cobirds colorado rare bird: August 2020

Monday 31 August 2020

[cobirds] Black-eared Bushtit, etc., Greenlee Preserve, Boulder County, Sun., Aug. 30

Hey, all. I spent a goodly chunk of yesterday, Sun., Aug 30, poking around the "Greater Greenlee Ecosystem," Boulder County--that's basically the preserve proper, plus nearby Waneka Lake, Hecla Pond, Waneka Landing, Thomas Open Space, and some adjoining ditches and residential neighborhoods.

Most notable was a black-eared bushtit, an ontological conundrum and an indubitably striking bird. Other goodies around Greater Greenlee yesterday included wood duck, black-chinned, Calliope, rufous, and broad-tailed hummingbirds, snowy egrets and black-crowned night-herons, gray flycatcher, rock wren, sage thrasher, lesser goldfinch, clay-colored and brewer's sparrows, lark bunting, MacGillivray and Wilson warblers, and blue grosbeak.

Photos, video, audio, and comments at my eBird checklist from yesterday:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S73002403

Ted Floyd

Lafayette, Boulder County

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[cobirds] Townsend's Warbler, El Paso

Just now (15 minutes ago) had a Townsend Warbler in the back yard, contemplating our "bubbling boulder" fountain from an ornamental cherry above. Both a new yard bird and yes (!) a new life bird for me.

Marty Wolf

NW Colorado Springs

[cobirds] Avian Pox (Douglas County)

I have confirmed sightings of at least two different House Finches at my backyard feeders with the wart-like lesions around their bills indicative of Avian Pox. I am in Highlands Ranch (Douglas County) on the east side near the University/Colorado Blvd intersection. I am going to remove all feeders and birdbaths to disinfect them with a diluted bleach solution. I have also advised my next door neighbor to do the same as I watch the birds bounce back and forth between our yards. I know this disease is highly contagious in finches and may spread to other species like goldfinches (both LEGO & AMGO frequent my feeders), so I wanted to let others know and hear if anyone else in the area has spotted finches with the growths.

The timing of this really stinks as I have noticed the birds’ feeding activity has increased with the coming fall migration.

-Barbara Spagnuolo

Highlands Ranch, Douglas County, CO

[cobirds] Salisbury Equestrian Park Pond shore birds- Parker (Douglas County)

I made a quick stop by Salisbury Equestrian Park pond (e-bird hotspot name is Parker Regional Park) when I ran to Parker today to see if it had any suitable shore bird habitat and the end closest to the parking lot (think that is the South end, but I am directionally challenged) had 18 Stilt Sandpipers, one bright Pectoral, a couple of Least, and many Killdeer. This location has attracted a good assortment of shore birds over the years, but only seems to get checked infrequently. Should any of you be passing by this area it likely is worth a quick check. The muddy shoreline does seem to extend around the pond to some degree, but usually the only real action in the mud flats near the parking lot, which makes it easy to view without much walking.

Cathy Sheeter

Aurora, CO

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[cobirds] Centennial Birds (Arapahoe)

An earlyish Green-tailed Towhee in my Centennial yard this morning, along with a yard first Eastern Kingbird. I don't come upon the latter all that often in Centennial, so this was a real treat. A flock of a dozen Cedar Waxwing swung through this afternoon. A Mountain Chickadee first appeared on 8/23 and was around today, too.

Lark Buntings and Vesper Sparrows at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens (8/28). Chipping, too, of course.

Common Nighthawks have been gone (to me) since 8/25, punctuating almost nightly sightings of flocks of the bird, usually feeding, since August 1. I'm sure other migrating birds will pass by before too long.

Over the past week, the local Swainson's Hawk family is circling overhead, perching on wires, and screeching, dramatically and loudly, all morning long. They've buzzed our yard a few times, often pursued by the local Blue Jay family (also screeching all morning long).

- Jared Del Rosso

Centennial, CO

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[cobirds] Birds on the Move/Weld

Hi all

Over this past weekend ... some photos below.

