[cobirds] Share Your Bird Reminder: Photos for Colorado Birds! — Winter 2025–2026 (December 1 – February 28)

Hello CO Birders, Another quarter, another chance to share your best work! Colorado Birds, the quarterly journal of the Colorado Field Ornithologists, is now accepting photo submissions for our "News From The Field" feature. We're on the lookout for compelling images of rare, vagrant, or otherwise unusual birds documented in Colorado between December 1, 2025, and February 28, 2026 (see submission guidelines below).

To be considered in the upcoming issue, please send your highest-quality photos to geo...@cobirds.org no later than Thursday, May 28, 2026 — and be sure to follow the file-naming guidelines below when you do.

We'd particularly love to feature photos of these noteworthy species observed during this period:

Winter 2025–2026 (December 1 – February 28)

• Brant
• Mexican Duck
• Surf Scoter
• White-winged Scoter
• Long-tailed Duck
• Barrow's Goldeneye
• Greater Roadrunner
• Dunlin
• Black-legged Kittiwake
• Franklin's Gull
• Iceland Gull (kumlieni)
• Great Black-backed Gull
• Glaucous-winged Gull
• Red-necked Grebe
• Pacific Loon
• Red-throated Loon
• Yellow-billed Loon
• White-faced Ibis
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Short-eared Owl
• Acorn Woodpecker
• Northern House Wren
• Pacific Wren
• Carolina Wren
• Crissal Thrasher
• Brambling
• Cassia Crossbill
• White-winged Crossbill
• Snow Bunting
• Chipping Sparrow
• Field Sparrow
• Fox Sparrow
• Golden-crowned Sparrow
• Bullock's Oriole
• Rusty Blackbird
• Ovenbird
• Northern Waterthrush
• Black-and-white Warbler
• Tennessee Warbler
• Orange-crowned Warbler
• Nashville Warbler
• Common Yellowthroat
• Cape May Warbler
• Northern Parula
• Bay-breasted Warbler
• Northern Yellow Warbler
• Chestnut-sided Warbler
• Black-throated Blue Warbler
• Pine Warbler
• Yellow-throated Warbler
• Scarlet Tanager
• Western Tanager
• Northern Cardinal

Thanks for your contributions to Colorado Birds. Your dedication and generosity help maintain our journal's excellence, making it one of the country's finest. Thanks for sharing your photography with us!

George Mayfield
Photo Editor, Colorado Birds

Wheat Ridge, CO

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Photo Submission Guidelines:

Photos from Winter 2025–2026 (December 1 – February 28)

Photos must be your own, and by submitting them, you give Colorado Birds permission to reproduce in any issue and on the CFO website. We always credit images with the photographer's name.

Please use the following format for the photo file names: species-date-location-county-photographer. For example, a photo of an American Robin taken Oct. 4, 2024 at Chatfield State Park by John James Audubon would be named as follows:

American Robin (or AMRO)-20241004-Chatfield-Adams-JJAudubon.

Minimum quality for interior publication use is 750 x 900 pixels. To be considered for the journal cover, photos must be at least 2625 pixels (vertically) x 1725 pixels (horizontally). Please send original files in the largest resolution possible (300 dpi is preferable). We will crop and resize as needed. Email your submissions to geo...@cobirds.org

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[cobirds] Chatfield Banding Station, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 5-23-26

About half as many birds today as yesterday - perhaps warmer temps and wind early had some impact.  No new species caught.  Here's the breakdown of the 25 new and 4 returns:

Western Wood-pewee 1
Warbling Vireo, measured as Western 1
Swainson's Thrush 1
Gray Catbird 3 new, 2 returns, both banded 2025
Virginia's Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 5 new, 1 return, banded 2024
MacGillivray's Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 3
Wilson's Warbler 4
Yellow-breasted Chat 1 new, 1 return, banded 2022
Song Sparrow 1
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
American Goldfinch 1  

We are banding Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) through May 31, weather permitting.  There are opportunities for the public to visit on weekends and early mornings most weekdays.  Reservations are required and can be made through the Denver Audubon website.  (Many/most sessions are already sold out, so sign up now if you are interested!)

Meredith McBurney
Bander, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

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Re: [cobirds] ID help please! Juvie Peregrine or a Prairie Falcon?

CO Birders

I also see a long winged falcon as Tony noted, but I feel the tail /primary difference is due to angles, not the actual lengths.

The malar stripe is well within "normal" peregrine (especially tundrius).

We all need to remember that a lot of "Heinz 57" peregrines are out there. Even USFWS relied upon some birds with Scottish genes. 

At the Alton, Illinois eyrie about a week ago, I was struck by how much the male looked like one of the arctic breeders which I filmed at Kuujuaq years ago, while the female has one of the most "anatum" heads- almost like a Helmet. So even within mated pairs there is quite a range of variation, which produces offspring carrying a ton of genetic material all over the place.

Tim B.

