[cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch Banding Report, June 6, 2026-Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

Last Day of spring banding at Chico Basin Ranch! Sad day to be ending but the birds said we are pretty much done migrating and taking up our breeding responsibilities. We will return in late August to catch the birds on their southern trip to the wintering grounds.

10 New Banded Birds

Swainson's Thrush- 1

House Finch- 2

Ladder-backed woodpecker-1

Orchard Oriole- 1

Blue Grosbeak- 1

Bullock's Oriole- 1

Northern Mockingbird- 2

American Robin- 1

1 Recapture

Yellow Warbler

Hope t see you all in the fall. Thanks again to the many volunteers who helped with the project. Thanks to Flying Diamond for their hospitality and patience when birders got lost on the ranch... We hope to have better signage to lessen folks getting lost.

Have a good summer!

Julie Shieldcastle

Bander, Chico Basin Ranch

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

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[cobirds] Laughing Gull at Russell Lakes SWA, Saguache County on June 5

An alternate-plumaged adult Laughing Gull was at Johnson Lake in Russell Lakes SWA, Saguache County last evening. It was with a small party of Franklin's Gulls, flying around and resting on the lake. It is missing one or two inner primaries on the left wing. Johnson is the lake east of the parking lot located along Hwy 285. eBird has three prior records in the San Luis Valley: Sept 2012, May 2016, and Sept 2022 - all single day reports. 

David Suddjian

Littleton, CO

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[cobirds] Kite Behavior Otero County

On April 2nd Michael Kiessig I and were observing Black Terns at Holbrook Reservoir, when he found a Mississippi Kite over the water, foraging in the same manner as the terns. Cruising low and catching tiny insects, moving fast, kind of erratic yet graceful…like a Black Tern (which I see feeding on small insects much more often than small fish). It even appeared able to skim the surface, once dipping a wingtip in the water as it turned sideways and shot back up in the air. 

This was the first time I’d seen a kite working so low. In my previous observations of them feeding, they were soaring and gliding fairly high to very high, where their food source was. 

This day was light rain, misty all morning, a bit of fog. It made me wonder if those weather conditions simply prevented the small bugs from being higher in the air, instead almost at ground level / water level. Or if the preferred hatch of the moment was an aquatic insect that emerges and never goes up very far in the air.

This one-off, low-down sighting was a bit surprising to me, and very fun to watch.

Dan Stringer

Larkspur, CO

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[cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch Banding Report, June 5, 2026-Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

A straggler Swainson's Thrush appeared in the net this morning. The other birds we caught today were breeding birds. We did catch a couple returning Yellow Warblers and Northern House Wren. Might as well gather some info on the breeding birds if I am here. 

7 New Banded Birds

Western Wood-Pewee- 1

Swainson's Thrush- 1

Lark Sparrow- 1

Bullock's Oriole- 3

American Robin- 1

4 Breeding Bird Recaptures

Bullock's Oriole- 3

Yellow Warbler- 1

3 Returning birds banded another season

Northern House Wren- At least 4 years old- banded as an adult last spring

Yellow Warbler- 2- male and female- banded last spring as second-year birds= each 3 years old

Thanks again to all the volunteers who made this season operate smoothly. Thanks also to the fellow birders who shared information about birds and their natural history.

Tomorrow is the last day of spring banding. The Aiken Audubon Site says there is a waiting list for anyone to visit the ranch tomorrow. Guess someone thinks it is going to be a big bird day! Or just want to visit the last day before fall season. :)

Have a good day and all the best for a good summer!

Julie Shieldcastle

Bander, Chico Basin Ranch

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

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[cobirds] Cactus Wren location is Private Property

Just a quick note to remind birders to stay on the county roads in Otero and Las Animas counties near the current location of the Cactus Wren.  As soon as birders get off of Hwy 109 onto Otero County Road E there are signs about the area being private property.  PLEASE stay on the roads when you are birding the area (driving, walking, etc.).  We don't want issues with land owners, ranch managers and county sheriffs.

Thank you, considerate birders! :-)

Joey.

Joey Kellner

Littleton, Colorado

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Re: [cobirds] Chestnut Sided Warbler Costilla

Female, I presume? 

Chris Hobbs

Lenexa KS

chobbs.f1@gmail.com 

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From: cobirds@googlegroups.com <cobirds@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Luke Pheneger <phenegerluke@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 4, 2026 5:42:46 PM
To: Colorado Birds <Cobirds@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [cobirds] Chestnut Sided Warbler Costilla

 

Hi all,

Yesterday, Jeff, Jeina Livingston, and I had a Chestnut-sided Warbler at Rito Seco Park in Costilla County. The exact pin was here (37.2533571, -105.3312214). This is a first eBird record for the county. I looked for the bird a bit this morning but could not refind it. That said, I think the area is well worth additional coverage, both for the Chestnut-sided Warbler and other late migrants. The site could be somewhat of a “breeder trap”, with a dense willowy oasis bordering a diverse conifer forest. 

Also present at the park was a calling Swainson’s Thrush, which represented just the fourth eBird record for the county. Costilla gets very little eBird coverage away from Smith Reservoir, so species that breed locally but aren’t common in the valley are often underrepresented there. For example, last year Sean Huntley, Archer Silverman, and I had Flammulated Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Long Eared Owl, and Northern Pygmy-Owl along a single road, all of which had less than 3 eBird records at the time. I bring this up not to brag, but to illustrate just how much of the county remains underbirded. If you’re looking to contribute eBird data to a region of the state that truly lacks coverage, consider exploring Costilla.

Luke Pheneger

Longmont

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[cobirds] Chestnut Sided Warbler Costilla

Hi all,

Yesterday, Jeff, Jeina Livingston, and I had a Chestnut-sided Warbler at Rito Seco Park in Costilla County. The exact pin was here (37.2533571, -105.3312214). This is a first eBird record for the county. I looked for the bird a bit this morning but could not refind it. That said, I think the area is well worth additional coverage, both for the Chestnut-sided Warbler and other late migrants. The site could be somewhat of a “breeder trap”, with a dense willowy oasis bordering a diverse conifer forest. 

Also present at the park was a calling Swainson’s Thrush, which represented just the fourth eBird record for the county. Costilla gets very little eBird coverage away from Smith Reservoir, so species that breed locally but aren’t common in the valley are often underrepresented there. For example, last year Sean Huntley, Archer Silverman, and I had Flammulated Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Long Eared Owl, and Northern Pygmy-Owl along a single road, all of which had less than 3 eBird records at the time. I bring this up not to brag, but to illustrate just how much of the county remains underbirded. If you’re looking to contribute eBird data to a region of the state that truly lacks coverage, consider exploring Costilla.

Luke Pheneger

Longmont

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