[cobirds] Re: Western Kingbird today! Arapahoe county

[Susan Rosine]

I've been told that in 2009 there was a February sighting in Cheyenne County on 
the 27th. There have also been a few March recordings over the years. These are 
not Ebird records.
As far as I can tell, my sighting is the earliest known sighting for the month 
of February (25th) 
Susan R.
Thornton

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[cobirds] Re: Western Kingbird today! Arapahoe county

[Susan Rosine]

I've been told that in 2009 there was a February sighting in Cheyenne County on 
the 27th. There have also been a few March recordings over the years. These are 
not Ebird records.
As far as I can tell, my sighting is the earliest known sighting for the month 
of February (25th) 
Susan R.
Thornton

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RE: [cobirds] Swan #4 at Cottonwood Marsh

[Mark Miller]

Hi Everyone,

 

The fourth bird kept apart from the other three, but tried to push its way 
through the ice to get a bit closer. It had quite a bit of dirt and grime on 
its neck, so I’m sure we’re talking about the same bird. It had a noticeable 
bulge in the bill, but it wasn’t what the Brits would call a stonking Trumpeter 
bill. Its vocalizations were lower pitched than I normally hear from Tundras. 
Frankly, I didn’t see any marks on the lores. It’s an odd one, and it’s a good 
lesson for all of us about looking at all the field marks.

 

Mark Miller

Longmont, CO

 

From: cobirds@googlegroups.com [mailto:cobirds@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of 
Christian Nunes
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2017 6:34 PM
To: Marie Hoerner 
Cc: Cobirds 
Subject: Re: [cobirds] Swan #4 at Cottonwood Marsh

 

Hi Maria,

 

I would make an argument that the bird in your photos is part of the pair of 
adult Tundra Swans that are invariably accompanied by the immature.  Presumably 
they are a family group. The yellow spot on this one is rather small and can be 
hard to see, especially at a distance. Ted Floyd has some closer shots where 
the yellow can be seen well: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33740263

Steve Mlodinow also has some nice flight shots that show all three of these 
birds. The yellow on that one adult is again hard to see, but it's present if 
you squint hard enough: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S34073530

 

Here are some more links to photos of the solitary swan who I think is more 
Trumpeter-esque, but things don't add up: 

 

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33611634

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S34030937

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S34773743

 

Myself and many scores of birders have been calling this a Tundra Swan all 
winter, perhaps a bit too willingly. I remember studying it while it fed in the 
shallow bay at the east end of Hillcrest Reservoir back in January. Alarm bells 
were ringing, and I had hopes I could "turn" it into a Trumpeter, but the pale 
spot on the bill and the U-shaped forehead made me withdraw from that 
conclusion. I've started to look more closely at the available photos (and the 
bird too, but it was mostly sleeping this afternoon) after Mark Miller's email 
this morning. I still don't think it's a Trumpeter, but a hybrid could be an 
option. Or it's just a goofy Tundra Swan like we've been assuming all winter. 

 

Thanks,

 

Christian Nunes

Longmont, CO

 

  _  

From: mesozoic.cephalo...@gmail.com   
 > on 
behalf of Marie Hoerner  >
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2017 7:14 PM
To: Christian Nunes
Cc: Cobirds
Subject: Re: [cobirds] Swan #4 at Cottonwood Marsh 

 

That's interesting.  That is not one of the birds that I was seeing last night; 
at least, I don't think that it is.  Here are a couple of shots of that bird.  
(In the photos where the 4th swan joined 2 of the others briefly, it is the 
middle bird of the three in the photograph.)  As far as I could see in the 
photos and through my binoculars, this one completely lacked the light color 
that is in the linked picture above.  I am certainly not arguing with the ID of 
more experienced birders; I'm just wondering if one of the birds that I saw was 
a different bird because I'm curious and uncertain of my own ID skills when it 
comes to Trumpeters and Tundras. 

 

Thanks for the thoughts on these swans,

 

Marie Hoerner

Aurora, CO

 

On Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 5:09 PM, Marie Hoerner  > wrote:

That's interesting.  That is not one of the birds that I was seeing last night; 
at least, I don't think that it is.  Here are a couple of shots of that bird.  
(In the photos where the 4th swan joined 2 of the others briefly, it is the 
middle bird of the three in the photograph.)  As far as I could see in the 
photos and through my binoculars, this one completely lacked the light color 
that is in the linked picture above.  I am certainly not arguing with the ID of 
more experienced birders; I'm just wondering if one of the birds that I saw was 
a different bird because I'm curious and uncertain of my own ID skills when it 
comes to Trumpeters and Tundras. 

