Wednesday, 1 April 2015

[cobirds] Washington County Plovers and Longspurs

Date:  1 April 2015
Time:  08:00 - 09:00 am

After reading about the incredible number of Mountain Plover sightings in the past week or two, I decided that instead of sleeping for work tonight, I'd go out and get me one or two.  So as not to be a total leach, I decided to make myself useful and check out Washington county, since I hadn't seen reports from there yet.  
I visited the known and well documented spot at KK Rd and CR 20.   Along KK, between CR 20 and CR 19, I had the following:

Mountain Plovers - 2
McCown's Longspurs - At least 3-5
Chestnut-collared Longspurs - At least 6

There were far many more longspurs than those I reported.  I am using these numbers since these are the only once I can prove weren't the same birds over and over.  The actual count seemed to be in the dozens.  The only other bird that was somewhat out of the ordinary was a lingering Rough-legged Hawk just south of CR 20 on Rd EE.

John Breitsch
Denver, Colorado
https://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/

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[cobirds] Burrowing Owl

I spotted 6 Burrowing Owls west of Roxborough Rd between 9-10:30am. 5 were on mounds just over the rise of road as mentioned in an earlier post. 2 were sharing a site near orange road signs further south. I took photos and will post on Facebook through Front Range Birding.

Jennifer Hyypio
Douglas County, CO

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[cobirds] Greater White-fronted Geese at MVNWR

A funny thing happened as I reviewed crane photos I had taken on 3/12/15 at the Monte Vista Refuge. As you recall, that was just on the leading edge of the Crane Festival Weekend with all its visitors. It was 2 weeks after the fact when I examined the photos, that I noticed a group of birds in the middle ground that proved to be 28 Greater White-fronted Geese (Rio Grande County)! This is the largest group of this species ever recorded in the San Luis Valley, smashing previous groups of 8 and 9 birds.  Only two reports this spring showed single birds present. So how did we all miss such a large group?
 
I think the Cranes have a tendency to steal the show and our attention. And many persons don't have the optics to see distances so birds blended into the 5-10,000 birds present. Many persons enjoy the birds on a more fundamental level and are not there to identify different kinds. It is indeed easy to just feel the birds and all their magnificence.  It also reminds me that one can do birding and one can do photography, but to do both, will cause compromises of one or the other. I was quite focused on catching the birds in the foreground in flight, and less concerned with the identification of background birds. This does not mean I won't continue to combine both, but at least I know what I am up against.
 
Anyway, yesterday cranes were barely visible, tiny specks cast against dark-based cumulus clouds....spiraling upward and onward.
 
John Rawinski
Monte Vista, CO

[cobirds] Google acquires eBird from Cornell Labs - breaking news; mixed reaction from Colorado birding community

I received this from notable birder, Matt Bartels, of Washington State:

"Surprised and a little apprehensive about the news that Google acquired eBird today.

On the one hand, I bet we'll see all sorts of cool new improvements – the user experience side of eBird is about to get a big boost. (GoogleAnalytics aside, if google can turn its maps into Pac Man games, think what they can do with bird lists!).

But on the other hand…. Google being able to essentially track exactly where every eBirder is travelling [in real time for bird-log users] and who they are travelling with is a bit creepy. And Google has purchased and 'retired' so many companies in the past that there's an online graveyard for them [http://tinyurl.com/cdc3h3b] – what will happen if birders suddenly lose all their data on eBird??

From the news report on TechCrunch:
"Mixed Reaction from Birders on news of Google Acquisition of eBird" [link]
It looks like Cornell Labs is the latest company to earn a paycheck from Google – word leaked via various bird enthusiast email lists today that Google has acquired eBird – a hugely popular product largely unknown, outside the world of obsessive bird watchers. "eBird", an online database of bird observation powered by the data input of over 100,000 users has grown rapidly in the past five years – enough to draw the interest (and investment) of Google. Google's interest is presumably less the birds and citizen science than the data provided on the movements of so many affluent users. A note on eBird's main page gushed about the 'synergies' of the buy-out, the 'potential to better predict and serve the needs of its customers, not just the birds' and the belief that integration with future editions of GoogleGlass may revolutionize the way birds are observed and reported. Google confirmed the acquisition but nothing more. "I can confirm the news and that they're joining the Google+ team. We aren't sharing more beyond that at this point," a spokesperson wrote in an email.

We'll see how this plays out , I guess, as the eCommerce side of Big Data comes to our neighborhood....

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA"



Joe Roller.
Denver

Please forward this before Thursday, April 2.

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[cobirds] Re: Mtn Plovers NOW El Paso Cty

Or just paste into your browser window, and hit RETURN. It's that simple. Thanks to Rick Taylor and others who post coordinates. I need to get better at this.

