cobirds colorado rare bird: April 2013

Tuesday, 30 April 2013

[cobirds] Marston Reservoir, Denver county

At Marston reservoir in Denver County on April 28, I saw the following :
2, alternate, Common Loons, all four common Grebes [no Red-necked Grebe], 10 Redheads, 8 Lesser Scaup, 1, Greater Scaup, 1, Franklin's Gull, 1, Willet, 1, Greater Yellowlegs, 1, second year Bald Eagle terrorizing Gulls, 3, Common Goldeneye, 15 Hooded Merganser, 1, Cinnamon Teal, 5 Green-winged Teal, 24 Northern Shoveler, 21 American Wigeon, 24 Gadwall, many Double-crested Cormorant and Great Blue Heron, Violet-green Swallow, Barn, Cliff and Tree Swallows, and 6, Say's Phoebe. Some of the more obvious water birds I did not mention.

On April 30th, at Marston Reservoir, all of the above were seen except the 2 Shorebirds and the Bald Eagle. On April 30th new birds seen were 6, Lesser Canada Geese joined by a Snow Goose.

The lake is way high.

Happy Birding !!
Tina Jones
Littleton, Jefferson County, CO.

Re: [cobirds] More on the Karval Mountain Plover Festival - Lincoln County

Thanks for everyone's response the the fox question! Swift fox it is!
Deb Carstensen , Littleton

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 30, 2013, at 7:19 PM, Seth Gallagher <Seth.Gallagher@rmbo.org> wrote:

> Deb:
> The critter we saw was indeed a Swift Fox, Kit Fox are pretty scarce and native to the west slope of Colorado.....thanks for coming out!
>
> Seth Gallagher
> Fort Collins, CO
>
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[cobirds] RMBO Banding Station Report, CHAT, 4/30/13

Still slow, but at least there were a few warblers/migrants around. But most of our activity today involved catching White-crowned Sparrows and House Finches from the feeder nets. Here’s today’s breakdown:

Black-capped Chickadee 2

Orange-crowned Warbler 2

Virginia’s Warbler 2

Green-tailed Towhee 1

Song Sparrow 1

Lincoln’s Sparrow 2

White-crowned Sparrow, Gambel’s 4

House Finch 5 new, 1 banded 5/11/10

As I mentioned in an earlier e-mail, we have already made the decision to CLOSE tomorrow, Wed, May 1. Hoping this storm doesn’t do too much damage to our plants, that are finally starting to leaf out……..

Meredith McBurney

Biologist/Bander

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory

303-329-8091

Celebrating 25 Years of Bird and Habitat Conservation

[cobirds] Chico Today

CO Birders :

Aiken Audubon visited Chico Basin Ranch ( fee area ) today and found signs of migrant activity around HQ but not at the banding station. Highlights around HQ were Nashville , Virginia' ,Wilson's and Orange-crowned Warblers , Brown Thrasher and Green-tailed Towee . The banding station and Casita was slow , the best observing the capture of a Long-eared Owl , 6 of which have been around for the last two weeks. Western Kingbirds , Northern Mockingbirds are back too. We had no luck with Burrowing Owls or Mountain Plover , a complete change from Saturday where I had both , Burrowing Owls in double digits. Shorebirds were limited to a single Spotted Sandpiper , Lesser Yellowlegs and 4 Long-billed Dowitcher.Still good numbers of waterfowl.

John Drummond

Monument

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[cobirds] Fox + Golden-crowned Sparrow - Red Rocks - Jeffco

Before 7 A.M. this morning the Lincoln's Sparrow, Slate-colored Fox Sparrow, and the Golden-crowned Sparrow appeared at the feeders behind the Red Rocks Trading Post in that order. Still have some Dark-eyed Juncos including Oregon, Pink-sided, Slate-colored and Gray headed. With the storm coming, I'm confident these birds will all remain through the end of the week.

Mike Henwood
Morrison
Jefferson County

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[cobirds] El Paso County: Leucistic Eurasian Collared Dove

Another awesome bird in our yard! (never thought I'd say that about a dove.)

