[cobirds] Grandview Cemetery (Fort Collins, Larimer) on 10/18

At beautiful Grandview Cemetery today in Fort Collins, there was a first fall female BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER feeding steadily on adult hackberry psyllids in the e-w hackberry tree row along the ditch in the northwest corner.  The tree it favored most is about the 5th tree from the absolute nw corner of the cemetery and is directly south of the City Park Liquor store just across LaPorte Avenue.  At certain angles and in certain light, this bird appears all yellow-headed, with little to no smudginess in the auriculars.  When it is high in a tree, which it often was, the yellow vent area is difficult to discern.  In other words, it looks a lot like the Last Chance Hermit Warbler.  Or a first fall female Golden-cheeked.  But under the influence of something other than adrenalin, and in better light and at closer distances, an observer is able to see differences: greener, unstriped back; slight eyeline behind the eye; yellow top of the head; fairly prominent flank stripes; and, yes, the broad yellow wash across the vent.  The bird infrequently gives a dry, metallic chip note.  It goes to other trees, including other hackberries and non-hackberries (Green Ash, Siberian Elm and American Elm), but at least this afternoon, kept coming back to its favorite Northern Hackberry.  Rachel Hopper and I saw the bird foraging actively in a Siberian Elm next to its favorite hackberry.  I got a net and swept thru the foliage, thinking the bird might be getting elm flea weevils.  Besides one house fly and a few small midges, all I found in the net were many adult hackberry psyllids.  The adult psyllids overwinter in bark crevices.  It matters not which kind of tree they choose for their hunkering over the next 6 months, as long as it has nooks and crannies. 

Other birds of interest at GC today:
Lincoln's Sparrow (in grass along the ditch north of the entrance, which is at the west terminus of Mountain Avenue)
White-crowned Sparrow (1 first-winter, believe it or not this is a FOY at Grandview for me this year - apparently the understory is too groomed)
American Crow (two big groups of about 25 each flew over, both n to s)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (1, in hackberry)
White-breasted Nuthatch (at least 5, one of which sounded and looked "eastern")

[no Golden-crowned Kinglet (yet)]

Great Horned Owl was a no-show (apparently now that the leaves have mostly fallen from its big fall roost tree (the champion Thornless Honeylocust in the southeast corner) it has moved elsewhere (which in past late falls/winters has been the interior of a monster Colorado Blue Spruce)  

Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins