Saturday 28 February 2015

[cobirds] American Dipper x2 today in Adams County

Hi CoBirders
I was able to see two American Dippers in Clear Creek< east of Lowell Blvd.(Adams). One was about half way to the I 76 bridges. The other was at the I 76 bridges. I didn't see any interaction or vocalizations between the birds, but they were near enough that sound would have carried. I've found one dipper regularly throughout the month. 
Bob Canter, Denver 



 

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[cobirds] 26-27February 2015 Lamar (Prowers) Colorado

We have had a few inches of snow this past week and temperatures in the teens and twenties in Lamar (Prowers). The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker found by Dave Leatherman earlier in the year is still in the southern most pine trees on the Parkview Avenue (west) side across from house numbers 1305 and 1305A.  Willow Creek Park, Lamar Community College, Fairmount Cemetery and Willow Valley Subdivision are all hosting Red-bellied Woodpeckers, White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, and other expected winter visitors in good numbers. Yesterday, 27Feb2015, a lone Brown Creeper was busy foraging on cottonwood trunks near the feeder across from the college library. (For those interested,the Northern Cardinals are being seen regularly on the south end of LCC near the housing development.)  A bit farther south of LCC, along Willow Creek, a Northern Mockingbird was found in some tamarisk, but the Brewer's Blackbirds and the lone Common Grackle seen by Jane Stulp and myself, respectively, have not been there for a while.  The Russian olives at the Prowers Medical Center Campus host Cedar Waxwings, several Red-winged Blackbirds and American Robins.  A few beautiful Eastern Bluebirds often line the fence on the east (prairie) side of the PMC Drive. 

Janeal Thompson
Lamar, CO

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[cobirds] Purple and Cassin's Finches in Bent County

Birders,

 

I’ve had infrequent sightings of single female-plumaged Purple and Cassin’s finches at my feeders in Las Animas (Bent County) since early January. Purple Finch is a review species in Colorado, and Cassin’s Finch is rare so far from the mountains. Until today, I’d never seen both species at the same time. This afternoon, I finally had both birds on the feeder seven feet from my family room window at the same time, and actually nailed photos of them interacting with each other. I’ll gladly send photos to those interested.

 

I welcome visitors, but of course there’s a caveat. They are unpredictable, often disappearing for days or weeks on end. They may be more reliable in bad weather. And, I’ve got a problem with Red-winged Blackbirds. If I fill my feeders, I will have hundreds around, and they drive off other birds. For the past few days, I’ve only been able to put a small amount of seeds on the tray feeder nearest the window on the west side of my house, as blackbirds are more shy than finches, and will fly off if they see me inside. When the blackbirds leave without successfully feeding, I put out more seed, and hope the finches take advantage of these brief opportunities to visit. So far, this has worked, but I can’t always be around to do this drill.

 

I went to John Martin Reservoir today. The lake, completely open last Thursday, is currently mostly iced over. Some early migrant American White Pelicans stand stupidly on islands surrounded by ice, waiting for it to melt.

 

Duane Nelson

Las Animas, Bent County, CO




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[cobirds] Williamson's Sapsucker and Aggressive Dusky Grouse, Heil Ranch Boulder County

Sondra and I had a very nice snow shoe hike today in Heil Valley Ranch, Boulder County Parks. A highlight was when we stopped near the Ponderosa Loop overlook to view a Townsend's Solitaire, and a male Dusky Grouse sauntered up to us through the snow. We were thinking that it was amazingly tame, when all of a sudden it started attacking our snow shoes, and then jumped up and pecked at my day pack (I might have vocalized an octave higher than usual). As we continued on, congratulating ourselves for being treated to such a special unique close encounter with nature, we came upon a pair of signs that said "Please Stay Clear of Aggressive Grouse". I see that there are posts on Facebook concerning this Grouse for at least a year now. Nevertheless, it was fun to see its subtle but striking markings so up close. On the way back down the trail (2 miles from the southern trail head) we were surprised to see a female Williamson's Sapsucker working a trunk of a Ponderosa pine tree by the trail.

Bob Spencer and Sondra Bland

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[cobirds] Jeffco rosy-finches at Ira and Tammy Sanders today

Several birders watched about 30 rosy-finches swirl from treetop to treetop around Ira and Tammy Sanders home from about 10:30 to noon today.  We found at least one black, one brown-capped, and the rest gray-crowned.  One or two gray-crowned landed on a tray feeder in front, but the flock was kept at bay by a Sharp-shinned Hawk that persisted much of the time in the neighbor’s tree.  The Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch with puffed-up feathers photographed yesterday that appears to be sick fed on the pavement right in front of us for a while.  Thanks, Ira and Tammy!

 

Kay 

 

Kayleen A. Niyo, Ph.D.

Niyo Scientific Communications

5651 Garnet St.

Golden, CO 80403

303.679.6646

Kay@KayNiyo.com; www.KayNiyo.com

 

[cobirds] Adams County Dunlin and Amer. Pipet

Birders:

 

On our S. Platte duck walk (hard on the knees to do that for miles), we had a Dunlin and a Amer. Pipet at the S. Platte Bridge on McKay Rd (about 9300 N) north of 88th St.

The Dunlin last seen flying hard upstream (SW) but was actively flying around sand bars and low water spots for a while.

We did NOT see any Barrow’s Goldeneye or any Mergansers, but did see a female N. Harrier.

 

Davis - at 6,000 ft. NW of Lyons

[cobirds] Dillon, Summit County


Had to tell SOMEONE

Pygmy Nuthatch - pair     at feeder



Walked outside to get closer look with handful of live mealworms hoping to get their attention

one of the Pygmys perched on my fingers, grabbed a mealworm; and left without a thank you.


So awesome to feel its  tiny little feet on my fingers.