A Leucistic Eurasian Collared Dove was hanging around for about an hour.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93843744@N06/

Aaron Driscoll

Colorado Springs

[cobirds] Gull ID Question - Cherry Creek SP, CO - Arapahoe County

I saw a gull today off of the bird observatory platform that I am not sure of the ID.

Definitely larger than the Ring-billed Gulls it was near, and it seemed larger than the California Gulls that were farther off along the shore. It didn't see quite big enough to be a Herring, but size can be deceiving.

I have three sad little pictures here if anyone wants to give me their thoughts. I'm going to keep my thoughts of Juvenile Thayer's to myself so I don't sound overly stupid.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/8697829456/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/8697829310/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/8696707103/in/photostream

John Breitsch

Denver, Colorado

http://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/

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[cobirds] Lamar (Prowers) on 30April2013

A warm day with some dust and wind in the AM, hot and calmer winds in the PM.

HIGHLIGHTS

Fairmount Cemetery:
Scaled Quail (2 in lawn across Memorial Drive nw of cemetery entrance)
Black-and-white Warbler (1f on the move, off to the southeast and out of sight)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1f)
Dark-eyed Junco (4 gray-headed)
Hackberries about 100 yards se of entrance are a hotspot at present

Jane Stulp's farmyard about 5 miles south of the south end of Lamar (private):
Ash-throated Flycatcher (found by Jane earlier)
MacGillivray's Warbler (found by Jane earlier)
Harris's Sparrow (1 beautiful breeding plumage bird, found by Jane earlier)
Yellow Warbler (2, found by Jane earlier)
Wilson's Warbler (2, found by Jane earlier)
large assortment of common sparrows including Savannah's, Brewer's, and Lincoln's)

Lamar Community College Woods:
MacGillivray's Warbler (2m)
Nashville Warbler (1m "eastern", feeding high in cottonwoods just n of Library Feeder area)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (2 young m)
White-eyed Vireo (1, in currant/salt cedar thicket s of Library Feeder area)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (2)
White-throated Sparrow (1a)
Carolina Wren (heard, roams around but frequents the extreme north end)
Northern Cardinal (1 pair)
Indigo Bunting (1m)
Green-tailed Towhee (1)
Brewer's Sparrow (several)
Chimney Swift (several overhead)

Riverside Cemetery:
Dark-eyed Junco (1 gray-headed)
Not much else but hackberries in sw corner worth checking during any visit, and the big White Poplars along the north edge by the ditch will be more attractive by the day.

Total of 125 species seen within about a 5-mile radius of downtown Lamar since 4/22 (David Chartier's Hudsonian Godwit would be 126).

Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins

[cobirds] Before the storm, Walden - Sawhills, Boulder

Cobirds:

A brief just before we get plastered again by more snow. Stopped at Walden Ponds in Boulder. Everything is feeding close to or on the ground. There is a sense of desperation for the insectivores as they try to get every scrap of fat and protein, before dark. Most of this seen at Cottonwood Marsh and Duck Pond.

Glossy ibis - has returned with a white faced ibis. Great study of both birds 20 feet from the boardwalk.

White faced ibis - a flock of 15 more came in, feed, and then left

American white pelican - 12 huddled out on a rocky spit, bills all tucked in for the night

Double crested cormorant - 2 hanging out with the pelicans

Great yellowlegs - 4

Lesser yellowlegs - 2

Long billed dowitcher - a group of 8 foraging over on Duck Pond

Solitary sandpiper - 1 - still hanging out at Duck Pond

Wilson's snipe - 4

Killdeer - 3 - numbers have dropped off

All three species of teal are still here

Audubon's warbler - swarms coming through - feeding like crazy

Myrtle warbler - more swarms

Female yellow rumps have arrived

Yellow warbler - 2 breeding plumage males, frantically searching for insects on dried willow branches

House wren - present

Eastern kingbird - 1 at the parking lot

Swarms of swallows over cottonwood marsh including: barn, violet-green, tree, and northern rough winged

Bald eagle - flying over and terrifying the ducks

From this last weekend:

Broad tailed hummingbirds have returned to Estes and Lyons

Golden eagle nest is active at Lyons Meadow Park in the cliff face

Great horned owl chicks are coming off the nests in droves, while others in higher mountain regions are still on nests

Melanistic fox squirrel present in Lyons

Tracks of black bear, mountain lion, elk, mule deer, coyote, fox ssp, in lower foothills (Boulder County)

Wild turkey and barn owl seen at Sandstone Ranch - Weld County

Chorus frogs singing for over a month now

Western painted turtles are out, but now back in with the cold front moving in.

