[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert, March 22, 2011
Date: March 22, 2011 e-mail: r...@cfo-link.org phone: 303-659-8759 This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 5 am, sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. If you are phoning in a message, you can skip the recording by pressing the star key (*) on your phone at any time. Please leave your name, phone number, detailed directions, including county and dates for each sighting. It would be helpful if you would spell your last name. Highlight species include: (* denotes that there is new information on the species in this report) TRUMPETER SWAN (Delta) TUNDRA SWAN (*Boulder) EURASIAN WIGEON (Garfield) Glaucous Gull (Crowley) Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larimer) YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER (Custer, Larimer, Pueblo) Black Phoebe (Pueblo) Winter Wren (*El Paso) Curve-billed Thrasher (*Jefferson) Bohemian Waxwing (Routt) PINE WARBLER (Larimer) White-throated Sparrow (Jefferson, Mesa) Harris's Sparrow (*El Paso, *Jefferson) GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW (Jefferson) Northern Cardinal (Prowers) Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Jackson) Boulder County: --On February 27, Stiles reported a TUNDRA SWAN at Cottonwood Marsh and on March 21, Andrews reported that the TUNDRA SWAN continues at Cottonwood Marsh. Crowley County: --A 1st-winter Glaucous Gull was reported by Bol at Lake Meredith on March 18. Custer County: --A possible YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was reported by Rich Miller on Greenwood Road in Wetmore on March 12. Delta County: --4 TRUMPETER SWANS were reported by Robinsong at Sweitzer Lake on March 13. El Paso County: --A Winter Wren and 2 1st-winter Harris's Sparrows were reported by Pals at Fountain Creek on March 21. Garfield County: --A male EURASIAN WIGEON was reported by Dahl on the Casey Concrete Gravel Pond at MM 93.5 on Hwy 6 east of Rifle on March 17. Dahl reported that the EURASIAN WIGEON was NOT on the gravel pond on March 18. Jackson County: --300+ Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches were reported by Leatherman at Moose Visitor center on CO 14 on March 15. Jefferson County:. --On March 20, Wild reported Curve-billed Thrasher, White-throated Sparrow, GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW, and Harris's Sparrow at Red Rocks Trading Post. On March 21, Andrews reported Curve-billed Thrasher and Harris's Sparrow Larimer County: --On March 6, Leatherman reported that the ad and juv YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS were back in their usual spots at Grandview Cemetery. The ad was in the Pine Grove east of the porta potty in the SW corner and the juv in Scots Pine in the NE corner. On March 10, Leatherman reported that both the ad male and juv YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS were in the Austrian Pine Grove east of the porta potty in the SW corner of Grandview. On March 11, Leatherman reported that the juv YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was in a Scots Pine in the NE section of Grandview - Section M. On March 13, Teuton reported that the ad male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was seen in the SW corner of Grandview Cemetery. --2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (1 ad, 1-st cycle) were reported by Komar at Warren Lake on March 13. --2 PINE WARBLERS were reported by Bol near the 3 way intersection on the green belt train off of Tradition St coming from Horsetooth in Fort Collins on March 19. Mesa County: --A tan morph White-throated Sparrow was reported by Walker at the Big Salt Wash Trailhead in Fruita on March 15. On March 20, Arnold refound the White-throated Sparrow in Fruita. Prowers County: --A male Northern Cardinal was reported by Bol at Willow Creek Park in Lamar on March 18. Pueblo County: --Black Phoebes were reported by Chartier at Valco Ponds west parking lot in Pueblo on March 12. Jeff Jones reported a Black Phoebe at Valco Ponds on March 14. --At Pueblo City Park on March 19, the Arkansas Valley Audubon field trip led by Mark Yeager found a m and f YELLOW-BELLLIED SAPSUCKER in trees near the building by duck pond on the east side. They found another YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER along the Frisbee golf course creek on the west side of the park in junipers. A Black Phoebe was also seen along the Arkansas River below the park west of the footbridge. Routt County: --On March 20, Williams reported 350 Bohemian Waxwings working a 1 mile stretch of the Yampa River south of Steamboat Springs city limits. They were taking an early insect hatch over the river. The DFO Field Trip for Tuesday, March 22 will be to Fountain Creek Area Big Johnson Reservoir led by Ken Pals (719-471-0687). Meet at 0830 at Fountain Creek Nature Center, 320 Pepper Grass Lane, Fountain, Co 80817. Bring water, snack, lunch and binoculars. Scopes are extremely use for birding at Big Johnson Reservoir. A $5 donation or birdseed for the nature center is welcomed. RSVP is appreciated especially for carpool options from Denver. Th DFO Field Trip for Saturday, March 26 will be to Northwest Metro Lakes led by Chuck Lowrie (303-455-8417). Meet at 0900 at Sloan's Lake Parking area on the SE