Will try to get a picture to prove I'm not making-it-up

Bonnie Boex
Dillon

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[cobirds] Dillon, Summit County backyard birds


Downy Woodpecker - pair

Magpies - too many

Junco - 4

Pine Siskin - 6

Black- capped Chickadee  - 1  (travels with the Mt Chicks)

Mt Chickadee - 6 to 8

House Sparrows - flock 
too many to count; first year this has occurred.  They appear to have established a foothold; have to be vigilant on my BB Trail

Bonnie Boex
Dillon

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Re: [cobirds] Boulder surprising hawk kill

I wonder if the increased numbers of Cooper's Hawks is a reason for the decline of both Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels.  I presume the kestrel numbers have declined over the years do to a few things, one being trichinosis, but are Cooper's Hawks taking their toll on these little raptors as well?

Scott Rashid
Estes Park



On 2/27/2015 11:37 AM, William H Kaempfer wrote:

Nick,

 

I went to CBC data for Colorado to see what it says.  From the early 1990s up through about 2005 or 2006 both Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawk numbers increased steadily: up  125% for Sharp-shinned and 135% for Coopers.  Since then, however, Sharp-shinned have gone back to about where they were while Coopers have doubled again.  During the period from the 91st CBC (which if I recall means the actual end year is one before, so 1989-90) to the 105th CBC, Cooper's numbers grew fairly steadily from just under .01 per party hour to just over .02. in 15 years.  But then things really took off, for every year since count number 106, Cooper's Hawk counts have been between .03 and .04 with a high of .0418 on the 111th count.

 

What about Eurasian Collared-Doves?  Their numbers have grown 12 fold in the last decade.  My conclusion is that Cooper's Hawks are an even greater beneficiary of all of that food source that is now available and they are prospering.  But, more Cooper's Hawks might mean fewer Sharp-shinned Hawks.

 

Bill Kaempfer

Boulder

 

 

From: cobirds@googlegroups.com [mailto:cobirds@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Nick Komar
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2015 10:05 AM
To: djwaltman@comcast.net
Cc: cobirds
Subject: Re: [cobirds] Boulder surprising hawk kill

 

Sharpies take Eurasian Collared-Doves on a regular basis. The dove is almost 50% larger than the hawk by mass. This brings up a question: why are there not more Sharp-shinned Hawks around? There must be more influential constraints on the hawks population than winter food supply. Any thoughts on what those constraints might be?

 

Nick Komar 

Fort Collins CO

Sent from my iPhone


On Feb 27, 2015, at 9:29 AM, David Waltman <djwaltman@comcast.net> wrote:


I just witnessed a Sharp-shinned Hawk successfully kill a Steller's Jay.  It's sitting on the ground eating the jay right now.  The Steller's Jay is about the same size as the hawk, although the Sharp-shinned would outweigh the jay at about 5 oz. vs.3.7 oz.  I'm amazed that a Sharp-shinned Hawk would go for a bird that large.

David Waltman

Boulder County foothills, 1/2 between Boulder and Lyons

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[cobirds] Rosy-Finches - Golden - Jeffco - Yes

Ira Sanders

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[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 28 February 2015

Compiler:   Joyce Takamine
Date:         February 27, 2015
This is the Rare Bird Alert, Friday, February 27 sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.

Highlight species include: (* indicates new information on this species).

Tundra Swan (Boulder, *Mesa)
AMERICAN BLACK DUCK (Weld)
Long-tailed Duck (Lake, Weld)
Barrow's Goldeneye (Garfield, Pueblo, Routt)
Red-throated Loon (Pueblo)
Red-necked Grebe (Pueblo)
Thayer's Gull (Adams, Pueblo, *Weld)
Lesser  Black-backed Gull (Adams, El Paso, Pueblo)
Glaucous Gull (Pueblo, Washington)
Great Black-backed Gull (Pueblo)
ACORN WOODPECKER (El Paso)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Logan, Prowers)
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Park, San Juan)
Black Phoebe (Fremont)
Chihuahuan Raven (Weld)
Lapland Longspur (Boulder, Denver,  Douglas/Jefferson , Park, Prowers)
Pine Warbler (Jefferson)
EASTERN TOWHEE (Logan)
Golden-crowned Sparrow (Boulder, Jefferson)
Northern Cardinal (Boulder, Logan. Prowers)
Rusty Blackbird (Fremont, Baca, Weld)
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Boulder, Jackson, *Jefferson, Mesa, Park, San Juan, Teller)
Black Rosy-Finch (Boulder, Jefferson, Mesa, Park, San Juan)
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (Boulder, Jackson, *Jefferson, Mesa, Park, San Juan, Teller)

ADAMS COUNTY:
--On February 18, Sheeter reported 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 2 Thayer's Gulls at Barr Lake SP.

BACA COUNTY:
--A Rusty Blackbird was reported by Floyd at Two Buttes SWA below the dam on February 21.

BOULDER COUNTY:
--On February 14 at Ward, Kaempfer reported all three Rosy-Finches.
--On February 16, Floyd reported Northern Cardinal in North Boulder Foothills.
--On February 16, Deininger reported Lapland Longspur on 9th Ave in Longmont.
--On February 21, Kaempfer reported Golden-crowned Sparrow at the Teller Farm trailhead parking lot.
--On February 21, Kaempfer reported an ad Lesser Black-backed Gull at Prince Lake #2.
--On February 21, Kaempfer reported Tundra Swan at the Valmont Complex on the N shore of Leggett Reservoir.

DENVER COUNTY:
--2 Lapland Longspurs were reported by Sheeter on the DIA Owl Loop on February 24.  

DOUGLAS COUNTY/JEFFERSON COUNTIES:
--A Lapland Longspur was reported by Dan Stringer at Chatfield SP at the Model Airplane parking area on February 24.  On January 25, Cynthia Madsen reported Lapland Longspur at Chafield.

EL PASO COUNTY:--
On February 15, Hopping reported ACORN WOODPECKER in the Willow Circle neighborhood of Colorado Springs.  Please respect the privacy of homeowners.

FREMONT COUNTY:
--On February 15, Moss reported Black Phoebe at Florence River Park.
--On February 15, Mark Peterson reported 2 Tundra Swans flying low and to the east from West of Florence RIver Park.
--On February 15, Mark Peterson reported 6 Rusty Blackbirds (2m, 4 f) on CR 119.

