Great report Dave. Thanks for the updates. Not many warblers here either! John Rawinski Monte Vista, CO
On Monday, August 27, 2018 at 12:45:24 PM UTC-6, Dave Leatherman wrote: > This is just a general report on my assessment of autumn migration in the > Lamar area. I was down there August 15-26. None of the birds listed are > probably chaseable, with most of the best ones being on private land. This > is mostly an FYI for folks wondering about going down there at present. > The little birds are coming, probably imminent, but hunting for them > further north would be more productive. > > > First off, no I didn't chase the M ducks or Neotropic Cormorants, as I > consider positive ID of these species beyond my skill set under the > conditions one is usually presented with in terms of distance to the birds, > heatwaves, threat of chiggers, access to the specific water bodies, time of > day I am out birding (*not* normally midnight to 8am), etc. *I am not > questioning the IDs as presented by Steve, Tony, David Ely and others, just > being honest.* > > > Things with landbirds are picking up but seem behind schedule somewhat. I > had zero Great Crested Flycatchers during my 12-day stay. Admittedly, I > did not really bird more than half the days of the visit but would expect > to have seen half a dozen *Myiarchus* (which also includes Ash-throated) > at the places checked at this time of year. > > > Other flycatchers (pewees, Olive-sided, empids) are present in the wooded > traps like Tempel's Grove, LCC, Van's Grove, Hasty CG, Lamar cemeteries, > some of the private woodlots. Had three very bright (much yellower than > Sibley shows,) Willow Flycatchers at Van's Grove (Road JJ w of > Hasty). BTW, Bent CR JJ is open all the way now from Hasty to its western > terminus near Ft. Lyon, after having been overrun with water in two places > most of the summer. The formerly overrun areas look great for shorebirds, > ducks, waders, rails, etc. > > > > Willow Flycatcher (one of three) in the middle of Van's Grove, viewable > from the rusty nail-infested road that goes around the east side of the > grove (walk this, driving your vehicle not recommended). > > > Ditto for certain vireos (Warbling and Cassin's). I also had what I am > calling a Blue-headed Vireo at a private woodlot north of Lamar. "Bright" > Cassin's can be very difficult to separate from Blue-headed and every year > a few of these individuals pop up. I waffled about this individual in the > field and again when looking at the photographs. At some point, one has to > pull the trigger and I am calling it an early Blue-headed (Cassin's is much > more likely in August in my experience). Input welcome. > > > > > Three views of the same "Solitary" Vireo in > a private tree grove 5 miles north of Lamar on 23 August 2018. > > The only warblers I saw besides Yellows were Common Yellowthroats, one > American Redstart, one MacGillivray's, one Townsend's, and a couple > Wilson's. The time-frame is certainly not primetime for warblers in SECO > but I would have expected at least a few orange-crowns and an eastern > species or two. > > > Didn't do a lot of shorebird checking, as I concentrate on the imaginary > Lamar "CBC" circle where there is little shoreline. Did get to see a > Short-billed Dowitcher found on 18 August on a private pond w of town by > Norma Verhoeff (thank you). Thurston Res is full and choked with cattails > all around the edge. I did not see a Tricolored Heron there but one (and > bitterns) could certainly be lurking in the reeds. North Gateway Park in > Lamar has a small bit of shorebird habitat but very few birds. > > > The Tundra Swan found by Claudia in spring at North Gateway Park and > nearby private gravel ponds apparently persisted all summer and is still > present! It does not appear to be a cripple and flies readily between the > water bodies and hayfields. > > > "Wertz Pond" just north of Highway 50 on US287 nw of Lamar is worth > checking. Jane and Janeal found a few Black Terns there which I was able > to see. It also hosted a Snowy Egret (eBird shows a recent report of Great > Egret from here, which I question, but I suppose one white wader could have > been replaced by another). > > > Hummingbirds seen in Lamar in a Willow Creek Subdivision private yard > include Calliope (apparently an immature male), Broad-tailed (female) and > Ruby-throated (adult male) along with the normal Black-chinned pair. > > > Chimney Swifts migrating thru. No big movements of Common Nighthawks > yet. Swallows are mostly Barns, although a fair number of Banks are mixed > in. Saw a good group of Cliffs in mid-August. > > > Mississippi Kites are still in town, with lots of juveniles learning the > ropes of flying and catching cicadas/dragonflies. The photo below shows > one hiding its password while making a card purchase. > > > > > > Total of 76 species in the Lamar "CBC" circle. > > > Best butterfly: Hayhurst's Scallopwing on the wood chips on the trail > going down into the north end of the LCC Woods. I was also shown larvae of > Gulf Fritillaries at a private yard e of Lamar, a rare event (first ever?) > in CO where this southern visitor to CO is attempting to complete a life > cycle up here. This same yard witnessed a cycle of the eastern Pipevine > Swallowtail *and* hosted 1-4 giant Black Witch moths (AZ-TX residents, > larvae feed on citrus) for a full 5 weeks starting in late June. What is > the prevailing wind direction in southeastern CO? Southerly. > > > A local Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife employee told me he has > personal knowledge of around 10 occurrences of Nine-banded Armadillo in > southeastern CO in the last few years. How can anyone deny the existence > of climate change? > > > In closing, it is a bad year for chiggers in southeastern CO and they > definitely impact my enthusiasm for wading into the understory of woods > that might harbor an unusual migrant bird. Between them, mosquitoes, > stable flies, and "pinyon gnats" (tiny "no-see-um" type biting midges in > the family Ceratopogonidae) going afield in SECO during the hot months can > be a test of will and sanity. The gnats at Higbee during the Zone-tailed > Hawk-Vermilion Flycatcher-Painted Bunting frenzy were quite annoying. I > visited on August 16 (a dollar and day late for the hawk and we apparently > didn't glance at the right branch/bush/wire for the other two mega-targets) > and just this morning dug a gnat entombed in wax from my right ear). I am > constantly amazed at how few birders know about chiggers, which may be a > factor of most Front Range folks only going down there during spring and > autumn "primetime". These mites can be problematic everywhere on the > eastern plains (Julesburg, Stalker Ponds, Bonny/Hale Ponds, LCC, Nee Noshe > locust grove, LCC, Two Buttes, etc.) and I have even had them on the west > side of Fort Collins in years past. The only solutions seem to be natural > genetics that grant immunity or loading up on pesticides. At a minimum, my > advice would be to avoid tall grass, especially such areas that are wet. > > > Dave Leatherman > > Fort Collins > > > > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. 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