[cobirds] Re: Two missing birds for CO.

Gary,

I went birding at Brainard & Long Lakes Saturday in the Indian Peaks Wilderness with David Dowell's group (excellent trip!), and we had no trouble finding Gray Jays and Clark's Nutcrackers despite (because?) lots of people on the trails. Brainard Lake is not far south of Rocky, but maybe a bit lower. The Ruby-crowned Kinglets were having a fit, plenty of red crests showing, chasing the much bigger Gray Jays. Why? My guess is that the Gray Jays were busy trying to eat the kinglets' eggs and hatchlings. 

I saw very little beetle kill there, everything healthy and lush. Maybe that means more seed crop for the Nutcrackers, compared to Rocky.

We found three or more Three-toed Woodpeckers, one confiding one perched right near the asphalt road north side of the Brainard lake. They seemed to like the snags and insects at Brainard & Long Lakes, but no fire damage visible. 

Side note: four male moose with big racks lounging in the willows southwest corner of Brainard.

Tom Wilberding

Boulder, CO

On Monday, July 14, 2014 8:03:34 PM UTC-6, Gary Brower wrote:

All,

A different take on this thread.

I spent the weekend in RMNP, and saw no/zero/nada/zip Gray Jays or Clark's Nutcrackers.  I talked a volunteer at Lake Irene; she had noticed the same thing.  And I spoke with a ranger at Kawuneeche Visitor Center who had the same report.  

Any thoughts?  (The ranger suspected it was because the snow melted so late.)

Gary Brower
Englewood, CO

PS        By the way, I did see two WTPT's (perhaps male and female, as they were in pretty close proximity to one another) at the Rock Cut on Trail Ridge Rd, and a female-on-the-nest Broad-tailed Hummer at Lily Lake.

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