Crom Lake is "open for business" with regards to shorebirds habitat-as is Weld CR 124/122 ponds (not visited this weekend). Only Baird's Sandpiper so far last few weeks. The Sora continues on east pond moving in and out of grasses along shore usually early morning or dusk. There are two, one I've seen, the other heard across the pond on west side cattails
Lone Tree Creek crossing at Weld CR 110 had plenty of Wilson's Warbler and two Townsend's Warbler. Clay-colored and Lark Sparrow present along with Yellow Warbler and Western Wood-Pewee.
My yard had a "Nunn Fallout" ... :-) ... this morning, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Northern Mockingbird, 7 Turkey Vulture in the prairie dog colony and about 8 Wilson's Warbler chasing insects and taking drinks or baths. Saw one of the White-winged Dove again in trees at Weld CR 33/100 intersection.
Multiple Turkey Vulture still calling Glenmere Park in Greeley home.
After not seeing egrets all summer continue to see Great and Snowy at various Greeley-area lakes. Also, lone Cattle Egret along Weld CR 48 hanging out with the cattle at Latham Reservoir outflow stream.
Two White-faced Ibis still at Loloff Reservoir.
Bunch of Wilson's Phalarope at Stewart's Pond.

Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn

http://www.friendsofthepawneegrassland.org/

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/birds-and-more-of-the-pawnee-national-grassland

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[cobirds] Vesper Sparrow redux

Hi all:

I posted a while back on the problem of juvenile Brewer's Sparrows being reported to eBird as Vesper Sparrows (see below).

For other reasons, I recently ran through a number of Vesper Sparrow photos in the eBird/Macaulay Library photo archive. Unfortunately, I ran across a sizable number of photos entered in the Vesper Sparrow entry that are actually of juvenile Brewer's Sparrows. In the field, take note of size and structure. Vesper Sparrow is a fairly big, bruising beast of a sparrow with a fairly wide medium-length tail and, unless very worn, strongly patterned scapulars. Brewer's Sparrow is a tiny waif of a sparrow with, for its size, an outlandishly long (and narrow) tail and rather plain scapulars.

This is the season in which juvenile Spizella sparrows cause angst and consternation among many birders, as, unlike their parents, they are extensively streaked below (less so, for Field Sparrow). If you've recently submitted photos in the Vesper Sparrow entry to eBird, you might do well to revisit those photos.

It is now the last day of August and the young-of-the-year Brewer's Sparrows have completed or nearly completed their preformative molt out of juvenile plumage. Unfortunately, that fact has not greatly slowed the mis-ID of Brewer's Sparrows at Vesper Sparrows, despite that Brewer's Sparrow in plumages other than juvenile are not streaked below. Just because a sparrow has an eye ring does not necessarily mean that it's a Vesper Sparrow. Please take the last two sentences of the first paragraph of my previous post to heart. I also add that Vesper Sparrows have fairly extensive white in the outer tail. If you are looking at or have photographed an eye-ringed sparrow and there is no white visible on the underside of the tail, it is not a Vesper Sparrow.

Enjoy and good birding AND STAY SAFE (masks save lives).

Tony

Tony Leukering

currently Fairborn, OH

[cobirds] Cattle Egret, South Platte River, Araphoe County

Today I found a Cattle Egret with a large group of Snowy Egrets along my South Platte River patch. It was in the pond with all the Egrets. It was still there at 9:30, I could not however post on my phone for some reason.

To get there, park at the Little Golf and Tennis Club, which is on the corner of Federal and Bowels. 5800 S Federal Blvd, Littleton, CO 80123, its the large white dome. Park on the south side, across from Bowels. Follow the trail and walk under the bridge (Bowels underpass) and go south (upstream) about 200 feet (I am not good at judging distance so maybe more.) Its the pond along the dirt trail with the golf course on the other side, there is small grove of trees keeping you from seeing it until you reach the pond. The bird was closet to the trail, with about 34 Snowy Egrets, the most I have seen, and a few Wood Ducks. Hope it's still there.

Good luck,

Brian Johnson,

Englewood CO

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[cobirds] Re: Caution on Sterna Terns- Boulder Res

Christian et al,

I think there is an important re-evaluation going on of the numbers of Common Terns nesting in the interior.

Directly to the north of Colorado, in several areas of Montana, are decent numbers of breeding Common Tern. For over 20 years, I have been fortunate to live within a few miles of a location where annually 30-50 pair breed. Forster's also nest in the area, with Common using rocky islands and Forster's using old goose nests or building in the marshy spots. I'd say over the years, the proportion in population have stayed fairly even.

Face mask and crown molt, is excellent for all distances on distinguishing between the two species, as well as wingtip patterns. Much less so on any breast or underside coloration. I do not find that reliable across the seasons nor on many individuals. Arctic sure. Common- much less so.

Very best to all,

Tim

Timothy Barksdale

Choteau, MT and Mokane, MO

On Friday, August 28, 2020 at 4:09:18 PM UTC-5 paja...@hotmail.com wrote:

Birders,

I'm quarterbacking from my couch here, but just thought I'd let folks know that the widely reported adult Common Tern at Boulder Reservoir is more likely a Forster's Tern. A few things to consider:

-The bill is how I would describe as, "honking big."