Reports of snakes from other hikers.

Wildflowers are scant - two weeks late from last year. It'll be better in two weeks.

Get your snow gear back out. John T (Tumasonis) of Louisville CO

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Re: [cobirds] More on the Karval Mountain Plover Festival - Lincoln County

Deb:
The critter we saw was indeed a Swift Fox, Kit Fox are pretty scarce and native to the west slope of Colorado.....thanks for coming out!

Seth Gallagher
Fort Collins, CO

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[cobirds] Las animas county FOS birds

Just saw FOS:

Western Tanager

Lazuli Bunting(yard bird)

Vireo sp. this am(singing only)

This weekend's returnees included:

Black-chinned hummingbird

Broad-tailed hummingbird

Black-headed grosbeak

Violet-green swallow

Barn swallow

Also white-crowned sparrows, mourning doves, common grackles arrived last week. Still lots of pine siskins and evening grosbeaks at the feeders.

Paul Tennery

Valdez, Las Animas county, CO

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 30, 2013, at 5:41 PM, "Brandon K. Percival" <bkpercival@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hi all,

Since it wasn't windy this morning, I decided to check out Pueblo City Park hoping for a Hermit Warbler, since one of the two that have been seen in Pueblo, was seen on this date (though there was a snow storm involved, so maybe tomorrow will be better). The best birding was along the Frisbee Golf Course creek, on the west side of the park. I quickly saw two Virginia's Warblers, two Orange-crowned Warblers, quite a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, a male Wilson's Warbler, a male Lazuli Bunting, and a male Bullock's Oriole. The rest of the park, was a bit more quiet, though I saw 40 or more Chipping Sparrows. Both Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, Bushtits, Mountain Chickadees, and Pine Siskins were present as well.

Pearle and Clif, and I went over to check the Arkansas River, below Pueblo Reservoir dam, and saw hundreds of Wilson's Phalaropes, though not much else.

In Rock Canyon, at the Osprey Picnic Area, there were two Cassin's Kingbirds singing loudly, and quiet a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and one Orange-crowned Warbler.

On the way back to Pueblo West, I stopped at Sailboard launching area, and there were a flock of large shorebirds, both Marbled Godwits and Willets were present.

Brandon Percival
Pueblo West, CO

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[cobirds] Boulder Common Redpoll, etc.

This evening I saw and photographed a male Common Redpoll in my yard. Other interesting birds here today:
Broad-tailed Hummingbird, at least 2 male and 2 female (I may have had only one male for the past week until today)
Western Scrub-Jay, 1 (infrequent yard bird)
Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1
Chipping Sparrow, 1 today, 2 yesterday
Lazuli Bunting, 2 male
Cassin's Finch, 10 (more than I've been getting)
Pine Siskin, 10 (more than I've been getting)
Lesser Goldfinch, 1 male "green-backed" (Without checking, I'm pretty sure this is earlier than usual for my yard)

And, my usual foothills species. I suspect the next couple of days in the state could be interesting.

David Waltman
6,000 feet, 1/2 way between Boulder and Lyons

[cobirds] BelMar Snowy Egret, Avocets and Solitary Sandpiper

A definite Snowy Egret at Kountze Lake (Bel Mar) this evening-- full yellow feet, shaggy crest, yellow lores, hunkered-forward foraging position.

Also in the NE corner of the lake, three breeding plumage Am. Avocets, and one Solitary Sandpiper foraging the shoreline near the footbridge.

Bob Shade mentions earlier that the Snowy he saw joined a second small white heron-- I circumnavigated the lake and checked both small ponds adjoining, but never saw another white heron (2 black-crowned night herons and one 1st yr Great Blue). So one wonders about that second bird, though one assumes another Snowy.