 

Thanks for the thoughts on these swans,

 

Marie Hoerner

Aurora, CO 

 

 

On Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 4:49 PM, Christian Nunes  > wrote:

Birders,

 

The two obvious adult Tundra Swans, one with extensive yellow on the bill and 
the other with a small yellow tear drop, are the likely parents of the 
immature. This family group acts as a unit and they are rarely separated by 
very much space. One adult has extensive yellow on the bill, the other more of 
a small tear drop. The immature is dusky and has a pale 

Re: [cobirds] Greenwood Village Birding (Arapahoe Co.)

[Charles Hundertmark]

Nice Ross's Goose pix.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Feb 26, 2017, at 6:10 PM, Jared Del Rosso  wrote:
> 
> On Thursday, while driving home from DIA, I spotted an all white goose with 
> some Canada / Cackling at West Middle School (Belleview & Holly) in Greenwood 
> Village (Arapahoe). I couldn't tell, while driving on far side of Belleview, 
> whether it was a Snow or Ross's. But either would be my first in my home 
> circle and also bird #150 in that circle, so it was hard not knowing. I 
> finally had a chance to go out and look for the goose today. I wasn't 
> especially optimistic that it would still be hanging around the grass inside 
> the middle school's track, but as I approached the school, I saw a white 
> goose among the white-cheeked. I was able to watch the bird for a while and 
> take some decent shots, which I believe show the goose to be a Ross's. Small 
> bill with a grayish base & no real grin patch, relatively small stature, & 
> rounded head. Photo below.
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> While at the school, I heard a day-calling Great Horned Owl. And a trio of 
> Mountain Bluebirds flew over, only my second sighting of them in the area. 
> 
> From the school, I headed to Marjorie Perry Nature Preserve, hoping to get a 
> better look at Mountain Bluebirds. I didn't see any, but I did see the 
> White-throated Sparrow for the first time since early February. A Lesser 
> Scaup, my first at the preserve & in my home circle, was a pleasant surprise. 
> I looked for but did not find the Northern Shrike that's been at the preserve 
> all winter, but I did get to watch the Harlan's Red-tail that's been around 
> since November circle over the preserve a few times. 
> 
> 
> 
> - Jared Del Rosso
> 
> Centennial, CO 
> 
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Re: [cobirds] Swan #4 at Cottonwood Marsh

[Christian Nunes]

Hi Maria,


I would make an argument that the bird in your photos is part of the pair of 
adult Tundra Swans that are invariably accompanied by the immature.  Presumably 
they are a family group. The yellow spot on this one is rather small and can be 
hard to see, especially at a distance. Ted Floyd has some closer shots where 
the yellow can be seen well: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33740263

Steve Mlodinow also has some nice flight shots that show all three of these 
birds. The yellow on that one adult is again hard to see, but it's present if 
you squint hard enough: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S34073530


Here are some more links to photos of the solitary swan who I think is more 
Trumpeter-esque, but things don't add up:


http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33611634

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S34030937

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S34773743


Myself and many scores of birders have been calling this a Tundra Swan all 
winter, perhaps a bit too willingly. I remember studying it while it fed in the 
shallow bay at the east end of Hillcrest Reservoir back in January. Alarm bells 
were ringing, and I had hopes I could "turn" it into a Trumpeter, but the pale 
spot on the bill and the U-shaped forehead made me withdraw from that 
conclusion. I've started to look more closely at the available photos (and the 
bird too, but it was mostly sleeping this afternoon) after Mark Miller's email 
this morning. I still don't think it's a Trumpeter, but a hybrid could be an 
option. Or it's just a goofy Tundra Swan like we've been assuming all winter.


Thanks,


Christian Nunes

Longmont, CO



From: mesozoic.cephalo...@gmail.com  on behalf 
of Marie Hoerner 
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2017 7:14 PM
To: Christian Nunes
Cc: Cobirds
Subject: Re: [cobirds] Swan #4 at Cottonwood Marsh

That's interesting.  That is not one of the birds that I was seeing last night; 
at least, I don't think that it is.  Here are a couple of shots of that bird.  
(In the photos where the 4th swan joined 2 of the others briefly, it is the 
middle bird of the three in the photograph.)  As far as I could see in the 
photos and through my binoculars, this one completely lacked the light color 
that is in the linked picture above.  I am certainly not arguing with the ID of 
more experienced birders; I'm just wondering if one of the birds that I saw was 
a different bird because I'm curious and uncertain of my own ID skills when it 
comes to Trumpeters and Tundras.

