Re: [cobirds] Yard lists

[Marty W]

Courtney speaking of intergrade Northern Flickers, spurs me to comment
that, not for the first year (maybe the third?) I've had several male
intergrades around the neighborhood, yard & feeders (along with at least
three female Red-shafteds) during the late fall & winter (this fall/winter
without *any* Red-shafted males). But then once "spring"/March comes along
the male intergrades all disappear. This week their disappearance coincided
with the sudden appearance of a very vocal, drumming male Red-shafted
Flicker, and typically now I won't see any more intergrades until the
fall...

1) Has anyone else noticed this pattern?
2) Are the male intergrades unable to reproduce, and/or might they have
lower levels of male hormones, causing them to vacate when a "robust"
Red-shafted male shows up?
3) Or has anyone actually observed successful nesting/clutches from
pairings of intergrade males and Red-shafted females?

I didn't see anything about it in the *Birds of the World* entry for
Northern Flicker (Geographic Variation section). For what it's worth, the
intergrade males (& one female) I've had around here over the years have
all been individuals with varying degrees of red napal crescent (from the
Yellow-shafted genes) but otherwise having Red-shafted features/phenotype.
Maybe the particular visible/phenotypic trait of the given intergrade
individual (e.g., the red napal crescent in otherwise Red-shafted features
in this case) might correlate with decreased fertility?

Or just coincidence? I'm just curious.

Marty Wolf
NW Colo. Spgs.

On Thu, Mar 14, 2024 at 5:23 PM Courtney R  wrote:

>
> Well. I should not have waited to reply until after Mary Kay’s list .
>
>
> My list will definitely not address any species gaps, but this is a fun
> activity, and at least some of the more interesting and memorable accounts
> are a delight to share to fellow bird lovers. I live in a condo complex in
> Lafayette, so it’s quite urban, but at least has several older trees and
> backs up to an open space. I’ve definitely bordered desperate bird lady
> with the variety of feeders and foods that I keep out for our flighted
> friends; but one can only do so much with a tiny and mostly concrete
> backyard.
>
>
>
>- How long have you been keeping your list? On eBird, since late 2023
>but I’ve been attentive of rarities since moving here about 2.5 years ago.
>- What's your style of yard listing: Obsessed when home (I work
>remotely and specifically placed my desk next to the sliding glass door to
>be able to watch outside at all times. If you have seen the movie “Up”, I
>embody the dog character, except I react every time there’s a bird rather
>than a squirrel; although, to be honest, I react to squirrels too)
>- How many species? Literal yard—40; with condo complex backing up to
>an open space, the broader open space list increases to over 100.
>- Rarest, or favorite species? Literal yard: lazuli bunting pair in
>summer 2022, one pine siskin, one leucistic common grackle, intergrade
>northern flickers, and yesterday a red winged blackbird male with AKD
>(avian keratin disorder); open space: common nighthawks, swallows, flyover
>sandhill cranes, male NOHA, Merlin, bats.
>- Most memorable experience? So many! Seeing a flicker’s full tongue
>extend to reach seed (image below), GHOW pair duetting then copulating on
>my chimney, blue Jay attacking a GHOW just hanging out on the fence (
>https://www.facebook.com/share/v/GHjz2JByVtsivh1r/?mibextid=K35XfP).
>Also, while I’m not a morning person, hearing a Cooper’s hawk in an
>argument with blue jays will wake me up in the best mood possible—it
>happened a few times last summer. Lastly, I love how often the blue jays
>mimic either red tailed hawks, Cooper’s hawks, or something that sounds
>more Phoebe like.
>
>
>- Location/habitat: Urban. In a condo complex near open space and with
>aged trees  (back yard is a small fenced in one, mostly concrete)
>
> Some pics! (Pardon any door distortion—the glass has had a rough life
> since the late 80s)
>
> NOFL tongue
> [image: image0.jpeg]
>
>
> RWBL with avian keratin disorder of upper mandible/maxilla
> [image: image1.jpeg]
>
> COGR with leucism
> [image: image2.jpeg]
>
>
>
> Thank you,
> Courtney
>
> *Courtney Rella, PhD*
> *dr.cawt...@gmail.com *
>
> On Mar 14, 2024, at 13:36, Mary Kay Waddington 
> wrote:
>
> 
> This has been fun to see what's shown up in yards.  I do this daily by
> participating in the e-bird yard tallies, but I've noticed that many of
> these fantastic lists people have been sending in, are not included!  I'd
> like to recommend that people go to eBird, click "explore", go down to
> "yard birds"  then click "add a yard".  Put in the location name you use
> for your yard.  Then at the top where it says "region", click that and
> enter Colorado.  It's fascinating to watch what different people have
> seen.  You can even follow a 

