Jerry Poe, John Stump and I spent the morning near John James Canyon trying to set an early arrival date for the Sage Sparrow in the San Luis Valley. Previous early date was March 5th. It was a blustery day and winds were keeping birds tight to cover. After a while,we saw some but the birds stayed skittish and low so we could not get great looks. After chasing a number of them across the windy prairie, we finally got some looks at this handsome species. By the end of the morning, we had accounted for about 12 of them (Conejos County). Easy way to find them is drive slowly along the county roads until one flushes from the shrubs. Other cool sights were Common Goldeneyes, two Golden Eagles, and bunches of Cranes. So a great day out and a new benchmark accomplished.
If you are coming out for the Crane fest and want a diversion to see this species, drive the county roads east of Antonito and you should see this species.
Crane feeding patterns are changing by the day as the snows have rapidly disappeared. Best place is still the MV Refuge.
John Rawinski
Monte Vista, CO
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