-Assessing bill color on distant terns is often futile. One person's orange is another's red. Also, it's important that bill color on these species changes through the season. They are waxing towards dark at the moment.

-Forster's Terns are white below, while Common/Arctic are gray with white chins/throats. The photos of the Boulder Res bird all show a pale white underside color.

-Flight and perched photos show the primary color being silvery gray with narrow black tips.

-On the photos available, it appears that the bird is molting its crown feathers. The shadow of the typical Forster's Tern basic plumage pattern (the dark eye mask) is apparent.

Some of the photos. The adult bird is in question:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S72849883
https://ebird.org/checklist/S72879869

Happy birding,

Christian Nunes

Boulder, CO

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[cobirds] Philadelphia Vireo -Weld County

I'm looking at a Philly mixed in with a small flock of migrants. In the wood lot immediately south of the entrance to Union Reservoir

Sent from my iPhone

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Sunday 30 August 2020

[cobirds] Mexican Ducks, Caspian Tern, BB Plover and others, Summit/Park

Hi all,

My brother and I had a very productive weekend around Dillon and Antero Reservoir. The following is an account of some of the more interesting species:

Dillon Reservoir (8/29)

Blue River Inlet had a Least Sandpiper as well as several Cinnamon Teal on the expansive mudflats. The nearby Soda Creek Inlet was even more productive. Along with several Lesser Goldfinch, Baird's Sandpiper, and American Wigeon, we found three Mexican Ducks. All of them were in the wetland S of the main waterbody, although they were frustratingly skittish. Summit is certainly a good place to look for Mexican Ducks - we have now documented seven different individuals in the county over the past year and a half.

Antero Reservoir (8/30)

We decided to bring our canoe to gain access to the far W side of the reservoir. This turned out to be a good choice! We started off birding the river just E of the dam while thick fog burned off the reservoir. The river had another Mexican Duck (this time a male), as well as two Lesser Yellowlegs and a Ferruginous Hawk. A nearby wetland had three peep species: Least, Baird's, and Semipalmated. The fog having burned off, we launched our canoe and started working the S and W shoreline. Some of the more notable finds included three Red-necked Phalarope, a Black-bellied Plover, and a sizable flock of Marbled Godwit among other shorebirds. Continuing along the shore, we were rewarded with three Common Terns, a Black Tern, and a Caspian Tern, as well as an early Herring Gull. Also present were seven Clark's Grebes. Unfortunately, we had to go back before we could bird the rest of the reservoir.

Frisco area (8/30)

After returning from Antero, we birded around Frisco and found a few interesting migrants. The Bills Ranch Community (private) had two Lazuli Bunting and a Willow Flycatcher. Nearby, the Rainbow Lake/Temple Trail area had a Plumbeous Vireo and a Nashville Warbler. I was also amazed to find a nearly-homogenous flock of 32 Townsend's Warbler (more than I have ever seen in CO at one place by several dozen).

Good Birding,
Jack Bushong,

Louisville, CO

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[cobirds] Bird Conservancy of the Rockies - Barr Banding Report, August 29

Finished off our week with what I think of as a typical Barr banding morning, with Wilson's Warblers dominating and a relatively small number of species (11 species with a total of 49 banded compared with 16 species and 32 banded yesterday). Here's the breakdown:

Western Wood-Pewee 4

Dusky Flycatcher 3

Cassin's Vireo 1

Black-capped Chickadee 1

House Wren 5

Yellow Warbler 6

Townsend's Warbler 1

MacGillivray's Warbler 1

Common Yellowthroat 1

Wilson's Warbler 25

Chipping Sparrow 1

If you'd like to visit this fall (and we hope you will): Due to restrictions related to Covid-19, we are requiring visitors to make a reservation and we will have only 6 visitors at the station at a time. We are doing three one-hour time slots, from 8-9, 9-10, and 10-11,

on Tuesdays and then Thursdays through Sundays, starting this week and running through October 11. There is a $5 per person fee; scholarships are available to those unable to pay. All visitors, staff and volunteers will be wearing masks and people will be expected to socially distance. To register and for more information go to www.birdconservancy.org/bandingregister Please let me know if you have questions!

Meredith McBurney

Bander, Barr Lake Station

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

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[cobirds] Migrants, CSR, El Paso Co., Sun

Hey COBirders,

I have been watching Meredith's reports from Barr Lake banding station with interest. I always wonder if I will see similar birds and numbers at Clear Spring Ranch - maybe the same day, maybe the next day???? No, it rarely matches up!