Re: [cobirds] Yard list questions: How many of CO's 520 species have been seen (or heard) from a yard?

[Marty W]

I'll throw in my two bits...

*How long have you been keeping your list?   *Since May of 1992 (tho our
house & most of the vegetation --excepting what thereafter became our
feeder trees, a large Ponderosa Pine and a Blue Spruce-- burned down in the
Waldo Canyon Fire in June of 2012, so it sort of became a different yard in
the same location, recreated with the new house after a 14-month gap. Do I
take liberties in counting it as the same yard and continuing with my same
yard-list?? Whatever... I do so.) So going on 32 years.

*What's your style of yard listing: casual, mainly feeder watching,
moderate, dedicated, obsessed?   *Obsessed to my wife, family & most
friends (and yes, I dedicatedly report to Project FeederWatch every weekend
in the winters, and to eBird pretty much on a daily basis except when
things slow down during the breeding season--and the feeders are stored
away), but I'm retired and just love sitting by the window with my cup of
coffee, binoculars handy (& going on window-to-window field-trips as called
for), and as I move about the house (or yard) I've always got one eye on
the lookout...

*How many species?   *131 now (5 new additions in 2023).

*Rarest, or favorite species?   *I love 'em all, but especially every new
yardbird, of course. 2023 brought a Bald Eagle soaring high overhead, a
Loggerhead Shrike, a Common Yellowthroat, a Brewer Sparrow, a Rose-breasted
Grosbeak, as well as rare repeat yard sightings of both waxwing species,
Northern Parula, Canyon Towhee, Mountain Bluebird, White-winged Dove,
Swainson Thrush, & Orange-crowned Warbler. I loved having a Yellow-shafted
Flicker in Oct. 2020, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Mar. 2016, and a
Golden-crowned Sparrow in Feb.-Mar. of 2008...

*Most memorable experience?   *Probably the immature Golden-crowned
Sparrow, which hung around and got me connected with CFO & Cobirds (--my
first posting *and* Rare Bird submission), & bringing us a number of human
visitors. I think it may have been the first El Paso County record? or at
least was a rare target for County listers...

*Location/habitat: urban, suburban, rural, etc?   *0.4 acre, suburban but
lots of adjacent & nearby open space, w. Flying W Ranch, Rampart Range &
Natl Forest just west; 6633' eleva. with diverse native & non-native
plants. I keep a heated birdbath thru the winter, and the rest of the year
have the birdbath and a "bubbling boulder" which is *very* popular with
both migrants and resident species (including bobcats & raccoons).

Here's to the home patch, wherever it may be!

Marty Wolf,
NW Colo. Spgs.

On Mon, Mar 11, 2024 at 4:40 PM Thomas Heinrich 
wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> Every now and then one of us will share the excitement of adding a rarity
> or new species to a yard list, report yard list totals, or comment on local
> trends. And some of the lists, and variety of species, are really
> impressive (e.g. David Suddjian's, Gary Lefko's).
>
> Yellow Grosbeak, Pyrrhuloxia, Streak-backed Oriole, Long-billed Thrasher,
> Costa's Hummingbird, Laurence's Goldfinch, and even Anhinga come to mind as
> rarities that have shown up in or been observed from yards. (Perhaps the
> recent Brambling, too?)
>
> As a pretty obsessive yard lister (i.e. binocs always on, camera ready
> when outdoors, much of the time indoors too), I often wonder about others'
> experience with yard-listing.
>
> How long have you been keeping your list?
> What's your style of yard listing: casual, mainly feeder watching,
> moderate, dedicated, obsessed?
> How many species?
> Rarest, or favorite species?
> Most memorable experience?
> Location/habitat: urban, suburban, rural, etc?
>
> And the big question: if we tallied up all our yard lists, how close to
> Colorado's 520 species could we get?
>
> It seems likely that certain families would be less well-represented;
> shorebirds, waterfowl, and gulls, for example. But with neighborhoods
> lining bodies of water such as Boyd Lake, Lake Loveland, Marston Reservoir,
> Jackson Lake, and MacIntosh Lake (in Boulder), among many others, many of
> those species theoretically could have been counted on a yard list. Maybe
> some lucky person living on the shores of Boyd Lake has Long-tailed Jaeger,
> Slaty-backed Gull, and Garganey on their yard list!
>
> Wishing all good health, good birding, and an exciting Spring migration!
>
> --Thomas Heinrich
>
>
> *My answers to the questions above*:
> 15 years
> Dedicated to obsessive
> 152 species
> Wood Thrush, Yellow-throated Warbler, N Cardinal, Common Redpoll, Bohemian
> Waxwing
> Watching spring raptor migration from the roof-top, 35 Broad-winged Hawks
> among 130 raptors of 10 species on one high-flow day (4/18/2020)
> Interface between suburban and open space, base of foothills, el. 5600'
>
> --
> Thomas Heinrich
> Boulder, CO
> teheinr...@gmail.com
> www.pbase.com/birdercellist
>
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Re: [cobirds] AOU, Changing bird names

[Marty W]

Thanks Diana for your clarity and wisdom. Reason, common sense, and a focus
on what's best for most (humans birds and the future of the whole planetary
biosphere) should always be our compass and remain in the forefront.

Marty Wolf
NW CO Spgs

On Sat, Nov 4, 2023 at 4:57 PM Diana Beatty  wrote:

> We don't have to cast this as an either/ or discussion.  We can care about
> the birds and conservation and also care about how naming conventions
> affect those who are often disenfranchised.
>
> While I appreciate the concern of some that name changes are an effort to
> hide history, I disagree.  First of all, the scientific names are currently
> still remaining eponymous.  Second, all the birds that aren't eponymously
> named aren't concealing any history by being so-named.  The history remains
> available to all who want to know it, and if we are concerned these
> individuals will somehow be forgotten or remembered in some inaccurate way,
> having a bird name or not doesn't address that issue one way or another.
>
> Usually those who are interested in name changes are so interested not
> because of trying to sanitize history or demonize historical figures, but
> rather to allow for the expansion of our historical lens to include those
> who are often left out or seen as less important.  People often talk the
> talk about wanting to make birding more inclusive, and this is one pretty
> small thing in that direction.  While some may find it silly or not the
> most effective step,  the fact that it is meaningful and important to some
> people should be respected.  We can't tell people we want to be more
> inclusive for them and then disregard what they ask for to feel included.
>
> We do birds no favors by trying to put this issue against conservation or
> other important issues.  We have room and capacity for more than one issue
> at a time, and the reality is that the future of birds in part depends on
> more people caring about birds, and thus inclusivity is essential for bird
> survival.
>
> We can see this as an exciting opportunity for bird names to become useful
> in understanding something about the birds.
>
> Diana Beatty
> El Paso County
>
>
>
> On Sat, Nov 4, 2023, 9:06 AM Dan Zmolek  wrote:
>
>> The conservation point is that, when you decide whether to support an
>> organization, it is better to look at their actual track record in getting
>> positive outcomes for the birds.  And there really should be a lot more
>> discussion of wildlife protection than these side issues.  You can keep
>> arguing about the name after the bird is extinct, but what’s the point.
>>
>>   But the bird name topic is interesting.  I would recommend the book : Mrs
>> Moreau's Warbler: How Birds Got Their Names.  That gives a neat account
>> of English bird names and how various folks have been trying to standardize
>> them ever since.  In particular, it was interesting to read about
>> MacGuillivray’s work.  And the number of cool folk names that have been
>> left by the wayside, but should be brought back - such as firetail for
>> redstart.
>>
>> One thing is sure, the same group that brought the Mew gull debacle will
>> likely not handle these re-names very well either.   Probably will be a
>> good market for a browser extension to fix whatever dumb names come out
>> next…
>>
>> Dan Zmolek
>> Longmont
>> On Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 7:31:35 AM UTC-6 Stacie West wrote:
>>
>>> Where is the idea that changing some bird names means that conserving
>>> birds and their habitats coming from?
>>>
>>> An ad hoc committee was formed. It didn't take over the rest of the work
>>> of the AOS, other birding organizations, and a growing number of birders in
>>> the US and world. Perhaps this movement to consider the names and legacies
>>> of these early ornithologists will lead to efforts to not erase but
>>> continue to educate and repair.
>>>
>>> Since a few commenters shared: I'm 41 and began birding just over 3
>>> years ago, and I'm delighted to hopefully have so much life left to
>>> continue to enjoy it and advocate for birds and their habitats. Birding has
>>> continued to evolve and advance how I approach my profession as an urban
>>> planner, and I'm grateful. With the zeal of a newcomer, I've also enjoyed
>>> welcoming others into the joy of birding.
>>>
>>> How wonderful that, from time to time, we can evaluate things like names
>>> and their meaning or impacts, consider additional information or
>>> perspectives, and learn from different ways of looking at the world. I
>>> suppose being a newbie makes it easier to accept change, but I also enjoyed
>>> my first experience birding in another country this year and learning about
>>> common names in other languages. What a delight to be able to tickle our
>>> neurons with expansive and inclusive thinking.
>>>
>>> Happy birding,
>>>
>>> Stacie West
>>> Denver
>>>
>>> On Sat, Nov 4, 2023 at 12:25 AM SeEttaM  wrote:
>>>
 This amounts to nothing more than an attempt to 

