[cobirds] Northwestern Slant

It’s been fun watching all of the reports of typically northwestern species showing up in Colorado this year – feels a bit like I’m back in North Idaho.  Multiple Varied Thrushes, Mew Gull, more Red-necked Grebes than I can remember, and Bill’s interesting Fox Sparrow (not a full “Sooty”, but definitely from the “Red”/”Sooty” interface somewhere in that direction).  Our current mix of DARK-EYED JUNCOs in southwest Denver (Athmar Park Neighborhood; Denver Co.) includes at least one beautiful male “Cassiar”, a male “Slate-colored” which is darker and greyer than the typical blue-gray individuals we usually get here (much more like our North Idaho birds), and one “Tweener” that I’d call a “Cassiar”/”Slate-colored” (no hint of brown or orange indicating “Oregon” genes), so they seemed too have hitched a ride on that Northwestern train too.  While I’m not holding my breath for one of our Chestnut-backed Chickadees to show up, it does seem like we have a Northwestern slant in progress, and with weather coming in from that direction, who knows, maybe Eurasian Widgeon, Anna’s Hummingbird, “Black” Merlin, Pacific Wren, Golden-crowned Sparrow, …?  While many of these are a stretch, who’d a thunk two (2) Frigatebirds this year, and it is still 2020 after all, so eyes peeled.

 

While likely not disembarking from the Northwestern train, but still fun, was a nice immature HARRIS’ SPARROW at our feeders in SW Denver today (Weds., 18 Nov.’20).  Guess they are from north of here, so sticking with the story.

 

Good (NW) Birding,

Doug

Denver

 

18 November 2020  Athmar Park Neighborhood, SW Denver, Denver Co.

Canada Goose – 10

Mallard – 4

Rock Pigeon – 20

Eurasian Collard-Dove – 4

Ring-billed Gull – 3

Red-tailed Hawk – 1 imm

Downy Woodpecker – 1m

Northern Flicker – 3 “Red-shafted”

Blue Jay – 4

American Crow – 10

Black-capped Chickadee – 6

Mountain Chickadee – 2

Red-breasted Nuthatch – 1

European Starling – 5

Townsend’s Solitare – 2

American Robin – 3

House Sparrow – 7

House Finch – 5

Dark-eyed Junco – 2m 1f “Slate-colored” (one dark grey male)

-        1m “Cassiar”

-        1m “Tweener” (Cassiar / Slate-colored)

-        5 “Oregon”

-        3 “Pink-sided”

-        1 “Gray-headed”

HARRIS’S SPARROW – 1 imm

Spotted Towhee – 1m

Red-winged Blackbird - 10