[cobirds] BBS Routes available

            We invite qualified observers to participate in the Breeding Bird Survey "BBS." Participants must have the skills to identify the likely species on their routes by sight and by sound.

            Since 1966 (1968 in Colorado and the West) the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, originally US Fish & Wildlife Service, now the Biological Research Division of the US Geological Survey, has sponsored the Breeding Bird Survey program to monitor birds across the US (and Canada, with the Canadian Wildlife Service). In 2012, volunteers ran almost 3000 routes in the US & Canada. Scientists use BBS results to derive population trends for the species that the system samples well.

            Colorado has 132 designated BBS routes, and we consistently run more routes than all other states in the U.S. except Texas and California.

            A BBS route covers 24.5 miles. Observers record all the birds they hear and see during a 3-minute stop, then drive a half-mile to the next stop. You run the route, once only, during the peak of the songbird singing season, from May 25 on the plains to July 15 in the high country. The ability to identify species by sound is crucial--I estimate that I record 75-85% of the birds on my routes by sound, not sight.

            The observer should have the ability to identify, by sound and sight, most of the species likely to occur along that route. On my routes, I identify over 75% of the birds by sound, without ever seeing them. We seek a commitment of three years, because the BBS prefers route data run by the same person for at least 3 years.

            Let me know if you would like one or more. The following list is organized geographically (sort of). I hope that we can fill most of them with qualified observers who have good ears.

            The following lists the available routes; I can send more detailed descriptions to you if you'd like to consider one but want more information.

 

  "I especially enjoyed the first few pre-dawn stops along the wetlands area of Poncha Creek—the dawn chorus there was often a tad overwhelming.  An experience I will never forget." – Tina Mitchell   

   

Key to route descriptions:

Number and name                  County                        Page in DeLorme Atlas

 

ROUTE DESCRIPTIONS

 

            Southwest

 

17124 Blackhead Peak           Archuleta        p 88

Starts about 20 miles east of Pagosa Springs: on FR 665, go westerly to US 84; S on 84, but no stops on 84, to CR 326; Left (east) and resume route on CRR326, to end. Beautiful scenery, demanding drive.

 

17224 Fox Creek        Conejos           p. 91-90          

Starts 10 miles west of Antonito at Fox Creek; NWly on Colo. 17; right on FR 250 to end near Platoro.

 

                        San Luis Valley

 

17374 Moon Pass        Saguache

Start 1 mile west of La Garita; go NWlyon Rd 41G; left on FR 675 to end

 

17125 San Luis           Costilla           91-81

Start at 11 miles S of Blanca; From Rd. @.5, go north on CR 12 7 miles; just N of Smith Res., go W on Rd CC w miles, then N on CR 104 miles, W on US 160 a mile, N on CO 150 to end.

 

17425 Mesita              Costilla           91

Start 10 miles West and South of San Luis; West on CR H 7 miles; S on Road 7 amile, E on Road G 4 miles; north on unnumbered road 4 miles; East on CR M to end.        

 

                Northwest 

 

17351 Angora             Rio Blanco      p 22-23

Start 8 miles NE of Rangely; Start on CR 61 or 65 at Holandrus Res.; south on 61/65 to Colo 64 east on Colo 64 two miles; south and east on CR 122 to end.

 

17033 Walden            Jackson                       p17

Starts about 15 miles NW of Walden; south on CR7 past Lake John turnoff, on CR 5 past Delaney Buttes SWA; east on CR 24 to end.

 

                Plains

 

17042 Adams County             Adams             p 96, 41

Start 12 miles NE of Strasburg at CR 46N & 80^th Avenue; go east on 80^th a mile, south a mile, west on 72^nd 2miles, south a mile, west 4 miles on 64^th; north 3 miles, then east on 88^th to end.

 

17043 Gordon Creek              Washington     97

Start 4 miles E and 8 miles S of Anton; north 9 miles on CR HH; E 2 miles on CR 12; N 14 miles on CR KK to end.

