RE: [cobirds] Wash Park Warbler Flock

Okay, Charles and Joe—here is the challenge you were afraid of.  What’s the tree!  As Dave Leatherman preaches to us, if you know 600 bird species by call note and secondary coverts, you can at least learn 6 tree species. 

 

Hackberry might be the most important of them all. http://forestry.about.com/od/hardwoods/ss/hackberry.htm

 

I rely on the bumpy bark, the berries and the presence of the those all-important galls on the leaves.  (My other five are cottonwood, oak, ponderosa pine, aspen and blue spruce ;>).  Does Washington Park have a nipple gall psyllid outbreak going on?  If so look for two weeks of great birds!

 

Bill Kaempfer

Boulder

 

From: cobirds@googlegroups.com [mailto:cobirds@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Charles Thornton-Kolbe
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2012 5:34 PM
To: CoBirds Posting CoBirds
Cc: Nina Day
Subject: [cobirds] Wash Park Warbler Flock

 

This is the most fun fall warbler birding I have had in a long time.  I could hardly find any reason to come home, I was having so much fun.

 

Thanks to Joe Roller for finding this flock.

 

I got over there at 3:15 today, and heard the birds as soon as I got out of the car.  I parked on the east side of the small parking lot on the north side of Grasmere Lake.  The flocked moved to the east of the parking lot to the trees around the covered picnic table(s) to the east of  where I parked.   

 

If you start in the tree at the northeast corner of the lake (between the well cultivated flower garden and the lawn bowling area which is fenced in) and go east for about 40 to 60 yards (and search trees about 20 yards either side of this line) you may find the flock.  Joe did mentioned the flock was moving along the east shore.  I again found them in trees around (1) the lawn bowling area, (2) just to the south of the garden area, (3) the trees on the northeast corner of the lake.

 

This is some real eye-candy.  I think maybe 30 or 40 birds, and maybe about 1/2 to 3/4 Yellow-rump Warblers and Orange-crowned Warblers.  A good number of Townsend's Warblers (maybe 6 to 10 individuals but hard to say), and then a few Wilson's Warblers (maybe about a half dozen and seemingly fewer than the Townsend's).   Then after much patience you will see the Chestnut-sided Warbler (first fall female).  She is pretty plain looking, but you will see the yellowish wing bars and white belly. 

 

We are all hoping this flock stays in for a few more days.

 

Best Wishes and Good Birding Always:  Charles Thornton-Kolbe

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.