A few notes for Boulder County birders: Sunday morning, Mar. 29, at Panama Rez: American White Pelican and Ring-necked Pheasant, and Franklin's Gull nearby; Monday morning, Mar. 30, in Gregory Canyon: Western Bluebird and Turkey VultureCanyon Wren singing, several Brown Creepers singing, and Mountain Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches nest-building.

By the way:

Panama Reservoir: 40.099014, -105.077416
Gregory Canyon: 39.997536, -105.292759

Ted Floyd
Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado


On Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 7:19:15 AM UTC-6, vorticity (Rick Taylor) wrote:
I plotted this on Google Earth for those who might be interested.  The School Ruins are at  38° 37.319'N, 104° 20.952'W.  Paste those coordinates into any mapping software.

Rick Taylor

On Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at 1:33:40 PM UTC-6, purplegallinule wrote:

We just saw 2 mountain plovers on Squirrel Creek Rd in eastern El Paso country. They were directly across the road from the red brick ruins of a school. There were 2 walking in a prairie dog field 
Directions : take Myers Road east of Peyton highway to squirrel Creek Road. go north so you are about 1 quarter mile north of Deering road. the birds were in the field across the road from the school ruins.

Mel Goff
Colorado Springs

Sent from XFINITY Connect Mobile App

On Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at 1:33:40 PM UTC-6, purplegallinule wrote:

We just saw 2 mountain plovers on Squirrel Creek Rd in eastern El Paso country. They were directly across the road from the red brick ruins of a school. There were 2 walking in a prairie dog field
Directions : take Myers Road east of Peyton highway to squirrel Creek Road. go north so you are about 1 quarter mile north of Deering road. the birds were in the field across the road from the school ruins.

Mel Goff
Colorado Springs

Sent from XFINITY Connect Mobile App

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[cobirds] Re: Mtn Plovers NOW El Paso Cty

I plotted this on Google Earth for those who might be interested.  The School Ruins are at  38° 37.319'N, 104° 20.952'W.  Paste those coordinates into any mapping software.

Rick Taylor

On Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at 1:33:40 PM UTC-6, purplegallinule wrote:

We just saw 2 mountain plovers on Squirrel Creek Rd in eastern El Paso country. They were directly across the road from the red brick ruins of a school. There were 2 walking in a prairie dog field
Directions : take Myers Road east of Peyton highway to squirrel Creek Road. go north so you are about 1 quarter mile north of Deering road. the birds were in the field across the road from the school ruins.

Mel Goff
Colorado Springs

Sent from XFINITY Connect Mobile App

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[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 1 April 2015

Compiler:  Joyce Takamine
Date: April 1, 2015 

This is the Rare Bird Alert, Wednesday, April 1, sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.

Highlight species include: (* indicates new information on this species).
 
Tundra Swan (Pueblo)
Long-tailed Duck (Mesa)
Barrow's Goldeneye (Jefferson)
Black Rail (Bent)
Snowy Plover (Otero)
Mountain Plover (*El Paso)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Crowley, El Paso)
Greater Roadrunner (Bent, Kiowa)
ACORN WOODPECKER (Pueblo)
Williamson's Sapsucker (Pueblo, *Teller)
Black Phoebe (Mesa)
Eastern Phoebe (*Boulder, Douglas, *Larimer, Yuma)
Winter Wren (Douglas)
Lapland Longspur  (Prowers)
Sagebrush Sparrow (Mesa)
Fox Sparrow (Montose)
Swamp Sparrow (Montrose)
Golden-crowned Sparrow (Boulder)
Northern Cardinal (*El Paso)
Rusty Blackbird (Douglas)
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Jackson, Jefferson)
Black Rosy-Finch (Jefferson)
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (Jefferson)

BENT COUNTY:
--A Greater Roadrunner was reported by Kaempfer on the west side of Adobe Creek Reservoir on March 22.
--2 Black  Rail were reported by Peterson at Fort Lyon Marsh Complex at CR HH and CR 16 on March 29.
 
BOULDER COUNTY:
--On March 29, Nunes reported Golden-crowned Sparrow at Teller Farm.  
--An Eastern Phoebe was reported by Klaver under the 75th St Bridge over Boulder Creek on March 29.  On March 30, Starace reported Eastern Phoebe at 75th St Bridge over Boulder Creek. On March 31, Dowell and Waltman reported Eastern Phoebe at 75th St Bridge over Boulder Creek.

CROWLEY COUNTY:
--A Lesser Black-backed Gull was reported by Chris Wood at Lake Henry on March 26.