Thanks for the thoughts on these swans,

Marie Hoerner
Aurora, CO

On Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 5:09 PM, Marie Hoerner 
> wrote:
That's interesting.  That is not one of the birds that I was seeing last night; 
at least, I don't think that it is.  Here are a couple of shots of that bird.  
(In the photos where the 4th swan joined 2 of the others briefly, it is the 
middle bird of the three in the photograph.)  As far as I could see in the 
photos and through my binoculars, this one completely lacked the light color 
that is in the linked picture above.  I am certainly not arguing with the ID of 
more experienced birders; I'm just wondering if one of the birds that I saw was 
a different bird because I'm curious and uncertain of my own ID skills when it 
comes to Trumpeters and Tundras.

Thanks for the thoughts on these swans,

Marie Hoerner
Aurora, CO


On Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 4:49 PM, Christian Nunes 
> wrote:

Birders,


The two obvious adult Tundra Swans, one with extensive yellow on the bill and 
the other with a small yellow tear drop, are the likely parents of the 
immature. This family group acts as a unit and they are rarely separated by 
very much space. One adult has extensive yellow on the bill, the other more of 
a small tear drop. The immature is dusky and has a pale spot on the bill that 
hasn't yet turned yellow. It has V-shaped forehead feathering, demonstrating 
the weakness of this field mark on immature birds.


The fourth bird is another adult, and is the head-scratcher. It spends more 
time by itself, often traveling over to the Valmont lakes. It is the individual 
recently photographed by Kyle Medina over at Sawhill Ponds (refer to his 
COBirds post from this morning "Swan- Sawhill Pond 2/24/17"). It is maybe 
slightly larger than the other swans, and the neck looks a little more sinuous 
and the back maybe more rounded. These features give it a resemblance to a 
Trumpeter. It currently has some heavy staining on the head and neck, which 
helps pick it out from a crowd, but is not something that's useful for ID. The 
thing is that it does have a pale spot on the bill in front of the eye- not 
bright yellow like the other Tundras, but more of an off white. The forehead 
feathering is also U-shaped, as in an adult Tundra. The legs are dark 

[cobirds] Greenwood Village Birding (Arapahoe Co.)

[Jared Del Rosso]

On Thursday, while driving home from DIA, I spotted an all white goose with 
some Canada / Cackling at West Middle School (Belleview & Holly) in 
Greenwood Village (Arapahoe). I couldn't tell, while driving on far side of 
Belleview, whether it was a Snow or Ross's. But either would be my first in 
my home circle and also bird #150 in that circle, so it was hard not 
knowing. I finally had a chance to go out and look for the goose today. I 
wasn't especially optimistic that it would still be hanging around the 
grass inside the middle school's track, but as I approached the school, I 
saw a white goose among the white-cheeked. I was able to watch the bird for 
a while and take some decent shots, which I believe show the goose to be a 
Ross's. Small bill with a grayish base & no real grin patch, relatively 
small stature, & rounded head. Photo below.

 





While at the school, I heard a day-calling Great Horned Owl. And a trio of 
Mountain Bluebirds flew over, only my second sighting of them in the area. 

>From the school, I headed to Marjorie Perry Nature Preserve, hoping to get 
a better look at Mountain Bluebirds. I didn't see any, but I did see the 
White-throated Sparrow for the first time since early February. A Lesser 
Scaup, my first at the preserve & in my home circle, was a pleasant 
surprise. I looked for but did not find the Northern Shrike that's been at 
the preserve all winter, but I did get to watch the Harlan's Red-tail 
that's been around since November circle over the preserve a few times. 


- Jared Del Rosso

Centennial, CO 


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Re: [cobirds] Front Range Bushtits-What's Up Wtih That?

[DAVID A LEATHERMAN]

Welcome back Doug "Thick-billed Kingbird" Ward.


I still thick of bushtit as a special bird when I see one, mostly because of my 
indoctrination regarding their status when I moved here in the 1970s.  But 
certainly they are a great example of a species that has changed dramatically.


