Cobirds:
Spring is here (or has been for some time if you go by the weather). Some observations:
Robins singing now in all suburban front range neighborhoods. House finches singing since February. Magpies are actively building nests. Male towhees are singing. Western meadowlark numbers are increasing, and songs have began.
In Rocky Mt. National Park yesterday:
At least 5 Three Toed Woodpeckers from Copeland Lake up to Ouzel Falls in the Wild Basin area. This is generally a good area for 3-toes, but they can be found throughout the park in mixed conifer \ aspen areas. The staccato drumming usually comes to a halt by late March, making them harder to find. I still consider this to be a common bird throughout Colorado. Much harder to find Williamson's and Red Napped sapsuckers.
Red crossbills at the Copeland Lake parking area - dozens. Also in Allenspark, and Myers Gulch in Boulder County - all good areas to find them.
Pygmy nuthatches, white breasted nuthatches, red breasted nuthatches, mountain chickadees, brown creepers (lots), American dippers, ravens, crows, stellar's jays, lots of robins (none singing), Townsends solitaires (singing) - all along Wild Basin Trail.
Wild Basin snow conditions above Calypso Cascades get arduous, with 3 feet of base, and post holing as the day warms up. I did make it to Ouzel lake without snowshoes.
I observed "snow fleas" (springtails) swarming in high snow areas above Ouzel falls. Snow fleas are nearly microscopic - about 1/10 the size of a grain of rice. I wondered if any birds ever take the time to feed on them (?)
Boulder, Lafayette, Louisville:
Pine Grosbeaks put in a appearance last weekend just below Bear Peak in Boulder Mt. Park. This is an uncommon sighting at this elevation - winter or no winter.
Clark's Nutcracker - in Boulder Mt. Park in February and March. Again, unusual. Although last year they put in an appearance every month of the year, including June, July, and August.
Bushtits have been in neighborhoods in Boulder, Louisville, and Lafayette, all winter long, including in Boulder Mt. Park
Killdeers showing up at Walden, Twin Lakes, and other ponds in Boulder County.
Red tail hawks mating and nest building is beginning all over Boulder and Weld counties. Seems a bit earlier than last year.
Lots of waterfowl showing up at Valmont Res, Sawhills, and Walden - good time to get out and enjoy them, before the lakes get topped off (shorelines are low).
Raccoons and skunks are now actively seeking mates and are getting massacred on roads; this phenomenon will increase into early April. I mention this as magpies, ravens and crows will swarm down to the fresh road kills to take their share of the protein - and many nearly get killed in the process.
Great horned owls - of the 31 nest sites I've monitored over the last 5 years, only a handful are present - a lot of the nest sites are blown out (hawks nests) and old tree limbs snapped off. Many of the owls have moved back on restricted parcels of open space or private land - making them harder to see. (If anyone have good observation points, let me know offline).
Flowers blooming (coincides with certain bird events): dandelion, cranesbill, bastard toadflax, Oregon grape (holly grape), and spring beauties.
Chorus frogs are singing in ditches and vernal ponds; and great blue herons are back out to get them.
Spring has sprung. Happy birding.
John T (Tumasonis) of Louisville CO
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/9679e9f7-a4b7-4527-975c-25fb865aec92%40googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
No comments:
Post a Comment