Re: [cobirds] Towhee attacking solitaire!

[Marty W]

I've similarly had one (or another) Solitaire visiting my backyard
birdbath, and have been surprised a half-dozen times this winter at singles
or pairs of juncos chasing it away.

Marty Wolf
nw CO Spgs

On Wed, Mar 29, 2023 at 1:48 PM Paula Hansley  wrote:

> I’ve been wondering why I haven't seen “my”Townsend’s Solitaire drinking
> from my heated birdbath at sunrise in the last few days. I’ve heard it
> singing at sunrise. This morning I found out.  One of my Spotted Towhees
> was chasing the solitaire around my backyard, which has a juniper tree.
>
>  Could this be a territorial dispute?
>
> Paula Hansley
> Louisville
> --
> Paula Hansley
> Petrographic Consultants International, Inc.
> Ph:  720-890-2628
>
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Re: [cobirds] late warblers in CO

[Marty W]

 Thank you as always, Dave Leatherman! I (and so many) always love your
observations, photos, explanations & information, and especially (as here)
your musings & speculations (based as they are on science and an
experienced, open & inquiring mind)!! Always sharp & insightful.

Marty Wolf
NW CO Spgs

On Fri, Dec 2, 2022 at 10:44 PM DAVID A LEATHERMAN 
wrote:

> Kudos to Lori Z. in Fort Collins for finding a very late Northern
> Waterthrush along the Poudre which was warbler species #19 on my draft list
> for CO since November 1, 2022.  Brandon and Tyler have added Cape May and
> American Redstart, respectively, for a total so far of 21.  People fluent
> in eBird archives can probably find a palm record for CO since November 1
> and I seem to recall a bay-breasted in nw CO (or was that October?).
>
> Whatever the total is, it's almost as good as what we get during the
> supposed "primetimes" of late May and September.  And I'd love to know the
> reason for the late flush of these individuals that "didn't get the memo"
> about when it's best to migrate.  Are they mostly first-time migrants (i.e.
> young born last summer) from late-starting first or second nests?  Are they
> just not wired correctly?  Are the late adults we see individuals that
> didn't nest at all, or that had failed nests, late nests, or what?  I was
> sent a NYT article that makes the case for various species of forest
> rodents that feed on forest tree seeds in Maine having different
> personalities.  Why not birds?  Are some birds simply procrastinators?  Are
> more late migrants these days surviving than would have been the case "in
> the old days" because current late autumn weather tends to be milder?  Do
> they pass on this timing to their offspring next summer?  Is a
> proliferation of urban plantings that support the kind of foods needed to
> pull off a late migration part of it?  Maybe it just *seems* like there
> are more late migrants because more of us are looking than used to be the
> case (see David Suddjian's recent graphs of increasing eBird checklists).
> Lots of questions begging answers.
>
> Dave Leatherman
> Fort Collins
>
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Re: [cobirds] Hermit Thrush? (Custer County)