  Mokane, MO and Choteau, MT

On Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 8:22:18 PM UTC-5 Tony Leukering wrote:

All:

My Brit friend is confused by the bird in the photos:

" The pictures are just awkward enough to create some uncertainty. The shape of the malar looks blobby and round-ended; it looks odd to me for Hobby, but I have no explanation for what it could be. Bill is small on Hobby."

If we rule out Eurasian Hobby, what about other falcons not on the CO state list? Aplomado doesn't work at all. Juvenile Red-footed Falcon doesn't sport so much black on the face. And none of Oriental Falcon, Bat Falcon, and Orange-breasted Falcon looks anything like the Weld bird, even as juvs. And that's the end of the list of even remotely possible wild occurrences by Falco species not on the ABA-Area list. And it doesn't look like a juvenile Eleonora's Falcon (a beast I'd really like to see due to its hunting habits;  Eleonora's falcon - Wikipedia  ).

It still looks more like a hobby than any other falcon I've seen, and if the bird is not a Eurasian Hobby, then we might need to think about what odd hybrids falconers may have created that might match this bird's appearance.

Enjoy,

Tony Leukering

Cut Bank, MT

On Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 5:55:02 PM UTC-6 Tony Leukering wrote:

Note that the wingtips extend beyond the tail tip, a feature not true for Prairie or Peregrine, particularly for the shorter-winged juveniles.

Tony Leukering

On Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 5:35:36 PM UTC-6 Tony Leukering wrote:

As suggested to me by Dave Leatherman, that looks more like an Eurasian Hobby. I've sent a screen grab to a Brit friend in Connecticut for his opinion.

Tony Leukering

Cut Bank, MT

On Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 4:25:47 PM UTC-6 Peter Ruprecht wrote:

I'd go with immature Peregrine. The malar is too wide for a Prairie, and I'd expect a Prairie of any age to have a more distinct light supercilium.

Peter Ruprecht

Superior

On Tue, May 19, 2026 at 3:37 PM <jay...@gmail.com> wrote:

All:

I'm a bit stumped on this ID.  Seen this morning in a filed just north of Union Res in Weld Co.  Bird was sitting in the field  for 10+minutes and I got a few pics from scope. 

So I figure it's either a juvenille Peregrine or a Prairie Falcon. Obvious dark mustache, white cheeks and throat. 

Please comment away!

Jay Hutchins

Longmont

Sent from my iPhone

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[cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch Banding Station Report- May 23, 2026-Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

Many Thanks to the Veterans past and presently with us as well as those fiercely defending our freedoms. I appreciate your sacrifice. May our freedoms continue Thanks to all the efforts of our Veterans and active military.

Today was not as active as yesterday but we still had a good diversity of birds. Highlights were the female Magnolia Warbler, Pine Siskin, and adult male Summer Tanager. Twenty-three bird species were captured. Most of the Recaptures were breeding bird species so they were not fat nor gained much weight which is expected since they are busy defending territories from invading males or busy gathering nest materials.

53 New Banded Birds

Magnolia Warbler- 1

MacGillivray's Warbler- 4

Wilson's Warbler- 2

Yellow Warbler- 3

Virginia's Warbler- 1

Common Yellowthroat- 3

Least Flycatcher- 1

Ash-throated Flycatcher- 1

Pine Siskin- 1

Lesser Goldfinch- 1

American Goldfinch- 1

Chipping Sparrow- 2

Lincoln's Sparrow- 2

Lazuli Bunting- 1

Green-tailed Towhee- 1

Swainson's Thrush- 19

Hermit Thrush- 1

Orchard Oriole- 1

Western Tanager- 1

Bullock's Oriole- 3

Summer Tanager- 1

Gray Catbird- 2

8 Recaptures

MacGillivray's Warbler- increased weight from banding date

Lazuli Bunting- 2

Orchard Oriole

Bullock's Oriole-2

Yellow-breasted Chat- 2

The Banding Station will be closed tomorrow and reopen on Monday at sunrise. Tomorrow should be good day to bird the Ranch. Weather looks favorable. If wanting to bird the ranch, Please register on the Aiken Audubon Website www.aikenaudubon.com

Enjoy the Weekend,

Julie Shieldcastle

Bander, Chico Basin Ranch

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

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[cobirds] Gregory Canyon Survey for May, Boulder Mt. Park - seen near Long Canyon \ Gregory Canyon trail junction.

From Gregory Canyon Survey May 22nd, 2026

Photo of Ovenbird during the survey: 

          

May 22, 2026, Bird Inventory for Gregory Canyon, Boulder Mt. Park

Birds:

Mourning Dove – 6 – at both low and high elevations

Broad Tailed Hummingbird – 19 – concentrated at lower elevations

Northern Flicker – 1 – only one seen and heard

Hammond’s Flycatcher – 2 – one near the parking lot, another at high elevation

Warbling Vireo spp. – 7 – at all elevations, singing, foraging

Plumbeous Vireo – 8 – most up in ponderosa pine areas, singing, chases, calls

Blue Jay – 2 – one near parking area, one at higher elevation

Stellar’s Jay – 8 – up high and low – one doing an imitation of a Cooper’s hawk

Black Billed Magpie – 6 – all near the road and parking area

American Crow – 12 – calls, flying

Common Raven – 50+ unusual mass of ravens riding thermals and calling, over Green Mountain and the First Flatiron and over the canyon. These groupings are unusual, and there is still debate as to why they congregate like this.  (Note:  I had seen a congregation similar to this over Mount Blue Sky several years ago, with over 300 ravens.  It was astonishing to see!)
 
