Cheers,
Tom Wilberding
Boulder, CO
On Sunday, November 25, 2012 6:44:03 PM UTC-7, Dave Leatherman wrote:
--I did my Poudre River circuit today in eastern Fort Collins (Larimer), starting at the Prospect/Sharp Point intersection just west of the river, traveling se thru the Prospect Ponds NA to the pond s of the Environmental Learning Center parking lot, backtracking along the bike trail to the spillway over the Poudre (about 200 yards north of the ELC suspension bridge), crossing north over the river into Cottonwood Hollow/Running Deer NAs, north thru Cottonwood Hollow NA, then further north on the bike trail under Prospect, then w along Prospect over the river again to the starting point (probably about 3-4 miles total).
Highlights:
Brewer's Blackbird (at least 20) in the trees and picking over rocks in the diminished Poudre River bed well south of the feedlot at the north end of Sharp Point Drive (southeast part of Prospect Ponds NA, east of the middle pond). I looked thru all these birds carefully for Rusty Blackbirds but no luck. I have seen Rusties in this same exact spot in years past.
Brown Creeper (2) working cottonwood trunks, usually in the loose company of both species of chickadees
SWAMP SPARROW (2) - In my experience this species is pretty unusual in the Fort Collins area, especially now that many of the wet spots are low or dry. Ted Floyd's recent one-day total near Boulder is nearly equal to my life total for Larimer County. That said, I will admit many more exist, particularly at this time of year, than get detected. Both birds today were along a little ditch with running water south-southeast of the information kiosk at Cottonwood Hollow Natural Area (best accessed from a parking lot on the south side of Prospect a half mile east of the Poudre River). This kiosk overlooks (to the west) what used to be Artist's Point Pond (now dried up and mostly grass and weeds). In the extreme southeast corner of Artist's Point "Pond" is a little culvert which carries a small, but significant flow of water east under the wide trail where it feeds into a n-s ditch. From the point where this directed water coming out of Artist's Point Pond joins the ditch to the east, one Swamp Sparrow was 50 yards north, one was 100 yards south. Both were located by their characteristic chip note (which to my ear sounds like a staccato Native American flute note - that is, a lot more musical or "hollow" than, say, a Song Sparrow chip). I would call both individuals "immature".
Perhaps a few thousand white-cheeked geese at Prospect Ponds NA, then seen flying east over Running Deer NA, Canadas comprising maybe 70%. I did not really check out the Cacklings for unusual subspecies.
I walked around the building forming the Industrial Park w of Sharp Point Drive and was surprised to find out the number of swan decoys is actually 4, not 2, as previously reported over the past few years. I still wrestle with the ID of these beauties, but the rounded border of the upper bill/forehead is strongly suggestive of Tundra. They are showing wear along their waterlines, and surely will be retired to storage soon. [As we've all recently learned, humor is as tough to detect and ID as Swamp Sparrows and swans. DO NOT chase or feed these swans. As indicated, they are DECOYS.]
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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