Rightly or wrongly, I tend to interpret most "trends" or "changes" we see in 
Colorado birding world thru the filter of their food.  Every time I've been 
able to figure out the food of bushtits, it tends to be small insects: things 
like aphids, scales, psyllids, the makers of galls, plus insect parasites and 
predators of aphids and scales.  I've watched bushtits at the Denver Botanic 
Gardens working for long periods of time on soft scales in some of the oak 
plantings.  Of course, live oaks of several species are common in the southern 
heart of the bushtit's historical range.  Many oak species are considered 
"quality" trees by Colorado Front Range urban foresters/landscape architects, 
and they are universally recommended as replacements for overplanted, "trash" 
species like silver maple, poplars and Siberian elm.  Thus, I think, similar to 
what you mentioned for the blue jay, oak plantings are probably part of local 
habitat change by humans of benefit to bushtits.  Certainly we have a lot of 
ornamental junipers and pinyon pines landscaping our new subdivisions.  They 
occur on every list I've ever seen of recommended "xeriscaping" (i.e. low water 
use) plants, AND they harbor aphids and scales, good for bushtits.  Climate 
change would seem to be another factor.  I'd guess the associated extremes 
we've been seeing (especially those that could be described as "warmer/milder") 
allow for better survival of insect food items, but also, importantly, stress 
woody plants in a way that makes them more vulnerable to colonization by 
insects in the first place.  Warm and dry, plus a lot more people taking 
showers and watering lawns = shortages, restrictions. and moisture stress 
in plants.


In short I would say Colorado is fast becoming part of the desert Southwest.  
If you research the last 50 species added to the Official State Checklist, an 
overwhelming majority of them are southwestern or southern.  Black phoebe, 
black-chinned sparrow, Lucy's warbler and many others are examples.  
Black-chinned hummingbird, formerly only found south of Colorado Springs or on 
the West Slope, now breeds in Lamar and all the way up the Front Range to 
southern WY.  White-winged doves are now part of the scene.  I saw 42 in one 
Lamar yard this past January.  We had 13 roadrunners on the John Martin Res CBC 
last December.  Steve Mlodinow found one near Fort Morgan a few years ago, one 
has been running the roads near Red Rocks in recent years, an unsubstantiated 
report came from west of Fort Collins a little over a year ago.  If that was a 
fig newton of somebody's imagination then, it won't be in a few years.  
White-throated swifts overwintered in Pueblo last year.  I think we are close, 
if it hasn't happened already, to having several species of shorebirds 
overwinter on open water in Colorado (least sandpiper, greater yellowlegs, 
spotted sandpiper, Baird's sandpiper, not just dunlin, snipe and killdeer).


It is exciting to see new things, but the reasons for them should be somewhat 
sobering.  I think we birders have an important role to play in documenting the 
changes.  If and when we ever have political leadership that values the 
environment, who knows, birders might have a lot to contribute that could make 
a difference.


Welcome back, and we also welcome your future contributions to COBIRDS.


Dave Leatherman

Fort Collins



From: cobirds@googlegroups.com  on behalf of Doug 
Ward 
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2017 11:31 AM
To: cobirds@googlegroups.com
Subject: [cobirds] Front Range Bushtits-What's Up Wtih That?


“Long time Colorado birder, first time CoBirds poster”.  After being away for 
17 years, I find myself back in the Front Range of Colorado on a regular basis 
now.  Being born and raised here, I had over 25 years of birding experience 
before heading north to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in 2000; actually splitting time 
between Colorado & Idaho now.  With family down here, we were back for 
holidays, but never really got out to do much birding – plus after 25 years, I 
had a pretty good idea of what, and how many, were where, or so I thought.



Ted’s post last night (25 Feb.’17), “magpies, flickers, bushtits, and Bill 
Kaempfer”, prompted me to write this note based on one of the significant avian 
changes I’ve noticed along the Front Range since being away.  Last summer, my 
wife and I were working in the yard here in Denver (Denver, Co.) and I heard 
the distinctive “twittering”, then “Holy s

[cobirds] Re: Western Kingbird today! Arapahoe county

[Ben S]

I looked twice for this bird at Cherry Creek State Park today, in the 
mourning and afternoon. When I was looking at Lake Loop it was 15 degrees 
F. Therefore, I wouldn't be suprised if he had already moved on. I looked 
at the ebird bar charts. Not only had this species never been reported in 
Colorado in Feburary, the earliest it had previously been reported was 
early April. Nice find! Maybe next winter someone will get us a Tropical 
Kingbird!