Dave Cameron

Denver

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[cobirds] Pueblo birding 30 April

Hi all,

Since it wasn't windy this morning, I decided to check out Pueblo City Park hoping for a Hermit Warbler, since one of the two that have been seen in Pueblo, was seen on this date (though there was a snow storm involved, so maybe tomorrow will be better). The best birding was along the Frisbee Golf Course creek, on the west side of the park. I quickly saw two Virginia's Warblers, two Orange-crowned Warblers, quite a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, a male Wilson's Warbler, a male Lazuli Bunting, and a male Bullock's Oriole. The rest of the park, was a bit more quiet, though I saw 40 or more Chipping Sparrows. Both Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, Bushtits, Mountain Chickadees, and Pine Siskins were present as well.

Pearle and Clif, and I went over to check the Arkansas River, below Pueblo Reservoir dam, and saw hundreds of Wilson's Phalaropes, though not much else.

In Rock Canyon, at the Osprey Picnic Area, there were two Cassin's Kingbirds singing loudly, and quiet a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and one Orange-crowned Warbler.

On the way back to Pueblo West, I stopped at Sailboard launching area, and there were a flock of large shorebirds, both Marbled Godwits and Willets were present.

Brandon Percival

Pueblo West, CO

[cobirds] Chatfield Banding Station CLOSED tomorrow, Wed, May 1

Just an FYI – Based on all the weather predictions about snow, rain, cold, and worse, and given that our school groups have already cancelled, we are NOT going to be open tomorrow. Looking forward to better weather and birds on Thursday……

Meredith McBurney

Biologist/Bander

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory

303-329-8091

Celebrating 25 Years of Bird and Habitat Conservation

[cobirds] Whimbrels - Barr Lake State Park (Adams County) and others

Found 5 Whimbrels on 4/29/13 out in the fields east of the visitor's
center parking lot at Barr Lake State Park. Also had 13 new year
birds, including House Wrens, Chipping Sparrows, Tree Swallow, Spotted
Towhee, Yellow-rumped Warblers (Both Audubon's, Myrtle, and even a few
Audubon's x Myrtle), Burrowing Owls, Vesper Sparrows, Western
Kingbirds, and lifer Savannah Sparrow.

Also note I've seen 6 Willets in the past week at Warren Lake in Fort
Collins and have had a Caspian Tern multiple days sitting out on
Kechter Ponds in Southern Fort Collins (off of Strauss Cabin Rd.,
scope needed).

Austin Hess
Fort Collins, Colorado

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[cobirds] Rosita deck birds

A quick trip to our cabin in Rosita (Custer Co., 9000 ft) yielded an interesting array of birds for the short time we were there. I filled the feeder and within a couple of minutes had pygmy nuthatches, white br. nuthatches, and mountain chickadees trying to crowd each other out. Later, pine siskins and juncos (pink-sided, grey-headed and Oregon) arrived. About suppertime, a flock of evening grosbeaks (20-30) passed through, pretty much emptying the feeder, and just before we left, a couple of Cassin's finches sampled our offering of sunflower seeds. Other birds seen from the deck: hairy woodpecker, northern flicker, common raven, turkey vulture.

Jim Mariner
Colorado Springs

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Re: [cobirds] More on the Karval Mountain Plover Festival - Lincoln County

You mentioned seeing a swift fox on our trip in Karvall, but I thought they said it was a kit fox. It seems like both could fit the animal we saw, does anyone know for sure which one it was?
Deb Carstensen, Littleton
Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 30, 2013, at 7:35 AM, KevyGudGuy@aol.com wrote:

