Saturday, June 21, 2025
12:00 PM – 5:00 PM, (MDT)
2724 McClelland Drive
Fort Collins, Colorado 80525
United States
On Jun 2, 2025, at 7:18 PM, Norm Erthal <normanerthal@gmail.com> wrote:If you are using Merlin to identify birds by sound only without significant experience with the songs and calls, you are likely making numerous mistakes. I know of experienced birders with some amazing birds it identifies that are simply not there. The other morning it identified Plumbeous Vireo, Veery, Scarlet Tanager, and Summer Tanager within a few minutes. For the latter two, it was using Robin calls. It would have been a staggering number of new yard birds. In an Arvada park, I "tallied" Common Loon (a cow}, Pygmy Nuthatch {no trees within 200 feet} and Red Crossbill. Merlin is a great tool, but the frequency of misidentifications occurs very often. It has identified Prairie Dogs as Savannah Sparrow and squirrels as several things. A friend of mine had three first state records in his yard, none of which existed. The phrase "identified by Merlin" are the three scariest words my friends and I see on reports. If it "identifies" a rare bird, you need to see it.
The King Rail at Chico Basin needs good recordings for me to believe it was there. Nathan Pieplow made recordings of what others were calling the King Rail and after analyzing them as a female Virginia Rail. Nathan is excellent at doing this. There was a King Rail that was reported at John Martin several years ago. He again made recordings and again it was a Virginia Rail. I am very skeptical of King Rail id's without recordings that he has reviewed.
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An Anhinga found by Greg Levandowski is currently being seen by multiple birders at 95th and Boulder Creek in eastern Boulder County.--https://goo.gl/maps/jinaS5D6pHBMMA5m9Christian Nunes forwards the following request from Open Space: "Please don't park on the newly planted restoration area. Also please don't block any ranch gates. Parking closer to boulder creek is allowable, but please don't disturb the Osprey at their nest."I will add that a cyclist was killed by a car very near here a few days ago. Be very careful if birding along this busy stretch of road.Nathan PieplowBoulder
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If you are using Merlin to identify birds by sound only without significant experience with the songs and calls, you are likely making numerous mistakes. I know of experienced birders with some amazing birds it identifies that are simply not there. The other morning it identified Plumbeous Vireo, Veery, Scarlet Tanager, and Summer Tanager within a few minutes. For the latter two, it was using Robin calls. It would have been a staggering number of new yard birds. In an Arvada park, I "tallied" Common Loon (a cow}, Pygmy Nuthatch {no trees within 200 feet} and Red Crossbill. Merlin is a great tool, but the frequency of misidentifications occurs very often. It has identified Prairie Dogs as Savannah Sparrow and squirrels as several things. A friend of mine had three first state records in his yard, none of which existed. The phrase "identified by Merlin" are the three scariest words my friends and I see on reports. If it "identifies" a rare bird, you need to see it.
The King Rail at Chico Basin needs good recordings for me to believe it was there. Nathan Pieplow made recordings of what others were calling the King Rail and after analyzing them as a female Virginia Rail. Nathan is excellent at doing this. There was a King Rail that was reported at John Martin several years ago. He again made recordings and again it was a Virginia Rail. I am very skeptical of King Rail id's without recordings that he has reviewed.
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If you are using Merlin to identify birds by sound only without significant experience with the songs and calls, you are likely making numerous mistakes. I know of experienced birders with some amazing birds it identifies that are simply not there. The other morning it identified Plumbeous Vireo, Veery, Scarlet Tanager, and Summer Tanager within a few minutes. For the latter two, it was using Robin calls. It would have been a staggering number of new yard birds. In an Arvada park, I "tallied" Common Loon (a cow}, Pygmy Nuthatch {no trees within 200 feet} and Red Crossbill. Merlin is a great tool, but the frequency of misidentifications occurs very often. It has identified Prairie Dogs as Savannah Sparrow and squirrels as several things. A friend of mine had three first state records in his yard, none of which existed. The phrase "identified by Merlin" are the three scariest words my friends and I see on reports. If it "identifies" a rare bird, you need to see it.
The King Rail at Chico Basin needs good recordings for me to believe it was there. Nathan Pieplow made recordings of what others were calling the King Rail and after analyzing them as a female Virginia Rail. Nathan is excellent at doing this. There was a King Rail that was reported at John Martin several years ago. He again made recordings and again it was a Virginia Rail. I am very skeptical of King Rail id's without recordings that he has reviewed.
--I attached two photos of what looks to me to be a leucistic Blue Grosbeak. Prior to sending this email, I consulted with ChatGPT on what she thinks. Does AI make sense for birding questions?
Thanks!
Jim Ward, darthgeek.jw@gmail.com
ChatGPT response:
"This bird does appear to be a Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea), but with highly unusual coloration.
Here's what stands out:
Likely Explanation:
This is probably a partially leucistic Blue Grosbeak or a hybrid/variant with an unusual molt or feather pigmentation issue. Leucism can cause irregular patches of normal and pale coloration, and that's consistent with what's seen here. It's not a textbook leucistic example (which usually has much more white or pale), but leucism manifests in a wide range.
Alternatively, this could be:
Summary:
Yes, this is very likely a Blue Grosbeak with an unusual pigmentation condition—probably a mild or irregular case of leucism. It's a rare but documented phenomenon in many bird species.