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[cobirds] American Woodcock at Bobcat Ridge, Larimer county

[cteuton]

The evanescent American Woodcock was in the creek a bit east of the ranger's 
house this afternoon, so, obviously it's still around.  Could be seen from the 
county road that runs through the area.
 Thanks to Joe Roller for teaching me the word "timberdoodle" for this hard to 
spot species, because now I can't get it out of my head! If timberdoodle 
doesn't work for you,  alternate terms include "mudsnipe", "bogsucker", and 
"Labrador Twister".
Good birding,
Cheryl Teuton 
Aurora 

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Re: [cobirds] Horned Larks in Boulder and Larimer Counties

[Libby Edwards]

My husband and I also saw a few flocks of about 20 horned larks each on the
way up and down Poudre canyon both ways on Friday, some in the flats along
the road after the Narrows and then further along up the canyon, mostly
along the road.  I have seen them normally in June and later in the tundra
areas of RMNP and Cameron Pass.  They nest up high.
Libby Edwards
Fort Collins
Larimer County

On Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 9:35 AM,  wrote:

> 7:30 AM Friday morning, following the storm that dropped about 4 inches of
> snow in Lyons, I saw a flock of approx. 20 Horned Larks feeding on the
> roadside in front of the Lyons Firehouse. Up in Pinewood Springs where
> snowfall was a little heavier, I found one lone Horned Lark huddled down in
> a snowbank near the mailboxes along the side of Hwy 36. I have never seen
> these birds around here before, not sure if they just got caught up in the
> storm.
>
> Irene Rivas
> Pinewood Springs - Larimer County
>
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Re: [cobirds] Swan #4 at Cottonwood Marsh

[Christian Nunes]

Birders,


The two obvious adult Tundra Swans, one with extensive yellow on the bill and 
the other with a small yellow tear drop, are the likely parents of the 
immature. This family group acts as a unit and they are rarely separated by 
very much space. One adult has extensive yellow on the bill, the other more of 
a small tear drop. The immature is dusky and has a pale spot on the bill that 
hasn't yet turned yellow. It has V-shaped forehead feathering, demonstrating 
the weakness of this field mark on immature birds.


The fourth bird is another adult, and is the head-scratcher. It spends more 
time by itself, often traveling over to the Valmont lakes. It is the individual 
recently photographed by Kyle Medina over at Sawhill Ponds (refer to his 
COBirds post from this morning "Swan- Sawhill Pond 2/24/17"). It is maybe 
slightly larger than the other swans, and the neck looks a little more sinuous 
and the back maybe more rounded. These features give it a resemblance to a 
Trumpeter. It currently has some heavy staining on the head and neck, which 
helps pick it out from a crowd, but is not something that's useful for ID. The 
thing is that it does have a pale spot on the bill in front of the eye- not 
bright yellow like the other Tundras, but more of an off white. The forehead 
feathering is also U-shaped, as in an adult Tundra. The legs are dark black, 
which might help rule out a "white morph" Trumpeter as described in David 
Sibley's blog post linked below. There's a good chance it's a Trumpeter x 
Tundra. Steve Mlodinow has extensive experience with both species and their 
crosses, so he might have more to chime in on that hypothesis.


A handy link to Kyle's photo: http://tinyurl.com/hpe7det

Some good reading: 
http://www.sibleyguides.com/2011/07/trumpeter-swans-with-yellow-loral-spots/

[http://www.sibleyguides.com/wp-content/uploads/Cygnus_olor_MuteSwan_clean_thumb-218x300.jpg]

Trumpeter Swans with yellow loral spots - Sibley 
Guides
www.sibleyguides.com
Related posts and pages: Trumpeter Swans, yellow bill spots, and leucism In a 
previous post I’ve talked about Trumpeter Swans with yellow bill spots as a...




Thanks,


Christian Nunes

Longmont, CO






From: mesozoic.cephalo...@gmail.com  on behalf 
of Marie Hoerner 
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2017 4:28 PM
To: snowy.owl...@gmail.com; Cobirds
Subject: Re: [cobirds] Swan #4 at Cottonwood Marsh

I had not gotten the chance yet to post about this, but I saw four swans there 
last night.  Three were Tundra Swans (2 adults and a 1st year), and the fourth 
I thought was a Trumpeter based on the complete lack of yellow in the lores and 
what seemed to be larger size (although they are hard to tell apart because of 
individual variability in the lores and I'm no expert when it comes to swans).  
It is nice to have confirmation since I was rather uncertain.

Marie Hoerner
Aurora, CO

On Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 8:28 AM, snowy.owlets 
> wrote:
Hi Everyone,

A fourth swan has just come in. It looks and sounds like a Trumpeter.