GARFIELD COUNTY:
--On February 19, Filby reported 10+ Barrow's Goldeneyes at Coryell Ranch Ponds viewed from CR 106.  On February 20, Filby reported 142+ Barrow's Goldeneyes at Coryell Ranch Pons viewed from Hwy 82 on CR 106.

JACKSON COUNTY:
--On February 16, Leatherman reported 75 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches and 5 Brown-capped Rosy-Finches at Moose Visitor Center on the west side of Cameron Pass.

JEFFERSON COUNTY:
--On February 16, Amy Darling reported Golden-crowned Sparrow at Red Rocks Trading Post.  On February 17, Matt Clark reported Golden-crowned Sparrow at Red Rocks Trading Post.  On February 24, Josh Lefever reported Golden-crowned Sparrow at Red Rocks Trading Post.
On February 25, Hudak reported Golden-crowned Sparrow at Red Rocks Trading Post.
--Ira Sanders reported Gray-crowned and Black Rosy-Finches coming to his front yard at 314 DeFrance Ct in Golden on December 29.  Birders are welcome to watch from the street. On February 16, Sanders reports lots of Rosy-Finches and lots of snow in his yard.  On February 17, Sanders reported Rosy-Finches in his yard.  On February 19, Sanders reported a few Rosy-Finches in his hard.  On February 20, Sanders reported about a dozen Rosy-Finches in the afternoon.  On February 21, Behnfield reported 2 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches at the Sanders residence.  On February 22, Sanders reported Rosy-Finches has returned to his yard.  On February 24, Sanders reported Rosy-Finches including one Black had returned to his yard.  On February 26 Matt Clark reported all three species of Rosy-Finches in Sanders yard.  On February 27, Jen Small reported Gray-crowned and Brown-capped Rosy-Finches at the Sanders residence.
--On January 4, Schottler reported a Pine Warbler at Denver West Office Park near the SE corner of bldg 7. On January 28, Nick Moore reported Pine Warbler at Denver West.  On January 29, Lisa Edwards reported Pine Warbler at Denver West.  On January 31, Kilpatrick reported Pine Warbler at Denver West.  On February 10, Norm Lewis reported Pine warbler at Denver West Office Park.  On February 14, Matt Clark reported Pine Warbler at Denver West.
--On February 7, 1 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch was reported by Haley at Apex Park.

LAKE COUNTY:
--A Long-tailed Duck was found by Truan and Porter on Mt Elbert Forebay Reservoir on February 19.

LOGAN COUNTY:
--On February 21, Dowell reported m EASTERN TOWHEE at eastern section, area 10 at Tamarack SWA.
--On February 21, Dowell reported 6 Northern Cardinals and 11 Red-bellied Woodpeckers at Tamarack SWA.

MESA COUNTY:
--On February 25, Henwood and Korte reported Rosy-Finches of all three species on the Entrance Road to Powderhorn Ski Area.
--A Tundra Swan was reported by Vollmar at the Fruita section of Colorado River SP on February 27.

PARK COUNTY:
--On February 24, Suddjian reported American Three-toed Woodpecker in Fairplay/Alma along Platte River Road.
--On February 24, Suddjian reported Rosy-Finches (all three species) in Jefferson at a feeder at house behind the market;
in Fairplay at feeder at Front Street, on a snag tree off Beaver Creek Lane in Silverheels Circle.  Also south of Fairplay and east of US 285 along Kokanee and Trout Roads.
--On February 24, Suddjian reported a Lpaland Lonspur along CR 59 west of Mineral.

PROWERS COUNTY:
--On February 20, Floyd reported Northern Cardinal and flyover Lapland Longspur at Willow Creek in Lamar.
--On February 23, Floyd reported Red-bellied Woodpecker at Fairmount Cemetery in Lamar.

PUEBLO COUNTY:
--On February 14, Kellner reported Red-necked Grebe and Red-throated Loon at Pueblo Reservoir.  On February 15, Hopping reported Great Black-backed Gull and Red-necked Grebe at the South shore Marina of Pueblo Reservoir.

SAN JUAN COUNTY:
--About 400 - 500 Rosy-Finches (all three species) were reported by Peter Derven near the corner of Blair St and 9th in Silverton on February 16.  On February 21, Riley Morris reported several large flocks of Rosy-Finches with all three species in Silverton.  
--On February 21, Riley Morris reported a f American Three-toed Woodpecker at the Coal Bank Pass pullout.

TELLER COUNTY:
--Gray-crowned and Brown-capped Rosy-Finches were reported by Cody Porter on CO 67 at a field near Cantiberry Road on February 26/

WASHINGTON COUNTY:
--On February 15, Mlodinow reported Glaucous Gulls at Prewitt Reservoir.

WELD COUNTY:
--On February 13, Mlodinow reported an AMERICAN BLACK DUCK at Windsor Reservoir.
--On February 13, Messick reported Tundra Swan on Lower Latham at CR 48.
--On February 16, Hess reported Long-tailed Duck at Windsor Lake.  On February 26, Mlodinow reported Long-tailed Duck and Thayer's Gull at Windsor Lake.
--On February 20, Deininger reported Chihuahuan Rave at Frederick High School.
--On February 22, Mlodinow reported 9 male Rusty Blackbirds along the St Vrain on the Weld county side of County Line Road.

The DFO Field Trip for Saturday, February 28 will be to Butterfly Pavilion led by Jackie King (jackie.king AT ccd.edu720-381-3314)  Meet in front of the Butterfly Pavilion at 6252 W 104th Ave at 0900.

The DFO Field Trip for Wednesday, March 4 will be to Prospect Park in Wheat Ridge led by Jackie King (jackie.king AT ccd.edu720-381-3314).  Meet at Prospect Lake at 0830.  From I-70, exit 267, take Kipling south about 3/4 mile and turn right (west) on 44th Ave.  Go one mile west.  Look for entrance to Prospect Park on your left (south).  Meet just inside the park at the lot next to Prospect Lake.

Good Birding,
Joyce Takamine
Boulder

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Friday 27 February 2015

[cobirds] Ducks Along the Platte field trip, tomorrow, YES!