Friday I see Barr had a great day, and I was "blown out" before 8am, with six birds banded. :(

Saturday they had a slower day. Not here so much. I banded 85 mixed warblers and sparrows: lotsa Wilson's, Yellow, MacGillivray's warblers, Com Yellowthroats, plus several N Waterthrush, and one juv male Am Redstart. Lotsa Lark and Savannah Sparrows, Brewer's, Lincoln's, and the FOS Clay-colored also. A great day, Oh, PLUS 150 Chipping Sparrows for a total of 235 birds netted. (!!! a record number here). I won't pretend I banded all of the CHSP. I'd be out of bands and daylight. Sparrows were flying in flocks out of the still-unmowed oat field across the road from the nets. There were lots flying when I arrived, all morning (on the closing run, trying to finish to go home at 1130 I caught 40 birds), and still moving when I left. Wow.

Today was noticeably slower, not nearly as many sparrows moving, about 45 netted CHSP, and a total of 85 birds. Still a great morning. Even with the heat and dryness last week, sparrows, buntings, warblers, and flycatchers have been caught in good numbers.

So for my record August I have netted 1250 birds, 500 of them CHSP, plus record numbers of Lazuli Buntings, House Wrens, Blue Grosbeaks, Lark Sparrows, Brewer's Sparrows, and 9 N Waterthrush.

Today I also had my FOS Marsh Wren (only 4th fall MAWR since 2012), and a lifer, banding my first Cooper's Hawk myself, (a juv male, so smaller than most, but still a handful, WITH HUGE TALONS!). I survived. I helped the banders-in-charge at Chico Basin banding on several occasions, but never on my own; it takes more than two hands, even though they are not biters, and they usually rip their way-out of the net before they can be extracted. This one totally tangled a foot in the net going after a sparrow, and couldn't extricate himself, even after creating several holes in the net. Pulling his foot out of a tennis-ball sized twisted mass was fun. Did I mention that even little males have huge talons??? :)

I am having a blast even though I can't have anybody around (city utilities covid requirements). More soon,

Happy Migration and Stay Healthy,
Steve Brown
Colo Spgs
Sent from my iPad

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[cobirds] Wilson’s warbler migrating through Niwot

Yesterday afternoon a male Wilson's warbler was bathing in my water feature (built for feathered friends). He was not seen today. Also there was a breeding plumage American goldfinch; usually the ones I see this time are more drab. This is central Niwot.

Sent from my iPhone
Elena Holly Klaver
Federally Certified Court Interpreter
Conference Interpreter
English <> Spanish
303 475 5189

Member: American Translators Association
Colorado Translators Association
Pronouns: she, her, hers

I acknowledge that I live in the territory of Hinóno'éí (Arapaho), Cheyenne and Ute Nations, according to the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie, and that Colorado's Front Range is home to many Native peoples. Reconozco que vivo en el territorio de las naciones Hinóno'éí (Arapaho), Cheyenne y Ute, según el 1851 Tratado de Fort Laramie, y que el estado de Colorado al esté de las Montañas Rocosas es territorio de muchos pueblos indígenas.

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[cobirds] American Redstart, Coal Creek Trail, Boulder County

CObirders,
A small flock of warblers and chickadees was feeding high in the cottonwoods along the Coal Creek Trail east of the golf course in Louisville just after noon today. In it, I only managed to identify a male American Redstart and Wilson's Warbler. I just couldn't manage a good look at other birds in the flock.
The creek is mostly dry. The flock was above one if the few pools of water left in the stream bed.

Paula Hansley
Louisville

Sent from my iPhone

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[cobirds] 1st Creek @ GVR - Denver : Birds of Minor Interest

Starting a little before sunrise and birding for approximately three hours, I picked up 50 species along the newest and eastern-most portion of the First Creek Trail system.

The Dunkirk Pond area (previous spot for the Yellow-crowned Night Heron and Blackburnian Warbler) was reasonably slow. It did have the resident White-breasted Nuthatches, 3 Wood Ducks, a Great Blue Heron, Great Horned Owls, Red-tailed and Swainson's Hawks, American Kestrel, and a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron. A Cooper's Hawk was seen a little east of there.

The far western end of the trail, just east of Tower Rd had Gray Catbird, Blue Grosbeak, Broad-tailed and Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Wilson's Warblers, Lark Sparrow, Cedar Waxwings, and Red-breasted Nuthatch.

In between these two spots, in the Willow and Cottonwood area north of the bike path behind the row of houses just east of First Creek Park was were the fun was. In no particular order, I observed Common Nighthawk, Nashville Warbler, Western Tanager, Clay-colored and Brewer's Sparrow, both Cassin's and Red-eyed Vireo, Sage Thrasher and a Blue-gray Gnatchatcher.

