There used to be a commercial, I think for the Marines, that said something like "hardest job you'll ever love". The BBS Survey folks at USGS should borrow that slogan. Mostly it's just that I'm not a morning person. No choice with BBS routes. On 5/24, 25, and 26 I did my three routes in southeastern CO. Lamar is a piece of cake because Stop 1 is a marked road intersection and only 15 minutes from town. The other two in Las Animas County (Villegreen and Ninaview) are over an hour from the nearest motel and I challenge anybody to find Ninaview Stop 1 safely in the daytime, let alone the dark on marginal dirt roads with washouts and black cows. Ted Floyd asked what we were doing yesterday at 3am. Listening to a catbird sounds attractive compared to bombing down SR109 from LaJunta toward Kim half asleep wondering when your number is going to align with that of a deer upon impact. But thankfully all went well (no unpredictable deer and a nice Gray Fox) and I got to enjoy the wonderful perks of doing BBS.
The Lamar route (Prowers, northeast of town in pretty bleak country dominated by dryland wheat and wheat stubble) was highlighted by Mountain Plovers on 6 stops (habitat primarily recently plowed fallow wheat fields). On the way back to breakfast we saw a beautiful Western Rattlesnake cruise off the road into some lush sand sage. The number of roadkilled snakes I have seen in SECO lately is sad, most of them being bullsnakes and coachwhips. Many of the most recent kills have been attended by vultures and ravens (which I have given up trying to ID since Tony's article in "Colorado Birds").
Highlights of the Villegreen BBS Route, which runs south to north starting on US160 about 10 miles west of Kim and ends up at what the locals call "Officer Hill" (se of Chacauco (pronounced by local JJ Autry "shuh-quawk") Canyon and Pinyon Canyon), were hearing a Gray Vireo (new species for the count but not uncommon at nearby private JE Canyon Ranch owned by TNC), three Pinyon Jays, Mountain Bluebird, Greater Roadrunner, Long-billed Curlew (only seen at two stops this year), Pine Siskin (new for count, probably part of the large winter-on-the-prairie contingent waiting for clearance from the tower of some mountain airport) and Western Wood-Pewee (new for the count, probably a migrant). After the count while eating lunch at Officer Hill I had fly-over White-throated Swifts (again, common in the big canyons a few miles to the west), one or both of the diploid/triploid Checkered Whiptails, and couple Canyonlands Satyr butterflies.
Highlights of the Ninaview BBS Route which is northeast of Kim in mostly juniper-laden grassland were: an ELK on Stop 7, two roadrunners, curlews at only two stops, a Lewis's Woodpecker on a wire along SR109 within a area which burned a couple years ago, Mountain Bluebird, Cedar Waxwings (new for the count) and Western Wood-Pewee (new for the count) and Pine Siskin (new for the count). But the best episode did not involve birds. At one of the few stops near a farmstead (such stops are coveted on prairie routes because of the chance of seeing species associated with human-influenced plantings and livestock activities, somewhat feared because somebody might give you grief), a group of about 5 horses wandered out an open corral gate onto the road. There they surrounded me, one sniffed my data sheet, one licked the hood of my car and one nuzzled my neck. A kid came out and asked if they were bothering me and when I laughed and said, "No", went back to his chores. The corgi terrier that barked a bit earlier was now at my feet on its back waiting for a belly rub. Nice to have southeastern CO locals interested in a bird survey in a way other than suspicion and disdain. And I would be lying if I said I only stayed at this stop for the designated 3 minutes. The dog insisted I ignore the timer.
At Van's Grove (Bent) on 5/25 I had the Chestnut-sided Warbler adult male previously reported by Duane, believe I heard the Yellow-throated Vireo reported by Duane off in some large cottonwoods nw of the main grove loop road but could never find it, a Baltimore Oriole molting male, Olive-sided Flycatcher, two Lincoln's Sparrows, 2-3 Red-headed Woodpeckers, heard Northern Bobwhite, Western Wood-Pewee, Swainson's Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle female), probable Indigo Bunting, Black-headed Grosbeak female, and saw an empid that is yet to be determined (if a final determination is, indeed, possible on a silent individual). The flycatcher was either an eastern race Willow or an Alder. Definitely a "Traill's"; tail fairly long, even width, wide; back very green; head gray considerably paler than back; bright yellow lower mandible; bill might be a bit too long for Alder; bright white throat contrasting with gray-brown chest; fairly conspicuous thin, complete, white eyering (see photo).
