Re: [cobirds] Purple vs. Cassin's Finches--Purple Finch in El Paso 10/25, 26, 27

Yes, Duane Nelson, thanks for that pic and your description.  I have no photos, but based on this thread and Duane's description, I'm now convinced that what I had identified as a female Cassin's Finch on 10/25-27 in our back yard was actually a Purple. Present 3 days but only for very brief

Re: [cobirds] Sandhill Cranes -- El Paso, County

Last night around 8:30 I heard a group of sandhills (unknown #s) calling while flying south in the dark probably roughly over I-25. -Original Message- From: 'r.d@me.com' via Colorado Birds To: Colorado Birds Sent: Wed, Oct 14, 2020 6:23 pm Subject: [cobirds] Sandhill Cranes -- El

[cobirds] Nashville warbler, El Paso

I had two Nashville warblers moving quickly thru our oaks yesterday afternoon. Brief visit, but was able to have binocs on them most of the time. Beautiful little bundles of energy. Marty Wolf,NW CO Spgs -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado

[cobirds] Townsend's Warbler, El Paso

Just now (15 minutes ago) had a Townsend Warbler in the back yard, contemplating our "bubbling boulder" fountain from an ornamental cherry above. Both a new yard bird and yes (!) a new life bird for me.  Marty WolfNW Colorado Springs -- You received this message because you are subscribed to

[cobirds] Lazuli Buntings, El Paso

eBird flagged my Lazuli Bunting (a male) that appeared out back yesterday. Today I've got three beautiful males feeding with the Pine Siskins, House Finches, nuthatches & chickadees, two Chipping Sparrows (& one Lesser Goldfinch).  A couple pics of bunting in yesterday's report. 

[cobirds] Migrant raptors etc yesterday, El Paso

Hey, CObirders, I took an afternoon walk yesterday over toward a hogback just SE of the Flying W Ranch entrance in NW CO Spgs, in a Mountain Shadows natural common area, and over the course of 45 minutes saw a number of migrants heading north along or beside the hogback into a stiff N/NW wind.

[cobirds] Summer Tanager hangs around

Greetings, CObirders, The young male Summer Tanager that arrived late on the 16th during the storm has been hanging around every day since (including today, now the fourth day), feeding on seed below our feeders as well as graduating up to the tube feeders, and drinking at the water bath. Must

Re: [cobirds] Staying at Home

And just to reinforce the "stay-at-home" expectations and extent, Gov. Polis just now finished a press conference in which he must have said half a dozen times, that while we may walk around our neighborhood (maintaining social distancing) we should NOT be driving off anywhere EXCEPT for

Re: [cobirds] Interpretation of state-wide Public Health Order (NO SIGHTINGS)

Hear hear Matt! Well said. Coloradans don't need to go any deeper into this epidemic. Only YOU (and me and each and every one of us) can prevent and flatten this exponentially spreading fire. Just stay home. Marty WolfNW CO Spgs -Original Message- From: Matt Newport To: allisonhilf

[cobirds] Fyi: All Colorado Parks and Wildlife Campgrounds Closed Effective March 26 Until Further Notice

State parks themselves and their trails are still open. Also closed, however, are USFS campgrounds AND yes, trailheads. (Scroll down to bottom) Marty WolfNW CO Spgs #yiv8698854528 p{ margin:10px 0;padding:0;} #yiv8698854528 table{ border-collapse:collapse;} #yiv8698854528 h1, #yiv8698854528

Re: [cobirds] I like Hugh Kingery's idea of an "anti-pollution" formula.

Yes, thanks Hugh, and Joe too-- Definitely something to consider among globe- or even state-trotting rarity chasers and devoted birders, the irony of which I've often thought about! Joe: "The main point is to get a buddy or three to join you for longer trips." And/or drive an electric

Re: [cobirds] The New Chatfield State Park, Jeffco and Douglas counties

Karl et al-- and the beat goes on... You may or may not know about Aurora's & Colorado Springs' longterm joint water project to put a second dam on Homestake Creek immediately adjacent to the Holy Cross Wilderness Area in Eagle County. Gotta keep up with our endless growth! Currently awaiting

Re: [cobirds] Blue Grosbeaks galore, SE Co

We had a FOS male Blue Grosbeak in our yard in NW CO Springs--which was also a new yard bird (our 120th)--in the wake of this storm. We got about 6" of very wet snow, after mixed rain/sleet/snow yesterday (1.2" total liq. precip. in 24 hrs, much needed). Fun day with birds, including a very

Re: [cobirds] Female Broad-tailed Hummingbird - Boulder

We too had a female broad-tailed this morning in the snow and yeserday morning at the one feeder we left up--after not having had a single hummer for 3.5 weeks now. This is why I left this feeder up... Marty Wolf NW CO Spgs. 6626' eleva. -Original Message- From: Curt Brown ---

