Hi all,
I had a fantastic two-day trip through the SLV and central mountains this past weekend. Below are the highlights (bolded are birds that eBird considered notable). All checklists and accompanying media are in the trip report here (
Early May SLV and Central Mountains (weekend trip; 2 full days) - eBird Trip Report), with each checklist liberally provisioned with supporting documentation and general natural history observations, as Ted Floyd likes them :)
Saturday (May 2)
Costilla County:
The weekend birding adventure began with a frigid morning at Smith Reservoir, perhaps the most fun birding to be had anywhere in the SLV in spring. Birds of note included a Solitary Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, Glossy x White-faced Ibis, a flock of Sanderling, and a pair of Neotropic Cormorants. The reservoir was surprisingly devoid of peeps, save for a handful of Least Sandpipers in a drying puddle disconnected from the main waterbody.
I then continued to Mountain Home Reservoir SWA, where I encountered some good birding in the PJ along the entrance road that included early Gray Flycatchers and my FOY Plumbeous Vireo. At the reservoir itself was a Common Loon and Red-breasted Merganser. A few minutes later, I was in the bustling town of San Luis, where, among the throngs of Pine Siskins, I photographed a Northern Parula that appears to be a first for Costilla on eBird.
Alamosa County:
After a bit of exploring in the Great Sand Dunes NP, I swung over to San Luis Lakes SWA. Overall numbers of waterfowl and shorebirds were much reduced compared to my previous spring visits here, but there were still a few good birds present, including two early Red-necked Phalaropes, a very tardy Merlin that almost caught a Horned Lark for lunch, two American Herring Gulls, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull.
After a quick detour to some Saguache Co. ag ponds (a brilliant male Hooded Merganser being the only bird of note there), I made a stop at the wetlands along Riverwood Dr. at the edge of Alamosa. Always a necessary stop for the vociferous Great-tailed Grackles, but in addition to them, there was another Solitary Sandpiper on the half-dry wetland.
Rio Grande County:
While en route to Monte Vista NWR, I decided to detour to a pond alongside CO-370 that looked interesting on Google Maps. Many such detours are unproductive for me, but this one was quite the opposite. Among the throngs of dowitchers and White-faced Ibis, there was a Glossy Ibis, a Glossy x White-faced Ibis, and a Semipalmated Plover. Hopefully, local birders can continue monitoring this spot throughout May, as it is one of the best shorebird setups in the valley right now and will likely continue to be as long as the pond doesn't dry up/become flooded.
After quick stops at Monte Vista NWR and Home Lake SWA, I decided to spend the evening in the lovely Del Norte Town Park. The riparian here was pretty quiet, but on the way back to my car, I flushed a
KENTUCKY WARBLER from an aspen along the trail. After ~20 minutes of peering hopelessly into the darkening willow thickets trying to pinpoint its hard "chip" calls, I was able to grab some documentation before leaving it be (see:
eBird Checklist - 2 May 2026 - Del Norte Park and River Walk - 16 species).
Sunday (May 3)
Saguache County:
Another frigid morning, this one at Russell Lakes SWA. The flooded fields along the road were very productive, including 12 Snowy Egrets and another Glossy Ibis. Most enjoyable, however, was the din of marshbirds: booming bitterns, whinnying Soras, grunting Virginia Rails.
Chaffee County:
On to balmier weather in the Arkansas River Valley. My first stop was Fairview Cemetery outside of Salida, which I think is an underrated migrant trap. Practically the first bird I got on was a WOOD THRUSH moving furtively through the pinyons in the SE corner of the cemetery. The bird disappeared shortly after, perhaps down into the adjacent gully, but not before I managed a few diagnostic photos. From there, I stopped at Sands Lake SWA, which had a gorgeous male Common x Barrow's Goldeneye -- one of few I've ever seen, and certainly the most cooperative.
From Salida, I made a detour to Park County to give Antero Reservoir one last hoorah before it is drained in the coming weeks. There was the usual plethora of waterfowl and shorebirds, plus a Mallard x Mexican Duck and a Glossy x White-faced Ibis. The birds (and birders) will sorely miss this place when it is dry.
I then stopped at Clear Creek Reservoir in far northern Chaffee Co. The ever-expanding mudflats at the W end were productive as always, featuring the continuing Western Gull, two Semipalmated Plovers, and a Glossy Ibis.
Lake County:
Right as I entered Lake County, I made a brief stop along the highway and had a singing Plumbeous Vireo, quite early for the "high country". Nearby at Twin Lakes, I photographed a male Mexican Duck in a wetland abutting the lakes and heard an early Black-headed Grosbeak singing nearby. Twin Lakes on a clear day (i.e., non-fallout conditions) must take the cake for the most sterile large mountain reservoir in Colorado (even beating out Green Mountain and Ruedi, which is a task); there was not a single bird visible on either lake. On my way into Leadville a short while later, I stopped at a flooded willowy wetland along the Lake Fork and heard an early Sora whinnying.
Summit County:
A brief stop at the ever-receding Dillon Reservoir in the evening yielded a late Common Loon and three Willet huddled up on a rocky island.
Clear Creek County:
For my last stop of this weekend's birding adventure, I was able to track down the Blue Jay that Cameron Carver found earlier in the morning near a feeding station in Idaho Springs.
Jack Bushong,
Louisville, CO
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