[cobirds] Mr. Bill
Hi all: I have posted the solution to last week's Mr. Bill Mystery Quiz (www.cfo-link.org). Enjoy, Tony Leukering Villas, NJ -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] intergrade juncos, not hybrids
I need to correct my previous posting. I should have said intergrade instead of hybrid juncos They cannot be hybrids because the parental types are only subspecies, not different species. As with flickers, the term intergrade is the appropriate term. Christian's Junco photos with frost or snow covered vegetation reminded me that White-winged Juncos would show up in Bluebell Canyon after a light dusting of snow. I assumed they were at higher elevation when it was not snowing. On Monday behind the Red Rocks Trading Post there was a nice mix of 4 types of Juncos, but none with white wings. I would love to look for any recent White-winged Junco sightings along the Front Range. Anybody? Bruce Webb visiting from Granite Bay, CA On 3/21/2011 8:11 PM, Bruce Webb wrote: For a look back here is an article I wrote about two hybrid juncos I banded in Boulder. One hybrid that I called 'Rusty is in color on the pdf. http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/wb/v11n04/p0205-p0206.pdf Bruce Webb (former Boulder birder visiting Colorado Springs this week and enjoying lots of Juncos.) Granite Bay, CA -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] owls
Hi all, The Nothrthern Pygmy-Owls are courting like crasy, last evening I took Nathan Pieplow out to get some sound recordings of a pair of owls. They didn't let us down. The little owls began calling about 7:20pm and didn't stop until a Great Horned Owl flew over the calling male pygmy just before it was too dark to see the little guy. I also went into RMNP to search for Northern Saw-whet Owls. I had two calling males in different areas, and a few incubating GHO's. Scott Rashid Estes Park -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[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 subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] Junco stuff (Long)
Thank you all for your comments. 1) Intergrade vs. Hybrid- The rigid definition is as Bruce describes, with hybrid being ascribed to the interbreeding of two species, and intergrade as a mixing of two subspecies. But this definition has its flaws, especially when applied to superspecies like the Dark-eyed Junco. For instance, there are cases of secondary hybridization between White-winged and Pink-sided Juncos. They do not have a hybrid zone, or an area of introgression, where you find a mixture of parental types. A few individuals may turn up in each other's adjacent ranges and hybridize. In the case of Gray-headed x Pink-sided, there are several regions, entire mountain ranges, where there are intergrade populations, with most individuals showing mixed characters. Most cases of junco hybridization can be described as intergrades. But in some cases, such as with White-winged x Pink-sided, the cases are so rare that describing the event as hybridization is perfectly acceptable, as far as I am concerned. The known rate of hybridization between White-winged and Pink-sided is less than the rate found in areas of Yellow-eyed x Dark-eyed Juncos. Interesting. 2) Recent sightings of White-winged Juncos- I found one yesterday in a burned Ponderosa Pine forest in Jefferson Co. It was associating with a Pink-sided. As others have noted, Pink-sideds and Oregons are moving through. A few scattered Gray-headeds are turning back up on the breeding grounds. White-wings are moving out, I think, with a few still around. The birds I have seen recently have predominantly been hatch-year birds. I haven't seen a spanking adult male White-winged in a few weeks. 3) Intergrade Pink-sided x Gray-headed- Bruce, I've had your article for a while and appreciate that someone took the time to publish on that situation. I used to see a few a winter in AZ, and I see them in CO annually. As I think you mention, Miller (1941) identified several regions of introgression. These include several mountain ranges due north of the CO border in WY, as well as areas of northern UT. Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/christian_nunes/5155736875/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/christian_nunes/5156347106/ 4) White-winged Junco Darkness- Miller made a scale to judge the head darkness of juncos. It ranges from 1-11, from darkest to lightest. One the dark end are the Oregon types (NOT Pink-sided!). On the pale end are Pink-sided, White-winged and Carolina. Here's a little table: Male Pink-sided: 9-10 Male White-winged: 8-10, typically 9 Male Slate-colored: 6-8, typically 7 Male Montana Oregon: 4 Male Carolina: 8 Female Pink-sided: 9-11 Female White-winged: 10-11 Female Carolina: 8-10, typically 9 Female Slate-colored: 8-10 From this data, I ascertain that there is a lot of variation in head color between the sexes and between subspecies groups. Some female Slate-coloreds are as pale as male and even female Pink-sideds and White-wingeds. White-winged males can be as dark as a male Slate-colored (both can be an 8). This jives well with my experience with White-wingeds in CO. Some adult males are strikingly dark (http://www.flickr.com/photos/christian_nunes/3055226426/), young birds are not (http://www.flickr.com/photos/christian_nunes/5172728728/). A photo will be published in the upcoming Colorado Birds of an adult male White-winged specimen that is at the dark end of the spectrum. I can't share those here, unfortunately. Now take a look at the Sibley Guide. I don't have mine in front of me, so can't tell the page numbers, but there should be Pink-sided next to White-winged, next to Slate-colored. I would judge Sibley's colors on Miller's darkness scale as Pink-sided (10), White-winged (9) and Slate-colored (7). He chose to represent the averages. 5) Tertials- Jeff wrote: In addition, we discussed this on CoBirds a couple months ago; but brown tertials, even if present, as I understand it, are not an indication of age. Adult females of all races (according to Pyle) can have brown terts after hatching year. Shape, however, should be and age indicator. But I didn’t get a good photo or look at that. Well now, I never got on this train. Brown tertials, when present on particular sub-species, are highly indicative of age. I come to this conclusion from reading Pyle. It might not be possible to age/sex every single bird, but there are some things to look at to get a pretty good clue. During a juncos' first Pre Basic (PB) molt, they can replace 0-3 of their tertials. This occurs from July-October. Southern subspecies are more likely to replace all three tertials, northern birds (White-wingeds) less so. So a bird like this can be reliably aged as a HY because it has replaced one brown-edged juvenile tertial with an adult gray-edged tertial (http://www.flickr.com/photos/christian_nunes/5172125607/). This bird hasn't replaced any tertials, so they are all edged with brown
[cobirds] D.F.O. Monthly Meeting - March 28th
D.F.O. Monthly Meeting A Meeting/A Field Trip: DMNS Behind the Scenes... Monday, March 28, 2011 Denver Museum of Nature and Science 7:30 p.m. DFO is all about field trips! We offer two free birding field trips a week about fifty weeks a year. We don’t know of any other organization in the country that offers this quantity and quality of free trips year round (if you are acquainted with a group that does please let us know). So it is no surprise that as a part of the stellar lineup of presentations DFO vice president Lynn Willcockson has offered in the 2010/2011 birding season he has included a field trip, an unusual field trip. As with all DFO field trips there will be good companionship AND some surprises. This field trip will begin as all our monthly meetings do, at 7:30 p.m. in Ricketson Auditorium at the Museum. After our usual warm up activities emceed by DFO president Chuck Thornton-Kolbe, we will depart on a fun-filled, informative expedition into the halls and corridors of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. This field trip will require NO heavy boots, NO walking stick, NO telescope, NO backpack, NO sack lunch or water, NO sunscreen... It is a simple stroll into the climate controlled “wildlife sanctuary” that is the DMNS. The focus of this field trip will be the Denver Museum of Nature and Science’s Ornithology collection. This collection spans 90+ years and consists of an ever expanding array of over 43,000 bird study skins and skeletons, 7,500+ egg sets, 1,200+ nests, bird DNA specimens, bird exo and endo parasites, a bird tissue collection, and much more. How about having a chance to see the Museum’s massive Elephant Bird (extinct) egg collected in the 17th century, or specimens of Carolina Parakeets and Passenger Pigeons? The Museum’s collection is one of the largest and most important in the Rocky Mountain Region. You won’t see all of these, but will see a brief slide show about the collections, extensive displays from these collections, as well as materials from the Museum’s Bailey Library and Archives. You may get to compare the Ivory-billed, Imperial, and Pileated Woodpeckers; view eggs and nests; try and match study skins with their correct skeletons; study morphological changes within a specific species which have occurred over a 50 or 60 year period; read original curator expedition journals or field notes; and maybe even examine early ornithological field sketches. Pay attention: there may be a quiz! Our expert field trip leaders will be Jeff Stephenson and Andy Doll. We all know Jeff as the DMNS Zoology Department’s Collections Manager and liaison to DFO. He is the guy who smiles when one hands him a dead, frozen bird bagged in plastic. Jeff has worked for the DMNS for 20+ years in many capacities. He has prepared study skins, dug fossils, and collected dung beetles. He knows the history and he knows the collection! Our second leader is Andy Doll who is the Zoology Department’s