As posted earlier, in Longmont this morning I was able to see the Blackburnian Warbler found recently by Scott Severs and updated by David Dowell. It was where David described and where Joe's new eBird pin shows. I did NOT see a Palm at the site, but did see two Yellow-rumped Warblers. Given how the birds were moving around and how many similar trees exist in that subdivision south of Nelson e of Airport Road, no reason to doubt the Palm report. It seems like a great late autumn for Palm Warbler in CO (both races).
This situation in Longmont is almost identical to the Blackburnian Warbler episode in November 2011 in Greeley, the Bay-breasted Warbler episode in Boulder about this date in 2013 and the Twin Lakes (City of Boulder) episode with Nashville, an empid and another warbler (Northern Parula?) just before Thanksgiving 2015. The three common factors: November, pines (in these three cases mostly Austrian) and a particular aphid (which I believe is Eulachnus rileyi). I would wager this happens a LOT (late-moving warblers that find irrigated urban pines with an aphid food source to fuel their southward movements). Check out Brandon's report from Pueblo City Park today. Mark always finds things in the Denver Office Park. David Ely has his eye on Interlocken Business Park. What other subdivisions and building clusters landscaped heavily with pines have warblers today?
The photos to follow show the aphids the Boulder bay-breasted fed on at left and the aphids the Longmont warblers fed on this morning at right. Common name: the Powdery Pine Needle Aphid.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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