Hello Fellow Birders,

I just want to embellish Seth Gallagher's report on the Karval Mountain Plover Festival with an account of the effort that went into finding the plovers this year. Typically we see plovers during the Friday evening tour, they're often quite approachable via the big yellow school bus and give us great looks. However, this year the Friday night tour failed to discover any plovers in the usual haunts. Saturday dawned with folks anxious to catch a glimpse of the Ghosts of the Prairie and we were certain we'd see a few on our way to the Brett Grey Ranch (TNC property) about 20 miles west of Karval. As the morning wore on the false alarms triggered by horned larks and killdeer seemed to exacerbate the situation, and the entire morning trip failed to turn up even a single plover. By noon the festival sponsors were getting quite nervous; folks had traveled from faraway places like Maryland and Canada, and even the distant country of Texas!, to see Mountain Plovers. Where were they? Much hypothesizing was done; were they not back from their wintering grounds yet? Had the drought opened up so much more bare ground that they were dramatically more dispersed? Had we all gone blind? Regardless of the reason, we simply hadn't seen any. So right after lunch the Karval Community Alliance in the form of Jeff Thornton, and Doctor Vicky Dreitz, director of the plover research project at Karval, set out on an expanding square search of Lincoln County to find the elusive birds while we tourists enjoyed our visits to various properties to discover the many other birds (and Swift Fox!) in the vicinity. Around 5pm Jeff called our bus driver to announce they had conjured up three plovers, so off we went across country (it's amazing where those folks will take a big yellow bus). Finally, there they were! The late afternoon light shown brightly off their breasts, giving us great looks. One male worked on a scrape and performed both aggression and courtship displays for us (actually for the other male and the female, but we enjoyed them, too). Though we were famished and there was a great chuckwagon dinner awaiting us in Karval, we were loathe to leave them. After all, without the plovers it is most probable none of us would have ever heard of Karval, met it's amazing people or experienced it's wonderful community. And an 87-species list for a short weekend ain't bad, either.

Karval - it's great for birding.

Keep Smilin',

Kevin Corwin

west Centennial

Arapahoe county

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[cobirds] RFI: Black Swifts at Hanging Lake

I would like to head up to Hanging Lake to see the Black Swifts. Anyone have an idea if they'll be around soon or if they are already back or the best time of the summer to see them?

Evonne Schroeder

Littleton, CO

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[cobirds] Huerfano County Update: Broad-winged Hawks, Northern Goshawk

Was not able to post yesterday as the internet was down all day and into the wee hours of this morning.

On Saturday afternoon we saw a mature Northern Goshawk flying at Spanish Peaks Wilderness Area

Through this morning we have added first of the season Western Kingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Western Wood-Peewee, Lazuli Bunting, Bullock's Oriole, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Black-chinned and Broad-tailed Hummningbird, Tennessee Warbler (finally a different warbler) and copulating Mountain Bluebirds...they have no shame...right out there on the power line!

It would appear we have broken our drought on both Virginia's Warbler and Broad-winged Hawks for Huerfano County. Saw our first of each on Rouse Road on Sunday...saw two more Virginia's Warblers at Lathrop State Park this morning! Now am just hoping for major snow to break the real drought!

Is it a particularly good year for Broad-winged Hawks in Colorado? Had never see one before this year and now have two in three days in Huerfano County...now if one would just come to my backyard...

There are so many Evening Grosbeaks in the yard right now...it feels like an invasion.

Polly Wren and Paul Neldner

La Veta, CO

[cobirds] No Little Egret at Belmar (Jefferson)

I ran into Jim Schmoker and his wife at Belmar, and I joined them in studying a small white heron, but alas, it looked like a perfect Snowy Egret to us. No head plumes, just the usual fluffy crest. Bright yellow lores and yellow feet, all black legs. No feeding activity observed. At about 11:00 AM the bird suddenly flew off to the west and joined another small white heron. Both flew north and out of sight.

Bob Shade, Lakewood

[cobirds] Western Grebe/Eared Grebe, Grand County

Spent four days birding in Grand Country for my birthday. Driving from Fraser, just before Granby, we stopped at a small pond with a sign "Edgewater". It appears to be a private drive back from the pond. The pond is small so the birds were close for photographing. A nice stop at the start of our day.

5 Western Grebe
2 Eared Grebe
Red-winged Blackbird
Canada Goose
Praire Falcon
Osprey
Bald Eagle adult
Bald Eagle 2nd year

Jennifer Hope Hyypio
May your winds be strong and your thermals high.

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[cobirds] Larimer County: Bullock's Oriole

This morning I had my FOS Bullock's Oriole (male) in a tree top at the North Shields Pond Natural Area in Fort Collins. Other migrants of interest were a male Common Yellowthroat, a few Brown-headed Cowbirds, Orange-crowned Warbler, Say's Phoebe, and plenty of Yellow-rumped Warblers (both Myrtle and Audubon's).