Mark Miller
Longmont, CO



Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S® 5 ACTIVE™, an AT 4G LTE smartphone

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5734 S. Ellis Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637

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[cobirds] American Black Duck , Woods Lake

['John Drummond' via Colorado Birds]

Above seen at 3:25 pm on eastern shore line of Woods Lake Weld County .
John Drummond
Colorado Springs 

Sent from my iPhone

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[cobirds] Caribbean Trip: St Martin/St Maarten, Anguilla, Saba

['Steven Mlodinow' via Colorado Birds]

Greetings All


I just returned from a most excellent trip to the Caribbean.
Photos of birds, bugs, and such (along with some hotel recommendations, etc) 
can be found at


https://www.flickr.com/photos/36088296@N08/albums/72157678872413611


Good Birding and Best Wishes
Steve Mlodinow

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Re: [cobirds] Front Range Bushtits-What's Up Wtih That?

[David Suddjian]

I'm not an old timer here, but the urban areas also have suet feeders,
which Bushtits along the Front Range seem to favor. And elsewhere in the
species' range, cottonwood riparian is a frequently used habitat.

David Suddjian
Ken Caryl Valley
Littleton, CO

On Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 11:31 AM, Doug Ward  wrote:

> “Long time Colorado birder, first time CoBirds poster”.  After being away
> for 17 years, I find myself back in the Front Range of Colorado on a
> regular basis now.  Being born and raised here, I had over 25 years of
> birding experience before heading north to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in 2000;
> actually splitting time between Colorado & Idaho now.  With family down
> here, we were back for holidays, but never really got out to do much
> birding – plus after 25 years, I had a pretty good idea of what, and how
> many, were where, or so I thought.
>
>
>
> Ted’s post last night (25 Feb.’17), “magpies, flickers, bushtits, and Bill
> Kaempfer”, prompted me to write this note based on one of the significant
> avian changes I’ve noticed along the Front Range since being away.  Last
> summer, my wife and I were working in the yard here in Denver (Denver, Co.)
> and I heard the distinctive “twittering”, then “Holy s

[cobirds] Front Range Bushtits-What's Up Wtih That?

[Doug Ward]

“Long time Colorado birder, first time CoBirds poster”.  After being away
for 17 years, I find myself back in the Front Range of Colorado on a regular
basis now.  Being born and raised here, I had over 25 years of birding
experience before heading north to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in 2000; actually
splitting time between Colorado & Idaho now.  With family down here, we were
back for holidays, but never really got out to do much birding – plus after
25 years, I had a pretty good idea of what, and how many, were where, or so
I thought.

 

Ted’s post last night (25 Feb.’17), “magpies, flickers, bushtits, and Bill
Kaempfer”, prompted me to write this note based on one of the significant
avian changes I’ve noticed along the Front Range since being away.  Last
summer, my wife and I were working in the yard here in Denver (Denver, Co.)
and I heard the distinctive “twittering”, then “Holy s

[cobirds] Horned Larks in Boulder and Larimer Counties

[irrivas15]

7:30 AM Friday morning, following the storm that dropped about 4 inches of snow 
in Lyons, I saw a flock of approx. 20 Horned Larks feeding on the roadside in 
front of the Lyons Firehouse. Up in Pinewood Springs where snowfall was a 
little heavier, I found one lone Horned Lark huddled down in a snowbank near 
the mailboxes along the side of Hwy 36. I have never seen these birds around 
here before, not sure if they just got caught up in the storm.

Irene Rivas
Pinewood Springs - Larimer County

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Re: [cobirds] Swan #4 at Cottonwood Marsh

[Marie Hoerner]

I had not gotten the chance yet to post about this, but I saw four swans
there last night.  Three were Tundra Swans (2 adults and a 1st year), and
the fourth I thought was a Trumpeter based on the complete lack of yellow
in the lores and what seemed to be larger size (although they are hard to
tell apart because of individual variability in the lores and I'm no expert
when it comes to swans).  It is nice to have confirmation since I was
rather uncertain.

Marie Hoerner
Aurora, CO

On Sun, Feb 26, 2017 at 8:28 AM, snowy.owlets 
wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
>
> A fourth swan has just come in. It looks and sounds like a Trumpeter.
>
> Mark Miller
> Longmont, CO
>
>
>
> Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S® 5 ACTIVE™, an AT 4G LTE smartphone
>
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> msgid/cobirds/64a0rvwa9idkmybacp3h4hy0.1488122931978%40email.android.com
> 
> .
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mhoer...@uchicago.edu
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Geophysical Sciences
The University of Chicago
5734 S. Ellis Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637

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[cobirds] Rosy-Finches in Telluride (San Miguel County)

[Eric Hynes]

Hello Colorado Birders:

The fresh snow and drop in temperatures after the cold front Thursday
brought a significant influx of rosy-finches to my feeders here in
Telluride. I witnessed a feeding frenzy Friday and Saturday with about 20
pounds of hulled sunflower consumed both days. All three* species were
observed and over 1000 individuals (almost entirely Brown-capped). The blue
skies and rising temperature today has thankfully dispersed/calmed them
down quite a bit.

