[cobirds] Chickadee coloration question, Arapahoe county

I have a chickadee coming to my birdfeeder that takes pictures and it looks like it has an unusual amount of black/brown on the chest and sides.
I would like feedback on what people think about these coloration differences from our normal chickadees.

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[cobirds] BCAS Field Trip: After-work Birding at Rocky Flats, June 11

Join Peter Ruprecht for birding at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, which offers access to a large tract of grassland with riparian corridors and small wetlands.  Prairie sparrows, raptors, and other grassland and shrubland species are prevalent this time of year. We'll enjoy the evening and sunset while walking ~five miles on flat to gently-inclined gravel roads and trails. The walking pace may be faster than on many outings due to the lower density of birds in some parts of the refuge. 

Registration required. Limited to only 12 participants. RSVP to reserve your spot after 6 pm on Monday, June 3.

Tuesday, June 11, 5:45 pm – 8:30 pm

For more information and to reserve your spot, visit https://www.boulderaudubon.org/all-events/after-work-birding-rocky-flats-june-2024

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[cobirds] CSR, El Paso Co, Spring Wrap-up

Hey COBirders,

I closed my Clear Spring Ranch banding site yesterday (6/2/24) as well. I stayed open longer just-to-see what the Birdcast predictions of medium to heavy migration flights might mean for birds banded at CSR. It meant nothing. Friday I caught just 10 birds, Saturday - 10, Sunday - 5, almost all recaps. In fact, the last two weeks have been pretty abysmal for banding numbers. 10 of the last 14 days I recorded my lowest number caught on that date over the last 11 years. Sigh.

So like Meredith just reported, I looked at my averages to see where the different species sat this spring, compared to my 11-year average. I keep daily numbers for several species that are the common ones I get, and it looked like this:

Species with above average numbers for 2024 - N Waterthrush; Yellow Warbler; Yellow-rumped Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler; MacGillivray's Warbler; and totals of flycatchers.
Species right about average - Warbling Vireo; RC Kinglet; Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush; Gray Catbird; Com Yellowthroat; Wilson's Warbler; Spotted Towhee; Green-tailed Towhee; Song Sparrow; White-crowned Sparrow.
Species well-below average - House Wren; Yellow-breasted Chat; Lincoln's Sparrow; Chipping Sparrow (!). (Actually almost all sparrows - I didn't catch a single Vesper, Lark, Brewer's, or Savannah Sparrow - and only one Clay-colored Sparrow.)

Especially Chipping Sparrow. 2024 I caught 8 - 2023 I caught 993. My 11 year average is 171, with a range from 1 (!) to 993. This has affected my total numbers on average as well. 2024 I caught 393 birds, and my 11-year average is 778 birds (low 302, high 1736). For me, as Chipping Sparrow go, so go my numbers, and this year they didn't stop here. I talked to the local farmer who leases the CSR land, and he, too, noticed a lack of sparrow flocks when driving around. I regularly saw small flocks of 10-20 birds, but not near the net area, and not every day - nothing like the days where I would net 150-300 CHSP in a morning!

So that's my story. Despite Birdcast showing an above average number of birds migrating over El Paso County 2024, it seems they did just that - migrate over, and keep going!

Life is like a box of chocolates…

Steve Brown
Colo Spgs

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[cobirds] Bird Conservancy of the Rockies - Chatfield Banding Report, 5/31/24

Friday, our final day of spring banding, was slow, with 9 new birds banded and 1 return:

Western Wood-pewee 1
Swainson's Thrush 1
Cedar Waxwing 3
Yellow Warbler 3
Yellow-breasted Chat 2 new, 1 banded 2023

Here is a very preliminary report for our teeny tiny slice of the huge spring migration:

With ~571 individual birds processed, it wasn't the worst season at Chatfield, but below our average of ~650.  Below is a list of our 10 most commonly caught species - because of their numbers, they tend to determine how good or bad a season is. You will see they are a mix of birds that breed at Chatfield and birds passing through.  I've noted where these species fell this season compared with the average number of each caught annually since 2008:

1.      Yellow Warbler – below average

2.      House Wren - below average

3.      Gray Catbird -above average

4.      Yellow-rumped Warbler -below average*

5.      Lincoln's Sparrow – average

6.      Common Yellowthroat – above average

7.      Dusky Flycatcher – alarmingly below average (and this could be expanded to include all of the flycatchers that we catch

8.      Yellow-breasted Chat – average

9.      Swainson's Thrush – average

10.  Hermit Thrush alarmingly below average (we caught zero this season)

*The YRWAs are something of a special case, because they come through early and tend to feed high up in the trees unless something like a storm brings them down; this year I think there were a lot of them here, we just didn't have the weather pattern to catch many.

