[cobirds] SE Colorado birds 10/4-5

Chris Knight and I spent the weekend birding around SE Colorado.  We ended up with 120 species of birds I think.  Warm sunny days, not always good for too many migrants.

We birded mostly in Otero, Bent, Prowers, and a little in Kiowa Counties.

Here's a recap.

October 4th:

Otero County:

Rocky Ford SWA (quick walk around the ponds close the first parking lot).

Spotted Towhee - 2 

Pine Siskins flying over

Lake Holbrook, east of Rocky Ford.

Western and Clark's Grebes still with fuzzy young

Snowy Egret - 2

Osprey - 1

Sandhill Cranes flying over

Sanderling - 1

Northern Mockingbird - 1

Lake Cheraw.

Black-bellied Plover - 1

Snowy Plover - 3

Semipalmated Plover - 6

Pectoral Sandpiper - 4

Wilson's Phalarope - 5

Chestnut-collared Longspur - few flying around

East of Cheraw (the Howdy Road, locals know what I'm talking about).

Western Kingbird - 1

Mountain Bluebird - 2

Bent County:

Fort Lyon Wildlife Easement area (Roads HH & 16)/

Red-naped Sapsucker - 1

Western Scrub-Jay - 2

John Martin Reservoir.

Lots of birds, most too far, since you pretty much need a high clearance vehicle to get to the birds. We walked about a mile, to the eastern part of the mud flats, so we could at least see some of the closer shorebirds.

Stilt Sandpipers - lots

Sabine's Gull - 1 juvenile

Black Tern - 2

Rock Wren - 1

Hasty Campground.

Northern Parula - 1 with Yellow-rumped Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets

Melody Tempel Grove.

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1

Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1

Hermit Thrush - 3

Wilson's Warbler - 1

White-throated Sparrow - 1

Kiowa County:

Neenoshe locust grove.

Say's Phoebe - 1

Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned Warblers

Prowers County:

Lamar Community College grove.

Chimney Swifts flying over

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1

Red-naped Sapsucker - 1

Least Flycatcher - 1

Plumbeous Vireo - 1

"Eastern" White-breasted Nuthatch - 1

Wilson's Warbler - 1

Harris's Sparrow - 1

Lamar at the Chek Inn parking lot:

Common Nighthawk - 20+ flying over before dusk, heading west/south

October 5:

Prowers County:

Fairmount Cemetery in Lamar.

Brown Creeper - 1

Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1

Pine Siskins

Lamar Community College grove.

Eastern Phoebe - 1

"Eastern" White-breasted Nuthatch - 1

Northern Cardinal - 1 male, 1 juv. male

Lesser Goldfinch - 1

not too birdy it didn't seem

Willow Creek Park in Lamar.

Red-naped Sapsucker - 1

Riverside Cemetery on Maple Street in Lamar.

quite birdy, though nothing too exciting

Bent County:

Melody Tempel Grove.

same birds as yesterday, except no Red-bellied Woodpecker, and we added a Golden-crowned Kinglet

Hasty Campground.

pretty good flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers, no northern parula.

Red-naped Sapsucker - 1

"Eastern" White-breasted Nuthatch - 1

CASSIN's FINCH - 1

Otero County:

Lake Cheraw.

less shorebirds around, nothing of note

Cheraw the town:

Blue Grosbeak - 1

Lake Holbrook.

Osprey - 1

Long-billed Curlew - 3

Spotted Sandpiper - 1

Brandon Percival
Pueblo West, CO