Crow Valley Campground was very slow yesterday.
Highlights:
Cassin's Vireo (1)
Willow Flycatcher (3 first-fall) Since I also had three together the other day at Van's Grove, makes me wonder if it is common for this species to migrate in family groups.
Willow Flycatcher, first-fall (brown wingbars), I think the same individual in all three pics, nw corner of campground near Group Shelter.
ID features: biggish empid, essentially lacking eyering (thin one visible at close range), short primary extension (helpful when certain views makes one think this large empid might be a pewee which has a much more pronounced primary extension), somewhat rear-crested in certain views (rather round-crowned in others), big wide tail with whitish outer retrices, only utterance was "whit" (unlike pewee), lower mandible extensively yellow in certain views (annoyingly dark in others suggesting Dusky/Hammonds), throat white (see middle pic), back either olive or tan depending on lighting (compare left pic with right pic). I suppose voice would be best distinguishing feature from Alder, besides the fact there were three individuals which would constitute nearly a seasonal tally for the entire eastern plains if Alder.
Red-headed Woodpecker (1 imm.), out north along Mourning Dove Trail
Townsend's Solitaire (1, early for this species at low elevation (by about 2 weeks?)), in area of Main Picnic Shelter
Wilson's Warbler (at least 6, only warbler species)
Two birders from the Netherlands! I would imagine after their visit yesterday they wondered why Crow Valley is listed in the guide books as a mecca for birds. In three hours, I think I had a total of 53 individual birds. Had these visitors only known, they could have gone over to nearby Briggsdale and padded their total with an equal number of House Sparrows and broken the century mark.
FYI, there is a pretty nice playa with shorebirds and ducks a few miles north of Crow Valley on the east side of CR77. The big playa that had extensive water this spring a mile or so w of Grover on the s side of CR122 is completely dried up. I tried to visit A&B #1 Reservoir on CR124 a few miles w of CR77 and was discouraged from such folly by the steady parade of dusty tanker truck traffic.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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