new Ornithology Fellow. Andy was introduced to DFO at the January meeting between the hummingbirds and the gulls. He grew up just outside of Madison, Wisconsin where he was active in the Boy Scouts with his four older brothers and where he developed his interest and appreciation of the outdoors and ecology. He attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison and got his undergraduate degree in Wildlife Ecology. He then left Wisconsin for Denver which has since been his home base between field jobs. He spent a winter up in Yellowstone studying coyote behavior and pack dynamics with the Yellowstone Ecological Research Center. He worked in San Miguel/Montrose counties monitoring Gunnison Sage Grouse lekking behaviors. He followed that by a summer in the Grand Canyon surveying for Southwestern Willow Flycatchers. After that, Andy spent a summer trapping and tracking Mountain Plovers in southeast Colorado for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. He then spent four years working at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal as an Air Monitoring Technician (not exactly biology, but there were always lots of birds to watch out there). Currently he is attending the University of Colorado here in Denver pursuing a master’s degree in the Department of Integrative Biology. His research focuses on using stable isotope to track resource use in Dunlin. This work entails summer fieldwork up in Barrow, Alaska with the USFWS where he is trapping and sampling numerous other shorebird species in addition to Dunlin. Additionally, he is teaching two general biology labs at UC Denver. His wife works for DPS at Bruce Randolph school. He has a two year old son who he spends most of his free time chasing after. He loves to camp, hike, climb and do just about anything outdoors (birding all of the time, of course) whenever he can find the time. As the Ornithology Fellow he has already
[cobirds] Colo Spgs Hawkwatch, Tues 3/22
Hi COBirders, Still quiet here. Watched from 9:00-11:30, until I got blown off the ridge. Best sighting was of three Red-tailed Hawks, 2 adults and 1 juv circling, rising, and screaming only a couple of hundred feet away. Also saw one, twice, (or two?) of the Garden of the Gods Prairie Falcons flying over the foothills just north of the park. Red-tailed Hawk - 6 (at least 3 local)- 2 zooming north above the Rampart Range Prairie Falcon 1 no swifts today Com Raven 6 plus the usual suspects of foothills corvids, Am Robins, N Flickers calling and tapping, and Rock Pigeons. Looking forward to less wind, Steve Brown Colorado Springs -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] Juncos - White-winged or other
Fascinating discussion, but almost impossible to follow because of the addition of all the previous messages to the new message -- I have to parse the thing over and over to find out what's new. As Todd, the listmaster, [and thanks Todd, for your efforts] and his predecessors have urged, can you somehow delete the message(s) to which you're replying? It would sure save confusion (at least for some of us who subscribe to Cobirds via the digest). I have always thought that White-winged not only had extra white in the rectrices but that they are consistently larger than the other juncos, including Pink-sided. Sometimes we see juncos here, White-winged, I think: gray, no wing bars, but obviously larger than the others. Usually they display extra white in the tail. And my impression, like Bruce Webb's, is of a pearlier, more neutral gray, not dark gray, irrespective of whether or not they sport white wing bars. Also, my impression: Slate-colored tend to have darker gray plumage. This winter I've noticed a couple of non-White-winged juncos with white wing bars; pink-sided type and Oregon type. I guess the juncos all belong to the same species, and they don't always mate with carbon copies. Hugh Kingery Franktown, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] Hybrids
Hi all, I'm prompted to respond to the thought-provoking comments of Bruce Webb Christian Nunes, regarding the use of the word hybrid. The definition of hybrid I have found is: The offspring of two animals or plants of different races, breeds, varieties, species or genera. It goes on to mention formed or composed of heterogeneous elements--in other words, it would also include any offspring of already hybrid parents. Note it is *not* limited to the species level. While ornithologists tend to use it at the species level, to the virtual exclusion of the others, other disciplines do not. Geneticists, for example, will refer to an individual organism as a hybrid if its parents differ only between a single chromosome in many cases! So Bruce's original use of hybrid was not wrong. It is perhaps less precise, however, and I agree with Bruce that intergrade is a preferable term when discussing things below the species level--you're acknowledging a closer relationship. Staying firmly balanced on the fence, I also agree with Christian that with such a variable group as juncos, the distinction between hybrid and intergrade becomes rather blurred. At any rate, I found lots of stimulating reading in both posts. (As well as Jeff Jones's post on this topic.) I am on quite a few different state province birding e-groups, and Co-birds is definitely one of the more informative enjoyable to read. Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parso...@mts.net -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] snipe taking cue from ducks, Bldr Cnty
