Re: [cobirds] Grace's Warbler (and another curiosity), Spanish Peaks SWA (Las Animas County)

Eric and all,

On Sunday, June 9, I also encountered a singing Grace's Warbler in Spanish Peaks SWA on my Cokedale breeding bird survey route. The bird I heard was just south of the SWA headquarters buildings, no more than a mile northeast of Eric's bird. Given the fast-paced BBS protocol, I couldn't hang around to get a view of the bird, but it was singing relatively high in nearby ponderosa pines.

I suspect the limited number of Grace's Warbler eBird records for Las Animas County is somewhat related to the lack of birder-coverage in the portions of the county where this species could breed. I am aware of a handful of other records of Grace's Warbler in the vicinity of the Cokedale and Ludlow BBS routes, and would be curious to hear any reports from others who visit (or have visited) this beautiful, bird-filled pocket of our state.

In addition to the Grace's Warbler, I also found one Black Phoebe, one Eastern Phoebe (singing), and a small group of Band-tailed Pigeons at different points along the Cokedale BBS route. No Callipepla quail for me.

Thanks for sharing your observations, Eric!

Tyler Stuart

Colorado Springs, CO

On Wed, Jun 12, 2019 at 2:53 PM Eric DeFonso <bay.wren@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi folks,

At the end of my very birdy survey this morning, I encountered a singing Grace's Warbler at the parking area of the Spanish Peaks SWA "Beebe" trailhead, which is about 16 miles up various county roads from the CO 12 turnoff, and about 22 miles total NW from Trinidad. It was singing consistently, and although moving around quite a bit, it never strayed far from the perimeter of ponderosa pines encircling the vale where the parking area was. I imagine not many readers here will make the effort to chase down this bird due to its remoteness, but I put it out there for anyone looking to add GRWA to their Las Animas county lists. (There are very few county records on eBird for it, although one of them is from the person who did the survey last year that I just did. This may be a reliable regular location for it.)

On another curious note, during my survey I heard a distinct call from a Callipepla quail, and what I am certain was a Gambel's Quail, shortly after 5 am at the very start of my survey. If you are curious to read more of the details of this encounter as well as my thoughts on it, you can read my comments in my eBird checklist for it. Feel free to contact me backchannel (i.e., not on CoBirds) if you have thoughts or questions about this record.

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S57322300

Good birding,

Eric

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Eric DeFonso
near Lyons, Boulder County, CO

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