Regards,

Kevin Keirn

Fort Collins, CO

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[cobirds] no white Egret at Rice's Pond at 9a Tue. :(

no white Egret at Rice's Pond at 9a Tue. :(
Dave

From: JJones@JonesTC.com
To: r-hopper@comcast.net; cobirds@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: [cobirds] Little Egret ID
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:24:28 -0600

Excellent ID info from both Ira and Rachel.

Let me respond based on what I saw, or did not see in this case.

· At 120 yards, and not expecting anything other than snowy or cattle egret for this size; bill-size did not stand out to me nor do I remember noting anything unusual about it.

· Also, behavior is probably of no help, as this bird was perched on a snag and intermittently preening; not actively feeding.

· The bird in question was facing me, so I had no look at the color of the back of the legs. Yellow feet definitely stood out against the black legs; but as to where the yellow started or stopped on the feet would have been hard to tell at that distance with binos.

Of course, if Little Egret had been on my radar (especially with the possible significance of 2 plumes) I would have made a much grander effort – or any effort for that matter other than simply dismissing it as a Snowy. Still kicking myself. I am reminded now of an email, years ago, from Tony Leukering – I think – about how all should be on the lookout for those birds not yet reported here, but possible for showing up. He wondered just how many such rare finds have all too often been dismissed as similar-looking commonly-found Colorado birds.

I had really expected some news from Belmar Lake this morning. I suppose at least someone went to check this out? Did anyone ever hear back from "DirectionerBirder" that reported this at Belmar?

I also think it is reasonable to assume that IF, this is the same bird that I saw at Fountain Creek on Sunday, AND it was seen at Belmar Park on Monday; perhaps folks from Denver and further north should definitely be on the lookout and carefully scrutinizing all white egrets.

Thanks to all for chiming in and providing good clues for ID.

Jeff J Jones

(jjones@jonestc.com)

Teller County - 8500' - Montane Woodlands

From: cobirds@googlegroups.com [mailto:cobirds@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Rachel Hopper
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 8:05 AM
To: cobirds@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: [cobirds] Little Egret ID

Leg and foot color are the most helpful marks with solid black legs and the absence of yellow stripe running up the back of the tarsus. The yellow on the feet is largely restricted to the toes. In addition the lores are paler than the iris.

Here is an excellent article on the separation of Little Egret from Snowy Egret: http://www.oceanwanderers.com/LTEGRT.html

Check here for a photograph (taken by me) of the first breeding record of Little Egret in Barbados: http://www.pbase.com/hopko/image/106617954

-------------------

Rachel Hopper

Ft. Collins, CO

[cobirds] Boulder County: leucistic Sandhill Crane and Franklin's Gull

A couple of sightings this weekend that reminded me to always think outside the box about birds:

Sat. AM 4/27/13 - a large and lone circling bird, not vocalizing, on the former gravel pit turned open space at US 36 and S Boulder Creek. Pale colored with dark wing tips, trailing legs, outstretched neck and straight beak ruled out Ibis and Heron species. It looked like a Whooping Crane more than anything else- but how could this be? Thanks to the Skunk Canyon birders this morning for solving the puzzle with their suggestion of a leucistic Sandhill Crane. An internet photo search showed the range of coloring of such birds so a good match.

Mon. AM 4/29/13 - doing my Burrowing Owl survey (no owls spotted) out on county open space grasslands/ag property north of Broomfield off Dillon Rd. A couple of good-sized birds flapped over the prairie dog colony -- my brain started through the list of local raptors, then one let out a raucous call that required rapid mental recalibration to the gull part of the bird book. Black heads, pale breast, grey wings with black tips and a brilliant orange beak enabled us to recognize a pair of Franklin's Gulls. The rest of our sightings were more typical prairie species: Horned Lark, Say's Phoebe, and abundant Western Meadowlarks among the highlights.

- Sandra Laursen, Boulder County

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[cobirds] Eared Grebes & Cowbird / S. Platte Res

On the 'new' reservoir this morning, several Eared Grebes, and one nearby Brown-headed Cowbird.

A White-crowned Sparrow at the feeders in my backyard Sat and Sun.