 

            Southeast

 

17220 Haswell            Bent, Kiowa    99

Start 6 miles N of Las Animas; N 7 miles on CR 10; swing around SE edge of Adobe Cr Res. SWA, then N 4 miles on Road 17; E on Road E 2 miles; N 5 miles on Road 19, E 1 mile on Road K, then N on Road 20 to end.

 

17027 Gilpin               Bent    101

Starts 7 miles south of Las Animas. East on Rd BB3 miles; S on CR16 9 miles; W on CR T 3 miles; S on Colo 101 2 miles, W 1 mile on CR P, S on CR 11 to end, just north of Setchfield WMA.

 

17328 Pritchett           Baca    101

Start 12 miles S of Pritchett on CR 12; go E one mile, then N on Roads 13 and 12 to end.

Hugh Kingery
Franktown, CO

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/14c67daa79b-253-9ee3%40webprd-m22.mail.aol.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[cobirds] Eastern phoebe Boulder Creek

There was an eastern phoebe under the 75th street bridge at Boulder Creek, flying back and forth and calling, this morning around 10:30. We got a recording and poor photos with an iPhone. FOS, presumably the same one who has been here for a couple of years. -Elena Klaver and Topi Martinez

Sent from my iPhone
Elena Holly Klaver
Federally Certified Court Interpreter

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/DCC35C4E-A201-4A94-9312-B5F7648F19D5%40indra.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[cobirds] Barrow's Goldeneye - Chatfield State Park - Jeffco

Birders, there is a male Barrow's Goldeneye on the gravel pit pond west of Kingfisher bridge and south of the road
Ira Sanders
Golden, CO

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CABF3siG1sLBn79iSK%3DN26a2C_HcCzYX6yYLTBUhr-bHd8_akzw%40mail.gmail.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 29 March 2015

Compiler:  Joyce Takamine
Date: March 29, 2015 

This is the Rare Bird Alert, Sunday, March 29, sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.

Highlight species include: (* indicates new information on this species).
 

BRANT (Rio Grande)

Tundra Swan (Pueblo)

Long-tailed Duck (Mesa)

Mountain Plover (*El Paso, *Weld)

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Crowley, El Paso)

Greater Roadrunner (Baca, Bent, Kiowa)

Boreal Owl (Mesa)
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Boulder)

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Morgan)

Williamson's Sapsucker (Boulder, Park)

Black Phoebe (La Plata, *Mesa)

Eastern Phoebe (*Douglas, Yuma)

Chihuahuan Rave (Alamosa)

Bewick's Wren (Baca, Las Animas)

Winter Wren (Douglas, Morgan)
Lapland Longspur   (Prowers)

Pine Warbler (Pueblo)

Canyon Towhee (Baca)

Sagebrush Sparrow (Alamosa, Mesa)

Fox Sparrow (*Montose)

Swamp Sparrow (Montrose)

Rusty Blackbird (Douglas, Morgan)
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Jackson, Jefferson)

Black Rosy-Finch (Jefferson)
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (Jefferson)

ALAMOSA COUNTY:

--A Chihuahuan Raven was reported by Beauchamp at Great Sand Dunes NP on March 21.

--On March 21, Floyd reported 8 Sagebrush Sparrows at Great Sand Dunes NP.

BACA COUNTY:

--On March 21, Kaempfer reported Canyon Towhee at Cottonwood Canyon.

--On March 21, Kaempfer reported Canyon Towhee and Greater Roadrunner at Picture Canyon.

--On March 21, Kaempfer reported Bewick's Wren at Sand Canyon on CR 13 near the Oklahoma border.

BENT COUNTY:

--A Greater Roadrunner was reported by Kaempfer on the west side of Adobe Creek Reservoir on March 22.
 
BOULDER COUNTY:

--On March 20, Courtois reported an American Three-toed Woodpecker at Rocky Mountain National Park.  On March 21, Tumasonis reported 5 America Three-toed Woodpeckers from Copeland Lake to Ouzel Falls in Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park.

