[cobirds] Variedous (Weld)
I was informed by Mr. Kaempfer the finder of the Varied Thrush in Nunn was John Vanderpoel. Thank you, John. I should also mention that after a 29-day stay, the beginning of ice formation has caused the White-winged Scoter near the Environmental Learning Center in Fort Collins to leave. It was reported on the 29th, not present this morning. Jay Breidt found that bird on November 1 and it was, indeed, a fun bird to observe. It will be the subject of "The Hungry Bird" in an upcoming issue of "Colorado Birds" if anyone is interested. Dave Leatherman Fort Collins -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/DM5PR0601MB3768DBEBDEB6CB3B034E60A0C1F40%40DM5PR0601MB3768.namprd06.prod.outlook.com.
[cobirds] Weld County Weekend
Hi all
Highlights:
- Bonaparte's Gull - 5 [Windsor Lake]
- Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2 [Windsor Lake]
- Downy Woodpecker - 2 [Yard]
- Brown Creeper - 1 {Windsor Lake] Audio Recording, too (Olympus LS-10,
Sennheiser4 MKE600, Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones), at
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65901423 (barely hear so turn up
volume)
- Northern Shrike - 1 [Nunn]
Lots of geese, ducks and gulls around.
Keep missing Nunn's Varied Thrush but I'll get it sooner or later ;-)
Some photos at link below.
Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn
http://www.friendsofthepawneegrassland.org/
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/birds-and-more-of-the-pawnee-national-grassland
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[cobirds] Re: Lewis's woodpeckers Pueblo County
Great picture! On Monday, November 30, 2020 at 11:22:14 AM UTC-7 León wrote: > COBirders-- There is a small, year-round colony of Lewis’s woodpeckers in > Rye, which is in the southern foothills of the Wet Mtns. Here is an image > of one I took Saturday morning. > > Leon Bright, Pueblo > > > > -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/ee20158d-92ba-4d5d-95f9-fd5137baa57an%40googlegroups.com.
[cobirds] Re: Western vs Clark's Grebe
Hi Peter! I had just written up a long message with pictures, but apparently the google forum didn't like the copy-paste in photos and I lost the draft. I'll give this another try without the photos. For the sake of efficiency, I'll be using WEGR to be Western Grebe and CLGR to be Clark's Grebe. You would be correct that there is variation and therefore ambiguity when it comes to the black and white pattern on the face. From my limited experience, WEGR tends to be the species that has the most common variation that brings facial IDs into the gray-zone, and it seems like most CLGR are pretty straightforward. That being said, looking at a grebe from half a mile away introduces issues, because we can't see every single bird with close-up detail as we would like. The other primary mark that is probably the most useful one to use year-round is the color pattern of the shoulder, neck, and flanks. On WEGR, the black extends from the back of the neck to more of the base of the neck, and that dark plumage (I say dark, because depending on the age/molt/a bajillion random parameters, it can be black, or some shade of gray) then goes down the shoulder close to the water. I've only been birding for a year and a half, so take this with a grain of salt, but I've never seen a WEGR in the field that did *not* have dark plumage extend down to the shoulder that connected to the water. The dark plumage extends down the flanks, so the bird just has a darker appearance. Where the body of the bird meets the water on WEGR is usually dark plumage. On CLGR, there is often much more white on the neck, and the black is restricted to the back of the neck. The white then comes off the neck and down the shoulder, which gives the entire front of the bird a much brighter, cleaner GISS. On adult birds, that white/light gray extends down the flanks that are in contact with the water. In most cases, you don't even *need* to see the head in order to make an ID: dark shoulder always means WEGR, no need to wonder. If where the body comes in contact with the water is pretty clearly white, then that is most likely CLGR. For example, the inaturalist photo you linked has an ambiguous facial pattern, but when you look at the shoulder, it's pretty clear that it's a WEGR. This particular type of ID mark is similar to Common Goldeneye versus Barrow's Goldeneye, in which you know it's Common if the shoulder is white, and it's Barrow's if that black "spur" extends down the shoulder. All this being said, I should mention that WEGR x CLGR hybrids do occur sometimes. They probably aren't super common, but I suppose it's never a bad idea to consider this possibility in those situations when you see a bird where all the marks are deep in the realm of ambiguity. I didn't talk much about the bill, because although I'd imagine that's helpful on adult birds in breeding plumage, I'm not sure how *reliable *of a mark that is. Sure, CLGR tend to have brighter and cleaner yellow bills, and WEGR have more dulled colored bills, but this is an even more tricky mark to make entire IDs off of. Just to name a few parameters that will be in constant flux that can change the way a bill looks include lighting, feeding, and age. Hope this was helpful in some way :) I'd be interested to hear what more experienced birders do to identify the large grebes. *The birds are happy, and so am I* *~Caleb Alons, Larimer County* -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/a95161b6-1cac-47b1-b454-c6a535a336f4n%40googlegroups.com.
[cobirds] Lewis's woodpeckers Pueblo County
COBirders-- There is a small, year-round colony of Lewis's woodpeckers in Rye, which is in the southern foothills of the Wet Mtns. Here is an image of one I took Saturday morning. Leon Bright, Pueblo -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/002801d6c745%24b58261e0%24208725a0%24%40comcast.net.
[cobirds] RMNP Christmas count
Hi Everyone... The RMNP Christmas count will be Sunday January 3rd. Scott Rashid Estes Park -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/db795fcb-5b03-e0e6-9ff0-6ee3958c3fb4%40frii.com.
[cobirds] Western vs Clark's Grebe
Hi COBirds, I'm looking for some help with separating Western and Clark's Grebes in winter. Certainly Western is our more expected species at this time of year, but now and then I see an Aechmophorus that seems a bit Clarkish. I know that the pattern of black and white on the face is not definitive for ID in winter. Are there other clues that are better to look for, like bill color? For example, here's one I saw recently that had a yellower bill than the other similar birds nearby. But is it yellow/orange enough? https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/277143231 Also see https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65853723 for another confusing example. Is the width of the black stripe on the back of the neck a better feature? Or the flank color? Should I swim out and try to get a DNA sample? Any advice gratefully accepted! Peter Ruprecht Superior -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAHPXVBYyvjuq1a%2BZYAGgmPzJvsozDw%2B1UsJDMrVbEAqSz3q8qw%40mail.gmail.com.