[Marty W]

On my BBS route July 1st in the San Juans (Rio Grande County, south out of
South Park, ranging from 8,400-11,600' elev) I had above-average numbers of
Violet-green Swallows, and somewhat below-average numbers of Hermit
Thrushes (but not as low as some previous years' lows).

My numbers were low for woodpeckers as a group, flycatchers, Warbling
Vireo, Mountain Chickadee, Evening Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin,
White-crowned Sparrow, and Audubon Warbler.
I had higher-than-usual numbers for Western Tanager, Am. Crow, Steller Jay,
and Canada Goose.

Marty Wolf
nw Colorado Springs

On Mon, Jul 11, 2022 at 6:28 PM Chip Clouse  wrote:

> I noticed an abundance on my Dunkley Pass BBS route in the Flat Tops last
> week and even more Swainson's Thrushes than normal too. My Gold Hill 2 BBS
> route around Ward and Jamestown had the normal amount too. Must be a
> southern phenomenon.
>
> Good Birding,
> Chip Clouse
> Currently Denver, CO but looking for an affordable apt near here...
>
> On Mon, Jul 11, 2022, 6:16 PM Mary Kay Waddington 
> wrote:
>
>> Probably my very favorite birdsong is the Hermit Thrush.  That wonderful
>> flute-like song that drifts out of the deep forest fills my heart with
>> hope, peace and joy -- and every year I look forward to hearing them at our
>> place up in the Sangre de Cristos.
>>
>> This year -- not a single Hermit Thrush, where usually I've heard many,
>> every day throughout June and July.  Where are they?  Checking ebird, there
>> were in past years many, many sightings in the Wet Mountain Valley and the
>> Sangres in these 2 months .  This year?  One only,  in the town of
>> Westcliffe.
>>
>> And Swallows too -- usually up there I see dozens of Tree and
>> Violet-Green Swallows, everywhere, and lots of nests.  This year?  I saw 2
>> of each species.  Just 2.  And ebird shows that clearly too.
>>
>> This saddens me greatly.  Does anyone have any idea what's going on?
>>
>> Mary Kay Waddington
>> Custer County
>>
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[cobirds] Rock Pigeon a "rare bird" in El Paso County?

[Marty W]

In the past couple months I've seen 2-3 times in the ebird Rare Bird
list-serve for El Paso County, listings for Rock Pigeon--not in remote
national forest on the slopes of Pikes Peak, but for spots in or very much
closer to Colorado Springs than Pikes Peak. What am I missing? Are these
claims of wild-type individuals (as in Eurasia/Africa) vs feral/domestic??

(I inquired to the ebird rare bird folks, but only got an auto message back
saying their mailbox was full.)

Marty Wolf
NW Colo. Spgs.

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[cobirds] BBS route summary, far SE corner of El Paso county, 6/15

[Marty W]

Greetings, CObirders,

Conditions were very dry out there in the shortgrass prairie & ranchland...
I noticed more dead trees along fence lines & buildings than I've seen
before (& on the western end of the route, an increase in abandoned
trailers & structures which had sprouted up during the pandemic). A woman
from one ranch along the route stopped to chat while she was checking water
in their stock tanks, and expressed grave concerns about their prospects
with the continued, long drought--and also remarked on the unusual &
frequent high winds this spring ("crazy," we agreed).

While last year's count had the greenest conditions I'd seen in nearly a
decade of running the route, this year was among the driest/brownest. This
is reflected in a large decrease in total number of individual birds for
the count--lowest since I started in 2013, with 100 individuals below the
average of 455 over 9 years . The 28 total species (30 the previous day
when scouting the route) however, was at the upper end of species counts
for the years since 2013.

