[cobirds] New crossbill species

2017-07-14 Thread Leon Bright 
COBirders--  Yesterday's edition of Paonia's High Country News
(http://www.hcn.org/articles/endangered-species-will-the-wests-newest-specie
s-go-extinct?utm_source=wcn1
 _medium=email) has an
outstanding article about the latest new crossbill species.  The article has
much food for thought for professional ornithologists as well as us
enthusiasts.

Leon Bright

Pueblo and Custer County

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[cobirds] Ravens on NPR

2017-07-14 Thread William H Kaempfer 
Cobirders,

An NPR piece about ravens was brought to my attention and I thought I would 
share it.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/07/13/537040868/ravens-surprise-scientists-by-showing-they-can-plan

Of course, that is all just a pretext for sharing a raven story.

Years ago, when I was the compiler of the Boulder Audubon Christmas Bird Count, 
I was disturbed by what was a single record from 1921 of two "White-necked 
Raven" (aka Chihuahuan Raven) on the CBC.  The first Boulder Christmas Count 
was in 1909 and there were sporadic counts until 1950 when it became an annual 
event.  When I looked more closely at the data, I discovered the Common Raven 
was not first counted on the Boulder CBC until around 1957, and then next in 
1961.  Reports on the CBC were sporadic until 1971 when it began being reported 
regularly.  Since then it has taken off with a high of 366 in 1996.

What about the White-necked Raven report from 1921?  The reported actually 
noted seeing white at the base of the neck when the wind fluttered the birds 
feathers (how's that for an early, rare bird report!).  White-necked Raven 
populations exploded during the late 19th Century bison slaughter.  Perhaps 
this left-over pair heard about Buffaloes in Boulder and came to investigate.

Bill Kaempfer
Boulder

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[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 14 July 2017

2017-07-14 Thread Joyce Takamine 
Compiler: Joyce Takamine
e-mail: RBA AT cobirds.org
Date:July 14, 2017

This is the Rare Bird Alert for Friday, July 14 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 now using the new AOU checklist and the order of families
has changes.

Wood Duck (Kiowa)
Northern Bobwhite (Logan)
White-tailed Ptarmigan (Gunnison)
Dusky Grouse (Gunnison)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Logan)
Greater Roadrunner (Huerfano)
Long-billed Curlew (El Paso, Kiowa)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Kiowa, Washington)
Solitary Sandpiper (Boulder, Logan)
Laughing Gull (Kiowa)
Caspian Tern (Weld)
Common Loon (Ouray)
Lewis’s Woodpecker (Routt)
Red-headed Woodpecker (Adams, El Paso, Jefferson, Kiowa, Logan)
Williamson’s Sapsucker  (Pueblo)
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Boulder, Gunnison)
Least Flycatcher (Eagle)
Gray Flycatcher (Huerfano)
Black Phoebe (Boulder)
Eastern Phoebe (Boulder, *Douglas, *Jefferson)
Cassin’s Kingbird (Huerfano)
Purple Martin (Montrose, San Miguel)
Junpier Titmouse (Huerfano)
Bewick’s Wren (Huerfano)
Curve-billed Thrasher (Huerfano)
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (El Paso)
Grace’s Warbler (Mesa)
Canyon Towhee (Huerfano)
Field Sparrow (Larimer, Logan)
Fox Sparrow (Boulder, Larimer, San Juan)
Hepatic Tanager (Huerfano)
Summer Tanager (Montezuma)
Indigo Bunting (Boulder, Logan, Weld)
Dickcissel (Boulder,  Douglas, El Paso, Kiowa, Logan, Saguache)
Bobolink (Boulder)

BOULDER COUNTY:
---On July 8 at Brainard Lake, Bill Kaempfer and John Vanderpoel reported 3
Slate-colored Fox Sparrows and American Three-toed Woodpecker.  On July 8
at Brainard Lake, Renee Casias reported Fox Sparrow and Indigo Bunting.  On
July 11, Brynne Byran reported 2 Fox Sparrows at Brainard Lake.
---On July 9 at County Line Oxbow, Bill Kaempfer reported Solitary
Sandpiper which was N of Boulder Creek and W of County Line.
---On July 10 at N 63rd St at St Vrain Creek, Sue Riffe reported 2 Eastern
Phoebe on both sides of road.
---On July 10 at 65th and St Vrain Rd, Peter Gent reported Dickcissel in SE
corner.
---On July 11, Peter Gent reported Black and Eastern Phoebe at 75th St
Bridge over Boulder Creek.
---On July 11, Peter Gent reported Bobolink off Cherryvale near Boulder
Open Space office.