The last day of May and a big push of birds arrived at the Olive Grove!Ten bird species were captured and banded including a special bird a Canada Warbler! Records show that a Canada Warbler has not been banded at Chico since fall of 2012. It was a nice looking male Canada Warbler. Swainson's Thrushes were the big catch of the day.103 New Banded BirdsYellow Warbler-1Orange-crowned Warbler-1Canada Warbler-1MacGillivray's Warbler-1Willow Flycatcher-1Lincoln's Sparrow-3Swainson's Thrush-93Brown-headed Cowbird-1Bullock's Oriole-12 RecapturesBullock's OrioleLazuli BuntingToday is the last day of banding at Chico for the spring. Bird migration is not over for passerines in Colorado. Big push of Swainson's Thrushes are later than normal. When you still have singing Swainson's Thrushes, you know migration is not over at a migration stopover site like Chico.Banding will commence the end of August. Birding access is still allowed on the ranch through June 2nd. you must register at the Aiken Audubon Website for entry (https://www.aikenaudubon.com).Have a good summer and hope to see you all in the Fall!Julie ShieldcastleChico Basin Ranch Bird BanderBird Conservancy of the Rockies--
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I attached two photos of what looks to me to be a leucistic Blue Grosbeak. Prior to sending this email, I consulted with ChatGPT on what she thinks. Does AI make sense for birding questions?
Thanks!
Jim Ward, darthgeek.jw@gmail.com
ChatGPT response:
"This bird does appear to be a Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea), but with highly unusual coloration.
Here's what stands out:
Likely Explanation:
This is probably a partially leucistic Blue Grosbeak or a hybrid/variant with an unusual molt or feather pigmentation issue. Leucism can cause irregular patches of normal and pale coloration, and that's consistent with what's seen here. It's not a textbook leucistic example (which usually has much more white or pale), but leucism manifests in a wide range.
Alternatively, this could be:
Summary:
Yes, this is very likely a Blue Grosbeak with an unusual pigmentation condition—probably a mild or irregular case of leucism. It's a rare but documented phenomenon in many bird species.
Hello all,
On May 28, there was an adult Neotropic Cormorant at the marina at Cherry Creek State Park, Arapahoe Co. It was clearly smaller and a bit shorter-billed and smaller-billed than a nearby Double-crested Cormorant, and had a white border to the orange gular patch, with the white most obvious at the gape.
Bob Andrews
Yekepa, Liberia, West Africa
Currently in Centennial, Arapahoe Co.
On May 29, 2025, at 9:47 AM, Steve Bouricius <bouricii@earthlink.net> wrote:
--Hello Friends,
To my great surprise, yesterday morning brought a Red-headed Woodpecker to the feeder areas around our mountain home. It is a first in my lifelong experience here. Peaceful Valley is along the Peak-to-Peak Highway on the Middle St. Vrain Creek (today it's a river!) at 8525 ft. elevation. The habitat is primarily Englemann spruce and subalpine fir with components of aspen, willow, alder, and Douglas fir. It's not where one would expect to find RHWO in Boulder County.
The second edition of the Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas (2016) doesn't reference elevation as the first edition does, but I wonder if there are recent records of the species at higher elevations in spruce-fir habitat? Colorado Birds (1992) notes RHWO as a very rare visitor to the lower foothills and mountains with one point at ~8500 ft. and one point at 10,000 ft. There is a mention from 1910 of observations in Estes Park. Scott Rashid banded a handsome juvenile in Estes last fall.
Red-headed Woodpeckers are monomorphic, and Pyle (1997) indicates virtually no mensural difference between male and female.
The bird continues this morning, May 29. Other birds of interest are a Band-tailed Pigeon, and last week a Blue Jay remained for four days.
Cheers!
Steve Bouricius
***************************************************************
Steve & Deb Bouricius
50154 State Highway 72
Peaceful Valley
Lyons, CO 80540-8954
970-250-6161
Hummingbird Orchards Banding and Research Station
Peaceful Valley Field Station
NABC Certified Master Banders-Trainers
USGS Bird Banding Laboratory Permit 23198
CPW Scientific Collections License 25BD0834
AZGFD Scientific Activity License SP223726
**************************************************************
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<Red-headed-Woodpecker-Peaceful-Valley-5-28-2025-r.jpg><Red-headed-Woodpecker-Peaceful-Valley-5-29-25.jpg><Red-headed-Woodpecker-Peaceful-Valley-5-29-2025.jpg>
Hello Friends,
To my great surprise, yesterday morning brought a Red-headed Woodpecker to the feeder areas around our mountain home. It is a first in my lifelong experience here. Peaceful Valley is along the Peak-to-Peak Highway on the Middle St. Vrain Creek (today it's a river!) at 8525 ft. elevation. The habitat is primarily Englemann spruce and subalpine fir with components of aspen, willow, alder, and Douglas fir. It's not where one would expect to find RHWO in Boulder County.
The second edition of the Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas (2016) doesn't reference elevation as the first edition does, but I wonder if there are recent records of the species at higher elevations in spruce-fir habitat? Colorado Birds (1992) notes RHWO as a very rare visitor to the lower foothills and mountains with one point at ~8500 ft. and one point at 10,000 ft. There is a mention from 1910 of observations in Estes Park. Scott Rashid banded a handsome juvenile in Estes last fall.
Red-headed Woodpeckers are monomorphic, and Pyle (1997) indicates virtually no mensural difference between male and female.
The bird continues this morning, May 29. Other birds of interest are a Band-tailed Pigeon, and last week a Blue Jay remained for four days.
Cheers!
Steve Bouricius
***************************************************************
Steve & Deb Bouricius
50154 State Highway 72
Peaceful Valley
Lyons, CO 80540-8954
970-250-6161
Hummingbird Orchards Banding and Research Station
Peaceful Valley Field Station
NABC Certified Master Banders-Trainers
USGS Bird Banding Laboratory Permit 23198
CPW Scientific Collections License 25BD0834
AZGFD Scientific Activity License SP223726
**************************************************************
