Monday 30 December 2019

[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Monday, December 30, 2019

Date: Monday, December 30, 2019
Compiler: Allison Hilf;   ahilf @me.com
Phone: 303.888.5110

 

Birders have been helpful by reporting updates to COBIRDS. Thanks!
CAPITAL LETTERS denote very rare species, as listed by the Colorado Bird Records Committee at the CFO website.
(*) indicates new information on a species.
For more information on birds seen today, go to cobirds.org and scroll to the bottom for "Recent eBird Sightings."

 

Rare, out-of-place and out-of-season species include:

BRANT (*Jefferson)
White-winged Scoter (Douglas/Jefferson)
Long-tailed Duck continues to be seen in multiple counties. You can search with eBird's "Explorer" menu in your preferred county for any recent sightings.
Red-necked Grebe (Douglas/Jefferson)
Dunlin (*Mesa)
Great Black-backed Gull (Pueblo)
Pacific Loon (Arapahoe, *Douglas/Jefferson)
YELLOW-BILLED LOON (*Arapahoe)
SNOWY OWL (Logan)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Boulder, Larimer)
GYRFALCON (Larimer)
PACIFIC WREN (Fremont, *Jefferson)
Black Rosy-Finch (w/mixed Rosy-Finch flock) (Fremont)
Golden-crowned Sparrow (*Mesa)
Rusty Blackbird (Garfield)
Wilson's Warbler (Mesa)


 ARAPAHOE COUNTY:
—On Dec 29 a YELLOW-BILLED LOON was reported at Aurora Reservoir by Steve Mlodinow.  This might be the same bird first reported Nov 8 at Cherry Creek SP, then at Aurora Reservoir in early Dec.
—On Dec 26 a Pacific Loon was reported at Aurora Reservoir by Cynthia Kristensen.  

BOULDER COUNTY:
—On Dec 27 a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was reported In pines along Old Tale Road south of Arapahoe, about halfway to McSorley Lane.  First reported on Dec 15 by Nathan Pieplow.

DOUGLAS /JEFFERSON COUNTIES (CHATFIELD SP RESERVOIR):
—On Dec 29 a Pacific Loon was reported at Chatfield SP N Boat Ramp area; previously reported from the Handicapped Fisherman's Platform. First reported on Dec 8 by Joey Kellner.
—On Dec 27 a White-winged Scoter was reported at Chatfield SP Marina Sandspit; preciously seen from the N Boat Ramp and  Handicapped Fisherman's Platform.  First reported on Nov 29 by Joey Keller.
—On Dec 26 a Red-necked Grebe was reported at Chatfield SP N Boat Ramp area; previously seen from the Handicapped Fisherman's Platform. First reported on Dec 21 by Al Guarente.

FREMONT COUNTY:
—On Dec 27  thirty-six Black Rosy-Finches were reported at Royal Gorge Park-Nature Center by Joel Adams.  Also observed in the same flock were two Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches and a Brown-capped Rosy-Finch.
—On Dec 26 a PACIFIC WREN was reported at the Canyon City Riverwalk -Sell Lake to Raynolds Ave.  First reported on Dec 21 by Brandon Percival..

GARFIELD COUNTY:
—On Dec 28 four Rusty Blackbirds were reported in Carbondale at Delany Nature Park, in the ditches with running water.  First reported Dec 21 by Jason Gregg.

JEFFERSON COUNTY:
—On Dec 29 a PACIFIC WREN was reported at Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood.  It was observed along Bear Creek WSW of Whitetail Picnic area, where trail from parking lot meets creek.  First reported by Chris Wood on Dec 22. This is a first County Record for this species.  Note, this location requires a fee via Daily or Annual Pass (Not covered by State Park Pass).
—On Dec 29 a BRANT was reported at Lake Arbor.  First reported by Amy Cervene on Dec 20.

LARIMER COUNTY:
—On Dec 27 two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were reported in Fort Collins at Grandview Cemetery by Dave Leatherman. One appears to be a young male and was last observed in an ash just south of the Trolley House.  The Trolley House is the westernmost building on the south side of Mountain Avenue just east of the cemetery entrance.  There is an east-west row of 10 or so Scots Pines that runs from the sw corner of the building w toward the golf course.  It seems the bird spends a lot of time in those pines and retreats out into deciduous trees on the golf course (between the Trolley House and the softball fields to the south).  Today the bird flew out of the pines into the ash, where it stayed motionless in one spot in the upper crown just soaking up the sun.  This bird was first reported by Dave Leatherman on Dec 23.

The other Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was a male observed midway along the south edge of the cemetery in an elm.  It was seen by Joshua Smith at approx. the same time Dave Leatherman saw the other one, hence we are now confident there are currently 2 different Yellow-bellied Sapsucker's at Grandview Cemetery.  This male bird is probably the same adult male reported by Fawn Simmons on FC CBC, Dec 14 and seen periodically in the cemetery since mid November.

—On Dec 26 a Gyrfalcon was observed near the Larimer County Landfill in SW Fort Collins. First reported by Robert Beauchamp on Nov 3.  This is the same location a Gyrfalcon spent much of last winter.  Please post updates to COBirds.

LOGAN COUNTY:
—On Dec 23 a SNOWY OWL was reported at North Sterling State Park by CO Parks & Wildlife.  There was a SNOWY OWL found in the same park by Kathy Mihm Dunning in 2011.  Pictures indicate the current owl sighting appears to be near the same location as the one in 2011.

MESA COUNTY:
—On Dec 29 a Golden-crowned Sparrow was reported at Grand Junction Wildlife Area.  First reported on Dec 28 by Mike Henwood.
—On Dec 29 a Dunlin was reported at Horsethief Canyon State Wildlife Area on the shoreline of a gravel bar on the Colorado River.  First reported Dec 28  by Douglas Diekman.
—On Dec 27 a Wilson's Warbler was reported at Grand Junction Wildlife Area, in willows along the Colorado River, by Mike Henwood.

 

PUEBLO COUNTY:
—A Great Black-backed Gull that has spent the last umpteen winters at Lake Pueblo (nicknamed "Murray") is here again.  See COBirds for most recent sighting.

 

It's Christmas Bird Count time across Colorado, between Dec 14 & Jan 5.

Please help out and sign up for one or more of these CBCs!
For a clickable map of Colorado's counts with registration/location details, go to https://audubon.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=ac275eeb01434cedb1c5dcd0fd3fc7b4

Upcoming Denver Field Ornithologists field trip (details at dfobirds.org)


Southwestern Metro Area
Monday, December 30
8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
David Suddjian (Email: dsuddjian@gmail.com; 831-713-8659)

Denver City Park (Denver County) 
Sunday, January 5
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Patrick O'Driscoll (Email: patodrisk@gmail.com; 303-885-6955)

Southwestern Metro Area
Tuesday, January 7
7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
David Suddjian (Email: dsuddjian@gmail.com; 831-713-8659) 


Good birding,
Allison Hilf, Aurora
ahilf @me.com
Phone: 303.888.5110

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