If you read this listserv for birds currently being seen, the Black-throated Gray Warbler and with numerous other regular migrants were at the Wellington SWA just north of Cobb Lake this afternoon. The songbird diversity wasn't as high as yesterday, but the numbers were still pretty good. Later in the evening I met up with Sean Walters and we walked to the north side of Timnath Reservoir finding 15 shorebird species including a calling Short-billed Dowitcher, 2 Black-bellied Plovers, 3 Red-necked Phalaropes, and hundreds of peeps. I also counted 4 Black Terns, which have been scarce here this year. The guy at the park told us we could walk around the reservoir as long as we stayed below the high water line. The town has been very generous to let birders continue to visit this site, which is closed to everyone else who is not a Timnath resident.
For those interested in cumulative county lists, there may be a change in the highest county list now that the CBRC appears to be back from vacation. Since 2014, around the time Team BrachyRAMphus formed (coincidence?), Larimer has had a several new, photographed additions. September 2014 was a good month with White Ibis in Loveland, Parasitic Jaeger in Timnath, and Smith's Longspur in Rocky Mountain National Park. In 2015, the additions of Canyon Towhee (above Fort Collins in May) and Baird's Sparrow (Buckeye in July) led Team BrachyRAMphus to look for more county additions. We found a few species that had either been accepted by the CBRC (Arctic Tern, Curve-billed Thrasher) or did not require acceptance but still had photos (Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Red-throated Loon) that were not on the official list. Talking to local birders, we were only able to dig up photos (which were published in the CFO Journal) of a Black Phoebe in Fort Collins by Dave Leatherman in May 1995. We also learned of reports without known photos of Pomarine Jaeger (Douglas Reservoir, Nov 1996, possible photos), Prairie Warbler (Lake Estes, 2005?, possible photos), Yellow Rail (possible specimen), and Little Gull (Sep 2015, Loveland, no photos) which either have or have the potential to have written descriptions. We also checked the literature and found that Whooping Crane was historically on the Larimer County list (reports from 1886 & 87 I think), but since they have become rare in the state some documentation would likely be required to add this species to the list again. Our best find came after digging through online museum databases. During the process we learned many scientific names, that some specimens can't be found (Mottled Duck/hybrid) or skeletonized (Black Phoebe), and the Screech Owl split caused confusion with our local maxwelliae subspecies (Rocky Mountain Screech-Owl) put in the Western Screech-Owl group by some museums by accident. When searching databases finally went right, we came upon an entry of Histrionicus histrionicus (I didn't have to Google that one!) from Estes Park in 1901. After a few emails to the Royal Ontario Museum, we were looking at photos of a Harlequin Duck from Larimer. Currently the official Larimer County list sits at 413 and if all 7 of the photographed additions are accepted, then the official list would get bumped up to at least 420 depending on whether some sight reports are accepted.
Good Birding!
Andy Bankert
Fort Collins, CO
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