FINALLY, after at least 8 hours of searching over 3 days time, I laid eyes on the White-eyed Vireo at Lamar Community College Woods this morning. I saw it a total of maybe two minutes around noon, then lost it in the blowing leaves and never saw it again. The location was due east of the middle of the tennis courts in a Russian-olive overtopped by a fairly tall cottonwood. The grass east of the road and the Russian-olive thicket is mowed. At the point where the bird was seen is a green metal post at the east edge of the mowed grass with a dead branch leaning against it that I am assuming one of the early finders of this bird (Brandon, Mark, Glenn or David Chartier) may have placed there. If so, that means the bird has frequented this exact locale for three days. Other birders searched and searched for this bird in vain all afternoon. That is one tough bird to detect. While I watched it, it moved steadily, siliently in short little jumps but the windblown leaves made it very difficult to notice unless one just luckily laid eyes directly on it. The height range during my short observations was maybe 10-20 feet, and it interchanged between olive and cottonwood.
Also seen nearby at LCC was a Nashville Warbler, in tamarisk at the south end. The Broad-winged Hawk, Northern Cardinals, Wood Ducks, Brown Thrashers, and nesting Red-bellied Woodpecker are still present. All in all, however, I would describe the woods as eerily quiet for this time of year.
A Red-bellied Woodpecker is nesting on the east side of Willow Creek Park in Lamar near the stone house used as a shop by the City crews.
At Tempel Grove north of Lamar (Bent County) today was a continuing Northern Parula, several Orange-crowned Warblers, lots of Spotted Towhees, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and a young male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (mostly eating Black Locust flowers). The Harris's Sparrows and maybe the White-throated Sparrows reported by Cole Wild's tour are probably there, too, but I did not check.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
Also seen nearby at LCC was a Nashville Warbler, in tamarisk at the south end. The Broad-winged Hawk, Northern Cardinals, Wood Ducks, Brown Thrashers, and nesting Red-bellied Woodpecker are still present. All in all, however, I would describe the woods as eerily quiet for this time of year.
A Red-bellied Woodpecker is nesting on the east side of Willow Creek Park in Lamar near the stone house used as a shop by the City crews.
At Tempel Grove north of Lamar (Bent County) today was a continuing Northern Parula, several Orange-crowned Warblers, lots of Spotted Towhees, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and a young male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (mostly eating Black Locust flowers). The Harris's Sparrows and maybe the White-throated Sparrows reported by Cole Wild's tour are probably there, too, but I did not check.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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