DOUGLAS COUNTY:
--4 Rusty Blackbirds (2m, 2f) were reported by Hopping at Plum Creek Delta at Chatfield SP on March 17.  On March 23, Suddjian reported 3 Rusty Blackbirds at Plum Creek Delta.
--A Winter Wren was reported by Kellner at Plum Creek Delta at Chatfield SP on March 22.  On March 23, Suddjian reported Winter Wren at Plum Creek Delta.
--An Eastern Phoebe was reported by Kellner at Plum Creek Picnic Area at Chatfield SP on March 28 and March 29.  On March 30, Gen Moore reported Eastern Phoebe at Plum Creek Delta on March 30.

EL PASO COUNTY:
--A pair of Mountain Plovers was reported by Drummond in a field S of intersection of Ellicott Hwy and Squirrel Creek Road on March 28.  On March 30, Driscoll reported 3 Mountain Plovers at the intersection of Ellicott Hwy and Squirred Creek Road.
--3 Mountain Plovers were reported by Walbek in Ramah (15618 - 16498), Ramah Hwy on March 30.
--2 Mountain Plovers were reported by Driscoll at Hanover Road and Milne Road on March 30.
--On March 31, Goff reported 2 Mountain Plovers on Squirrel Creek Rd across from red brick ruins of a school.
--A f Northern Cardinal was reported by Tyler Stuart in Sondermann Park about 1/4 m N of Cable roadblock on March 30.  On March 321, Richard Taylor reported Northern Cardinal at Sondermann Park.  
 
JEFFERSON COUNTY:
--Ira Sanders reports Gray-crowned, Brown-capped and Black Rosy-Finches coming to his front yard at 314 DeFrance Ct in Golden on December 29. Birders are welcome to watch from the street. On March 7, Sanders reported one Rosy-finch at his feeder.  On March 12, Sanders reported 1 Rosy-Finch in his yard.  On March 14, Sanders reported one Rosy-Finch in his yard.
On March 25, Sanders reported 1 Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch in his yard.
--A m Barrow's Goldeneye was reported by Sanders at Chatfield SP at a gravel pit pond W of Kingfisher bridge and S of the road on March 29.

KIOWA COUNTY:
--A Greater Roadrunner was reported by Kaempfer on the norside of Adobe Creek Reservoir2  at the intersection of CR C & CR 14 on March 22.

LARIMER COUNTY:
--A pair of Eastern Phoebes was reported by Coley at the diversion dam on the Loveland Recreational Trail along the Big Thompson River, east of Wilson on March 31.
 
MESA COUNTY:  
--On March 19, Henwood reported Black Phoebe on the Audubon Trail past the Redlands Power Entrance and another
Black Phoebe at the S end of the lake at Audubon Nature Center.  On March 21, Jackson Trappett reported Black Phoebe on the Audubon Nature Trail.  On March 23 Henwood reported Black Phoebe on the Audubon section of Colorado River Trail.
--On March 20, Henwood reported 2 Black Phoebes at Connected Lakes SP.  On March 21, Ortenzio reported Black Phoebe at Connected Lakes SP.  On March 27, Ortenzio reported 2 Black Phoebe at Connected Lakes SP.
--On March 23, Henwood reported 10 singing Sagebrush Sparrows at the Colorado Utah State line N of old Hwy 6 and 50.
--A Long-tailed Duck was reported by Ortenzion at Whitewater Ponds on March 26.

MONTROSE COUNTY:
--A Swamp Sparrow was reported by Dexter in a marsh West of Nucla on March 24.
--A Fox Sparrow was reported by Parkin and McDonald at the South Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP on March 28.

OTERO COUNTY:
--A Snowy Plover was reported by Peterson at Lake Cheraw on March 29.

PUEBLO COUNTY:
--On March 25, Clark Jones reported a Tundra Swan in a field on the south side of Hwy 96 E just past the airport.
--On March 28, Leppek reported 2 ACORN WOODPECKERS and a Williamson's Sapsucker at Pueblo Mountain Park.

TELLER COUNTY:
--2 Williamson's Sapsuckers were reported by Cody Port on CR 300 on March 31.

YUMA COUNTY:
--An Eastern Phoebe was reported by Breitsch at the Wray Fishing Unit, just NW of Wray on March 25.

The DFO Field Trip for Saturday, April 4 will be to Prospect Park in Wheat Ridge led by Jackie King (jackie.king AT ccd.edu720-381-3314)  Meet the leader at 0830.  From I-70, exit 267, take Kipling south about 3/4 mile and turn right west of 44th Ave.  Go one mile west.  Look ofr the entrace to Prospect Park on you r left (south).  Meet just inside the park in the lot right next to Prospect Lake.  Will check out the birds in the lake and then walk along paved trails in this bird abundate habitat.  Please register online or contact leader to register.  

THe DFO Field trip for Sunday, April 5, will be to Riverside Cemetery/Platte River led by Kevin Corwin (kevygudguy AT aol.com720-482-8454.  This trip is full.

Good Birding,
Joyce Takamine
Boulder

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