Sponsored by Boulder County Audubon

I just talked to Davis and he tells me he is planning on leading the group tomorrow.  Details below,

Saturday, February 28, 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
"Ducks Along the Platte with 'Davis'!"
We'll drive down to 88th and Colorado (can meet there at 9:20). Walk along the South Platte river trail for 2-3 miles. If it's good and cold (dress warmly), we may see 17 species of waterfowl, including Barrow's Goldeneyes and the occasional Long-tailed Duck! Great for beginners, as most male ducks have obvious fieldmarks. Meet at East Boulder Rec Center at 8:30 a.m., plan to be back to Boulder by 1:30 pm. Contact Davis at 303-823-5332.   No reservations necessary.

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RE: [cobirds] Boulder surprising hawk kill

Nick,

 

I went to CBC data for Colorado to see what it says.  From the early 1990s up through about 2005 or 2006 both Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawk numbers increased steadily: up  125% for Sharp-shinned and 135% for Coopers.  Since then, however, Sharp-shinned have gone back to about where they were while Coopers have doubled again.  During the period from the 91st CBC (which if I recall means the actual end year is one before, so 1989-90) to the 105th CBC, Cooper's numbers grew fairly steadily from just under .01 per party hour to just over .02. in 15 years.  But then things really took off, for every year since count number 106, Cooper's Hawk counts have been between .03 and .04 with a high of .0418 on the 111th count.

 

What about Eurasian Collared-Doves?  Their numbers have grown 12 fold in the last decade.  My conclusion is that Cooper's Hawks are an even greater beneficiary of all of that food source that is now available and they are prospering.  But, more Cooper's Hawks might mean fewer Sharp-shinned Hawks.

 

Bill Kaempfer

Boulder

 

 

From: cobirds@googlegroups.com [mailto:cobirds@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Nick Komar
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2015 10:05 AM
To: djwaltman@comcast.net
Cc: cobirds
Subject: Re: [cobirds] Boulder surprising hawk kill

 

Sharpies take Eurasian Collared-Doves on a regular basis. The dove is almost 50% larger than the hawk by mass. This brings up a question: why are there not more Sharp-shinned Hawks around? There must be more influential constraints on the hawks population than winter food supply. Any thoughts on what those constraints might be?

 

Nick Komar 

Fort Collins CO

Sent from my iPhone


On Feb 27, 2015, at 9:29 AM, David Waltman <djwaltman@comcast.net> wrote:


I just witnessed a Sharp-shinned Hawk successfully kill a Steller's Jay.  It's sitting on the ground eating the jay right now.  The Steller's Jay is about the same size as the hawk, although the Sharp-shinned would outweigh the jay at about 5 oz. vs.3.7 oz.  I'm amazed that a Sharp-shinned Hawk would go for a bird that large.

David Waltman

Boulder County foothills, 1/2 between Boulder and Lyons

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Re: [cobirds] Boulder surprising hawk kill

Having worked on the Cape May Raptor Banding Project this past fall, I had many discussions with a variety of people about the diminishing Sharpie populations.  It's been a noticeable trend in the capture data and the hawkwatch count data that Sharpies have been decreasing steadily over the last decade or so while Cooper's Hawks have been steadily increasing.  One of the major theories for this among everyone I talked to was the increasing fragmentation of forested habitat.  It might be that Sharpies are more reliant on dense vegetation and canopy cover to catch their unwitting prey, while Coops have been able to adapt to an increasingly urbanized environment.  This is just a theory and I'd be interested to see whether any data has been collected to back this up, but there has definitely been a noticeable shift in the proportions of these two Accipiters in the east.  That being said, we did have Sharpies make multiple passes at the pigeons we used as lure birds.  They commonly landed on starlings (even the tiny males would go for a starling), but I believe we only ever had one female land on a pigeon long enough for us to trap her.  There was a relatively recent discussion on the weight-carrying capacity of Sharpies on the CFO Facebook page if anyone is interested.  

Good birding,
Casey Setash
Fort Collins

On Fri, Feb 27, 2015 at 11:00 AM, Leon Bright <urraca2@comcast.net> wrote:

COBirders,

One late spring a few years ago at our cabin in western Custer County (9,200 ft.) I witnessed an interesting episode involving a young Sharp-shinned Hawk.  I was watching a group of small passerines on my platform feeder when I saw them scatter in a panic.  I noticed a sharpie had just landed on a fence post close by.  After a while he (probable gender) left, and three Steller's Jays came to the feeder.  The sharpie returned to the post.  The jays didn't fly off but were very nervous, jumping and flitting around.  The hawk made a couple of feints and the jays left reluctantly.  With no prey in sight, the Sharpie left again.  A couple of hours later there were several Band-tailed Pigeons feeding when the hawk showed up again on the fence post.  The pigeons completely ignored the accipiter which, even though inexperienced, decided against any try at prey whose 13 ounces outweighed his five or less.  He left for the third time, not to return at least to my knowledge.

Leon Bright, Pueblo

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Casey Setash
Vice President, VT Student
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Wildlife Science
Virginia Tech Class of 2014

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[cobirds] Short-earedOwls-Larimer

I am currently looking at 2 Short-eared Owls on posts along the driveway of 2086 Buckeye Rd. No trespassing sign.

Sent from my iPhone
Rachel Hopper
Ft. Collins

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RE: [cobirds] Boulder surprising hawk kill

COBirders,

One late spring a few years ago at our cabin in western Custer County (9,200 ft.) I witnessed an interesting episode involving a young Sharp-shinned Hawk.  I was watching a group of small passerines on my platform feeder when I saw them scatter in a panic.  I noticed a sharpie had just landed on a fence post close by.  After a while he (probable gender) left, and three Steller's Jays came to the feeder.  The sharpie returned to the post.  The jays didn't fly off but were very nervous, jumping and flitting around.  The hawk made a couple of feints and the jays left reluctantly.  With no prey in sight, the Sharpie left again.  A couple of hours later there were several Band-tailed Pigeons feeding when the hawk showed up again on the fence post.  The pigeons completely ignored the accipiter which, even though inexperienced, decided against any try at prey whose 13 ounces outweighed his five or less.  He left for the third time, not to return at least to my knowledge.