Re: [cobirds] American Three-toed Woodpecker, Gold Hill, Boulder Cnty

And for those looking in the other, lower side of the state, in Rio Grande Cnty, I found ATTWs on my BBS route in the San Juans on 6/28 & 6/29 at two spots: on Forest Service Rd 360 about 13 miles south of South Fork; and about 20-21 miles southwest of Del Norte on Forest Service Rd 329 east

Re: [cobirds] Vermillion at Rocky Mountain Arsenal

For the record, with these several Vermilion Flycatchers reported this spring along or east of the front range, another (the fourth?) was seen in the foothills on May 2 by some friends who live on a small ranch on the South Platte River, roughly 11-12 miles SW of Roxborough St Pk "as the crow

[cobirds] The sad tale of Nigel the gannet

Poignant lesson of human intentions gone awry... https://gizmodo.com/nigel-the-bird-found-dead-next-to-the-concrete-partner-1822655398 Marty Wolf, NW CO Spgs -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group

Re: [cobirds] CO Springs rare birds - yes

Varied Thrush still there (100 yds south of Starsmore Nat. Ctr., in & along west bank of iced-over South Cheyenne Crk, just off southerly end of parking lot off S. Cheyenne Rd) at 2:45. Feeding among a dozen or more robins. Marty Wolf NW CO Spgs -Original Message- From: Chip Clouse

[cobirds] Red-breasted Sapsucker, Yes! (Mirada Rd, COS)

Four or five of us got a great show around 2:30. The bird was perched about 8' up on the western-most large limb of the cottonwood tree adjacent to the three Austrian pines, & stayed fairly stationary & in plain sight for close to 10 minutes, occasionally preening & stretching, before slipping

[cobirds] Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, El Paso Cnty

Greetings, CObirders, I had a female yellow-bellied sapsucker in my large Ponderosa pine feeder tree in the back yard yesterday, feeding from old taps and making new ones. Possibly the same individual who spent a day here last year on March 19, as it too only stayed for a day and went back &

[cobirds] Eurasian Collared Dove is sitting on nest today

Yep, as of 1:15 pm one of the pair (male in daylight hrs?) is sitting on the nest, presumably uncubating eggs. Saw both fly into the tree & hop over toward the nest together around 8:30 am, with no more trips for nesting material. Every now & then the mate pays a visit (maybe with food in

[cobirds] Nest-building by Eurasian Collared Doves today

Hi, Cobirders, I was a little surprised by a pair of Eur. Collared Doves this morning building a nest from 8-9 am, in 32 F... Birds of North America online says they breed from February to October, but will do so year-round in warmer climates. I know we had a warm fall, right into

Re: [cobirds] Male Calliope, Jefferson County

I had a male calliope earlier this morning at my home feeder also (El Paso Cty). Marty Wolf NW CO Spgs -Original Message- From: Tina Jones To: cobirds Sent: Mon, Jul 4, 2016 11:28 am Subject: [cobirds] Male Calliope, Jefferson

[cobirds] Meanwhile, the real Madness

Fun pie-chart on birding, from a couple of North Carolina youth. Buzzer-beater loss to 'Nova? ...meh... (actually an old post, but good) http://birdersconundrum.blogspot.com/2015/03/pie-chart-how-birders-spend-their-time.html Marty Wolf NW CO Spgs -- You received this message because you

[cobirds] Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, El Paso Cnty

Hey, COBirders, I've got a female (1st-year?) yellow-bellied sapsucker in & out of a Ponderosa pine in my back yard late this morning (still here now). Marty Wolf, NW CO Spgs 719-5481932 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.

[cobirds] Yel-rumped Warbler, El Paso Cnty

Cobirders, Just before noon today in Red Rocks Canyon Open Space, south of the frozen pond, I came across a yellow-rumped warbler (1st-winter male Audubon's I think). Competed for my attention with a flock of male H. sapiens that were out on the ice of the pond, had cut a 4' x 6' hole in

[cobirds] Acorn Woodpecker, El Paso Cnty

CoBirders, For the 4th consecutive winter now a female Acorn Woodpecker has migrated north to sw Colorado Springs, and can be viewed at the usual spot & time (Dec-March?) along Cheyenne Blvd between the two ends of Willow Circle--mostly in or behind the side yard at 1804 Cheyenne Blvd. I

Re: [cobirds] Fun with Flickers

Several years ago when my CO Spgs Area 11 CBC crew first spotted the female Acorn Woodpecker along Cheyenne Blvd in mid-Dec., it and a N. Flicker were both clinging to and working along the fascia on front of the roof overhang of a house, picking at or lapping up some unknown grubs or eggs (or

