I am grateful to all of you who are posting interesting yard/neighborhood sightings, as well as great ideas to improve birding skills during quarantine.
I think there has been MUCH confusion as to COBirds continuing (which it will) vs the need for the RBA (as it can encourage birders to chase birds in different regions despite clear verbal orders defined by Gov Polis today to STAY OFF THE ROADS, but for medication needs, groceries, medical care and similar needs).
I personally can not justify posting an RBA at this time, particularly when we have evidence that some people are still traveling between counties birding and aren't staying in their neighborhoods and neighborhood parks.
I will resume my RBA Compiler Volunteering when we are no longer under quarantine orders.
Each Compiler is likely to handle the situation differently and I hope everyone understands why I prefer a real COBirds discussion platform at this time for all of us wanting to talk BIRDS.
Sincerely,
Allison Hilf
One of the RBA Compilers
Aurora, CO
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Monday, 30 March 2020
[cobirds] Speaking of Common Birds (JeffCo)
Male Common Grackles returned to my Ken Caryl Valley neighborhood today. Squonk, Skreek and Chuck will now mark the local soundscape into summer. Two Turkey Vultures heading north yesterday were the first of the season. Mountain and Western Bluebirds have been prominent in the Ken Caryl area these last several days. I love the bluebird passage.
-- Today there was an exceptional number of Cassin's Finches at Bergen Park, with an estimate of 300 in the park itself. They were everywhere with song and calls all around. Many were feeding among the grasses in the pine stand and drinking from a small drainage. A group of noisy Evening Grosbeaks was near the small parking area, feeding in the pines and on some crabapple type fruits from plantings along an adjacent parking lot. Also Type 2 Red Crossbills prominent there and at Genesee Mountain Park, where an already territorial male Williamson's Sapsucker put on a show.
David Suddjian (and most of the above seen by Karen Strong, as well)
Ken Caryl Valley
Littleton, CO (Jefferson CO)
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[cobirds] Re: Accipiter "Fun"/Weld
Hi, Gary!
-- Accipiters have always challenged me, but I'm pretty sure that your photographed bird is an adult Cooper's Hawk. My first impression was Cooper's, and I realized why: it shows some of that "capped" appearance and squarish head shape that makes it look a bit "bulkier" unlike the more "cute" Sharp-shinned Hawk. It's tail is rounded off, which I'm pretty sure is the mark for Cooper's as well (Sharp-shinned would be flatter, I believe). That's a very nice photo!
That's my nickel and dime at least.
The birds are happy, and so am I
~Caleb Alons
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[cobirds] Ideas to Up Your Backyard Birding Game During Quarantine
Hello, CObirders!
-- In light of quarantine during this year's spring migration, I thought I'd offer a few of my tips that I've used to enjoy backyard birding (and find a decent number of species).
I know that it gets a little tedious when all you see is House Finches and American Robins over the course of fifteen minutes, but to cure my backyard birding boredom, I've compiled a list of things that have helped keep backyard birding interesting, but also very educational and help me improve in other facets of bird watching.
1) Use a scope! Granted, this could be a little weird to your neighbors if you're at really close quarters, but positioning a spotting scope away from homes and into an open field can wring in those extra three or four unique backyard species that you might not otherwise see with just binoculars. For example, I've gotten Chipping Sparrow and Horned Lark by using a scope in my backyard and aiming at a nearby open field.
2) Study the minute of the minute of details. Keep a list of all the unique House Finch calls you hear, or maybe pay really close attention to the behavior of birds at certain times of the day. Create mental bird clocks, tracking when the peak of daily activity is, and when it "dries up." A personal example of this is when I studied the flight styles of Red-winged Blackbirds and compared it to Common Grackles and European Starlings. Since their numbers were all but plentiful every single day, I was able to do careful observations of landings, takeoffs, flight-styles, and many nuances and exceptions.
For example, I discovered that (in general) European Starlings favor a more linear flight, whereas Red-winged Blackbirds will often undulate slightly. This undulation occurs because Red-wings often do a flap-flap-tuck-and-glide on repeat, which emulates the American Goldfinch's undulating flight style as well. European Starlings on the other hand have a fairly constant rate of flapping, which makes them look a lot more dynamic and bullet-like when combined with their straighter trajectories.