Many Tree Swallows fighting over nest boxes at Chatfield Sat. Also Yellow-rumps (Myrtle), Western Grebes, 1 Osprey, 2 Red-tails, 2 TVs.

Dave Cameron

Denver

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[cobirds] Additional Little vs Snowy Egret comments

I will disagree with Rachel on some ID points. I have seen Little Egrets in full breeding plumage with completely yellow feet and extending above the ankle a short ways up the tarsus very similar to Snowy. I have also seen some in nonbreeding plumage or not full breeding plumage with plumes that have yellow extending up the back of the tarsus. This is depicted in Sibley. I have also seen Little Egrets with yellow lores in full breeding. Snowy can have nearly completely black or completely black legs. I have found photos online with this link depicting that. http://www.pbase.com/dadas115/image/113268028

This link shows a Little with extensive yellow feet. http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/little-egret-photo-18164.html

What this all means is how VERY dificult the ID is unless you have them side by side. For acceptance of Little Egret in Colorado, very good photos to my way of thinking would be an absolute necessity.

Norm Erthal

Arvada, CO

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[cobirds] white-cr sparrow Centennial/Arapahoe

Last night just after 10 PM I heard an occasional white-cr sparrow (I
believe) passing over. This night music was in comparison with the
soundless sky the three previous nights. So..today I have one, and one
only, white-cr sparrow (my FOS)on the ground at the base of my feeders.
Still, few birds here today. We have had an "out-migration" the past few
days.

Karl Stecher
Centennial near Colorado Blvd and Orchard

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[cobirds] NO EGRET (Cattle, that is)

Just biked around City Park in Denver and found no sign of the Cattle Egret that was here yesterday. Of course, that doesn't mean it's not around.

Naturally, I was rewarded for my efforts with a few new year birds for my Denver County list: a grackle-attacking Cooper's Hawk, a White-breasted Nuthatch, and a Hairy Woodpecker.

Bonaparte's Gulls and Greater White-fronted Goose continue. Yellow-rumped Warblers finally around.

Chris Rurik

Denver, CO

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RE: [cobirds] Little Egret ID

Oh! Sorry – I missed that distinction Norm. To be clear, I saw two plumes off the top of the head.

Jeff J Jones

(jjones@jonestc.com)

Teller County - 8500' - Montane Woodlands

From: nerthal@comcast.net [mailto:nerthal@comcast.net]
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 8:23 AM
To: Ira Sanders
Cc: jjones@jonestc.com; cobirds@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [cobirds] Little Egret ID

Back plumes are not what matter. It is the plumes off the top of the head that do. These are only present in full breeding plumage. The color of the lores is very critical. I agree with Ira about the MA bird. It is ditinctive but easier to judge when in comparison to a nearby snowy.

Norm

One field mark not yet mentioned is the size of the bill. After seeing a Little Egret in MA late last year, and paying more attn to this difference than I did when seeing Little Egret in other places in the world, I'd say the larger bill is a noticeable field mark. There is also a difference in behavior as pointed out in Nat Geo and this was evident in the bird in MA.

Ira Sanders

Golden, CO

From: cobirds@googlegroups.com [mailto:cobirds@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Jeff J Jones
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 7:41 AM
To: nerthal@comcast.net; cobirds@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: [cobirds] Little Egret ID

Hi Norm,

Thanks for chiming in. I have no experience with Little Egrets, having never seen one.

I do want to ask however about the discussion of back plumes. All I have to go on are the field guides (Natl Geo 6^th Ed, Sibley, among others). It seems to me that in reviewing these texts, they make a point (and the pictures show it) that in breeding plumage the 2-3 plumes of the Little Egret far exceed anything we might see on the Snowy at any time of year. And they seem quite distinctive in the drawings. And match precisely my memory of what I saw on Sunday.

Is your comment ("Discussion of back plumes is not very helpful") meant to apply generally or at all times of the year? If one sees these distinctive plumes on a white egret, to the same degree as shown in both of the above mentioned field guides for a breeding Little Egret, is that still not enough to go on? I am just wondering if your comment was meant for times when the plumes were not distinctive and in high-breeding, or if the plumes are truly of no assistance in ID'ng a bird even in this case.

