At West Jett Res, a private playa west of Nee Noshe on 15October were:
96 Long-billed Dowitchers
18 Stilt Sandpipers
65 Least Sandpipers
10 Baird's Sandpipers
1 Semipalmated Plover
10 McCown's Longspurs
75 Chestnut-collared Longspurs (probably a grossly low estimate)
at least 50 American Pipits
3 immature Herring Gulls
And, of course, Sandhill Cranes by the few 1000s
At Tempel's Grove on 16October were:
1i White-throated Sparrow
35 Wild Turkey
Along the Amity Ditch in Bent County between CR24 and 10 were:
Wood Duck (10)
Lewis's Woodpecker (1)
Massive removal of Russian-Olives from Gageby Creek in what is supposed to be a SWA that has been very productive in past winters for things like Hermit Thrush, Western Scrub-Jay,
Steller's Jay, Mountain Bluebirds, Eastern Bluebird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Mockingbird, Rusty Blackbird, Winter Wren, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Spotted Towhee, small owls, etc. Ditch companies and their wars against trees always seem to win out. Tiresome. If it goes like it usually does down here, probably almost everywhere, once the banks of the ditch are denuded of soil-holding trees, slabs on concrete, bricks and other debris will be brought in at great expense to attempt doing what tree roots did exceptionally well for free. Yes, trees suck water, but they also prevent evaporation with their shade, prevent erosion, provide habitat, look nice and never hurt anybody intentionally.
In Willow Valley Subdivision in Lamar:
Dark-eyed Junco (Cassiar's, probably the same individual that wintered here last year)
At a private pond in Bent west of Lamar on 17October:
1 American Bittern
2 Lesser Scaup (2, FOS)
2 White-faced Ibis
1 immature Swamp Sparrow
At Lamar Community College on 18October were (all at the north end):
2 Nashville Warblers
8 Orange-crowned Warblers
3 White-throated Sparrows
At Riverside Cemetery on Maple Avenue in Lamar on 19October were:
1 Field Sparrow
1 White-throated Sparrow
1 Brown Creeper (only one seen in SE CO this visit)
At Fairmount Cemetery were:
1 Blue-headed Vireo
Heard only 1 or 2 Red Crossbills very briefly (no cones on the pines that have survived the drought and cemetery worker abuse, so they moved on)
1 female Golden-crowned Kinglet (FOS out of the mountains)
1 Northern Mockingbird at log home west of the cemetery entrance
At LCC were:
1, probably 2, maybe even 3, Nashville Warblers at the north end in hackberries and elms
2, probably 3, White-throated Sparrows at north end
1 Marsh Wren along the little cement-lined storm ditch that parallels the path that goes down into the north end of the woods
Red-bellied Woodpecker heard only due east of the LCC Library
did not go any further south
At Willow Valley Subdivision this evening:
Gray Catbird (late)
Common Nighthawk (1, seen by Janeal Thompson at 5:45pm, late)
In summary over the last 13 days I have seen 128 species in an area ranging from Bent's Old Fort northeast to Nee Noshe south to Stulp's Farm 5 miles south of Lamar. I did not go to John Martin or Two Buttes. In the area I call "Lamar", which is roughly a CBC circle centered on downtown Lamar, I have seen 88 species. No eastern warblers, which makes it officially the worst ever fall for me for eastern warblers in 40 years of birding eastern CO in fall. Maybe we'll have a good November-early December for them, but somehow I doubt it.
There has been recent cutting activity by both beavers and local government entities with chainsaws in the north end of LCC that doesn't seem too bad, so far. I do not trust "boys with toys" on a mission to tame Nature. Not sure if the beaver have been spared, but as has been stated, they, and cottonwoods, are about the only natural habitat elements down there and they are decidedly NOT a problem. I better leave my comments at this.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
96 Long-billed Dowitchers
18 Stilt Sandpipers
65 Least Sandpipers
10 Baird's Sandpipers
1 Semipalmated Plover
10 McCown's Longspurs
75 Chestnut-collared Longspurs (probably a grossly low estimate)
at least 50 American Pipits
3 immature Herring Gulls
And, of course, Sandhill Cranes by the few 1000s
At Tempel's Grove on 16October were:
1i White-throated Sparrow
35 Wild Turkey
Along the Amity Ditch in Bent County between CR24 and 10 were:
Wood Duck (10)
Lewis's Woodpecker (1)
Massive removal of Russian-Olives from Gageby Creek in what is supposed to be a SWA that has been very productive in past winters for things like Hermit Thrush, Western Scrub-Jay,
Steller's Jay, Mountain Bluebirds, Eastern Bluebird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Mockingbird, Rusty Blackbird, Winter Wren, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Spotted Towhee, small owls, etc. Ditch companies and their wars against trees always seem to win out. Tiresome. If it goes like it usually does down here, probably almost everywhere, once the banks of the ditch are denuded of soil-holding trees, slabs on concrete, bricks and other debris will be brought in at great expense to attempt doing what tree roots did exceptionally well for free. Yes, trees suck water, but they also prevent evaporation with their shade, prevent erosion, provide habitat, look nice and never hurt anybody intentionally.
In Willow Valley Subdivision in Lamar:
Dark-eyed Junco (Cassiar's, probably the same individual that wintered here last year)
At a private pond in Bent west of Lamar on 17October:
1 American Bittern
2 Lesser Scaup (2, FOS)
2 White-faced Ibis
1 immature Swamp Sparrow
At Lamar Community College on 18October were (all at the north end):
2 Nashville Warblers
8 Orange-crowned Warblers
3 White-throated Sparrows
At Riverside Cemetery on Maple Avenue in Lamar on 19October were:
1 Field Sparrow
1 White-throated Sparrow
1 Brown Creeper (only one seen in SE CO this visit)
At Fairmount Cemetery were:
1 Blue-headed Vireo
Heard only 1 or 2 Red Crossbills very briefly (no cones on the pines that have survived the drought and cemetery worker abuse, so they moved on)
1 female Golden-crowned Kinglet (FOS out of the mountains)
1 Northern Mockingbird at log home west of the cemetery entrance
At LCC were:
1, probably 2, maybe even 3, Nashville Warblers at the north end in hackberries and elms
2, probably 3, White-throated Sparrows at north end
1 Marsh Wren along the little cement-lined storm ditch that parallels the path that goes down into the north end of the woods
Red-bellied Woodpecker heard only due east of the LCC Library
did not go any further south
At Willow Valley Subdivision this evening:
Gray Catbird (late)
Common Nighthawk (1, seen by Janeal Thompson at 5:45pm, late)
In summary over the last 13 days I have seen 128 species in an area ranging from Bent's Old Fort northeast to Nee Noshe south to Stulp's Farm 5 miles south of Lamar. I did not go to John Martin or Two Buttes. In the area I call "Lamar", which is roughly a CBC circle centered on downtown Lamar, I have seen 88 species. No eastern warblers, which makes it officially the worst ever fall for me for eastern warblers in 40 years of birding eastern CO in fall. Maybe we'll have a good November-early December for them, but somehow I doubt it.
There has been recent cutting activity by both beavers and local government entities with chainsaws in the north end of LCC that doesn't seem too bad, so far. I do not trust "boys with toys" on a mission to tame Nature. Not sure if the beaver have been spared, but as has been stated, they, and cottonwoods, are about the only natural habitat elements down there and they are decidedly NOT a problem. I better leave my comments at this.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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