These have been really fun to read!
Here is my submission from high in the mountains in Snowmass Village at 8200 feet
How long have you been keeping your list? April 2020—keeping a list was a pandemic idea. Only one bird on the list was only observed prior to that—a very memorable Northern Saw-whet Owl
What's your style of yard listing: casual, mainly feeder watching, moderate, dedicated, obsessed? dedicated, I try to make a list every day
How many species? 119
Rarest, or favorite species? Harris's Sparrow, Common Redpoll, Rose-breasted Grosbeak are the locally least common species. Favorite species are certainly the at time very large numbers of Rosy-finches in late winter and early spring, all three species.
Most memorable experiences? 1. An especially large flock of rosy finches in 2023—I attempted a count and estimated 1500. 2. Hosting a birding tour group mostly from Great Britain to see the rosy finches and random other visiting birders to the yard to see their lifer rosy finches. All birders are welcome! 3. Having one of our rosy finches fall to the ground—splat! dead—right in front of me while I was watching, then seeing a Prairie Falcon fly away, talons empty. 4. After watching hormone-saturated and addled male Brown-capped rosy finches attempt to copulate with a dead female, my young children excitedly told me that they were performing CPR on the dead bird! 5. Lifer Common Redpoll for me in my yard! 6. Hosting a Harris's Sparrow for several weeks last spring and watching it molt into adult plumage and listening to it as it developed? learned? it's song
Location/habitat: urban, suburban, rural, etc? 4 acres of hillside native Serviceberry and Gambel Oak, a few spruce and aspens. Feeders and nest boxes
Bryan Gieszl
Snowmass Village, CO
Pitkin County
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