Very interesting visit today.
Highlights:
Swainson's Hawk juvenile perched in an elm sw of the Host Campsite near the entrance, pretty late and cold for a mostly insectivorous hawk
Red-breasted Nuthatch (1) totally silent to the point of me wondering if it was voiceless
Yellow-rumped Warblers apparently feeding on wild sunflower seeds in nw corner of campground
Western Tanager in primitive camping area along MODO Trail, in Russian-olive presumably eating olives and hunting Giant Willow Aphids (Tuberolachnus salignus) in nearby willows of dry creekbed
Red-naped Sapsucker adult male in Russian-olive in primitive camping area
Longspur flyover heard one time, strongly suspect Lapland, possibly McCown's, not Chestnut-collared or Smith's
Pine Siskins heard a couple time flying over
Hermit Thrushes (2)
Spotted Towhee (6), maybe low estimate
Townsend's Solitaire (at least 9), all in Russian-olives but poor crop makes their wintering here in numbers unlikely
Downy Woodpeckers, I believe two different males, were Interior West (aka "mountain") forms
Wilson's Warbler in the southwest corner willows
White-crowned Sparrows were mostly Gambel's but did see a few dark-lored "mountain" forms
Golden Eagle soaring over the prairie north of the Group Area in the nw corner
Had a mystery bird fly into the New Mexican Locust patch that populates a swale w of the Work Center (ne of campground). Could never find it but heard a junco like chip a couple times. Probably was a secretive junco but looked smaller when I saw it flying, might have been Black-throated Blue Warbler. Dammit it anyway.
Most of the action was out north, creekbed south of Picnic Area and southwest corner very quiet. Total of 29 species including the unidentified longspur.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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