[cobirds] FOY's Clear Spring Ranch, El Paso Co

Hey COBirders,

I have been banding for a week at CSR this spring, but numbers here, as everywhere else, are staying way below average for this time of the season.

A "good day" of banding for me will be 20 birds caught. Today was my first 20+ day - with 25, many of which were unbanded Red-winged Blackbirds that are busy chasing right now.

BUT… today, on this dark threatening morning, several FOY (firsts of the year) showed up! Still not big numbers, and there was movement in the brief periods of sun atetr each round of black clouds rolling through.

Banded today :
Brown Thrasher
FOY Yellow-breasted Chat (SYM - second-year male)
Gambel's White-crowned Sparrow (8)
FOY Mountain White-crowned Sparrow (AD)
FOY Northern Waterthrush - pretty much right on schedule
Orange-crowned Warbler (3) - first female, after 9 males so far
Yellow Warbler (2) - my first two of the season yesterday were males banded here last fall - great site fidelity!
and 6 RW Blackbirds caught - released.

Also seen notables:
Continuing Swainson's Hawk on a nest by the railroad tracks
Continuing pair of AM Kestrels
Continuing Great Horned Owl perched
A bunch of Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warblers staying high above the nets, moving around between dark sky cycles
Continuing strings of Blue Jays migrating up the creek

FOY Barn Swallow
FOY Black-headed Grosbeak (M)
FOY Western Kingbirds (2) along the access road

It IS getting better!

Happy Migration,
Steve Brown
Colo Spgs


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[cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch Banding Station Report- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies-5/4/2025

I was able to get in a full morning of banding. It threatened rain all around the banding station but no rain just a couple sprinkles. Double digits were banded including seven species. The White-eyed Vireo was still around singing. Still not many birds around the station. Construction noise picks up @9 AM but it would be hard to differentiate from low number of birds in the area and no additional capture after 9 AM. No sightings of the owls today. I don't imagine they are around when it is so noisy there by the olive grove.

10 New Banded Birds

Audubon's (Yellow-rumped) Warbler-1

Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warbler-1

Orange-crowned Warbler-2

MacGillivray's Warbler-1

Northern House Wren-2

Hermit Thrush-2

Spotted Towhee-1

No recaptures

The banding station will be open weather permitting tomorrow from sunrise until @11:00 AM. Stop by and share your sightings. The Construction crew will be working near the banding station through Thursday this week.

Have a good day,

Julie Shieldcastle

Chico Basin Ranch Bird Bander

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

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[cobirds] Blackburnian(?) Warbler, Louisville

CObirders,

I heard a possible Blackburnian Warbler sing a couple of times from a ponderosa tree by my house at ~8:30 this morning!!  I was unable to visually identify the bird before it flew.

This is my personal favorite of all the warblers,  so I know its song well. 

Unfortunately, crews are digging up my street, and the noisy drilling began just after 8:30.  Perhaps other migrants also arrived last night!

Paula Hansley

Boulder County 

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[cobirds] FOY Lazuli Bunting - Golden - Jeffco

Birders, Today we had our 1st LAZB, 1 day before 5/5, which historically is the day they show up.

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Ira Sanders

Golden, CO

"My mind is a raging torrent flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."

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[cobirds] Storm Approaches

Last night, an estimated 200,000 birds migrated over Alamosa. But in spite of that number, the local habitats were scarce on birds. Perhaps many flew onward. But at least one intriguing one stayed. A male Baltimore Oriole was at Home Lake this afternoon. From a quick look at data, there are less than 10 records, more or less. 

Next 2 days promise a wintry/wet mix and so we'll see what drops in. 

John Rawinski

Monte Vista, CO

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[cobirds] Chatfield Banding Station - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 5/3/25

After the 7th day of what felt like incredibly low numbers, I decided to take a look at the first 7 days from the past 4 seasons (since Covid, when we didn't run the station).  We are pretty typical of 3 of those 4 years (2023 was much better).  So, this is not new (as many of our visitors have reminded us - "It was like this last year when we were here"), but it isn't a good sign for the season as a whole......the years that started slower had lower overall numbers.

The good news is that species are arriving on schedule this year, which has not been the case in recent years for many of our most common species. Today was a big day in this regard - pretty much the last day we could claim that our first Yellow Warbler capture occurred "on time".  He was caught at 11 a.m. this morning, an adult male who had been banded last year (the early arrivals in the spring tend to be adult males).

We banded just one bird today - a Northern House Wren, and the Yellow Warbler was the only previously banded bird that we caught for the first time (we recaught 4 Song Sparrows banded earlier this season).  Hoping things start to pick up soon!

We are banding Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) through May 31, weather permitting.  There are opportunities for the public to visit on weekends and occasional weekdays through the Denver Audubon website.  (Some days are already sold out, so sign up now if you are interested!)

Meredith McBurney

Bander

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

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[cobirds] Field trip announcement: "Lafayette Birds!—tomorrow, Sun., May 4, 2025

Hey, all.

Please join us for the May 2025 installment of "Lafayette Birds!" tomorrow, May 4, starting at 1:00pm MDT at The Shack in Greenlee Wildlife Preserve. (On-street parking just west of the preserve; or park at nearby Waneka Lake and walk over. Or take RTD's 225, which goes straight down Baseline Rd., a very easy walk to the preserve; eastbound arrival at 12:29pm, westbound at 12:35pm.)

Lots of great birds at the preserve & environs of late: Wilson phalarope, long-billed dowitcher, savannah sparrow, hooded warbler, mottled(ish) duck, sora, white-faced ibis, broad-winged hawk, brown thrasher, rock wren, and many more. We'll look for all of them! Also, for folks thus inclined, we'll be offering a "tiger beetle special," searching for the uncommon twelve-spotted tiger beetle (it's there, we know where it is), Cicindela duodecimguttata, along with some more common species.

"Lafayette Birds" is sponsored by the City of Lafayette and hosted by expert birders from Boulder Co. & elsewhere. The activity is free & open to the public.

All are welcome, families & curiosity-seekers especially so. Bring water or kombucha and a hat, as it is supposed to be sunny & warm tomorrow. Bring good cheer. Bring gifts and obeisance for the trip leaders. A good time shall be had by all.

See you tomorrow!

Ted Floyd
Lafayette, Boulder Co.

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