Annoying ID Alerts that you can ignore: A Warbling Vireo was around a week or two ago, so pay attention to the vireos with eyebrows if looking for the REVI. A MacGillavray's
Warbler was seen yesterday, so the same advice applies for gray-headed yellow birds if you are looking for the Nashville. Also, even though I managed to not see a single one today, the juvenile Chipping Sparrows should be around, so the spizella IDs are interesting.

I think that covers it. Have fun out there.

John Breitsch

Denver, Colorado

http://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/

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Saturday 29 August 2020

[cobirds] Bird Conservancy of the Rockies - Barr Banding Report, August 29

A more moderately paced morning, with only 32 birds banded, but it did give us an opportunity to enjoy the nice mix of species, which included 4 flycatchers, 2 vireos, 4 warblers, and 6 sparrows:

Western Wood-pewee 5

Willow Flycatcher 1

Hammond's Flycatcher 1

Dusky Flycatcher 1

Warbling Vireo 3 (the 2nd vireo species was a Cassin's, which isn't listed here because it was banded yesterday)

House Wren 1

Orange-crowned Warbler 1

Yellow Warbler 4

Common Yellowthroat 1

Wilson's Warbler 5

Chipping Sparrow 3

Clay-colored Sparrow 1

Brewer's Sparrow 1

Lark Sparrow 1

Savannah Sparrow 1

Song Sparrow 2

If you'd like to visit this fall (and we hope you will): Due to restrictions

related to Covid-19, we are requiring visitors to make a reservation and we

will have only 6 visitors at the station at a time. We are doing three

one-hour time slots, from 8-9, 9-10, and 10-11,

on Tuesdays and then Thursdays through Sundays, starting this week and running

through October 11. There is a $5 per person fee; scholarships are available

to those unable to pay. All visitors, staff and volunteers will be wearing

masks and people will be expected to socially distance. To register and for

more information go to www.birdconservancy.org/bandingregister Please let me

know if you have questions!

Meredith McBurney

Bander, Barr Lake Station

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

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[cobirds] Black-throated Sparrow, Boulder Reservoir, Boulder Cty.

COBirders,

There was a Black-throated Sparrow at the NW side of Boulder Reservoir today. It was part of a large sparrow flock that included eight other species with the most common being Brewer's, but also Chipping, Clay-colored, Lark, Song, Vesper, Savannah and Lark Bunting.

The birds were foraging over a large area, but a good place to look is in the scrubby area just behind (west) of the ropes (great job OSMP!) that extend the fence to protect the NW mudflats from dogs and their owners.

The two Forster's Terns were present as well as a few Sage Thrashers.

Photos of the sparrow and lark bunting can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pgburke/

Good birding,

Peter Burke, Niwot, CO

Peter Burke

7988 James Court Niwot, CO 80503

(973) 214-0140

Flickr LinkedIn

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[cobirds] Prewitt Res mystery bird in COBIRDS post on August 26th (Washington)

The consensus of everyone is that the mystery bird photobombing the juvenile Eastern Bluebird is a HOUSE WREN. Under the influence of borderline dehydration on the evening of that outing, I will admit to entertaining thoughts of both Mourning Warbler and European Starling. Zooming in on the photo, one can see black bands on the rump, which is a strong clue to the final correct ID. Indeed, we saw at least two family groups of House Wrens in the wooded area n of the dam. Thanks to everyone who played the game.

Dave Leatherman

Fort Collins

[cobirds] Crow Valley Update

Visited CV campground this morning (on the way back from Jumbo). It was a little breezy, but the trees along the entrance road into the first picnic shelter were birdy. I ran into John V. and we had a variety of warblers (Wilson's, Yellow, Townsends, Redstart (John), Tennessee). Also at least three species of empid. Feels like a good time to monitor that hotspot.

Robert Beauchamp

Fort Collins

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[cobirds] Jumbo/Red Lion Update

I visited Jumbo and Red Lion on Friday. Water levels on Jumbo are real low and while that afforded a lot of shoreline, there were not many shorebirds, mostly Baird's and Spotted. Curiously, while the campgrounds are open for day use, "no overnight camping" signs are posted everywhere. Wondering if that is due to overly dry conditions and fire concern or if there is something else going on.

I visited two parts of Red Lion. One is the marsh boardwalk/blind beneath little jumbo reservoir. Most of the Russian Olive and other understory growth has been removed, so not much habitat for song birds; I also dipped on the Bell's Vireo. There appears to be only one report from this year in ebird, David D. had a pair about a week ago.

