Migration has been picking up this week at Clear Spring Ranch banding, with several days having captured 30+ birds (considered a very good day here).
With that in mind I scoped the moon face the last two nights before it got high in the sky. The best night I saw about 30 birds/hour crossing its face (about 845 pm).
I also checked out the Birdcast forecasts the last couple nights. We were forecast for medium to high activity here, especially last night it appeared migration numbers were building over SE Colorado as the evening progressed.
This morning, pre-dawn, I checked again - and it looked like there had been a large wave of migration activity, especially in the early morning hours overnight. I went to the ranch with high, but guarded hopes! (There was also a forecast for strong winds this morning - which is no good for net work.)
At dawn it was cool, calm, and thickly overcast. (Woo-hoo!), and it all came together today.
130 birds netted this morning.
85 Chipping Sparrows (I can't band all of them, though),
3 Clay-colored Sparrows
10 Lark Sparrows
14 Yellow Warblers
4 Wilson's Warblers
along with several Com Yellowthroat, Willow Flycatcher, Gray Catbird, YB Chat, House Wren, Lazuli Bunting, and Black-headed Grosbeak.
But the most unexpected arrival was by a large flock of Kingbirds around 930(!). As I walked under them high in the tree, I came around the corner and saw down my net lanes about 50 birds of mixed species in the nets at the same time. Whew!
26 Westerns (I banded 6 - 5 juv without bright crests 4 m, 1f, 1 second-year male with 3-4 bright crown feathers, and a heavily molting wing),
and 3 Easterns arriving with them (one juv female banded).
I have never seen such a large flock of kingbirds arriving all together like that - even during spring migration along the Gulf Coast.
29 at the same time was pretty cool.
Looks like it will be hot for the next several days - but today was a kick.
Happy Migration,
Steve Brown
Colo Spgs
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