Twelve of the 28 species were present in lower than average numbers
(including Scaled Quail, Mourning Dove, Horned Lark, Cassin's Sparrow),
with most of the other species roughly average in numbers. Most of the
decreased numbers of total individuals is accounted for, however, by the
absence of one species: Lark Bunting (actually this species *was* present,
as one sole individual each day-- likely two different ones, based on the
distance between their locations the two days). The only species present at
an increased number was Rock Pigeon.

As for the two iconic shortgrass prairie species I always love seeing,
after a boom last year of 13 Mountain Plovers, they were back to an average
this year of 3; and Burrowing Owls, whose numbers also see-saw, were at
their minimum since 2013 of 2 individuals observed (I've had just 2 present
for three different discontinuous years, with a high of 13 in 2015).

No Grasshopper or Brewer's Sparrows this year (tho numbers of both are
normally rather low on this route).

Curious to hear about other eastern plains BBS route results.

To the birds! (& maybe a monsoon?)

Marty Wolf
NW CO Springs

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[cobirds] Sharpie with pigeon take, or Cooper's? (El Paso)

[Marty W]

Hey, Cobirders,

Curious as to your thoughts on this. I'd have thought a pigeon is too big
for a Sharpie, and I've had Cooper's (and Goshawks) take pigeons in the
yard before... But a female Sharpie and a western male Cooper's aren't much
different in size. I see traits of both in the different pics...
In my past experience the Accipiter's size has been noticeably larger
relative to a pigeon.

Here's my ebird link with photos:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110633982

Marty Wolf
nw CO Spgs

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[cobirds] Cooper's Hawk caching food? El Paso

[Marty W]

Hey, CoBirders,

The past 2 days I've at least 1, likely 2 adult (paired?) Cooper's Hawks in
the backyard partially consuming & possibly caching the remains of
pigeon(s). I looked up “Cooper’s Hawk” in Cornell Lab’s *Birds of the World*
website and found this under Diet:

“*During breeding season, both sexes cache uneaten prey on horizontal
branches and retrieve it for themselves and their young; caching may be as
frequent as 1/d for females with nestlings (RNR, JB; J. Papp, personal
communication). No information on caching outside the breeding season.*”

Whether a true form of caching (outside the breeding season) or not, this
was a fascinating series of events to me. Has anyone else observed a
Cooper’s coming back for seconds from a partially hidden previous day’s
kill--or even needing to eat a half-pigeon less than 24 hours after doing
the same?

For the detailed story and some of the gory pictures, you can see my 2
eBird submissions for 2/27 & 2/28 here:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S103948453

https://ebird.org/checklist/S103966642

Good birding!

Marty Wolf,

NW Colorado Springs

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Re: [cobirds] History - Old bird checklists

[Marty W]

Jared et al,

What a fascinating 1917 Denver checklist (along with his preface) by W.H.
Bergtold! Thank you so much for sharing it, Jared. He notes in the preface
or intro notes how different a (barren) place Denver had been on his first
visit in 1881, from what it had become by 1917, enriched by all the
irrigation and planted trees--with the resulting increase in bird diversity
and numbers. An observation applicable to cities/communities all along the
Front Range and eastern plains obviously--and what if he could see our bird
lists now?!!

I once owned a copy of Elliott Coues' *Birds of the Colorado River Valley,
Part First,* published in 1878 [
https://archive.org/details/birdsofcoloradov00coue], which had been
discarded by Princeton University (and sent to me after moving to CO in
1974 by my brother back east)--but this copy had been re-bound in Princeton
(sometime in the late 19th century) with once-blank journal
pages interspersed that had been mostly all filled out by one Walter Scott,
who had travelled west to Colorado from Princeton for a couple birding
trips sometime in the 1880's. So this was his annotated, handwritten &
original checklist bound inside the birding guidebook he used during his
trips. Very fascinating reading, especially alongside Coues' text!**
Unfortunately that book was one of so many other items (including my own
yet-digitized checklists from 1966-2012 that perished when our house turned
to ash in the Waldo Canyon fire. So yes, of course and PLEASE all you
fellow "old" longtime birders, do get your invaluable & truly priceless
checklists digitized asap, by someone, whether in ebird or other formats,
so they stand a better chance of being part of a (maybe) lasting public
database, for both the research and pleasure of future others!