Our woodworking birder friend, driving in to our house this morning, clearly saw a common/Wilson's snipe in the duck yard of our neighborhood, looking perplexed. I guess it was thinking that ducks and water usually go together, and yet here was a band of know-nothings hanging around a barren little yard with nothing but a dry canal within 400 yards. Hope it gets the farm pond marsh availability figured out soon. Still have not seen osprey near Lagerman, but the bald eagle couple continues to be seen regularly in the area. Their golden pal, however, has not been around this week. Linda G East of Table Mtn, north of Haystack -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] Highlights from 19 March
Greetings All, Sorry, I have been trying to set up household and learn an array of new systems. My first two attempts to post to COBIRDS failed, due to my own misapprehensions (in other words, I have been a dunderhead). On 19 March, Nick Komar and I visited a number of sites in Larimer and Weld Counties. Highlights are below: Highlights Mallard x N Pintail (1) Duck L Lesser Scaup (850) Fossil Crk Res Lesser Scaup (460) Duck L Greater Scaup (2 females) Fossil Crk Res. Common Goldeneye (175) Fossil Crk Res. Gadwall (650) Fossil Crk Res. Red-breasted Merganser (2) Warren L. Red-breasted Merganser (3) Fossil Crk Res. Red-breasted Merganser (4) Windsor L. Horned Grebe (29) Warren L. Horned Grebe (62) L Loveland Horned Grebe (145) Fossil Crk Res. American Coot (325) L Loveland Franklin’s Gull (1) N Weld Landfill Franklin’s Gull (1) Black Hollow Res. Thayer's Gull (1) Warren L. Thayer's Gull (1) L Loveland Thayer's Gull (4) N Weld Landfill Thayer's Gull (1) Black Hollow Res. LBBG (ad) Black Hollow Res. Glaucous Gull (1-2 yr) Black Hollow Res. Ring-billed Gull (20,000) Black Hollow Res. The gull horde at Black Hollow was impressive, but since it is private property, we could not scrutinize the birds nearly as well as we wished we could have. Also, on 17 March, I had a mostly basic-plumaged Least Sandpiper at the nw. corner of Boulder Res. and an eastern WB Nuthatch in n. Hygiene. Best Wishes Steven Mlodinow Formerly of Everett, WA Now of Longmont, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] Bufflehead in Broomfield
This morning, about an hour after sunrise I saw a Bufflehead dabbling around the edge of Tom Frost Reservoir in Broomfield (NW corner of Lowell and Midway). http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv180/gmgould/Birds/Bufflehead.jpg Also mixed in with the usual Mallards, Canada Geese, and Coots were a Ring-Necked Duck http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv180/gmgould/Birds/RingNeck.jpg and a Lesser Scaup http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv180/gmgould/Birds/IMG_0485.jpg A few days ago I saw (and heard) a Shoveler and a Redhead around sunset in the same location. Meadowlarks http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv180/gmgould/Birds/IMG_0480.jpg arrived in the surrounding area within the last few days and I also recently spotted a Mockingbird exhibiting its characteristic aggression towards a group of Robins. -Geoff Gould Broomfield, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] Say's Phoebe
Saw my FOY Say's Phoebe this afternoon in Littleton. Regards -Greg Pasquariello --- Littleton, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] Turkey Vultures (FOY) and other sightings Longmont, Boulder County
Coming home from work today I had two Turkey Vultures heading into the wind over my house in NW Longmont. Also in my backyard I had a Gray-headed Dark-eyed Junco. I get pink-sided most days. On I had two Bushtit and continuing Mountain Chickadees. I have not had Black-capped Chickadees at all this winter only Mountain. Todd Deininger Longmont, CO Enjoy the small things you find on your path. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] HSR: Dinosaur Ridge (22 Mar 2011) 2 Raptors
