I essentially spent all day at these two marvelous places, seeing 88 species at Prewitt (despite missing such birds as Common Grackle and Western Meadowlark) and 78 species at Jackson.
Shorebirding both locations is very tough as there is much mud (I'd guess both have only about 50% of the usual surface area covered with water). The problem at Prewitt was present mostly in the form of a hungry, but somewhat inept, Peregrine that kept chasing shorebirds to and fro'. Eventually, birds just left, mostly heading westward to ??? I will spare you the poem I wrote re: the Peregrine. The difference between birds present at dawn and noon was substantial.
At Jackson, the birds are not so many and rather dispersed. Careful planning of one's path around puddles and through mud is needed, and still much walking necessary to work the birds. It would be best to start at the "inlet" parking lot and then walk north.
However, both were rewarding.
As for landbirding, Prewitt had more birds at the Russian Olives past the caretaker's house, but the Inlet Canal had many of the more interesting birds. Jackson had good number and diversity in the Russian Olives in the State Park.
So, all of that being said....
PREWITT HIGHLIGHTS:
shorebirds:
23 Killdeer
10 Am Avocet
4 BN Stilts (rare e. of Weld in ne. CO)
2 Spotted Sandpipers
6 Solitary Sandpipers (in small ponds, not on res: all cinnomomea race)
1 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Willet
14 Lesser Yellowlegs
4 Long-billed Curlew
2 Sanderlings
100 Semi Sandpipers (and some whole ones, too)
25 Least Sandpipers
1050 Baird's Sandpipers
NO Western Sandpipers
1 Pectoral Sandpiper
25 Stilt Sandpipers
5 Wilson's Phals
4 Red-necked Phalaropes (1 adult, mostly in basic, doing a good Red Phal imitation)
Other Stuff
2 Chimney Swifts (don't see 'em often as migrants, which these presumably were)
Least and Willow Flycatchers (one each)
CASSIN'S VIREO (inlet canal)
RED-EYED VIREO (between caretaker's house and russian olives)
2 Red-breasted Nuthatches (inlet canal -- only 2?!)
19 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (none at inlet canal) -- a virtual gnatcatcher festival, the two that called... yes they were rather quiet gnatsnatchers... were "western" BG Gnatcatchers
2 Yellow-rumped Warblers (one juv -- what's up with that!)
1 Townsend's Warblers (Larry A, you are birding the wrong side of the state; the Eastern Plains are clearly the place for western vagrants)
2 AMERICAN REDSTARTS
6 Clay-colored Sparrows (my first-of-fall)
1 Bullock's x Baltimore Oriole
JACKSON RESERVOIR
approx 4800 Am White Pelicans. Unbelievable
8 Great and 70 Snowy Egrets
1 WHIMBREL
22 Long-billed Curlew (very high number for date???)
2 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS (bright juvs)
1 LEAST TERN (juv)
1 Calliope Hummingbird
3 AMERCIAN REDSTARTS
1 Townsend's Warbler (Larry, I'm tellin' ya)
1 BALTIMORE ORIOLE (in a flock with about 8 Bullock's and 6 Orchard Orioles)
Okay
'Tis waaaayyyyy past my bedtime.
Long day, walked for about 11 hours, about 4 of those or so on mud. Weather was sterling, though, and the birds rewarding, despite various Peregrinaceous efforts to spoil fun (yes, there was one at Jackson as well, but it was well fed).
Steven Mlodinow
Longmont, CO
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