Slingsby. Phone 303 422-3728 (Note that Ira and Tammy Sanders, who had planned to lead this trip, were called away for a family emergency). Meet Paul at the Swim Beach (near the west aka South Wadsworth entrance) at 7:30 a.m. MDT. Half-day trip until about noon. State Parks pass required. Walking will be held to a minimum, a mile or less. This would be a good trip for less experienced birders. Bring scopes, binocs, dress for the weather. Lunch is optional. Look for waterfowl such as ducks grebes, early migrants such as bluebirds, resident birds including
[cobirds] Hawk ID
Hey Guys, I don't often see most of Colorado's vast array of raptors, so often their ID can still elude me. Being at work, I only have a camera phone. Therefore, the quality of the pictures are not fantastic. However, the coloration is still accurate (the underbelly and underwing don't have strong contrast, if any, from the white). This was taken in Thornton, Colorado today and I have seen this raptor around for weeks. I could never get close enough to accurately view any markings or shape, really, so this was neat. Too bad the pictures aren't great. There are normally three Red-tailed Hawks around the property, but this one always stays solo. I don't see the typical shoulder markings when it's in flight, nor does the tail have any rust. My first inkling was perhaps a Ferruginous, but I would think it'd be a pretty small one. Thoughts? Here are the pictures I was able to nab: http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh67/FireMaster13Deviant/Birds/20140309_135152_zpsdc49ce73.jpg http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh67/FireMaster13Deviant/Birds/20140309_135155_zps757b9b09.jpg http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh67/FireMaster13Deviant/Birds/20140309_135157_zps604953e5.jpg Julie Martinez 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/9e5b5f66-b2f7-4bbc-92ac-6da08ddec3e7%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] Common Redpoll, Rio Grande County
This afternoon (3/9) a Common Redpoll (adult male) was hanging around with a mi xed flock of mostly House Sparrows and a few House Finches, behind the Homelake Cemetery at Monte Vista . It perched in upper branches of a Lombardy Poplar tree. This was a rare species for us in the San Luis Valley. Also saw my first American Avocet of the season on Home Lake today. Virginia Simmons, Del Norte -- 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/1016776273.162290.1394408096244.JavaMail.root%40md21.quartz.synacor.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] Belated Report from SE CO
Greetings All Yesterday I birded from near Rocky Ford (Crowley/Otero) to easternmost Bent Counties. Henry, Meredith, Holbrook, Blue (Adobe Creek), and John Martin were packed with birds, predominantly Redhead, which seemed to be the most common bird in the universe that day. Oddly, Cheraw was birdless, literally, despite reasonable water levels. As for rarities - At John Martin: 1 GLAUCOUS GULL 1 LBB GULL 1 THAYER'S GULL + 1000 gulls totally, with 200 or so of them being Herrng Adobe Creek: 1 Thayer's Gull L Henry: female Redhead x Greater Scaup. There was also a very dark duck at Meredith, but it had some white in the tail, so had some Mallard genes. The other parent was a Mottled or Black Duck, but I did not get a good enough look. Some early-ish migrants: Savannah Sparrow and Lincoln's Sparrow No shorebirds other than Killdeer, surprisingly. TODAY- Nada on Union Res, Weld Good Birding Steve Mlodinow Longmont 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/8D10A08468F7914-2060-22D78%40webmail-m229.sysops.aol.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] Great tailed Grackles, Weld County
Hello. We were birding Lower Latham Reservoir this morning about 11,[had 42 Sandhill Crane fly over us while we were parked on CR 48,at south end], and we were about 2 miles south of CR 48 on CR 47 when we found 6 Great tailed Grackle in a small grove of trees alongside road. Good March Birding to you, Carl Starace and Sally Swain -- 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/CA%2B1xDH7omO3KR%2BcFuB3wcKe87AuU226j8kJesGpznKqu_Xw9GA%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz
Folks- I know we're on the western fringe of Rusty Blackbird migration but with a few recent sightings 'round here I thought I'd mention the Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/rubl_spring_blitz/. Link over for the details, but in short if you've tallied Rusties since March 1 you can enter them in eBird under the Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz protocol (available in the other selections below Traveling, Stationary, and Incidental effort protocols.) Your sightings can help with this species of concern: The Blitz aims to identify important migratory stopover sites for Rusties, assess the consistency of stopover use and timing, and create increased awareness regarding Rusty Blackbird conservation. 38 states, 9 Canadian provinces, and 3 territories will seek Rusty Blackbirds as this species returns to its breeding grounds; each region is assigned a set of target dates during which local birders will search for this elusive species. We encourage all birders to participate; simply bird as you normally do during your region’s date range and report your observations to eBird under the “Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz” survey type. Enjoy- Bill Schmoker, Longmont -- /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ | Bill Schmoker | | bill.schmo...@gmail.com | | http://schmoker.org | | http://brdpics.blogspot.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/CAL-wM9ZPfQpMathSGNV3UYbD%2B56DuErQaaZJ1e85W6k-m3iVsQ%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