 **As far as I can tell Coues never did any *Part Second* or *Third*,
tho' he lived until 1899 and was prolific in his
ornithologist/naturalist/and other writings to the end. [
https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Coues%2C+Elliott%22=-date=4
] *Part   First* of his CO River Valley bird guide includes only many
of the passerines--only 140 species *not* including the doves,
hummingbirds, owls, hawks & other raptors, kingfishers, swifts,
woodpeckers, icterids, corvids, grosbeaks, sparrows or finches.

Elliott Coues, by the way, was a co-founder of the AOU, and like Bergtold
was also vocally (and in writing) adamantly opposed to the recently
imported and "cultivated" European House Sparrows. See his monograph "The
Ineligibility of the European House Sparrow in America," 1878 [
https://archive.org/details/jstor-2447786/mode/2up]. His gloves are off and
his cultural biases flaring ("*so far as I am aware, there is not a
scientific ornithologist in America, among those who have expressed any
decided opinion, who are in favor of the wretched interlopers which we have
so thoughtlessly introduced, and played with, and cuddled, like a parcel of
hysterical, slate- pencil-eating school-girls*."). Fun reading.

Interestingly, he also wrote a short monograph in late 1876, "The
Destruction of Birds by Telegraph Wire," foreshadowing our similar
modern-day concerns with tall buildings, glass windows, and poorly situated
wind turbines. He was on an October horseback trip between Denver and
Cheyenne WY, and recorded over several miles the number & type of dead
birds (mostly horned larks) found underneath the recently strung telegraph
wires stretching along much of his route, and from that projected a rough
estimate that "...many hundred thousand birds are yearly killed by the
telegraph..." [https://archive.org/details/jstor-2448602/page/n1/mode/2up]

Anyways... Ornithological history is great stuff and will only be enriched
by having the records of Hugh and other local & travelling birders
preserved. And as Ted Floyd recommends (as far as ebird entries) be SURE to
include context & comments from those original checklists/journals! It's
not just the species & numbers.

Good birding, researching & data-entering.

Marty Wolf
NW CO Springs

On Mon, Sep 6, 2021 at 3:13 PM Jared Del Rosso 
wrote:

> I want to just agree with everything said already about Hugh's checklists.
>
> And also, while we've been on the subject of historical checklists, I want
> to add this -- if anyone would like a bit of fun, check out the below
> article from 1917 by W.H. Bergtold, in which he describes his sightings
> around Denver (mainly Cheesman Park, where he resided). I encountered this
> essay several years ago, when I was also birding Cheesman. I particularly
> appreciated his note that Poorwills are "Infrequent migrants" to Cheesman
> Park, a fact several of us relearned about a full century after Bergtold
> documented it. But most tantalizing is his note that Long-eared Owls are
> "Frequent visitors to all the parks."
>
> Find the article here: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4154774. It should be
> readily available, as it's public domain...
>
> Bergtold also published 

[cobirds] BBS rte. summary for up in the San Juans (Rio Grande County)

[Marty W]

Greetings CObirders,

I scouted this route on July 1 this year, then did the official survey July
2. The route starts at around 8,400' in rural riparian montane, soon climbs
to 9,000'+ riparian forest thru about Stop 15, then quickly climbs further
with most of the route being above 10,000' (after Stop 23)--and above
11,000' from Stops 33-50. The whole area above 9,600' or so in the
subalpine zone has been devastated by spruce beetle since 2016, and there
has been a significant decrease in total numbers of birds for the route
(tho NOT of species numbers) in the past 5 years (due to lower numbers of
individuals present and breeding in the subalpine). I started the route in
2013. The average total individual count decreased 25% to 360 for the past
4 years, from 480 for the previous 4 years. (This route had "boom" years
for both #species and #individuals from 2001-2003, with total individuals
going over 500 and into the 600s and species counts reaching 51. Average
#species over the past 10 counts is 43, with little variation. But averages
for the route are tough to really determine, since there is a lot of
missing data/years. For a scattered 10 of the 27 years--including up to 4
consecutive years--since its inception in 1994, no one even did the survey,
which suggests there may have been a frequent turnover of observers, which
could introduce error into the counts.)