Leon Bright, Pueblo

FW: [cobirds] Boulder surprising hawk kill

Neglected sending this to the whole group, as intended.
Dave


From: daleatherman@msn.com
To: quetzal65@comcast.net
Subject: RE: [cobirds] Boulder surprising hawk kill
Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2015 10:28:38 -0700

David, Nick, Gary, et al,
Interesting observations, all.  I would throw in seeing a Northern Pygmy-Owl fly past with a Steller's Jay in its talons one time in Rist Canyon west of Fort Collins.  The owl is 2.5 oz (70g), the jay 3.7 (105g).  The literature talks about a pygmy-owl that was threatening a Dusky Grouse (1050g) , but that report was unclear as to whether it was a predator-prey thing or territorial harassment thing.  For sure, hunger and brood protection are both strong motivators.

As for Sharp-shin numbers, I was always under the impression the majority migrate south.  Maybe how many stick around is somehow driven by autumn weather and the sudden cold snap we had in early November made up the minds of  birds sitting on the fence, so to speak.  Sort of like kestrels, Great Blue Herons, meadowlarks and other semi-hardy species that we have a few of in winter, but not in bulk.  Just a thought.

Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins


Subject: Re: [cobirds] Boulder surprising hawk kill
From: quetzal65@comcast.net
Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2015 10:04:41 -0700
CC: cobirds@googlegroups.com
To: djwaltman@comcast.net

Sharpies take Eurasian Collared-Doves on a regular basis. The dove is almost 50% larger than the hawk by mass. This brings up a question: why are there not more Sharp-shinned Hawks around? There must be more influential constraints on the hawks population than winter food supply. Any thoughts on what those constraints might be?

Nick Komar 
Fort Collins CO

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 27, 2015, at 9:29 AM, David Waltman <djwaltman@comcast.net> wrote:


I just witnessed a Sharp-shinned Hawk successfully kill a Steller's Jay.  It's sitting on the ground eating the jay right now.  The Steller's Jay is about the same size as the hawk, although the Sharp-shinned would outweigh the jay at about 5 oz. vs.3.7 oz.  I'm amazed that a Sharp-shinned Hawk would go for a bird that large.
David Waltman
Boulder County foothills, 1/2 between Boulder and Lyons

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[cobirds] Re: Boulder surprising hawk kill

Similarly, our "little" but ferocious Merlin takes out our fat Eurasian-collared Doves all the time.

Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn
http://coloradobirder.ning.com/
Mobile:  http://coloradobirder.ning.com/m


On Friday, February 27, 2015 at 9:30:01 AM UTC-7, David Waltman wrote:

I just witnessed a Sharp-shinned Hawk successfully kill a Steller's Jay.  It's sitting on the ground eating the jay right now.  The Steller's Jay is about the same size as the hawk, although the Sharp-shinned would outweigh the jay at about 5 oz. vs.3.7 oz.  I'm amazed that a Sharp-shinned Hawk would go for a bird that large.
David Waltman
Boulder County foothills, 1/2 between Boulder and Lyons

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Re: [cobirds] Boulder surprising hawk kill

Sharpies take Eurasian Collared-Doves on a regular basis. The dove is almost 50% larger than the hawk by mass. This brings up a question: why are there not more Sharp-shinned Hawks around? There must be more influential constraints on the hawks population than winter food supply. Any thoughts on what those constraints might be?

Nick Komar 
Fort Collins CO

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 27, 2015, at 9:29 AM, David Waltman <djwaltman@comcast.net> wrote:


I just witnessed a Sharp-shinned Hawk successfully kill a Steller's Jay.  It's sitting on the ground eating the jay right now.  The Steller's Jay is about the same size as the hawk, although the Sharp-shinned would outweigh the jay at about 5 oz. vs.3.7 oz.  I'm amazed that a Sharp-shinned Hawk would go for a bird that large.
David Waltman
Boulder County foothills, 1/2 between Boulder and Lyons

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[cobirds] Boulder surprising hawk kill


I just witnessed a Sharp-shinned Hawk successfully kill a Steller's Jay.  It's sitting on the ground eating the jay right now.  The Steller's Jay is about the same size as the hawk, although the Sharp-shinned would outweigh the jay at about 5 oz. vs.3.7 oz.  I'm amazed that a Sharp-shinned Hawk would go for a bird that large.
David Waltman
Boulder County foothills, 1/2 between Boulder and Lyons

[cobirds] Rosy-Finches - Golden - Jeffco

Birders,
Some Rosy's just showed up and after a Sharp-shinned Hawk vacated their tree.

That's the 5th raptor species I have seen in that tree this year.  2 Falcons, 2 
Accipiters and 1 Buteo.

--
Ira Sanders
Golden, CO

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[cobirds] Wandering Weld Yesterday

Greetings All

Yesterday, Nick Moore and I wandered about much of western/central Weld County.
The weather, was suboptimal but not too intrusive
The Pawnee had, gasp!, very very little snow on the ground, so larks and such were not pushed to roadsides. We did still have a couple nice (20-50 birds) sized flocks of Lapland Longs, but mostly as flybys/flyovers

Because of the exceptionally cold dawn temps, we put off trying to bird water spots until about 10 am; before then, there was too much fog rising from the unfrozen water into the near-zero degree air.

Almost all water had thawed before the recent cold snap, so only smaller ponds (e.g., Stewarts' Pond) were frozen. 