The R.L. pond is teaming with ducks (pintail, shovelers, teal, etc) and ibis. It had a handful of peeps, but difficult to get close to the pond, as access from the parking lot was posted as closed. There might be some good stuff back in there, just unable to access. The normally wet areas along CR95 were dry.

Robert Beauchamp

Fort Collins

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[cobirds] Malm Trail is Nonstop Action

On Saturday (today) I led a birding trip for 11 of us on the Malm Trail in Alamosa. It was nothing short of fantastic! But it was not without its challenges as we adhered to strict COVID rules with masks and distancing. And if you think that is easy on a humid morning, well, my binoculars kept steaming up and needed to be wiped between breaths. We had 7 species of warblers alone! I don't have the final tally and I am guessing we had close to 60-70 species for the morning.

Highlight birds for the day included American Bittern, Townsend's Warbler, Lazuli Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Kingbird, Cedar Waxwing, Wilson's Snipe, Baird's Sandpiper, Gray Catbird, MacGillivrays Warbler, Willow Flycatcher, Wilson's, Orange-crowned, and Yellow Warblers, Lincolns Sparrow, and Common Nighthawk. The action was nonstop! I think our group did an outstanding job of wearing masks and keeping our social distance among the flurry of bird activity.

John Rawinski

Monte Vista, CO

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[cobirds] Great Crested Flycatcher - North Shields Ponds Natural Area, Fort Collins (Larimer)

This morning I found a Myiarchus flycatcher at North Shields, in the NW corner farthest from the parking lot, where the trail runs due east-west. Dave Wade came over and relocated it and ID'ed it as a Great Crested.

It was later seen and photographed by many other birders. It was working trees on both sides of the trail.

John Shenot

Fort Collins, CO

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Friday 28 August 2020

[cobirds] Bird Conservancy of the Rockies - Barr Banding Report, August 28

We, and I think the birds, enjoyed the cooler weather today. The birds were quite active - we captured 73 new of 16 species, 1 return Yellow Warbler from 2017, plus 18 birds we had banded earlier in this first week of banding. Here's a breakdown of the new ones from today:

Western Wood-pewee 3

Willow Flycatcher 1

Dusky Flycatcher 3

Cassin's Vireo 1

Black-capped Chickadee 1

House Wren 14

American Robin 2

Orange-crowned Warbler 1

Yellow Warbler 11 new, 1 banded in 2017

Townsend's Warbler 1

Common Yellowthroat 2

Wilson's Warbler 22

Chipping Sparrow 5

Brewer's Sparrow 1

Song Sparrow 4

Lazuli Bunting 1 (adult female)

on Tuesdays and then Thursdays through Sundays, starting this week and running through October 11. There is a $5 per person fee; scholarships are available to those unable to pay. All visitors, staff and volunteers will be wearing masks and people will be expected to socially distance. To register and for more information go to www.birdconservancy.org/bandregister. Please let me know if you have questions!

Meredith McBurney

Bander, Barr Lake Banding Station

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

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[cobirds] Caution on Sterna Terns- Boulder Res

Birders,

I'm quarterbacking from my couch here, but just thought I'd let folks know that the widely reported adult Common Tern at Boulder Reservoir is more likely a Forster's Tern. A few things to consider:

-The bill is how I would describe as, "honking big."

-Assessing bill color on distant terns is often futile. One person's orange is another's red. Also, it's important that bill color on these species changes through the season. They are waxing towards dark at the moment.

-Forster's Terns are white below, while Common/Arctic are gray with white chins/throats. The photos of the Boulder Res bird all show a pale white underside color.

-Flight and perched photos show the primary color being silvery gray with narrow black tips.

-On the photos available, it appears that the bird is molting its crown feathers. The shadow of the typical Forster's Tern basic plumage pattern (the dark eye mask) is apparent.

Some of the photos. The adult bird is in question:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S72849883
https://ebird.org/checklist/S72879869

Happy birding,

Christian Nunes

Boulder, CO

Thursday 27 August 2020

[cobirds] Re: Prewitt Reservoir on 8/26/2020 (Washington)

Thank you for the update on Prewitt, Dave!

Along with the Buff-breasted at Jackson, this makes three Buff-breasted so far! Add in Pablo Quezada's Ruddy Turnstone at Jackson and the Short-billed Dowitcher found by Luke Pheneger, the Bushongs, and David Dowell at Prewitt, it looks like it will be a great shorebird season, just as this spring was a great warbler season! Who knows what might show up?