I have seen, as I am sure many folks here have, hundreds of Snowy's over the years, and I don't think I have ever seen any sporting 2-3 distinctive long plumes; even in high-breeding plumage. Have you (or anyone) ever seen a Snowy Egret with 2-3 very distinct and long plumes? Perhaps this is common and I just don't know about it.

Thanks for educating us.

Jeff J Jones

(jjones@jonestc.com)

Teller County - 8500' - Montane Woodlands

From: cobirds@googlegroups.com [mailto:cobirds@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Norm Erthal
Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 10:31 PM
To: cobirds@googlegroups.com
Subject: [cobirds] Little Egret ID

I have seen hundreds of little egrets in several countries. This includes in Trinidad and Tobago where there was one in breeding plumage with snowys present. The id is not readily apparent. Discussion of back plumes is not very helpful. They are not significantly different than on snowy. Black legs and yellow feet are of course no use as this is a primary field mark for snowy. Without a photograph, calling an egret with the field marks mentioned would lead me to say that it is a snowy.

Norm Erthal

Arvada

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RE: [cobirds] Little Egret ID

Excellent ID info from both Ira and Rachel.

Let me respond based on what I saw, or did not see in this case.

· At 120 yards, and not expecting anything other than snowy or cattle egret for this size; bill-size did not stand out to me nor do I remember noting anything unusual about it.

· Also, behavior is probably of no help, as this bird was perched on a snag and intermittently preening; not actively feeding.

I had really expected some news from Belmar Lake this morning. I suppose at least someone went to check this out? Did anyone ever hear back from “DirectionerBirder” that reported this at Belmar?

Thanks to all for chiming in and providing good clues for ID.

Jeff J Jones

(jjones@jonestc.com)

Teller County - 8500' - Montane Woodlands

Here is an excellent article on the separation of Little Egret from Snowy Egret: http://www.oceanwanderers.com/LTEGRT.html

Check here for a photograph (taken by me) of the first breeding record of Little Egret in Barbados: http://www.pbase.com/hopko/image/106617954

-------------------

Rachel Hopper

Ft. Collins, CO

Re: [cobirds] Little Egret ID

Norm

Ira Sanders

Golden, CO

Hi Norm,

Thanks for chiming in. I have no experience with Little Egrets, having never seen one.

Thanks for educating us.

Jeff J Jones

(jjones@jonestc.com)

Teller County - 8500' - Montane Woodlands

Norm Erthal

Arvada

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[cobirds] More re Little Egret ID

Hi all

For anyone interested in how to separate a vagrant Little Egret from our Snowy Egrets, a great resource is David Sibley’s web page on the subject

http://www.sibleyguides.com/bird-info/little-egret/finding-and-identifying-a-little-egret-among-snowy-egrets/

last updated August 2012

best wishes

Dick Filby

Carbondale CO

RE: [cobirds] Little Egret ID

Here is an excellent article on the separation of Little Egret from Snowy Egret: http://www.oceanwanderers.com/LTEGRT.html

Check here for a photograph (taken by me) of the first breeding record of Little Egret in Barbados: http://www.pbase.com/hopko/image/106617954

-------------------

Rachel Hopper

Ft. Collins, CO

RE: [cobirds] Little Egret ID

Ira Sanders

Golden, CO

Hi Norm,

Thanks for chiming in. I have no experience with Little Egrets, having never seen one.

Is your comment (“Discussion of back plumes is not very helpful”) meant to apply generally or at all times of the year? If one sees these distinctive plumes on a white egret, to the same degree as shown in both of the above mentioned field guides for a breeding Little Egret, is that still not enough to go on? I am just wondering if your comment was meant for times when the plumes were not distinctive and in high-breeding, or if the plumes are truly of no assistance in ID’ng a bird even in this case.

I have seen, as I am sure many folks here have, hundreds of Snowy’s over the years, and I don’t think I have ever seen any sporting 2-3 distinctive long plumes; even in high-breeding plumage. Have you (or anyone) ever seen a Snowy Egret with 2-3 very distinct and long plumes? Perhaps this is common and I just don’t know about it.

Thanks for educating us.

Jeff J Jones

(jjones@jonestc.com)

Teller County - 8500' - Montane Woodlands

Norm Erthal

Arvada

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