The S Weld Landfill remains gull-less for reasons unclear, as there were gulls at Black Hollow Res (but these could not be well seen due to snow, and the place is already rapidly freezing.) Drake Lake is mostly frozen, but had a nice little group of gulls and geese

Windsor Res was ice-free and strangely bird-free
Windsor Lake had a couple THAYER's GULL and the LONG-TAILED DUCK remained at the east end, with a goodly group of Common Goldeneye
Neff Lake was nearly frozen and utterly bird less
Seeley Res had a nice variety of birds, including a female BUFFLEHEAD x COMMON GOLDENEYE
Angel Lake was open and stuffed full of Mallards and Cackling/Canada Geese as were the surrounding fields.
Woods Lake had fabulous numbers of gulls and geese but little of interest. 1000+ RB Gulls and not a single Herring or other gull. Among the 3000+ geese, only 2 Snow Geese added interest and not a single hybrid (in the past, this many geese at Woods would've had a dozen or more white geese and several hybrids. There were two AM WHITE PELICANS on the south shore. 
The Lower Latham are was mostly frozen, excepting L Latham Res itself, which had surprisingly few birds. The little stream that enters the s. side of L Latham Res did have an AMERICAN PIPIT. Given that I had one recently along the St Vrain in Longmont, I wonder if pipits are actually starting to migrate, albeit in small numbers

Lastly, where the S Platte crosses CO-66 just outside of Platteville, there was a GREATER YELLOWLEGS.

Good Birding
Steve Mlodinow
Longmont CO

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[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 27 February 2015

Compiler:   Joyce Takamine
Date:         February 27, 2015
This is the Rare Bird Alert, Friday, February 27 sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.

Highlight species include: (* indicates new information on this species).

Tundra Swan (Boulder)
AMERICAN BLACK DUCK (Weld)
Long-tailed Duck (Lake, *Weld)
Barrow's Goldeneye (Garfield, Pueblo, Routt)
Red-throated Loon (Pueblo)
Red-necked Grebe (Pueblo)
Thayer's Gull (Adams, Pueblo)
Lesser  Black-backed Gull (Adams, El Paso, Pueblo)
Glaucous Gull (Pueblo, Washington)
Great Black-backed Gull (Pueblo)
ACORN WOODPECKER (El Paso)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Logan, Prowers)
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Park, San Juan)
Black Phoebe (Fremont)
Chihuahuan Raven (Weld)
Lapland Longspur (Boulder, Denver,  Douglas/Jefferson , Park, Prowers)
Pine Warbler (Jefferson)
EASTERN TOWHEE (Logan)
Golden-crowned Sparrow (Boulder, Jefferson)
Northern Cardinal (Boulder, Logan. Prowers)
Rusty Blackbird (Fremont, Baca, Weld)
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Boulder, Jackson, *Jefferson, Mesa, Park, San Juan, *Teller)
Black Rosy-Finch (Boulder, *Jefferson, Mesa, Park, San Juan)
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (Boulder, Jackson, *Jefferson, Mesa, Park, San Juan, *Teller)

ADAMS COUNTY:
--On February 18, Sheeter reported 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 2 Thayer's Gulls at Barr Lake SP.

BACA COUNTY:
--A Rusty Blackbird was reported by Floyd at Two Buttes SWA below the dam on February 21.

BOULDER COUNTY:
--On February 14 at Ward, Kaempfer reported all three Rosy-Finches.
--On February 16, Floyd reported Northern Cardinal in North Boulder Foothills.
--On February 16, Deininger reported Lapland Longspur on 9th Ave in Longmont.
--On February 21, Kaempfer reported Golden-crowned Sparrow at the Teller Farm trailhead parking lot.
--On February 21, Kaempfer reported an ad Lesser Black-backed Gull at Prince Lake #2.
--On February 21, Kaempfer reported Tundra Swan at the Valmont Complex on the N shore of Leggett Reservoir.

DENVER COUNTY:
--2 Lapland Longspurs were reported by Sheeter on the DIA Owl Loop on February 24.  

DOUGLAS COUNTY/JEFFERSON COUNTIES:
--A Lapland Longspur was reported by Dan Stringer at Chatfield SP at the Model Airplane parking area on February 24.  On January 25, Cynthia Madsen reported Lapland Longspur at Chafield.

EL PASO COUNTY:--
On February 15, Hopping reported ACORN WOODPECKER in the Willow Circle neighborhood of Colorado Springs.  Please respect the privacy of homeowners.

FREMONT COUNTY:
--On February 15, Moss reported Black Phoebe at Florence River Park.
--On February 15, Mark Peterson reported 2 Tundra Swans flying low and to the east from West of Florence RIver Park.
--On February 15, Mark Peterson reported 6 Rusty Blackbirds (2m, 4 f) on CR 119.

GARFIELD COUNTY:
--On February 19, Filby reported 10+ Barrow's Goldeneyes at Coryell Ranch Ponds viewed from CR 106.  On February 20, Filby reported 142+ Barrow's Goldeneyes at Coryell Ranch Pons viewed from Hwy 82 on CR 106.

JACKSON COUNTY:
--On February 16, Leatherman reported 75 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches and 5 Brown-capped Rosy-Finches at Moose Visitor Center on the west side of Cameron Pass.

JEFFERSON COUNTY:
--On February 16, Amy Darling reported Golden-crowned Sparrow at Red Rocks Trading Post.  On February 17, Matt Clark reported Golden-crowned Sparrow at Red Rocks Trading Post.  On February 24, Josh Lefever reported Golden-crowned Sparrow at Red Rocks Trading Post.
On February 25, Hudak reported Golden-crowned Sparrow at Red Rocks Trading Post.
--Ira Sanders reported Gray-crowned and Black Rosy-Finches coming to his front yard at 314 DeFrance Ct in Golden on December 29.  Birders are welcome to watch from the street. On February 16, Sanders reports lots of Rosy-Finches and lots of snow in his yard.  On February 17, Sanders reported Rosy-Finches in his yard.  On February 19, Sanders reported a few Rosy-Finches in his hard.  On February 20, Sanders reported about a dozen Rosy-Finches in the afternoon.  On February 21, Behnfield reported 2 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches at the Sanders residence.  On February 22, Sanders reported Rosy-Finches has returned to his yard.  On February 24, Sanders reported Rosy-Finches including one Black had returned to his yard.  On February 26 Matt Clark reported all three species of Rosy-Finches in Sanders yard.
--On January 4, Schottler reported a Pine Warbler at Denver West Office Park near the SE corner of bldg 7. On January 28, Nick Moore reported Pine Warbler at Denver West.  On January 29, Lisa Edwards reported Pine Warbler at Denver West.  On January 31, Kilpatrick reported Pine Warbler at Denver West.  On February 10, Norm Lewis reported Pine warbler at Denver West Office Park.  On February 14, Matt Clark reported Pine Warbler at Denver West.
--On February 7, 1 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch was reported by Haley at Apex Park.

LAKE COUNTY:
--A Long-tailed Duck was found by Truan and Porter on Mt Elbert Forebay Reservoir on February 19.

LOGAN COUNTY:
--On February 21, Dowell reported m EASTERN TOWHEE at eastern section, area 10 at Tamarack SWA.
--On February 21, Dowell reported 6 Northern Cardinals and 11 Red-bellied Woodpeckers at Tamarack SWA.

MESA COUNTY:
--On February 25, Henwood and Korte reported Rosy-Finches of all three species on the Entrance Road to Powderhorn Ski Area.

PARK COUNTY:
--On February 24, Suddjian reported American Three-toed Woodpecker in Fairplay/Alma along Platte River Road.
--On February 24, Suddjian reported Rosy-Finches (all three species) in Jefferson at a feeder at house behind the market;
in Fairplay at feeder at Front Street, on a snag tree off Beaver Creek Lane in Silverheels Circle.  Also south of Fairplay and east of US 285 along Kokanee and Trout Roads.
--On February 24, Suddjian reported a Lpaland Lonspur along CR 59 west of Mineral.

PROWERS COUNTY:
--On February 20, Floyd reported Northern Cardinal and flyover Lapland Longspur at Willow Creek in Lamar.
--On February 23, Floyd reported Red-bellied Woodpecker at Fairmount Cemetery in Lamar.

PUEBLO COUNTY:
--On February 14, Kellner reported Red-necked Grebe and Red-throated Loon at Pueblo Reservoir.  On February 15, Hopping reported Great Black-backed Gull and Red-necked Grebe at the South shore Marina of Pueblo Reservoir.

SAN JUAN COUNTY:
--About 400 - 500 Rosy-Finches (all three species) were reported by Peter Derven near the corner of Blair St and 9th in Silverton on February 16.  On February 21, Riley Morris reported several large flocks of Rosy-Finches with all three species in Silverton.  
--On February 21, Riley Morris reported a f American Three-toed Woodpecker at the Coal Bank Pass pullout.

TELLER COUNTY:
--Gray-crowned and Brown-capped Rosy-Finches were reported by Cody Porter on CO 67 at a field near Cantiberry Road on February 26/

WASHINGTON COUNTY:
--On February 15, Mlodinow reported Glaucous Gulls at Prewitt Reservoir.

WELD COUNTY:
--On February 13, Mlodinow reported an AMERICAN BLACK DUCK at Windsor Reservoir.
--On February 13, Messick reported Tundra Swan on Lower Latham at CR 48.
--On February 16, Hess reported Long-tailed Duck at Windsor Lake.  On February 26, Mlodinow reported Long-tailed Ducsk at Windsor Lake.
--On February 20, Deininger reported Chihuahuan Rave at Frederick High School.
--On February 22, Mlodinow reported 9 male Rusty Blackbirds along the St Vrain on the Weld county side of County Line Road.

The DFO Field Trip for Saturday, February 28 will be to Butterfly Pavilion led by Jackie King (jackie.king AT ccd.edu720-381-3314)  Meet in front of the Butterfly Pavilion at 6252 W 104th Ave at 0900.

The DFO Field Trip for Wednesday, March 4 will be to Prospect Park in Wheat Ridge led by Jackie King (jackie.king AT ccd.edu720-381-3314).  Meet at Prospect Lake at 0830.  From I-70, exit 267, take Kipling south about 3/4 mile and turn right (west) on 44th Ave.  Go one mile west.  Look for entrance to Prospect Park on your left (south).  Meet just inside the park at the lot next to Prospect Lake.

Good Birding,
Joyce Takamine
Boulder

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Thursday 26 February 2015

[cobirds] Re: Larimer Short-eared Owl Update on 2/25

This evening (2/26), Georgia Doyle and I spotted 2 maybe 3 of the Short-eared Owls on Buckeye Road (Larimer Co Road 82) near the Rawhide Power Plant. At about 6:08 pm after a long chilly stake-out for the owls we were parked just west of the entrance to Visitor Overlook (closed today) and about 200 meters east of Buddy Rooster Lane. As the light faded away our hopes of seeing the owls were dimming too, so, when a large owl just seemed to materialize on a pole ahead of us, we both thought it was one of the Short-eared owls. When we moved towards it to get a better look it leapt of the pole and then, another owl coming from the Overlook area appeared right behind it. The lead owl landed atop another pole on Buddy Rooster and the trailing owl gave it close aggressive  buzz-by then swooped up and around back towards us. We could clearly see the bat-like fluttering  of a Short-eared Owl. The lead owl moved further south onto another pole. Magically, a third owl emerged from the ether to join the SEOW in mothy flight. As this was happening we moved onto Buddy Rooster Lane and I was thinking, okay thats the known 3 Short-eareds.  The two SEOW  in the air gave the pole sitting owl a few more buzz-bys causing it to rise onto the sky too. I found the 3 owls with my binoculars and poof, a fourth! owl joined the menagerie - WOW. All the owls were flying around in all directions and it was tough to focus on any single one but one owl did land on another pole. In a desperate attempt for a photo, I raced ahead towards the owl on the pole where we both saw the "horns" of a Great Horned Owl. With confidence I can say we saw 1 Great Horned Owl and 2 Short-eared Owls, without confidence we saw 3 Short-eareds. 

My suspicion is the SEOW were roosting in the Junipers of the large wind-break at the Visitors Overlook the last three days. Right at dusk, they cross the Buckeye Road, fly down Buddy Rooster Lane a bit, then turn west and hunt the grasslands from there. My advice would be to post yourself on Buckeye Road near Buddy Rooster Lane just before 6 pm.

Finally, during our stake-out we saw a Belted Kingfisher on the telephone wires along Buckeye Road. A bit incongruous on a cold snowy day but not surprising considering Hamilton Reservoir is less than a mile away.

