I woke up yesterday morning and here's what it was like in my yard and my patch
at Grandview Cemetery (Larimer). First sound coming thru the front door was
that of a Western Tanager foraging on big true bugs (probably Leptoglossus sp.)
in my apartment courtyard junipers (Fort Collins neighborhood a mile east of
the CSU campus). A few Wilson's Warblers worked the boxelder (probably for
psyllids). A Rock Wren, decidedly NOT normal in the courtyard, called. A
group of short-tailed swallows buzzed over in the fog (probably Violet-greens,
based on Steve M's amazing observation two days ago at Golden Pond in Longmont
per this species). Across the street in a dead-topped poplar sat a raptor
which proved to be an Osprey. Wow. The day was not normal. The big
prediction must be true.
Then I went to Grandview Cemetery and would agree with what Nick said about a
nearly complete lack of local turnover. In fact I would say I saw less numbers
and diversity today than has been there the two times I've gone in the last
week or so (in the way of "data" I had 22 species on the 3rd, 37 spp. on the
7th, and 15 spp. on the 11th, the latter being one of my lowest totals for the
site ever) . In contrast, however, was perhaps the largest collection of Red
Crossbills I have seen there in 1500+ visits, working the new crop of spruce
cones. Tough to really count them, but the total had to exceed 100
individuals. One of them, sitting off by itself, was giving a very different
call than the majority, which I am calling Type 2s. It flew just as I raised
my binocular. Would love to know what Type that was. Also present was a
Grosbeak, never seen but presumably a Black-headed, and a female Broad-tailed
Hummingbird (getting late).
I applaud what Brian and Ted are trying to add to our toolbox as birders
wanting to understand the subjects of our passion. Ultimately, I guess, there
is no substitute for going out and seeing what really happens. We need more
predictions, followed by real world tests. And, we need more birders in the
"outposts". Mlodinow, Peterson, Walbek, the Maynards, Kaempfer, Suddjean,
Kellner and the other "finders" who scatter to the far corners from the Front
Range can't be everywhere. Come back to Julesburg, Henry. Keep working the
southeast Jane and Janeal. Thanks for monitoring the SLV Mr. Rawinski. Go
Coen and Brenda. Everybody, don't give up reporting to COBIRDS. Why is there
a separate reporting network for the West Slope? Did we recruit anybody to the
ranks in Sterling? I'll wager nobody was near Brian's blue line out east
yesterday. Too bad.
My final comment on this subject relates to a comment/question Brian posed. Re
the subject of rain in conjunction with "weather", I would suggest its presence
DOES probably influence insectivores and
insectivores-forced-to-be-facultative-frugivores (or herbivores), to the extent
rain tends to knock flying insects to the ground, and lowers the average height
of insects feeding/resting in vegetation. In follows that birds needing to eat
would stop flying, ground themselves, and when grounded, be lower, finding
whatever they could find, and, therefore, more detectible by birders.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
David Leatherman
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