[cobirds] El Paso County Birds today

4 of us took one of our favorite El Paso Co loops today: Big Johnson Reservoir (conditions were terse), Squirrel Creek Rd (and pond/reservoir), Chico Basin Ranch (pond at HQ).

 

Highlights were:

 

·         2 Peregrine Falcons

·         3 Great Horned Owl nests with young in or nearby each of them

·         Bonaparte’s Gull (Big J)

·         Swainson’s Hawks copulating on fence post; 3 different morphs of Swainson’s Hawks seen. Dark chocolate, rufous, and standard.

·         7 species of swallow all in one county in Colorado on same day. Not bad.

·         Cassin’s Kingbird out on Squirrel Creek Rd.

 

Jeff J Jones

(jjones@jonestc.com)

Teller County - 8500' - Montane Woodlands

 

 

Species: 63 - Subspecies: 0 - Forms: 63

Total Records: 63

 

 

BUNTINGS, SPARROWS AND ALLIES - 3

Spotted Towhee                

Vesper Sparrow                

White-crowned Sparrow         

 

CROWS, JAYS, AND MAGPIES - 2

Black-billed Magpie           

Common Raven                  

 

DUCKS, GEESE, AND WATERFOWL - 11

Canada Goose                  

Gadwall                       

American Wigeon               

Blue-winged Teal              

Northern Shoveler             

Canvasback                    

Ring-necked Duck              

Lesser Scaup                  

Bufflehead                    

Red-breasted Merganser        

Ruddy Duck                    

 

FALCONS AND CARACARAS - 2

American Kestrel              

Peregrine Falcon              

 

GREBES - 4

Pied-billed Grebe             

Horned Grebe                  

Eared Grebe                   

Western Grebe                 

 

GULLS, TERNS, AND SKIMMERS - 4

Bonaparte's Gull               

Franklin's Gull               

Ring-billed Gull              

Forster's Tern                

 

HAWKS, EAGLES, AND KITES - 2

Swainson's Hawk               

Red-tailed Hawk               

 

HERONS, EGRETS, AND BITTERNS - 1

Great Blue Heron              

 

LARKS - 1

Horned Lark                   

 

MOCKINGBIRDS AND THRASHERS - 1

Curve-billed Thrasher         

 

NEW WORLD QUAIL - 1

Scaled Quail                  

 

OLD WORLD SPARROWS - 1

House Sparrow                 

 

OWLS - 2

Great Horned Owl              

Burrowing Owl                 

 

PIGEONS AND DOVES - 3

Rock Pigeon                   

Eurasian Collared-Dove        

Mourning Dove                 

 

PLOVERS AND LAPWINGS - 1

Killdeer                      

 

RAILS, GALLINULES, AND COOTS - 2

Sora                          

American Coot                 

 

SANDPIPERS AND ALLIES - 3

Spotted Sandpiper             

Willet                        

Wilson's Phalarope            

 

SHRIKES - 1

Loggerhead Shrike             

 

STARLINGS - 1

European Starling             

 

SWALLOWS - 6

Tree Swallow                  

Violet-green Swallow          

Northern Rough-winged Swallow 

Bank Swallow                  

Cliff Swallow                 

Barn Swallow                  

 

THRUSHES AND ALLIES - 4

Western Bluebird              

Mountain Bluebird             

Hermit Thrush                 

American Robin                

 

TROUPIALS AND ALLIES - 4

Red-winged Blackbird          

Western Meadowlark            

Yellow-headed Blackbird       

Brewer's Blackbird            

 

TYRANT FLYCATCHERS - 2

Say's Phoebe                  

Cassin's Kingbird             

 

WOODPECKERS - 1

Ladder-backed Woodpecker      

 

Birder's Diary - www.BirdersDiary.com - 5/1/2016