Re: [cobirds] Great Blue Heron hunting prairie dogs??, Boulder County

My wife watched one a week or so ago, at the duck pond NW of the COS Fine Arts Center, catch and struggle with swallowing a bat, which it eventually did. These herons remind me of the old lady who swallowed a fly... Marty Wolf NW Colorado Springs -Original Message- From: Chip Clouse

[cobirds] El Paso, Great Horned Owl nesting spectacle

CObirders, For those in the vicinity, or just of general interest regarding the human-avian interface, we've got a real public display of an active Great Horned Owl nest with (it appears) two well-developed nestlings. The nest tree is right on a somewhat busy suburban intersection in NW

[cobirds] Lazuli buntings, El Paso

In the west bluffs of Ute Valley Park in NW CO Spgs, two FOY bluing-up male lazuli buntings. Also 23 other species, including a handful of juncos still (gray-headed, pink-sided, an Oregon, Cassiar), pair of bushtit, broad-tailed hummer males, violet-green swallow, Townsend's solitaire, American

[cobirds] N. Mockingbird Harris's Sparrow, El Paso

Fun to see several other CBC results including sightings of N. Mockingbird... In the N. Cheyenne Canyon section of the COS CBC on Saturday, I had a mockingbird right near the Ridgeway parking lot for Stratton Open Space (SW COS)... unusual even during the summer I think, in the foothills. I at

[cobirds] FOS Lincoln's Sparrow, El Paso

I had my FOS sighting of a Lincoln's Sparrow last Wed, 3/16, in my back yard. It's continued to be present daily since. This is about 2 weeks+ earlier than my previous years' FOS LISP sightings. Marty Wolf, @ 6633' in the foothills of NW CO Spgs -- You received this message because you are

[cobirds] Possible hybrid chickadee, El Paso

Hey, COBirders, I've been having regular visits at my feeders since mid-January, of a possible hybrid mountain x black-capped chickadee. It has the more typical plumpness faint buff coloration on the flanks of a black-cap, along with more white in the edges of secondaries wing coverts than

Re: [cobirds] Differentiating Chihuahuan from Common Ravens

While it may be that common ravens are most often seen in small groups, I've come across conventions of up to 40+ of them hanging out carrying on together atop a knoll at around 11,400' on the south slope of Pikes Peak (in late May)... Marty Wolf -Original Message- From: mar1joy

[cobirds] White-throated Sparrow, Eve Grosbeak, ElPaso

Greetings, COBirders, Beautiful crisp day with the full array of the usual winter birds here in NW CO Spgs, but with the addition of a pair of evening grosbeaks and a single 1st-winter white-throated sparrow. Got pics of both, but haven't uploaded from the camera yet... Marty Wolf 2220

Re: [cobirds] Colorado Migrations

Many good points from Christian and Bryan! One (somewhat dated and forgotten) resource which sort of puts it all into something like a calendar, or at least a visual through-the-year (and by regions in CO) record, is the section of bar-graphs in the back of Harold Holt's A Birder's Guide to

[cobirds] El Paso/NW COS yardbirds

Cobirders, Before it got sunny today I had two FOS chipping sparrows a ruby-crowned kinglet in the yard. The chippers were alongside two still-overwintering white-crowned sparrows 7 juncos of three varieties, and the usual year-round resident spotted towhee, jays, magpie, both chickadee

[cobirds] Article on Corvid Intelligence

Greetings, COBirders, FYI, there's an interesting article in the March 2010 issue of Discover magazine about ongoing research on intelligence in corvids, especially scrub-jays. If this doesn't come through as a link, just copy paste it into your browser...

Re: [cobirds] Snowy Owl (El Paso)

From 4:35-5:10 pm he was hunting from the power poles along the north (actually NW) side of Hwy. 24, just across the highway from Scott Rd. turnoff. Sue from Boulder, you left just 3 minutes too soon... I was just pulling away when he flew up from the ground just a couple hundred yards from

[cobirds] White-throated sparrow, El Paso Cnty

I had a first-winter (or tan-striped morph?) white-throated sparrow today in my back yard, feeding alongside a couple of white-crowns lots of juncos, house finches spotted towhees... dodging the scrub blue jays. Also a lone female Cassin's finch, which hadn't been represented here since

[cobirds] Lesser Goldfinch feeding fledgling, NW CO Spgs

Cobirders, Seems late for atlasing/breeding codes on October 7, but I had a black-backed male feeding a noisily begging, wing-fluttering fledgling this afternoon. It definitely took me by surprise, but I see now in BNA this could occur as off peak behavior through most of October... I've had

[cobirds] Re: Rockies hawk?

I missed this one, but over the years have seen large falcons (peregrine and/or prairie) a number of times at the various Denver stadiums during games. They like the high boxes perches around the edges of the stadium, and can be seen swooping or stooping from there. I've never seen them go as