I believe the secret to Van's Grove being attractive to birds, at least this year, and despite its unspecial appearance, is Siberian elm insects (European Elm Flea Weevil larvae mining leaves (to be covered in the next installment of "The Hungry Bird" in "Colorado Birds"), Elm Leaf Beetles, and European Elm Scale) along with a robust population of mosquitoes.
At Lake Holbrook (Otero) on 5/26 were at least 8 Snowy Plovers but nothing else of major interest during a quick perusal on my way home to FC.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
The Lamar route (Prowers, northeast of town in pretty bleak country dominated by dryland wheat and wheat stubble) was highlighted by Mountain Plovers on 6 stops (habitat primarily recently plowed fallow wheat fields). On the way back to breakfast we saw a beautiful Western Rattlesnake cruise off the road into some lush sand sage. The number of roadkilled snakes I have seen in SECO lately is sad, most of them being bullsnakes and coachwhips. Many of the most recent kills have been attended by vultures and ravens (which I have given up trying to ID since Tony's article in "Colorado Birds").
Highlights of the Villegreen BBS Route, which runs south to north starting on US160 about 10 miles west of Kim and ends up at what the locals call "Officer Hill" (se of Chacauco (pronounced by local JJ Autry "shuh-quawk") Canyon and Pinyon Canyon), were hearing a Gray Vireo (new species for the count but not uncommon at nearby private JE Canyon Ranch owned by TNC), three Pinyon Jays, Mountain Bluebird, Greater Roadrunner, Long-billed Curlew (only seen at two stops this year), Pine Siskin (new for count, probably part of the large winter-on-the-prairie contingent waiting for clearance from the tower of some mountain airport) and Western Wood-Pewee (new for the count, probably a migrant). After the count while eating lunch at Officer Hill I had fly-over White-throated Swifts (again, common in the big canyons a few miles to the west), one or both of the diploid/triploid Checkered Whiptails, and couple Canyonlands Satyr butterflies.
Highlights of the Ninaview BBS Route which is northeast of Kim in mostly juniper-laden grassland were: an ELK on Stop 7, two roadrunners, curlews at only two stops, a Lewis's Woodpecker on a wire along SR109 within a area which burned a couple years ago, Mountain Bluebird, Cedar Waxwings (new for the count) and Western Wood-Pewee (new for the count) and Pine Siskin (new for the count). But the best episode did not involve birds. At one of the few stops near a farmstead (such stops are coveted on prairie routes because of the chance of seeing species associated with human-influenced plantings and livestock activities, somewhat feared because somebody might give you grief), a group of about 5 horses wandered out an open corral gate onto the road. There they surrounded me, one sniffed my data sheet, one licked the hood of my car and one nuzzled my neck. A kid came out and asked if they were bothering me and when I laughed and said, "No", went back to his chores. The corgi terrier that barked a bit earlier was now at my feet on its back waiting for a belly rub. Nice to have southeastern CO locals interested in a bird survey in a way other than suspicion and disdain. And I would be lying if I said I only stayed at this stop for the designated 3 minutes. The dog insisted I ignore the timer.
At Van's Grove (Bent) on 5/25 I had the Chestnut-sided Warbler adult male previously reported by Duane, believe I heard the Yellow-throated Vireo reported by Duane off in some large cottonwoods nw of the main grove loop road but could never find it, a Baltimore Oriole molting male, Olive-sided Flycatcher, two Lincoln's Sparrows, 2-3 Red-headed Woodpeckers, heard Northern Bobwhite, Western Wood-Pewee, Swainson's Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle female), probable Indigo Bunting, Black-headed Grosbeak female, and saw an empid that is yet to be determined (if a final determination is, indeed, possible on a silent individual). The flycatcher was either an eastern race Willow or an Alder. Definitely a "Traill's"; tail fairly long, even width, wide; back very green; head gray considerably paler than back; bright yellow lower mandible; bill might be a bit too long for Alder; bright white throat contrasting with gray-brown chest; fairly conspicuous thin, complete, white eyering (see photo).
I believe the secret to Van's Grove being attractive to birds, at least this year, and despite its unspecial appearance, is Siberian elm insects (European Elm Flea Weevil larvae mining leaves (to be covered in the next installment of "The Hungry Bird" in "Colorado Birds"), Elm Leaf Beetles, and European Elm Scale) along with a robust population of mosquitoes.
At Lake Holbrook (Otero) on 5/26 were at least 8 Snowy Plovers but nothing else of major interest during a quick perusal on my way home to FC.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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