Dinosaur Ridge Colorado, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 22, 2011 --- SpeciesDay's CountMonth Total Season Total -- --- -- -- Black Vulture0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 0 0 Bald Eagle 0 29 29 Northern Harrier 0 2 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 7 7 Cooper's Hawk0 6 6 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk0 0 0 Red-tailed Hawk 1105105 Rough-legged Hawk0 1 1 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 0 Ferruginous Hawk 0 9 9 Golden Eagle 0 12 12 American Kestrel 0 4 4 Merlin 0 1 1 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0 Prairie Falcon 1 7 7 Mississippi Kite 0 0 0 Unknown Accipiter0 0 0 Unknown Buteo0 10 10 Unknown Falcon 0 1 1 Unknown Eagle0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 2 2 Total: 2196196 -- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 14:30:00 Total observation time: 5.5 hours Official Counter:Gary Rossmiller Observers: Weather: Very good visiblility, haze to the north due to fires. Increasing clouds midday but then clearing. Wind increased during day with diminishing bird sightings. Cool air, very warm sun. Raptor Observations: Good day for local raven and RT hawk pairs in all directions. Non-raptor Observations: A few magpies, robins and local scrub jays earlier in the day. Small, very fast birds, I believe white-throated swifts? Predictions: If extreme wind gusts die down, seems like it should be a good day to migrate. Report submitted by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (jeff.bi...@rmbo.org) Dinosaur Ridge information may be found at: http://www.rmbo.org/ Site Description: Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawkwatch in Colorado and is the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Dinosaur Ridge may be the best place in the country to see the rare dark morph of the Broad-winged Hawk (a few are seen each spring). Hawkwatchers who linger long enough may see resident Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and Prairie Falcons, in addition to migrating Swainson's, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels and Turkey Vultures. Peregrine Falcons and Ferruginous Hawks are uncommon; Northern Goshawk is rare but regular. Non-raptor species include Rock Wren, and sometimes Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift, American White Pelican or Dusky Grouse. Birders are always welcome. The hawkwatch is generally staffed by volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory from about 9 AM to around 4 PM from the first week of March to the first week of May. Directions to site: From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow small signs from the south side of lot to hawkwatch site. The hike starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the ridge, turn left, head through the gate, and walk to the clearly-visible, flat area at the crest of the ridge. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] cat
Hi all, Just had a Bobcat walk through the back yard. It stopped briefly, caught a vole and walked off. This cat has been in the neighborhood since October last year. Thought some of you might find that interesting. Scott Rashid Estes Park -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] Turkey Vultures arrive in Fort Collins.
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011: At 6:40 am MST there were two Turkey Vultures at the Shields/Mountain roost in Fort Collins, indicating a March 21st arrival. Alex Cringan -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] Osprey and pelican, Pueblo County
Yesterday (21 March, first day of calendar Spring) I found a pair of Osprey setting up housekeeping on a nest platform in the SWA on the south side of Pueblo Reservoir. I also had a brief distant look at an American White Pelican, later seen by another birder. Both are my FOS. The Osprey were there again today but I did not refind the pelican. It was hard to see much in the howling wind. The reservoir is very full; water is nearly to the edge of the road on North Picnic Road. We are hoping for some nice shorebirds in the flooded grassy areas in the northside SWA again this year. Cheers, Margie Joy Pueblo West, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] Harris's Sparrow - Barr Lake RMBO office
Today (March 22), at about 10 am Rudy Badia and I saw a second year Harris's Sparrow at the RMBO office at Barr Lake State Park (Adams Co.). It was hanging out with several White-crowned Sparrows. Too much wind to enjoy scanning the lake. We also saw a flock of about 40 American White Pelicans riding thermals about half way between Brighton and I-25. Jason Beason Paonia - Delta County but now in Hot Springs, SD -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] Yellowlegs on Lower Church Ranch lake
On Lower Church Ranch Lake this later afternoon, right around sunset, in the howling gales, there were 2 Yellowlegs, looked like Lesser but I couldn;t hear them because of the wind. (I was also too chicken to get out and set up a scope because of the cold, wind, and blowing debris). There were many ducks, including a Pintail, Shovelers, Green Winged Teal, Gadwall, Widgeon, Mallards, and many Killdeer. This is a great spot, but there isn't much room to pull off, barely a little more than a car width. -Elena Klaver -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
[cobirds] Lifetime County List update
COBirders, The Lifetime County List update is now available on the CFO website. If you are checking out the lists check out the information on the upcoming CFO Convention. CFO Home page: http://cfo-link.org/ Listing Reports: http://cfo-link.org/birding/county_reports.php - Mark Peterson Colorado Springs -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Colorado Birds group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