3) Practice sketching birds. Drawing has never been a favorable skill to my clumsy motions with a pencil. However, when in the event of observing the same few species every day, we birders are given a relatively rare opportunity to study a single species in incredible detail. Sketching your local species that you see on a daily basis can help be an honest check of how much detail you really pay attention to on even common birds.
4) Stay on the lookout for nesting behavior. It's springtime, which means we'll be seeing evidences of nesting! For my personally, I've been tracking three pairs of House Finches who have been carrying nesting materials into three separate trees, visible from my yard. A pair of American Robins have been displaying and feeding together, and this morning I observed them copulating. (Not sure where they're building their nest, however.) Pairs of American Goldfinches have been more frequent, and I'm excited to see all the young birds that hatch this summer!
So, let's stay positive, and use this quarantine to brush up and hone our fine-observation skills! And once this is all over, you may be impressed or surprised by how beneficial intentional backyard birding can be. I know I was; and the skills I learned in the yard only helped me enjoy my birding experiences later on in the Parks.
The birds are happy, and so am I
~Caleb Alons
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[cobirds] Re: Dippers nest building on Big Thompson (Larimer)
Here's another photo without the zoom. The nest is the dark triangular spot just left of center. The nest is 4-5 feet above the water. The nest is noticably larger today.
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[cobirds] Now more than ever, the common birds (Arapahoe)
I await the return of Swainson's Hawks to my neighborhood. This usually happens in late-April. They signal something absolutely necessary to me right now: predictability and reliability. I hope, of course, for some uncommon, even rare songbird to pass through my yard in May. Or to spot something I shouldn't spot in a local park. But I find the desire for the uncommon or rare bird to be temperamental, and I find the actual arrival of one of those birds unpredictable. This year, then, I seek the Swainson's. They will arrive. They will circle Centennial, their crisp, high contrast wings immediately distinguishing them from the neighborhood Red-tails. They will hunt, perhaps nest. Then they will leave to arrive elsewhere as a sign. Only to return to us again.
-- On Sunday, I visited a very local park (Arapahoe County) that I know no one goes too, least of all birders. And why go (under normal conditions)? It's unremarkable, much smaller than other area parks that contain similar, richer habitat. I traipsed around, heard my FOY Common Grackle, did not enter that into eBird, and followed the park until it led me to another trailhead. I didn't expect to find myself where I found myself, but I was glad to be there. I wandered along a waterway and its riparian corridor.
Only the most common birds, but: the most striking Red-tailed Hawk I've ever seen, richly and deeply colored, looking down at the water. (A dark Western, I think) Beneath it, chickadees, energetically foraging with no worry for the bird above it. Red-tails were all over the trail. A croaking Raven chased one. (This seems to be happening all over Centennial right now. From my yard, a day or two ago, I saw a Raven & Red-tailed ride the same thermal, each seeming to chase the other as the warming air took them as it took them.) Small accipiters--but not that small, so probably Coopers--kept passing by, remaining just beyond my ability to identify them. Along the water's edge, the indistinguishable remains of a small, but not that small, canine (fox?).
Only the most common birds, but: the most striking Red-tailed Hawk I've ever seen, richly and deeply colored, looking down at the water. (A dark Western, I think) Beneath it, chickadees, energetically foraging with no worry for the bird above it. Red-tails were all over the trail. A croaking Raven chased one. (This seems to be happening all over Centennial right now. From my yard, a day or two ago, I saw a Raven & Red-tailed ride the same thermal, each seeming to chase the other as the warming air took them as it took them.) Small accipiters--but not that small, so probably Coopers--kept passing by, remaining just beyond my ability to identify them. Along the water's edge, the indistinguishable remains of a small, but not that small, canine (fox?).
On my way home: from somewhere, nearby but invisible, a Say's Phoebe called. Another common, reliable bird to welcome.