[cobirds] HSR: Dinosaur Ridge (09 Mar 2014) 9 Raptors
Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 09, 2014 --- SpeciesDay's CountMonth Total Season Total -- --- -- -- Black Vulture0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 1 4 4 Northern Harrier 0 0 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 1 1 Cooper's Hawk1 1 1 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 5 13 13 Rough-legged Hawk0 2 2 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Ferruginous Hawk 0 2 2 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 1 1 1 Merlin 0 0 0 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Prairie Falcon 0 0 0 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter0 0 0 Unknown Buteo0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 0 Unknown Eagle0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 0 Total: 9 24 24 -- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours Official Counter:Bill Wuerthele Observers:Francis Commercon, Jennifer Clay, Karen Fernandez, Lee Farrell, Mike Fernandez Visitors: A warm weekend day brought a lot of hikers/joggers/bikers to the trail. A few stopped by to talk and ask questions. Weather: A warm, mostly sunny day with a high temperature of 70 F. Light westerly winds in the morning shifted to northwesterly at mid-morning and picked up considerably, with a constant 15 to 20 mph breeze throughout the remainder of the observation period. Scattered cirrus clouds drifted in and out, with cloud cover ranging from 10% to 50%. Raptor Observations: Migrating Raptors: A total of nine migrating raptors of five species were seen - Five Red-tailed Hawks, a Cooper's Hawk, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, a Bald Eagle, and an American Kestrel. Nice variety, but few individuals. Non-migrating Raptors: There were numerous sightings of local Red-tailed Hawks, with one pair displaying courtship behavior. A local Prairie Falcon made a brief appearance high above the Ridge. Non-raptor Observations: Non-Raptor Observations included the following species: Mountain Chickadee, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, Common Raven, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Western Scrub-Jay, Northern Flicker, American Robin, Bushtit, and Mountain Bluebird (small flock). Approximately 50 Elk were seen near the Cabrini Monument, and 3 Mule Deer were seen to the east of the Ridge. Predictions: Hopefully, the third warm day in a row will bring some raptor movement. Report submitted by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (jeff.bi...@rmbo.org) Dinosaur Ridge information may be found at: http://www.rmbo.org/ Site Description: Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawkwatch in Colorado and is the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Dinosaur Ridge may be the best place in the country to see the rare dark morph of the Broad-winged Hawk (a few are seen each spring). Hawkwatchers who linger long enough may see resident Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and Prairie Falcons, in addition to migrating Swainson's, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels and Turkey Vultures. Peregrine Falcons and Ferruginous Hawks are uncommon; Northern Goshawk is rare but regular. Non-raptor species include Rock Wren, and sometimes Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift, American White Pelican or Dusky Grouse. Birders are always welcome. The hawkwatch is generally staffed by volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory from about 9 AM to around 4 PM from the first week of March to the first week of May. Directions to site: From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow small signs from the south side of lot to hawkwatch site. The hike
[cobirds] Denver, Glaucous Gull
Hi all, On Saturday, 3/8, I drove around the neighborhood and found the following : I saw 1, second year Glaucous Gull at Marston Reservoir from S. Wadsworth Blvd, seen from the Denver Water board's metal fence, on the west side of Marston. California, Herring Gulls, and Ring-billed Gulls were all around the lake, along with Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, Hooded and Common Mergansers, Goldeneye, and Bufflehead. After Sunday's heat wave the ice will most likely be gone. If Denver Water keeps draining the water from Marston there may only be mud. The above area is Denver county. Also in Denver County 3/8, at Fort Logan Cemetery in the far eastern pond were 2, m. Greater Scaup, with lot's of Northern Shovelers, Bufflehead, and courting Goldeneye. In Jefferson County at Lake Henry, on 3/8, were many Northern Shovelers with 1,m Greater Scaup , and 3,m. Lesser Scaup. Lake Henry is on the north side of W. Quincy just about 2 blocks west of S. Wadsworth. Sorry for the late note, but after hearing about Lesser Goldfinch being seen near Denver this winter, I have seen and heard Lesser Goldfinch for about the last 4 weeks in the housing area of 'The Greens at Pinehurst' [a private area], which is in Denver County near W. Quincy and S. Wadsworth. All in all, Cackling and Canada Geese have departed in fairly large numbers from where I live,[ near Marston Reservoir]. Happy Birding !! Tina Jones Littleton, Jefferson County, 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/SNT146-W47EE74BF31E4B2A1351FD7C0740%40phx.gbl. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