Photos and numbers can be viewed at my eBird checklist from Friday here:

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S34782957

Good birding,
Eric
.
Eric Hynes
Telluride, CO
-
Field Guides Birding Tours
www.fieldguides.com
http://fieldguides.com/guides/eric-hynes

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Re: [cobirds] Western Kingbird today! Arapahoe county

[linda hodges]

And an early Double-crested Cormorant in Colorado Springs yesterday. At
Double Tree pond.


*Linda Hodges*


On Sat, Feb 25, 2017 at 8:59 PM, Joe Roller  wrote:

> Great find, Susan!
> The previous high latitude for Western Kingbird for February was that of
> Dallas, Texas, per eBird.
>
> In 1944 Frank Loesser wrote the ballad, "Spring Will Be a Little Late This
> Year," which became a great American "standard".
>
> He was not talking about this year, 2017.
> We need new song.
>
> Joe Roller, Denver
>
> On Sat, Feb 25, 2017 at 8:06 PM, Susan Rosine  wrote:
>
>> I am going to download my pictures to my computer, and then I can post
>> the best ones here.
>> For now, I took some pics off the back of my camera,using my cell.
>> Try this link
>> http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S34802925
>>
>> Susan
>>
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> msgid/cobirds/CAJpZcUCz-TsYPHoSK1f_cpCy7woXT7bWp%3Dj_
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> 
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[cobirds] Swan #4 at Cottonwood Marsh

[snowy.owlets]

Hi Everyone,
A fourth swan has just come in. It looks and sounds like a Trumpeter.
Mark Miller Longmont, CO 


Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S® 5 ACTIVE™, an AT 4G LTE smartphone

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[cobirds] Cottonwood Marsh 2/26

[snowy.owlets]

Hi Everyone,
There are three Tundra Swans sleeping in the gelid waters of Cottonwood Marsh 
in Boulder this morning 2/26.
Mark Miller Longmont, CO 


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[cobirds] Louisville Birds

[Susan Wise]

Hey Ryan - it's been residing in Superior and Louisville for quite a few 
winters.  The kids over in Superior love him and actually have given him a 
name.  White Face.
Susan Wise
Longmont Colorado 

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[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 26 February 2017

[Joyce Takamine]

Compiler:  Joyce Takamine
e-mail:RBA AT cobirds.org
Date:   February 26, 2017
This is the Rare Bird Alert for Sunday, February 26 sponsored by Denver
Field Ornithologists and the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies.

Highlight species include: (* indicates new information on this species)

NOTE:  The RBA is using the new AOU checklist, & the order of families has
changed.

Trumpeter Swan (Douglas, *Jefferson)
Tundra Swan (*Boulder)
AMERICAN BLACK DUCK (*Weld)
Mallard (Mexican intergrade) (Pueblo)
Barrow's Goldeneye (Jefferson)
Red-necked Grebe (Pueblo)
Greater Roadrunner (*Baca)
Thayer's Gull (Adams, Larimer, *Weld)
ICELAND GULL (*Weld)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Adams, Douglas, El Paso, Larimer, *Weld)
Great Black-backed Gull (Pueblo)
Turkey Vulture (Jefferson)
Lewis's Woodpecker (Las Animas)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Prowers)
Ladder-backed Woodpecker (*Baca, El Paso)
Chihuahuan Raven (*Baca)
Carolina Wren (Prowers)
Curve-billed Thrasher (Prowers)
Sage Thrasher (Douglas, Mesa)
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Boulder, Pitkin)
Black Rosy-Finch (Pitkin)
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (Boulder, Pitkin)
Lapland Longspur (*Larimer, Logan, Weld)
Canyon Towhee (*Baca)
Sagebrush Sparrow (Mesa)
Lincoln's Sparrow (Boulder)
Northern Cardinal (Prowers)
Great-tailed Grackle (*Weld)

*For directions to unfamiliar locations (e.g. "Lower Latham"), please
refer to CFO's Colorado County Birding site:  www.coloradocountybirding.org

ADAMS COUNTY:
---On February 19 at McKay Road Ponds, Adam Vesely reported 2 Thayer's
Gulls, 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (3 ad, 2 juv).  On February 20 at McKay
Gravel Ponds, Ryan and Jack Bushong reported 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

BACA COUNTY:
---On February 25 at Carrizo Canyon Picnic Area, Alan Versaw reported
Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Chihuahuan Raven, and Canyon Towhee.
---On February 25 at Cottonwood Canyon (Southern Loop), Alan Versaw
reported 2 Greater Roadrunners and 4 Canyon Towhee.

