Re: [cobirds] Hugh Kingery and the end of an era

Hugh was an incredibly kind and generous person.  Thanks to him my micromount minerals have a home:  he gave me the map cases with their flat drawers (they held the paper copies of the 7 1/2” quads for Colorado) for me to use to house my small mineral clusters!   I made a donation to DFO, but I’m sure it wasn’t nearly as much as the map cases were worth.

Paula Hansley

Louisville 

On Sun, Jul 12, 2026 at 8:41 PM 'Andrews Robert' via Colorado Birds <cobirds@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Hello all,

Today I received the sad news from Urling Kingery that Hugh Kingery died Saturday afternoon. Urling and one of his daughters was at the house when it happened. There are no specific plans at present for a memorial, but details will be sent out at the appropriate time. I am sending out this information on behalf of Urling and at her request. Truly the end of a era in Colorado birding; a great figure will be missed.

Bob Andrews

Yekepa, Liberia, West Africa

Currently in Centennial, Arapahoe Co.

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[cobirds] Osprey Nesting Updates

I wrote a pretty strong post to the local social media groups today about the shenanigans that happened the night of the 4th. The men firing off the fireworks started an hour before dark and didn't finish until after midnight. By the time they were through, hundreds of Cliff swallow nests were abandoned leaving nestling and young fledglings behind to die. The noise also scared the Ospreys so much that they abandoned their eggs and now only show up once or maybe twice a day to the platform. I havent' seen the female in days, only the male. Oh, and yes, I know that they laid eggs very late in the season and the chance that they would have successfully raised a brood, was slim, but still.

I probably was just wasting my time and will get a lot of nasty feedback, but I am honestly angry. I didn't post sooner because I've had out of state company and didn't get down to the Cliff Swallow nests to see what happened there until today. I also needed to calm down, and having family visiting helped. 

Pauli Smith

Highlandlake/Mead, Weld County, CO

Warning: Rant Ahead.

I'm angry, and I think I have every right to be.

To the boys—and yes, some grown men—who decided illegal fireworks at Highland Lake on the Fourth of July were worth the thrill: your few minutes of entertainment came with consequences.

Your fireworks terrified the pair of Ospreys nesting at the lake. They abandoned their nest, leaving eggs that will never hatch. Those potential chicks are gone because someone decided the rules didn't apply to them.

It didn't stop there.

The explosions also sent hundreds of Cliff Swallow nestlings, fledglings, and their parents into panic beneath the fishing pier, where they were trying to raise their young. Wildlife doesn't understand that the noise will eventually stop. They only know that a predator—or what sounds like one—has arrived, and their instinct is to flee.

Watching those Ospreys successfully accept and adopt my new nesting platform has been one of the highlights of living in Highlandlake. Seeing this nesting season end because of someone's reckless choices is heartbreaking.

I understand that people want to celebrate. I understand that kids like excitement. But celebrating should never come at the expense of living creatures or the law.

This wasn't simply inconsiderate. It wasn't just a violation of Mead's fireworks restrictions or Weld County regulations.

I spoke with Colorado Parks and Wildlife after the incident. They confirmed that Ospreys and Cliff Swallows are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Disturbing protected nesting birds during the breeding season is exactly the kind of conduct these federal wildlife laws are intended to prevent.

Have all the fun you want—but do it legally. Don't endanger your neighbors, don't ignore the rules that are in place to protect our community, and don't destroy wildlife that cannot defend itself.

Freedom has always come with responsibility. Respect for our community includes respect for the creatures that share it.

This wasn't harmless fun.

It was preventable. It was unnecessary. And for the Ospreys and Cliff Swallows that were simply trying to raise their young, the consequences were permanent.

Broken hearted,

The Crabby Old Woman of Highlandlake

Re: [cobirds] Hugh Kingery and the end of an era

Oh no, this is soooooooo sad. My thoughts go out to Urling and the entire family.

Yes, the end of an era. 

Glad to have known him.

Susan Rosine 

Brighton, Adams County 

On Sun, Jul 12, 2026, 8:41 PM 'Andrews Robert' via Colorado Birds <cobirds@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Hello all,

Today I received the sad news from Urling Kingery that Hugh Kingery died Saturday afternoon. Urling and one of his daughters was at the house when it happened. There are no specific plans at present for a memorial, but details will be sent out at the appropriate time. I am sending out this information on behalf of Urling and at her request. Truly the end of a era in Colorado birding; a great figure will be missed.

Bob Andrews

Yekepa, Liberia, West Africa

Currently in Centennial, Arapahoe Co.

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[cobirds] Hugh Kingery and the end of an era

Hello all,

Today I received the sad news from Urling Kingery that Hugh Kingery died Saturday afternoon. Urling and one of his daughters was at the house when it happened. There are no specific plans at present for a memorial, but details will be sent out at the appropriate time. I am sending out this information on behalf of Urling and at her request. Truly the end of a era in Colorado birding; a great figure will be missed.

Bob Andrews

Yekepa, Liberia, West Africa

Currently in Centennial, Arapahoe Co.

[cobirds] Next BIRD BOMBS Aug 13 Colorful Colorado Conifers

Register now for DFO's next BIRD BOMBS: Colorful Colorado Conifers. Learn to identify 10 species of Colorado conifers. These trees make up the different forests that birds use. Recognizing which tree is which will enrich your understanding of our birds and even help your IDs. 

David Suddjian

Littleton CO

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[cobirds] DFO's BIRD BOMBS: Summer Hummer Celebration! available

Check out the video here of the latest BIRD BOMBS: Summer Hummer Celebration and prepare for the best season for watching our hummers. Focus on the ID of Colorado's four common hummingbirds. 

David Suddjian

Littleton, CO

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[cobirds] Separating F Black-chinned from Broad-tailed Hummingbird

This morning while birding the Lair-of-Bear Park a female hummingbird was darting back and forth across a small creek. The two expected hummers for the region would be the Black-chinned and the Broad-tailed. Given the hummers constant motion it seemed impossible to determine if the bill’s length, was long or short, nor if the back color was emerald green toned or dullish, gray green  suggestive for a Black-chinned. From the occasional views of it flicking its tail showed small white spots on each side of the tail, although at times hard to determine. In contrast the tail of the Broad-tailed does have a broad tail its white spots at the corner of its tail are more distinctive. Thus by this definition the humming bird I was looking at was a Black-chinned ??

Anyone else have tips on separating female  Black-chinned from  Broad-tailed.

Bob Righter

Denver, Colorado