--A Williamson's Sapsucker was reported by Minner-Lee at Spring Brook Loop on March 21.

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.

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.

 
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.

KIOWA COUNTY:

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

LA PLATA COUNTY:

--A Black Phoebe was reported by Morris at the Durango Fish Hatchery on March 19.

LAS ANIMAS COUNTY:

--On March 21, Kaempfer reported Bewick's Wren at Cottonwood Canyon.
 
MESA COUNTY:  

--On March 18, Korte reported a Boreal Owl on Grand Mesa.

--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.

MORGAN COUNTY:

--On March 14, Dowell reported 2 Rusty Blackbirds, 2 Winter Wrens, and 3 Red-bellied Woodpeckers at Brush SWA.  On March 15, Kellner and Dunning reported Winter Wren at Brush SWA.  On March 20, Gwen Moore reported 2 Winter Wrens at Brush SWA.

 
PARK COUNTY:
--On March 20, Cody Porter reported Williamson's Sapsucker on Rd 206.

PUEBLO COUNTY:

--A Pine Warbler was reported by Truan at Mineral Palace Park on March 17.

--On March 25, Clark Jones reported a Tundra Swan in a field on the south side of Hwy 96 E just past the airport.

RIO GRANDE COUNTY:

--A Black Brant was reported by Callahan at Monte Vista NWR on March 16.  Rawinski reported that it was seen at the southern most turout on the west side on Hwy 15.  On March 21, Beauchamp reported Black Brant at Monte Vista NWR.

WELD COUNTY:

--A Mountain Plover was reported by Deininger at Lower Latham on March 28.

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 Sunday March 29 will be to Chatfield SP led by Ira and Tammy Sanders (zroadrunner14 AT gmail.com, 303-278-7172).  Meet at 0700 at the swim beach.  Join the leaders for this 3/4 trip to explore the park for early migrants, waterfowl, resident birds and any raptors zooming by.  Bring lunch, water, scopes, and dress for predicted weather.  A State Parks pass is required for entrance.  Please register online or contact leader to register.

Good Birding,

Joyce Takamine

Boulder

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAHtstTeQztnHzMvhu7nBGyqXz1VM5A1SQjgdGU_mqz%3DeY-mOpA%40mail.gmail.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[cobirds] Greater Scaup,Denver,CO

I went on a Greater Scaup search today and found some. In a private pond on Pinehurst Golf Course {Denver} I saw 12 Greater Scaup, along with 1, Canvasback, and 4 Hooded Merganser. Tis the time for these Scaup to migrate. I saw 4 Greater Scaup at this pond one week ago. 
 
At Marston Reservoir today,  [Denver County], was 1, Greater Scaup, 2, Horned Grebes, and the common Dabbling Ducks seen this time of year; Gadwall, American Wigeon,  and  Green-winged Teal.  I counted 4, Common Goldeneye along with Ruddy Ducks at Marston today. One  Lesser Black-backed Gull, along with many Ring-billed Gulls were present at the Reservoir.
 
Happy Birding,
Tina Jones
4400 Bow Mar Dr.
Littleton, Jefferson County, CO

[cobirds] Lookout Mtn (Jefferson) 3/28

Glad you got to see him, I was there from 11am to 2pm and didn't see him.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/a9de01d2-4edb-43d8-bd3a-950e495986bc%40googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[cobirds] Pine Siskin in Pueblo

COBirders,

  This post probably will be of interest mostly for our less hard-core subscribers.  This morning a solitary Pine Siskin visited my back yard, mingling in with a few American Goldfinches who are molting more yellow feathers in anticipation of spring.  A single Pine Siskin is a rarity in that this species is definitely one that loves to flock.  These birds are also very undependable about showing up at any particular place in a particular season.  They usually aren’t seen in our state at lower elevation in warm weather, however.  Siskins used to be fairly common at my Pueblo feeders but this one was the first I’ve seen here in a couple of years.  Just goes to show, even relatively common birds can be interesting and fun.

Leon Bright, Pueblo