Thanks to the magnificent team of volunteers who make it possible for us to do science and education 6 days a week for 5 weeks every spring.  It would not happen without you!  Also, thanks to our Denver Audubon partners, who make running this banding station a pleasure.  And finally, to all who visited the station, read these posts, sent interesting questions and comments – it is great to be part of a community that cares so deeply about the conservation of birds!

More info will be available in a month or so!  Our annual reports are available here on our website.

 

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[cobirds] Ken Caryl report, JeffCo

This morning I had a fast flying flock of Red Crossbills pass over near my home. They included the usual Type 2 call type, but most of the flock were Type 4 Red Crossbills, which until last summer's incursion was rarely noted here in the Ken Caryl area. At least I think they were Type 4, looking at the sonogram. Evening Grosbeaks finally stopped showing up here in mid-May, after an unusually good spring showing. I've appreciated the subtle presence of the recently returned Western Flycatchers. I admire how they are typically among the last of our breeding residents to appear. And I love the contrast with the Western (Pacific-slope) form's pattern of arrival where I lived at the central California coast. There they arrive in the 3rd and 4th week of March. Here in Colorado the Cordilleran form is  two months later.

Last evening we heard a Nor. Saw-whet Owl calling in the distance from atop the Lyons hogback while on a DFO poorwill field trip in the hogbacks (16 poorwills). I have not had this owl in the hogback area outside of the winter period. This bird was in oak scrub with juniper, by the sound of things.

David Suddjian

Ken Caryl Valley

Littleton, CO

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[cobirds] Boulder Bobolinks Are Back.

Today (June 1 ) we saw several (up to 3) male bobolinks in the field immediately southeast of the intersection of South Boulder Road and Cherryvale Road (coordinates:  39.98596199171373, -105.21268149731907) just outside of Boulder (Boulder County) at 1:15 p.m.   The east side of Cherryvale in this area has a heavy growth of poison ivy, so if you walk along the road, beware.

Bob Fiehweg and Robin Byers

Boulder

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Re: [cobirds] Pineridge Natural Area

A very impressive list of birds and some incredible numbers for this very small patch of woods!  Those numbers really blow my mind!  Thanks for all your work to pull this off, You certainly must have been very busy most days!

Cheers,

Arvind Panjabi

Fort Collins

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

On Friday, May 31, 2024, 1:40 PM, Camille <10cblose@gmail.com> wrote:

It was the last week of banding, and the numbers reflected migration slowing down. With higher number of resident birds caught, the station has a sample of birds who stay at the natural area to breed. This station is unique in that public trails pass right by and get to see the work being done to research avian distribution, demography, migration stopovers, and population. There were many new species for the station and return residents that were banded here in 2023. Thank you to all the volunteers and visitors who helped run the station and spread awareness about conservation. Here is the final list showing new species for the week with a *.

Mourning Dove - 3

Downy Woodpecker - 2

Red-shafted Flicker - 4

Western Wood-Pewee - 1 Return

Traill's Flycatcher - 1

Willow Flycatcher (Traill's) - 1

Least Flycatcher - 5

*Gray Flycatcher - 1

Dusky Flycatcher - 3

Unidentified Empidonax - 1

Warbling Vireo - 3

Black-capped Chickadee - 1 New, 4 Return

Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 1

Bushtit - 2 New

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1

Cedar Waxwing - 4

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1

Rock Wren - 1

House Wren - 8

Gray Catbird - 41 New 3 Return

Brown Thrasher - 3

European Starling - 5

Veery - 1

Swainson's Thrush - 48

Hermit Thrush - 3

American Robin - 11 New 1 Return

*House Finch - 1

American Goldfinch - 30 New 1 Return

Chipping Sparrow - 2

White-crowned Sparrow (Gambel's) - 4

*White-crowned Sparrow (Mountain) - 1

Song Sparrow - 3 Return

Lincoln Sparrow - 15

Spotted Towhee - 9 New 1 Return

Yellow-breasted Chat - 7 New 1 Return

Orchard Oriole - 1

Bullock's Oriole - 16 New 8 Return

Red-winged Blackbird - 46

Brown-headed Cowbird - 1 New 1 Return

Common Grackle - 18

Ovenbird - 1

Northern Waterthrush - 8

Tennessee Warbler - 1

Orange-crowned Warbler - 34

Virginia's Warbler - 3

MacGillivray's Warbler - 14

Common Yellowthroat - 12

American Redstart - 2

*Northern Parula - 1

Yellow Warbler - 13 New 7 Return

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle, Audubon's, and Unknown Intermediates) - 379

Black-throated Green Warbler - 1

Wilson's Warbler - 11

Western Tanager - 31

Black-headed Grosbeak - 3

Lazuli Bunting - 11

This banding station will be operating this fall from late August - September, weather and trail conditions permitting. Visitors are welcome and can register here. 

Camille Blose

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

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