[cobirds] Shorebirds in San Miguel County (Monday evening)

Hello Colorado Birders:

Yesterday evening I ventured out in hopes of adding Common Nighthawk to my San Miguel County list. My Bull-bat search came up empty but I scored a decent number of duck and shorebird species given the limited habitat in this part of the state.

The first place I searched was a series of three farm ponds on the east side of county road 44Z, just north of highway 145, on the east side of Norwood. I inadvertently interrupted an adult Peregrine Falcon consuming a prey item. It flew off to another fencepost and resumed its meal. A Solitary Sandpiper was working the muddy edge of the southernmost pond and a Wilson's Snipe tried to hide in the vegetation lining the northernmost pond. A fine mix of swallows were swirling just above the surface of the central pond.  A Pied-billed Grebe has been occupying the central pond for quite some time. I have never witnessed a Pied-billed Grebe in sustained flight so whenever I see one on a tiny pond like that I become more and more convinced that they have an elaborate tunnel system connecting bodies of water across North America. The complete checklist (photos) can be viewed at: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39006062

Racing the sinking sun, I made a beeline for Miramonte Reservoir. While the waterfowl numbers have not built up just yet, the increased duck diversity (nine species) from a month ago was notable. A flock of eight American Avocets were huddled together in the NW corner and I finally caught up to the previous reported Baird's Sandpipers(2) at the south end. The complete checklist (photos) can be viewed at: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39010634

Good birding,

Eric

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Eric Hynes

Telluride, CO

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Field Guides Birding Tours

www.fieldguides.com

http://fieldguides.com/guides/eric-hynes

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