David Wade
Ft Collins CO




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[cobirds] Harlan's Hawk in Canon City area; Holcim Wetlands pond frozen and swans gone

I spotted a Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk Tuesday as I was driving just east of Canon City. Though I have looked a number of times in the past month I haven't seen any in this area for about 6 weeks.  It was very shy but I did get two good photos of it that I have uploaded to my Birds and Nature blog.

I checked Holcim Wetlands on Tuesday after the big snow storm and bitter cold--the pond was 95% frozen and the swans were gone.  I checked the nearby ponds on H115, Brush Hollow Res and as far on Valco Ponds as can be seen from public access with no sighting of the swans.  Since Holcim Wetlands is less than 20 miles from Pueblo Reservoir they may well be there.

I still have one White-throated Sparrow visiting my yard occasionally.  Today was the first time I saw it visit my feeders but lots of birds including Cassin's Finches were feeding vigorously.

SeEtta Moss
Canon City
http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com

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[cobirds] New blog post for CO eBirders

Dear CoBirders and eBirders, 

Check out the new blog post here by Tony L. discussing eBird's filters and their evolution in CO and WY:

Ever been queried by a reviewer about a report you have submitted via eBird? Pretty much every eBirder has (or will be). And that is a good thing! The filters are the core of eBird's quality control system. And they are not static, but evolving. Visit the blog to find out more.

David Suddjian
Littleton, CO 

P.S. on a bird reporting note - it was fun this morning to watch an immature Bald Eagle pass over my Ken Caryl Valley home amid the falling snow, followed within minutes by a Golden Eagle on the same track.

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[cobirds] Re: Rosy-Finches - Golden - Jeffco - Yes

I swung by Ira's today to admire the rosy-finches. As I parked, a kestrel came zipping toward his front porch, pursuing a puffed brown rosy. It missed and smacked into the front door. It wasn't hurt and Ira came out to see what the fuss was. Apparently the kestrel hangs out in the same tree with the rosies and leaves them be. Ira guessed it was after this one, which has been acting sick and is continually puffed up: http://i.imgur.com/fk3Ll0b.jpg. (Is that a white-winged junco keeping it company?)

Thanks for shoveling that path, Ira, that was very kind of you. It was lovely watching 115 finches descend on your bird seed. Thanks for being a great host to both birds and birders!

My count on Rosy-Finches: 9 Hepburn's Grey-crowned, perhaps a Brown-capped (I'm unsure: http://i.imgur.com/tbPGrss.jpg), and the rest were Grey-crowned (interior form). I didn't spot any Black.

Jen Small
Denver, CO

p.s., A group of rosy-finches is known as a "bouquet".

On Thursday, February 26, 2015 at 7:26:06 AM UTC-7, Ira Sanders wrote:

Birders, Rosy-Finches are here this morning and there is 100+ of them.
You need boots to get around the south side of the house to see the backyard.
There isn't a lot of room to park on the street because of the snow but you can park in front of my driveway.

Ira Sanders
Golden, CO

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[cobirds] A fun day in the field -- Douglas, Teller, and Park

All,

Today's fieldwork took me to a few of the campgrounds along 67 North of Woodland Park and CR 31 in Park County. What started as a pretty standard day in the field ended up being one of the most memorable I've had so far this winter. Here are some of the highlights:

Douglas County:

During my first point count this morning I heard a Song Sparrow calling from a cluster of willows in a riparian area along S Rainbow Falls Rd. This is only the second individual of this species that I've had in the area so far this year, the first being found only 2 days ago along FS 339 (Teller CO). A few days ago I had a stunning adult Northern Goshawk on one of the many two tracks off of Rainbow Falls Rd.

Teller County:

Type 2 Red Crossbills were everywhere at the Painted Rocks CG, which has generally been a very good place to find them. As I was heading south along 67, just a couple miles north of Woodland Park, a large flock of Pinyon Jays flew overhead, the first I've seen in this area. On my way back from Park County, I took a detour down 67 South and had a flock of ~50 rosy-finches fly over the road and into a grassy field on Cantiberry Rd. Scanning through them revealed mostly Gray-crowned (including a few Hepburn's) and a handful of Brown-capped.

Park County:

CR 31 was simply spectacular. I had fantastic numbers of both type 2 and type 5 crossbills. After my point counts, I hiked around the area looking for mated pairs of crossbills and heard a Northern Pygmy-Owl singing far in the distance. This being the species I most wanted to find this field season, I ran after it through deep snow, eventually finding the bird (still singing) getting mobbed by Pygmy Nuthatches, Mountain Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, White-breasted Nuthatches, and TONS of crossbills. Indeed, before even finding the owl, I found my 30th mated pair of crossbills of the year (a type 2 pair) giving 'toop' calls in response to the owl's presence. I also had my first type 4 crossbills of the season (2 females, 1 male) join in on the mobbing. I must have watched the owl fly from tree to tree, singing intermittently, for over an hour -- definitely one of the coolest life bird experiences I've ever had. After leaving the owl, I had 2 Golden Eagles (an adult and a juvenile) soaring together for the rest of my stay. Other fun birds here included a Merlin, 2 Clark's Nutcrackers (they seem to have all but disappeared from the Woodland Park area, where they were abundant in January and early February), and 4 American Tree Sparrows.

A couple of random notes: yesterday on CR 300 in Teller, I had two Steller's Jays and a Dark-eyed Junco in Lodgepole, the first time this winter I've had either species away from Ponderosa in this area. Brown Creepers really started becoming abundant (and singing) in Lodgepole on this road a couple weeks ago.

Good birding,
-Cody Porter
(Currently in Woodland Park, CO -- originally from Laramie, WY)

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[cobirds] Rosy-Finches - Golden - Jeffco - Yes

Hi Ira!

Thank you for the updates on the on your Rosy Finches. I gotta get to there and see them soon. I know you've posted your address before but I'm having trouble finding it. Can you post it again or send me an email with it? Thank you again!

Jennifer
ghinysu@gmail.com
Ken Caryl, CO

P.S. Sorry to hear about your elk damage :( Dang elk >:(

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