Violet Green Swallow – 4 – lower elevation, calling and flying

Mountain Chickadee – 8 – calls, songs, foraging, at higher elevations

Black Capped Chickadee – 6 – at high and low elevations

Bushtit – 2 – along the road near the parking area

White Breasted Nuthatch – 2 – foraging, calling

Pygmy Nuthatch – 2 – near the road

Red Breasted Nuthatch – 8 – calls, foraging, higher up in Douglas Fir \ Pine forests

House Wren – 13 – most near the road and lower elevations

Canyon Wren – 1 – singing, lower part of canyon trial

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher – 1 – one calling and foraging, lower elevation

American Robin – 16 – males and females at all elevations, foraging

Gray Catbird – 9 – most near the road and parking area, chases, songs, calls

Virginia’s Warbler – 8 – most at higher elevations, songs, foraging

MacGillivray’s Warbler – 2 – songs, lower part of canyon

Audubon’s Warbler – 1 – singing, highest part of survey route

Ovenbird – 1 (plus 3 more in Long Canyon area) – songs and perched in evergreens.  The one for Gregory Canyon was just inside the survey route close to the Long Canyon Trail junction.

Yellow Breasted Chat – 3 – songs, near road and upslope from parking area.

Western Tanager – 14 – songs, calls, flying; majority were at higher elevations in the pine belt

Spotted Towhee – 16 – at all elevations, but most lower down

Chipping Sparrow – 4 – songs.  Unusually low numbers this year.

Gray Headed Junco – 4 – two pairs near nest sites, higher elevation

Black Headed Grosbeak – 8 – songs, flying, perched.  Most at lower elevations

Common Grackle – 4 – near the parking area

Brown Headed Cowbird – 10 – calls, songs, flying, most at lower elevations

American Goldfinch – 2 – songs, perched; near the road

Total Bird Species Count = 36 (one more than last year)
Conspicuously Absent:  starlings and raptors

Mammals:
Mule Deer - 2
Fox Squirrel – 3
Pine Squirrel – 4
Chipmunk spp. – 1

Snakes:
 Western Terrestrial Garter Snake – 1

Wildflowers were scant due to lack of rain, but small amounts of the following were seen - spiderwort, evening primrose, sulphurflower, scorpionweed, garlic mustard, bush penstemon, wallflower, asters, cranesbill, phlox, wild violet, dandelion, lavender penstemon, toadflax, goldenbanner,  desert parsley, mountain parsley, etc. 

John T (Tumasonis)

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[cobirds] Western Warbling Vireo, Custer County

Birding in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristos, the Western Warbling Vireos have started to rev up.  Several of them, singing all over the place.  The strange thing is that Merlin does not recognize them at all.  Several times there was one singing loudly right next to me and Merlin was a blank.  In the "explore" portion of Merlin it comes up with the calls, and when I play that call, the Vireos come right down to investigate.  But in the ID section, nada.  Has anyone else experienced this?  Is it possible that when the species split they accidentally deleted the Western from the ID section?

Mary Kay Waddington

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[cobirds] Chatfield Banding Station, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 5-22-26

We had our busiest day of this banding season, with 51 new captures and 3 returns from previous years.  Cool, cloudy and windless for most of the morning, it was perfect for banding.

We caught 7 Western Tanagers, more than we've ever caught in a season.

We caught 4 Warbling Vireos, our first this season.  Like Chico (and all of our stations) we are taking specific bill measurements to see if we can determine if we are getting Eastern and/or Westerns of this species that was recently split.  All 4 of these were measured by 2 banders, and fell within the Western measurements.

Here's the breakdown:

Western Wood-pewee 3
Dusky Flycatcher 2
Warbling Vireo, measured as Western 4
Black-capped Chickadee 1, banded 2025
Northern House Wren 2
Swainson's Thrush 1
Hermit Thrush 1
Gray Catbird 2 new, 1 banded 2019 (a pretty old bird!)
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 10
American Redstart 1, banded 2025
MacGillivray's Warbler 5
Common Yellowthroat 3
Wilson's Warbler 3
Western Tanager 7
Lincoln's Sparrow 3
White-crowned Sparrow, Mountain 1
American Goldfinch 3

We are banding Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) through May 31, weather permitting.  There are opportunities for the public to visit on weekends and early mornings most weekdays.  Reservations are required and can be made through the Denver Audubon website.  (Many/most sessions are already sold out, so sign up now if you are interested!)

Meredith McBurney
Bander, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

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