BOULDER COUNTY:
---On February 17 at Walden/Sawhill in Boulder, Carrie Vaughn reported 3
Tundra Swans and 2 Lincoln's Sparrows.  On February 19, Todd Deininger
reported Tundra Swans at Walden Ponds.  On February 20 at Walden/Sawhill
Ponds, Mark Minner-Lee reported 3 Tundra Swans and Lincoln's Sparrow.  On
February 25 at Sawhill Ponds, Kyle Medina reported Tundra Swan.
---On February 24 at Fawn  Brook Inn in Allenspark, Dan Stringer reported
10 Brown-capped and 2 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches.

DOUGLAS COUNTY:
---On February 20 at Chatfield SP, Thomas Holub reported Trumpeter Swan on
the reservoir, Sapsucker species and Sage Thrasher in Plum Creek area.

EL PASO COUNTY:
---On February 21 at Chico Basin Ranch (fee area), Adam Vesely reported
Ladder-backed Woodpecker.
---On February 23 at Memorial Park and Prospect Lake in Colorado Springs,
Bill Maynard and RIchard Bunn reported 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

JEFFERSON COUNTY:
---On February 20 at Belmar Park in Lakewood, Michelle Puplava reported
Barrow's Goldeneye.
---On February 24 at Chatfield SP, Cheri Phillips reported Trumpeter Swan.
It was seen from Heron Overlook on the reservoir.  On February 25 at
Chatfield SP upstream from Kingfisher Bridge west of gravel ponds, Richard
Taylor, Art Hudak, and Gwen Moore reported Trumpter Swan.

LARIMER COUNTY:
---On February 19 at Boyd Lake, Riley Morris reported Lesser Black-backed
Gull.  On February 20 at Boyd Lake, Andy Bankert and Mike McCloy reported
Lesser Black-backed Gull.
---On February 20 at Lake Loveland, Andy Bankert and Mike McCloy reported
ad Thayer's Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
---On February 24 near Wellington on CR 64, David Dowell reported 2 Lapland
Longspurs.

LAS ANIMAS COUNTY:
---On February 20 on Highway of Legends, Liza Anthony reported 6 Lewis's
Woodpeckers.

MESA COUNTY:
---On February 20 at 21 Road and Canal Crossing, Eileen Cunningham reported
Sage Thrasher.
---On February 21 at Brewster's Ridge/Bar X Wash, Denise and Mark Vollmar
reported Sagebrush Sparrow


PROWERS COUNTY:
---On February 21 at N end of Willow Creek Park in Lamar, Dave Leatherman
reported ad m Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
---On February 20 at N end of Lamar Community College Woods, Dave
Leatherman reported a sing Carolina Wren; heard a Red-bellied Woodpecker at
the S end, 4+ Northern Cardinals, and a Curve-billed Thrasher in Woodland
Park Subdivision south of the woods, right where Woodland Park Drive
crosses Willow Creek.

PUEBLO COUNTY:
---On February 19 at Pueblo Reservoir South Marina, Bill Schmoker reported
Great Black-backed Gull.
---On February 19 at Pueblo Reservoir North Marina, Bill Schmoker reported
Red-necked Grebe.
---On February 19 at Pueblo Reservoir Rock Canyon area below the dam/north
of river, Bill Schmoker reported Mallard (Mexican).

WELD COUNTY:
---On February 24, Gary Lefko reported 2 Lapland Longspurs on N side of
dump along CR 84, .25 m E of CR 25 in fallow field on south.
---On February 25, Glenn Walbek reported AMERICAN BLACK DUCK at Woods
Lake.  On February 25 at Woods Lake, Steve Mlodinow reported 

[cobirds] Swan - Sawhill Pond 2/24/17

[Kyle Medina]

Morning stroll through Sawhill Ponds. 1 Swan, each pond had about 2-3 GBH, 
and a plethora of ducks and geese


-Kyle Medina
-Westminster, CO



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