- Jared Del Rosso
Centennial, CO
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Re: [cobirds] Staying at Home
I would like to see this forum return to birds and birding. I rarely chase birds up north in dense urban areas, but I appreciate following the migration through others eyes. I will continue to bird in my local region of El Paso County (saw Sandhill Crane and Franklin's Gull today) where in my last three days of birding outings I have encountered NO ONE. Easy to follow "social distancing" in this circumstance.
On Monday, March 30, 2020 at 3:58:13 PM UTC-6, Nick Komar wrote:
-- It seems that the prescriptionists and totalitarians are taking over the forum. Where are the moderators? Let's keep the discussion focused on birds. I can turn on MSNBC and see all the politics of the virus I can stomach.
On Monday, March 30, 2020 at 3:58:13 PM UTC-6, Nick Komar wrote:
Let's keep the discussion related to birds and birding in Colorado. This list serve will remain available to the Colorado birding community for open, respectful expression.Nick KomarCFO PresidentFort Collins COOn Mar 30, 2020, at 3:49 PM, Gary Brower <grb...@gmail.com> wrote:I, personally, see no need to suspend the forum. We can use it for other, totally-appropriate, bird-related things, than the RBA.For example, someone the other day wondered about presence of GBHEs in their "area". Over the last two days in my "area" —Cherry Creek SP—I've seen (perhaps) three: at least two, plus another single (which may have been one of the two). I doubt anyone here is going to "chase" a GBHE, but some folks might be interested in keeping track of their appearance.--Gary BrowerUnincorporated Arapahoe CountyOn Mar 30, 2020, at 3:26 PM, 'Jean Stevenson' via Colorado Birds <cob...@googlegroups.com> wrote:I agree that the Rare Bird Alert should be suspended temporarily. Let those who are determined to chase rarities call each other as they used to do. Jean=J=From: Allison Hilf
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2020 2:09 PM
To: libby...@gmail.com
Cc: fiddl...@aol.com; cgoulart001@comcast.net ; Colorado Birds
Subject: Re: [cobirds] Staying at HomeI think suspending the RARE BIRD ALERT is appropriate; but think we should encourage people to discuss birds AND bird behavior in their yards/neighborhoods in this group. The decision to suspend the RBA is not mine, as I am only one of the Volunteer Compilers. We are having a difficult time deciding what to do, all input is appreciated.On Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 1:52 PM Libby Edwards <libby...@gmail.com> wrote:I agree! Reporting of birds is so fun and precious to read about, especially some of the bird behavior ones lately. Do not stop this!! We can certainly report from our homes and neighborhoods.
This morning we had a song sparrow at our feeder, along with a leucistic white headed male house finch! The pair of Bush tits are still there as well as the usual heard birds.
Libby Edwards
Fort Collins
> On Mar 30, 2020, at 1:46 PM, 'Deborah Carstensen' via Colorado Birds <cob...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
>
> In response to your suggestion to suspend this bird list, I would ask that we please keep it going! I see birds at my home that I like to report and I like to see other peoples reports of birds coming in even if it's in your backyard.
>
> Deb Carstensen, Arapahoe county
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Mar 30, 2020, at 12:45 PM, Chris Goulart <cgoul...@comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>> I have been a safety professional for about 25 years, and recently transitioned to working in the healthcare industry as a safety professional.
>>
>> I would agree with all of the statements urging being very conservative when it comes to travel for the time being. I understand that means missing spring migration, but any exposure at this juncture is really not acceptable. I would also agree with the sentiment that posting about birds that are likely to make people take risks in going to see them is not advisable.
>>
>> Personally, I would go so far as to say that this google groups list should be suspended until all shelter in place orders have been lifted. Telling people about the location of interesting birds will only serve to motivate people to travel to those locations to try to see them. Unfortunately, as some people have pointed out, the chances of a traffic crash or other situations where you find yourself exposed to people cannot be completely eliminated when you are out birding. The only way to truly eliminate the risk is to just stay at home.
>>
>> Please do not find yourself going to local hotspots to go birding. I know we may all think that we can self isolate, but you still have to potentially interact with other people and the chances of spreading the virus right now are just too high. Remember, it's not just about your own personal exposure, it's also about being a potential vector for spreading the virus to others.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Chris Goulart
>>
>> Aurora, Colorado
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
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>
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