Charles,
I enjoyed your summary of Las Animas Co. birding very much. I'll add, for the sake of a few more data points, that I've detected Grace's Warbler at the southern edge of Spanish Peaks SWA in two of the four years I've run the Cokedale BBS route. This route starts at Long Canyon in Trinidad Lake SP, continues through Burro Canyon, and ends a little north of Spanish Peaks SWA.
I have entered a couple years of my Cokedale BBS results into eBird, but it must not have been the Grace's Warbler years. I'll get to entering those one of these days…
Tyler Stuart
Colorado Springs, CO
On Wed, May 24, 2023 at 3:13 PM Charles Hundertmark <chundertmark8@gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks. Good info, Eric. It's challenging with multiple sources of bird data that don't interlock knowing exactly what the status of birds is in one area. eBird shows no previous GRWA records for Spanish Peaks SWA and flags the species as rare, yet it is obvious both from the number of birds we detected and the BCR records that there is a vibrant population there. Worth exploring more of those "sky islands".ChuckOn May 24, 2023, at 1:41 PM, Eric DeFonso <bay.wren@gmail.com> wrote:Chuck,So glad you found the Grace's Warblers at Spanish Peaks. For several years our IMBCR surveyors have found at least a couple singing there during or after surveys. They are always a treat.I suspect that many sufficiently large and good-quality ponderosa stands in that southern Sangre de Cristo "sky island" could have Grace's there. I've even had one once on the Costilla side.Eric-------Eric DeFonso
Boulder County, COOn Wed, May 24, 2023 at 12:43 PM Charles Hundertmark <chundertmark8@gmail.com> wrote:From May 20-23, Paul Slingsby and I, aka the Roving Oscines, birded a number of Las Animas County hotspots. Appropriately for our team name, we focused on bird song and sound, often using Merlin Sound ID to confirm identification and record sounds. It will take a few days to edit and post recordings and photos to eBird checklists, but I thought a few highlights would be worth reporting.
We found more breeding birds on territories than birds clearly migrating, providing excellent song recording opportunities. At Bosque del Oso State Wildlife Area, an under-birded gem, Dusky Flycatchers, Warbling Vireos, Gray Catbirds, Green-tailed Towhees, and three warbler species were among the singers. Capping a full morning spent there, however, was a nice number of Lewis's Woodpeckers.
In the town of Cokedale, dozens of Evening Grosbeaks were feeding on elm seeds.
At Riley Canyon (Trinidad Lake State Park), what seemed to be a few calling Pinyon Jays heard from out truck erupted suddenly into a flight of 60 or more birds. That marked the second time this month I've found respectable size flocks of these jays in Riley Canyon. Since the goal of the Colorado Birding Challenge is to raise funds for Pinyon Jay conservation, it was considerate of these birds to put in an appearance despite declining populations throughout their range.
On Monday, a visit to Spanish Peaks State Wildlife Area, another under-birded area, produced the first excellent surprise with at least 4-6 singing Grace's Warblers. There appears to be a healthy population of these warblers there.
The morning of May 23 at Fishers Peak State Park produced nice number of Gray Flycatchers and Black-throated Gray Warblers along with other typical piny0n-juniper woodland breeders.
The piece de resistance for the trip, however, was a singing Ovenbird. The Osita Ridge Trail, one of the recently opened trails at Fishers Peak, reaches Ponderosa Pine woodland. (The lower elevations trails are through predominantly pinyon-juniper.) Walking through the ponderosa pine, I heard a familiar song, but couldn't quite place it. Merlin Sound ID, however, immediately identified an Ovenbird.
Las Animas County offers a rich diversity of birding spots, particularly for those of us who have a fondness for southwestern habitats and birds.
For those wishing to support pinyon jay conservations, birding challenge teams can accept donations through the end of May and perhaps a short time beyond.
Chuck Hundertmark
Lafayette, CO
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