Ben Sampson,

Boulder, CO

On Thursday, August 27, 2020 at 10:06:19 AM UTC-6 Dave Leatherman wrote:

Met some friends (Nina Routh, Norm Lewis, Mike Serruto and Gary Potter) at Prewitt Res yesterday. We all drove separately, wore masks when appropriate, imaginary hugs and high fives. For me, it was good to get out of the cemetery. Ha.

HIGHLIGHTS were shorebirds along the west side mudflats, numbers significantly diminished from recent days Norm tells me:

BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER (2, together, only rarely closer than 6 feet apart) at least 100 yards from the water's edge on drying upper "beach"

Black-bellied Plover (1) in beautiful breeding plumage

Pectoral Sandpiper (1)

Long-billed Curlew (3)

Assorted common peep

A dowitcher we could not turn into a Short-billed

Black Terns (few)

No jaegers that we saw

In the trees along the outlet canal and below the dam we had many migrants typical of early autumn, mostly common things like Yellow and Wilson's Warblers, along with one Townsend's Warbler, one MacGillivray's Warbler, Red-headed Woodpecker, family of Eastern Bluebirds (tell me what you think the mystery bird is (that I didn't see until looking at the photos last night) flying below the juvenile bluebird, see below), Rock Wren, flyover Pine Siskin, lots of empids in the olives including Willow and Gray (Norm, Mike and Gary), no doubt some goodies we missed.

Along US6 and the entry roads into Prewitt were an amazing number of Eastern Kingbirds (at least 25), with good numbers of Westerns mixed in.

If you go out there to check the shorebirds, wear mud boots but don't go too close to the water's edge as the black, anaerobic mud has designs on capturing you for posterity. Thinking "half cup full", if you had food and water on you, the water level is dropping fast enough you might escape after 3-4 days.

Dave Leatherman

Fort Collins

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[cobirds] Re: Bird Conservancy of the Rockies - Barr Lake Banding Report, August 25 -27

Thanks to Dick Filby for letting me know of my typo in the link to register to visit the banding station. Here is the correct one:

www.birdconservancy.org/bandingregister

Meredith McBurney

Bander, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

On Thursday, August 27, 2020 at 5:15:32 PM UTC-6, meredith wrote:

Three more warm and sticky days of banding, but we remain happy to be out with the birds! Modest numbers each day - 43 on Wed, 39 on Thurs, and 45 today. Highlights include a Vesper Sparrow (something of a rarity at the station), a hatch year Blue Grosbeak (dad is around, we are hoping to capture....), and a Brown Thrasher. Here is a breakdown of the birds caught today (which is pretty representative of these last three days):

Western Wood-pewee 4
House Wren 7
Brown Thrasher 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 14
MacGillivray's Warbler 2
Common Yellowthroat 1
Wilson's Warbler 13
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Song Sparrow 1

If you'd like to visit this fall (and we hope you will): Due to restrictions related to Covid-19, we have had to change our historic practice of encouraging birders and other interested folks to drop in whenever we did not have a formal school group in attendance. In this year of social distancing (and without school groups), we are requiring visitors to make a reservation and we will have only 6 visitors at the station at a time. We are doing three one-hour time slots, from 8-9, 9-10, and 10-11, on Tuesdays and then Thursdays through Sundays, starting this week and running through October 11. There is a $5 per person fee; scholarships are available to those unable to pay. All visitors, staff and volunteers will be wearing masks and people will be expected to socially distance. To register and for more information go to www.birdconservancy.org/bandregister. Please let me know if you have questions!

Meredith McBurney
Bander, Barr Lake Banding Station
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

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[cobirds] Bird Conservancy of the Rockies - Barr Lake Banding Report, August 25 -27

Three more warm and sticky days of banding, but we remain happy to be out with the birds! Modest numbers each day - 43 on Wed, 39 on Thurs, and 45 today. Highlights include a Vesper Sparrow (something of a rarity at the station), a hatch year Blue Grosbeak (dad is around, we are hoping to capture....), and a Brown Thrasher. Here is a breakdown of the birds caught today (which is pretty representative of these last three days):

Western Wood-pewee 4

House Wren 7

Brown Thrasher 1

Orange-crowned Warbler 1

Yellow Warbler 14

MacGillivray's Warbler 2

Common Yellowthroat 1

Wilson's Warbler 13

Yellow-breasted Chat 1

Song Sparrow 1

If you'd like to visit this fall (and we hope you will): Due to restrictions related to Covid-19, we have had to change our historic practice of encouraging birders and other interested folks to drop in whenever we did not have a formal school group in attendance. In this year of social distancing (and without school groups), we are requiring visitors to make a reservation and we will have only 6 visitors at the station at a time. We are doing three one-hour time slots, from 8-9, 9-10, and 10-11, on Tuesdays and then Thursdays through Sundays, starting this week and running through October 11. There is a $5 per person fee; scholarships are available to those unable to pay. All visitors, staff and volunteers will be wearing masks and people will be expected to socially distance. To register and for more information go to www.birdconservancy.org/bandregister. Please let me know if you have questions!

