Unexpected time off and beautiful weather provided another opportunity to enjoy migration on the plains. Orange-Crowed Warblers were widespread, seen during every stop. Yellow-Rumped Warblers were seen during most stops, sometimes in small numbers, sometimes in very large numbers. Chipping and Clay-Colored sparrows continue, joined more recently by the White-Crowned Sparrows.
-- At Prewitt Reservoir (Washington County) on Oct 1, the inlet canal was running like a river, and water already covers what had been the shorebird habit in August and September. The birds were in their more typical cool season locations: many passerines below the dam, gulls where the inlet canal enters the lake, and hardly any passerines upstream along the inlet canal. Highlights included an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and a Common Tern near the inlet canal and two FIELD SPARROWS below the dam.
Flagler SWA (Kit Carson County) was still fairly birdy, particularly near the picnic area on the east side and below the dam. The most interesting birds I could find were a late Hammond's Flycatcher, a late Lazuli Bunting, and a probable Broad-Winged Hawk.
I started yesterday morning (Oct 2) at the Lamar Community College woods (Prowers County). The situation was much like that described by Dave Leatherman in mid September, with warblers and hummingbirds particularly concentrated at the north end in and near the willows. Bird numbers are decreasing, as expected I photographed three hummingbirds, all immature/female types. Field marks for two looked good for Black-Chinned, and the third appeared to be a RUBY-THROATED (green crown, darker mask, shorter bill, thinner and straighter wing tips). Among the many Orange-Crowned and Wilson's Warblers were two NASHVILLE WARBLERS.
The rest stop just east of Holly (Prowers County) was fairly birdy. As was the case throughout the region, it was also very buggy, more summer-like. Two YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS were the highlight at the rest area.
During the eastern Colorado tour, I checked several cemeteries with pine trees for goodies such as pine warblers but didn't find any. At the Burlington cemetery (Kit Carson County), I flushed an unidentified nightjar sp.
The most interesting birds found while driving were (1) a Lewis's Woodpecker on a pole near Bristol (Prowers County) and (2) an early Rough-Legged Hawk seen from I-70 near Byers (Arapahoe County).
David Dowell
Longmont, CO
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