DOUGLAS COUNTY:
---On July 10, Kevin Corwin reported singing male Dickcissel W of Spruce Mt
Road, 2 miles S of Larkspur.
---On July 13 at Chatfield SP, Norm Lewis reported Eastern Phoebe fledgling
near Kingfisher Bridge.

EAGLE COUNTY:
---On July 9 at Gypsum Ponds, JoAnn Riggle reported Least Flycatcher.

EL PASO COUNTY:
---On July 9, Cecile Lee reported Long-billed Curlew, pair of Red-headed
Woodpeckers, and Dickcissels at Ramah Reservoir SWA.
---On July 10, Chris Brobin reported Brown-capped Rosy-Finch at Pike’s Peak
Summit.

GUNNISON COUNTY:
---On July 12 in Gunnison National Forest outside of Crested Butte, Tracy
Hixon reported 2 White-tailed Ptarmigan and Dusky Grouse.

HUERFANO COUNTY:
---On July 9, at Rouse Road, Luke Pheneger reported Bewick’s Wren, Cassin’s
Kingbird, Hepatic Tanager,
Gray Flycatcher, and Juniper Titmouse.
---On July 9 at Lathrop SP, Luke Pheneger reported Greater Roadrunner, 9
Juniper Titmice,  Canyon Towhee, and Curve-billed Thrasher.

JEFFERSON COUNTY:
---On July 10 at Chatfield SP upstream of Kingfisher Bridge, Eric Dinkel
reported 3 Eastern Phobe.  Nest is above Women’s restroom.
---On July 11 at Stony Pass Road at Wigwam Creek, Phil Lyon reported 2
Red-headed Woodpeckers.
---On July 13 at Waterton Canyon from Waterton Rd to overhead pipes, Norm
Lewis reported Eastern Phoebe.

KIOWA COUNTY:
---On July 9 at Adobe Creek Reservoir (Blue Lake) Steve Mlodinow reported 3
Semipalmated Sandpipers, and 13 Dickcissels.
---On July 9 at Neenoshe Reservoir, Steve Mlodinow reported 2 Wood Ducks in
ditch on east side, 5 Red-headed Woodpeckers and Dickcissel.
---On July 9 at Upper Queens/Neeskah Reservoir, Steve Mlodinow reported
Long-billed Curlew and 2nd year Laughing Gull.

LARIMER COUNTY:
---On July 10, David Wade and Nick Komar reported Field Sparrow at Devil’s
Backbone.  It is a 45 minute hike from Devil’s Backbone Parking Area.  Take
Wil Loop Trail to Hunter Loop Trail to highest point.  Listen for song from
grassy swale on south side of trail.

LOGAN COUNTY:
---On July 11 at Tamarack Ranch SWA, Jack Bushong reported 3 Northern
Bobwhite, 2 Solitary Sandpipers, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 12 Red-headed
Woodpeckers, 2 Indigo Bunting, 2 Nothern Cardinal, 8 Field Sparrows, 8
Dickcissel.

MESA COUNTY:
---On July 8 at Carson Hole, Rodene Harwood and Ronda Woodward reported 2
Grace’s Warblers.  On July 11 at Carson Hole, Nic Korte reported 3 Grace’s
Warblers (1m, 2f).

MONTROSE COUNTY:
---On July 8 on Last Dollar Road on first 2 miles from Hwy 52, Kent Nelson
reported 2 Purple Martins.

ROUTT COUNTY:
---On July 9, Tom Litteral reported a Lewis’s Woodpecker in downtown Yampa.

SAGUACHE COUNTY:
---On