Hey, all.
Fri., Feb. 4. Lamar Community College woods, Prowers Co. 1 lesser goldfinch, at least 4 northern cardinals (incl. 3 males).
Sat., Feb. 5. John Martin Reservoir, Bent Co. Another frigid morning. Spectacular was a mass ascension of common mergansers lifting off a polynya over the span of 10 minutes--at least 3,000 birds, perhaps up to 5,000. Also a flock of exactly 52 American tree sparrows + 2 Harris sparrows.
Sat., Feb. 5. McClave United Methodist Church, Bent Co. 1 beautiful adult female "prairie" merlin.
Sat., Feb. 5. Downtown Lamar, Prowers Co., at nightfall. 130+ great-tailed grackles flying south toward a night roost.
Sun., Feb. 6. Lamar Community College, Prowers Co. A fun flock of 30+ scaled quail.
Sun., Feb. 6. Higbee Valley Road, Otero Co. Overcast with a bit of graupel, but signs of spring abounded. We saw at least 75 mountain bluebirds on VisMig; all were on a northerly bearing. Also 2 eastern bluebirds. And an early (or overwintering?) sage thrasher. And a golden eagle flying straight north, also perhaps a migrant. Residents included 4 Woodhouse scrub-jays and 9 canyon towhees.
Sun., Feb. 6. Vogel Canyon, Otero Co. Continued VisMig of mountain bluebirds, with another 30. Another sage thrasher, a Townsend solitaire, and 3 loggerhead shrikes.
Sun, Feb. 6. Near(ish) Karval, Lincoln Co. 2 Chihuahuan ravens.
Thanks to Hannah and Elena, to Travis Walker and Anna Mangan and others, for a fun if somewhat Siberian weekend!
Ted Floyd
Lafayette, Boulder Co.
-- Hannah Floyd and I sojourned down to Lamar, Prowers Co., & environs, for a long weekend with the High Plains Snow Goose Festival. Here's our belated report:
Thurs., Feb. 3. Elbert & Lincoln Cos. What's up with all the rough-legged hawks along I-70 and US-287? It's, like, borderline impossible, in my experience to find one west of I-25 in the northern Front Range metro region, yet they're common as dirt once you're on I-70 east of Denver. Tastier voles?
Thurs., Feb. 3. Kit Carson, Cheyenne Co. Temp was down to 10 degrees Fahrenheit when we pulled in at sundown. Found Elena Klaver and 40 wild turkeys.
Fri., Feb. 4. The Black Hole (Two Buttes SWA below the dam), Baca Co. Frigid but beautiful; temp around 0 degrees Fahrenheit, bright sunshine. Highlight was a ≥50% eastern towhee; don't think it was entirely "pure," though. Also some flyover snow geese and decent VisMig of mountain bluebirds (40+); plus a ferruginous hawk on a mound and 4 canyon wrens bebopping about the rimrocks. On the drive out, had marvelous studies of Lapland longspurs right along the road. And a porpentine.
Thurs., Feb. 3. Elbert & Lincoln Cos. What's up with all the rough-legged hawks along I-70 and US-287? It's, like, borderline impossible, in my experience to find one west of I-25 in the northern Front Range metro region, yet they're common as dirt once you're on I-70 east of Denver. Tastier voles?
Thurs., Feb. 3. Kit Carson, Cheyenne Co. Temp was down to 10 degrees Fahrenheit when we pulled in at sundown. Found Elena Klaver and 40 wild turkeys.
Fri., Feb. 4. The Black Hole (Two Buttes SWA below the dam), Baca Co. Frigid but beautiful; temp around 0 degrees Fahrenheit, bright sunshine. Highlight was a ≥50% eastern towhee; don't think it was entirely "pure," though. Also some flyover snow geese and decent VisMig of mountain bluebirds (40+); plus a ferruginous hawk on a mound and 4 canyon wrens bebopping about the rimrocks. On the drive out, had marvelous studies of Lapland longspurs right along the road. And a porpentine.
Fri., Feb. 4. Lamar Community College woods, Prowers Co. 1 lesser goldfinch, at least 4 northern cardinals (incl. 3 males).
Sat., Feb. 5. John Martin Reservoir, Bent Co. Another frigid morning. Spectacular was a mass ascension of common mergansers lifting off a polynya over the span of 10 minutes--at least 3,000 birds, perhaps up to 5,000. Also a flock of exactly 52 American tree sparrows + 2 Harris sparrows.
Sat., Feb. 5. McClave United Methodist Church, Bent Co. 1 beautiful adult female "prairie" merlin.
Sat., Feb. 5. Downtown Lamar, Prowers Co., at nightfall. 130+ great-tailed grackles flying south toward a night roost.
Sun., Feb. 6. Lamar Community College, Prowers Co. A fun flock of 30+ scaled quail.
Sun., Feb. 6. Higbee Valley Road, Otero Co. Overcast with a bit of graupel, but signs of spring abounded. We saw at least 75 mountain bluebirds on VisMig; all were on a northerly bearing. Also 2 eastern bluebirds. And an early (or overwintering?) sage thrasher. And a golden eagle flying straight north, also perhaps a migrant. Residents included 4 Woodhouse scrub-jays and 9 canyon towhees.
Sun., Feb. 6. Vogel Canyon, Otero Co. Continued VisMig of mountain bluebirds, with another 30. Another sage thrasher, a Townsend solitaire, and 3 loggerhead shrikes.
Sun, Feb. 6. Near(ish) Karval, Lincoln Co. 2 Chihuahuan ravens.
Thanks to Hannah and Elena, to Travis Walker and Anna Mangan and others, for a fun if somewhat Siberian weekend!
Ted Floyd
Lafayette, Boulder Co.
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