A Cassin's Kingbird was a highlight of my visit to Park County today. It was foraging along Tarryall Road (CR 77) 0.5 mile south of mile marker 32. That is: 32.5 miles south from Hwy 285 at Jefferson, or about 9 miles north from Hwy 24 near Lake George. It was where the road runs east-west for a short time, just west of a large rock outcrop near the road. I have some documentary iPhone digiscopes, and have added a couple below. This was my first Cassin's for Park County. Are there other county records?
-- This was my 4th Cassin's in the past week, and many others have been reported where they are noteworthy. Where are these sort of late Cassin's coming from? North or south? By the way, Cassin's Finches were at a few spots in this area along CR 77, including the nearby "town" of Tarryall.
My main goal of today's outing was to check the reservoirs. I covered Antero with good calm conditions early in the morning, but when I got to Eleven Mile Reservoir near 11 am there was a stiff breeze with white caps, Eleven Mile had few birds anyway, and none of note. I did not go to Spinney due to the wind.
Highlights at Antero were 2 Sabine's Gulls, 1 Great Egret, 1 Common Tern, 3 Forster's Terns, 2 Peregrine Falcons, and 1 Merlin. There were shorebirds, but they were all distant along the southwest shoreline. I think it is not possible to get close to that area, without - as was once suggested - wading through the water. It would be a long wade. However, with the good light, calm conditions and my 80x scope I was able to pick out 8 Black-bellied Plovers, 1 Golden-Plover sp., 5 Sanderlings, 1 Baird's Sandpiper, 55 dowitchers (likely all Long-billed Dowitcher), 10 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, and some peeps. The Black-bellied flock flew at times and I could see the fabulous black "armpits"; I tell you it was just like the CA coast. The Golden-Plover was among the Black-bellieds, and with some Killdeer. Too far for me to be sure which species, but I leaned to Pacific.
Antero's most numerous ducks were Ruddy (1520), Green-winged Teal (750), Gadwall (550). Other dabblers were Mallard, Nor. Pintail (130), American Wigeon, and Nor. Shoveler. Only small numbers of diving ducks so far. Besides the Ruddy Ducks were small numbers of Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck and Common Merganser. A lone male Bufflehead was a sign of things to come.
Some other migrants noted in Park today: Mourning Dove (1), Williamson's Sapsucker (1), Loggerhead Shrike (2), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (6), Mountain Bluebird (400), Western Bluebird (17), American Robin (22), Sage Thrasher (1), American Pipit (8), Audubon's Warbler (30), MacGillivray's Warbler (1, late, Tarryall River), Vesper Sparrow (19), Lincoln's Sparrow (3), Dark-eyed Junco (300), White-crowned Sparrow (19), Yellow-headed Blackbird (12).
David Suddjian
Ken Caryl Valley
Littleton, CO
Cassin's Kingbird, Tarryall Road, Park Co
Cassin's Kingbird, Tarryall Road, Park Co
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