What a wild and sleepless weekend in NE Colorado.
I met up with Mark Peterson and Dan Maynard Saturday morning at dawn at the campground at Jumbo Res, Sedgwick. We quickly found BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER followed a bit later by CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER. The area around Julesburg was verrrryyyyy quiet, so we headed to Holyoke, Phillips County. In but a few minutes at the main city park we found ALDER FLYCATCHER, MAGNOLIA WARBLER, and a multitude of RB Nuthatches (they MUST breed here). The Holyoke Cemetery was Townsend's Warbler central (then again, where in CO has this NOT been true) and also held 2 AMERICAN REDSTARTS and a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER. Off to the Lyons (Lions?) Fishing Hole, where Mark dug up an OVENBIRD. We then went to Wray, where Stalker Pond was birdy, with the best bird being a BELL'S VIREO, plus some more minor highlights like Field Sparrow and Northern Cardinal.
I am sure that I missed stuff in the above report, but the essentials are there. The sheer number of birds this fall is fabulous, with decent numbers of Western Tans, a few Laz Buntings, and tons of Townsend's Warblers all the way to the e. CO border. Wilson's Warblers are present in crazy numbers (at least c/w last fall). Just fabulous passerine birding.
Today I went with Elena Klaver to Jackson and then Prewitt. At Jackson, we found a PHILADELPHIA VIREO -- first at the visitor center, and then later about 100-200 meters further up the road. It was hanging with a couple Warbling Vireos and a RED-EYED VIREO. There was also an AMERICAN REDSTART right by the entrance. We had 5 RB Nuthatches (new arrivals, or at least missed by me in past visits) by the visitor center In one tangle of Russian Olives, Elena found a LE Owl. The flats held naught rare other than spectacular numbers of a wide variety of shorebirds + pelicans, etc.
Near the Inlet Canal, in the woods to the west, we found a vocalizing INTERIOR WESTERN WB NUTHATCH. Methinks we are in for nice flux of montane birds downhill.
At Prewitt, we decided to head to the Logan County access as that is where the deep water is, and I've been hankering for Sabine's Gull. Well, no Sabine's, but on the shore just right of the ladder up to the dam there were 2 juv RUDDY TURNSTONES, later seen by Joey Kellner and others. A Taiga Merlin also buzzed about, passing into both counties. Walking all the way from Logan to Washington, we saw relatively few birds, but did have a female BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER (in Washington County). Lastly, a dozen Forsteroid Terns loafed on the far side of of the water near the dam (Logan). When we returned, 4 were flying about, with dark carpal bars and nice dark on primaries labeling them as COMMON TERNS.
Good Birding
Steven Mlodinow
Longmont CO
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