Thursday 31 January 2019

[cobirds] Yellow-bellied Sapsucker seen at Grandview Cemetery, Fort Collins (Larimer) on 31Jan2019

The continuing young male was seen about 2pm today in the Austrian pine that has been its favorite for the last few weeks.  This tree is in the grove of Austrian pines and spruce just out on City Park 9 golf course about midway along the cemetery's southern border road that runs east-west.  This grove is about 50 yards east of the portapotty that sits on the side of the fareway.  The double-trunked pine the sapsucker favors is just east of the big security light pole.  Its most recent patches of sap wells are about 70% up the trunk.  It is VERY wary, almost always stays on the side opposite you.  Birders get lucky when the bird responds to golfers, moves around to the opposite side from them, which is the cemetery side where we are.  I guess I'm saying find the tree, stay back in the shadows midway between the portapotty and the light pole, be patient, and hope groups of golfers come down the fareway.  Check out any bird that leaves the section of trunk described above, as the sapsucker likes to go hide in the big cottonwood with the flicker box that is east of the pine-spruce grove.  Most of the time, this bird has been silent, which definitely hampers detection.

The screech-owl seen of late north of the old stone office was not out today.

Seen soaring high over the golf course today were both an adult Bald Eagle and a juvenile Golden Eagle.

Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins

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