Meredith McBurney

Bander, Barr Lake Banding Station

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

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[cobirds] 4 Corvid morning in south Larimer County

Unusual mix of corvids at my house this morning. NOT Magpie, Crow, Raven, or Blue Jay.

I'm at 6,000 ft, in open ponderosa (definitely NOT pinyon-juniper), 18 miles N of Boulder, and got pinyon jay, scrub jay, Steller's (the usual) jay, and a Clark's Nutcracker this morning.

Hint. they all like peanuts.

We did hear a blue jay a week ago; we see one 4-6 times a year.

Hummingbirds are really thinning out. Down from feeding 1.5 quarts of sugar water a day, to about an eighth of that.

Davis Lyons, CO

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Wednesday 26 August 2020

Re: [cobirds] Sharing the Joy of Birds

Hi David and Larry!

This reminds me of a little thesis I did for an essay I wrote in German, where I argued that the most effective form of conserving and stewarding the environment is showing more and more people what they are protecting. People might pass you off if you attempt a lecture on recycling, reducing developing more land, or ambiguously "going green," but show those same people a nest full of baby Goldfinches or Kingbirds, and it begins a chain reaction of practices that end up being more environmentally-aware than before.

Perhaps this may be an unpopular opinion, but I think people feel like they need to speak for nature so much so, instead of allowing nature to speak for itself. Birds tend to be better communicators (and convincers) that encourage ecofriendly behavior for that matter as well...

Great birding ahead of us yet this fall!

The birds are happy, and so am I

~Caleb Alons, Larimer County

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Re: [cobirds] Sharing the Joy of Birds

Well said, Caleb and David,

While we birders love to see the rarities, it's good to remember that the commonness of birds also is special. Birds are ubiquitous, eking out a living from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and everywhere in between. Everyone can notice birds—plumage, nest-building, young-tending, how and what they eat. As we enjoy the birds, we can't help but notice how difficult their lives are—finding food and shelter, escaping predators, attracting mates, making epic migrations. The more we learn about birds, the more we appreciate each bundle of feathers. That leads us to wanting to protect those fragile creatures—and that's what leads us to conservation of all the habitat those bundles of energy depend on. Thank you., Caleb, for helping to lead other folks, not just to birds, but to a recognition of how life works, and what we can do to conserve it.

Larry Modesitt

Arvada

On Aug 26, 2020, at 11:18 AM, David Tønnessen <davidtonnessenx@gmail.com> wrote:

Nice work, Caleb. Engaging others in nature and encouraging new birders is one of the best things we can do if we truly care about birds and the future of our environment.

Sincerely,
David Tonnessen
Colorado Springs

On Sun, Aug 23, 2020, 4:14 PM Caleb A <calebscotta@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello CObirds!

Regretfully, I do not have a rare bird to report today, but I do want to take a moment to talk about one of my growing favorite parts of birding: making newer birders.
I love to teach, especially when I'm sharing something I love, and birds are no exception. I'm a teenager, so there are always the occasional awkward side glances when I tell my peers about my hobby, but I've discovered (through many conversations) that the majority of people in all age groups are interested in birds to an extent. Not just that, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that a lot of these people would be interested in birding, but they just don't know how to start or how any of it works.

I am currently guiding several classmates through the beginning phases of birding (who are already catching on pretty quickly) and I've noticed that my family is recognizing the birds around them more often (my Grandma has a wonderful pair of feeders that sported some great activity this past month). For those of you who know what Nextdoor is, I've found that there is a whole community of nonbirders who want to learn more about birds, whether it's identification tips or just how to attract birds to their yards to watch. I had the opportunity to show a neighborhood resident a beautiful, cooperative Townsend's Warbler on their walk, and yesterday I led a bird walk for some local girl scouts (unexpectedly picking up a FOY Prairie Falcon along the way).

I'm finding that sharing birds with our friends, peers, and communities is just one more fun aspect of birding for me and thought I'd encourage this wonderful Colorado birding community to keep making birders! We live in a great state for the hobby, after all...

The birds are happy, and so am I
~Caleb Alons, Larimer County

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