In the subalpine zone since 2016 I've observed decreased #s of Am. 3-toed
woodpecker, hermit thrush, robin, junco, Audubon warbler, Clark nutcracker,
and chipping sparrow. Further decreases particularly this year occurred in
Audubon warbler, pine siskin, and chipping sparrow. But I was thrilled to
have three long-eared owl individuals compared to the avg of less than one,
an atypical bald eagle, and a probable golden eagle (apparently first for
this route--but only on scouting day unfortunately).

Good birding.

Marty Wolf
NW CO Springs

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[cobirds] BBS rte. summary for far SE corner of El Paso county

[Marty W]

Greetings CObirders,

Southeast El Paso county, as many know, is short-grass prairieland mixed
with grazing/free-range cattle, occasional plowed/planted fields, &
scattered farm & ranch houses & trailers. I scouted the route last Mon 6/21
& did my official count Tues 6/22, and it was easily the greenest I've seen
it in nine years with this breeding bird survey. How nice to have no dust
whatsoever kicked up with passing cars/trucks (or by mine).

This count virtually matched the high counts of the past decade for both
#species (28) and #total individuals (499). (Counts of total individuals
there boomed back between 1999 and 2007, though #species in those years
averaged slightly below that of the past 10 years).

For 6/22's survey I had above-average #s for the past decade for Mourning
Dove, Mountain Plover (with double the previous high counts in '09 and
'13), Say's Phoebe (double the previous high in '09), and Lark Bunting
(most since '07). Cassin's Sparrow and Western Meadowlark #s were roughly
average.

On 6/22 I had below-average #s for the past decade for Horned Lark (down
about 40%), Barn Swallow, and Grasshopper Sparrow (2 on scout-trip, 1 on
count day compared to 6 avg. for count day, but its numbers had been
climbing since 2015 up to 10 for the last several years, prior to which the
avg. since 1988 was low-to-zero like this year's).

Before this weekend I'll be doing my other BBS up in the San Juans
southeast of South Fork, so I'll be curious to see if the counts there are
similarly low as other BBS participants have reported lately for high
elevation routes.

Good birding!

Marty Wolf
NW CO Springs

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[cobirds] Interesting bilaterally leucistic Spotted Towhee 5/9-5/10

[Marty W]

Greetings Cobirders,

I forget who was working on an article for the CFO magazine on leucism
unfortunately, but apparently my cobirds post on 5/10 did not get through
due to my two photos being too large for google groups (even tho' I deleted
1 or 2 and went with smaller versions of the 2 left).

On 5/9-10's cool wet & overcast days, in our backyard we had a continuing
Lincoln Sparrow, Green-tailed Towhee, Lazuli Bunting or two, Song Sparrow,
House Wren, Brown-headed Cowbird, 7 or more Chipping Sparrow, 4-5 Mourning
Dove, 3-4 lingering Gray-headed Junco and a couple Gambel White-crowned
Sparrow, and 4-5 Spotted Towhee, along with the usual mix of corvids,
nuthatches & chickadees, siskins robins & finches.

Among the unusual numbers here of 5 Spotted Towhee and 5 Mourning Dove, in
each case there had been a "dominant" male territorial defender unwilling
to accept a neutral free food zone during meteorological stress, who tried
to chase off the others (besides his mate).

As for the subject line, among the "unwelcomed" towhees there had been an
unusual partial-leucistic male that's white-sided on his left side instead
of rufous--but otherwise normal. I only had a glimpse 5/9, and was left
wondering if it was just my angle or my imagination, but on 5/10 managed to
get some photos during his undeterred visits. Glad he persisted.

Rather than trying unsuccessfully to post photos too large, here's a link
to my ebird list for 5/10, with 5 pics of this interesting Spotted Towhee:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S87795485

Marty Wolf
NW CO Spgs, 6633' up

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[cobirds] State Wildlife Area passes now available

[Marty W]

Colorado Parks & Wildlife - License, Stamp and Park Pass Fees (state.co.us)


Marty Wolf
NW CO Spgs

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