Colorado Rare Bird Alert

Saturday, 30 June 2012

[cobirds] Reddish Egret update

This information is from David Charter, after the Reddish Egret flew west from Lake Cheraw this morning.

"There actually is an isolated pond on the west side of the highway 109.  It probably went down in there, but I can't see it from the road.   The pond can be seen a little bit from highway 266 as well, but I still don't see the bird." 

Hopefully the bird comes back to Lake Cheraw, where it would be easier to see.  

The bird was first reported on e-bird (probably from their phone) yesterday, with a photo, from Patrica and Richard Williams.  

When people submit sightings to e-bird from public birding locations, it would be good to also post the sighting to cobirds, or call the Colorado RBA.  Too many rare birds are reported to e-bird, that don't seem to make it to cobirds or the Colorado RBA.
 
Brandon Percival
Pueblo West, CO

[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert, Saturday, June 30

Compiler: Joe Roller

Date: June 30, 2012

email: rba at cfobirds.org

phone: 303-204-0828

This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Saturday, June 30, 2012, sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. If you are phoning in a message, you can skip the recording by pressing the star Key (*) on your phone at any time. Please leave your name, phone number, detailed directions, including county and dates for each sighting. It would be helpful if you would spell your last name.

Highlight species include: (*denotes that there is new information on this species in this report)

TRI-COLORED HERON (Jefferson)

REDDISH EGRET (*Otero)

ACORN WOODPECKER (Pueblo)

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (*Boulder, Costilla)

Grace's Warbler (Pueblo)

Hooded Warbler (Pueblo)

Please note, detailed directions to most of the following locations can be found on the Colorado County Birding Website:

http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/index.php

--Boulder County

-- A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was reported by Severs at the Westlake Elementary School southwest of 17th Ave and Airport Rd in Longmont mid-day on June 29. It was seen on the NW side of the school

next to the kid's wildlife habitat.

--Costilla County

-- A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was found by Andrew Spencer on June 28 at Smith Reservoir. It was in the trees at the northern-most pull-out on the west side of the lake. This will be the first Costilla County record.

--Jefferson County

--Peter Plage reports a TRI-COLORED HERON, (which would be a FIRST COUNTY RECORD for Jefferson County) at the "wildlife preserve" area of Crown Hill Regional Park,

seen mid-day on June 26. The wildlife preserve is at the corner of Kipiing and West 32nd in Wheat Ridge, and the closest parking is in the Wheat Ridge High School lot. The heron has not

been seen on subsequent searches on the 26th and 27th.

--Otero County

-- Percival posted that an dark-morph sub-adult REDDISH EGRET was seen by another observer at Lake Cheraw on June 29. David Chartier saw it on June 30 on the east side of Hwy 109 at Lake Cheraw, Otero County. Then it just flew (735am) 1/4 mile west and landed in a field. Lake Cheraw is north of La Junta.

Pueblo County:

--2 ACORN WOODPECKERS were reported by Van Manen in Pueblo Mountain Park just south of Beaulah on June 16. The birds were in a large snag next to the little amphitheater between the pavilion and the lodge. On June 23 Percival saw the Acorn Woodpeckers "...at the usual tree in Pueblo Mountain Park, at the parking lot just west of the Horseshore Lodge. Also, there was a singing male Hooded Warbler (first found by Van Truan), and one or two singing male Grace's Warblers. These warblers were not far up the road from the old basketball court (south end of the Park). The Hooded Warbler was mostly along the creek and the Grace's Warblers were singing in the tall ponderosa pine trees."

Joe Roller, Denver

303 204-0828

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[cobirds] Reddish Egret still at Lake Cheraw, Otero Co. 6/30

David Chartier called just now (732am), he saw the dark morph sub-adult Reddish Egret on the east side of Hwy 109 at Lake Cheraw, Otero County. Then it just flew (735am) 1/4 mile west and landed in a field. Lake Cheraw is north of La Junta. The usual Snowy Plovers and Black-necked Stilts, that breed here, were also present.

Brandon Percival

Pueblo West, CO

Friday, 29 June 2012

[cobirds] Fledgling Am Kestrel 'climbing' up a tree trunk-Canon City area

Earlier I posted that I thought American Kestrels were nesting in a cottonwood tree grove where Lewis's Woodpeckers were nesting and where I found the first nesting of Eastern Bluebirds in Fremont County. Today I found a young American Kestrel literally clinging to one of the large cottonwood trees the way a woodpecker would do, even using it's tail for balance. It was 'climbing' up the trunk of that cottonwood by hopping and sometimes using it's wings to assist it's movement upwards. It was a most unusual site and reminded me of new fledgling Great Horned Owls that hop on tree branches when first out of the nest. I couldn't find anything about this behavior in a search of the internet and Birds of North America online so wonder if anyone has observed this before or has read of it?

I have a series of photos of the young kestrel as it progresses up the tree on my Birds and Nature blog. Since Great Horned Owls that hop around tree branches are called 'branchers' would a kestrel hopping up a tree trunk be referred to as a 'trunker'?(lol)

SeEtta Moss
Canon City
Blogging for Birds and Blooms magazine @ http://birdsandbloomsblog.com/author/seetta-moss/
Personal blog @ BirdsAndBlooms.blogspot.com

[cobirds] Melanistic tree swallow, JeffCo

A melanistic swallow (Northern Rough-Winged?) was present along Clear Creek about 150 yards west of I-70 today. I saw it feeding in flight over the creek several times but not landed. The bird appeared uniformly dark all over.

In addition to lots of Cliff, N. Rough-Winged, and Barn Swallows, there were many Cedar Waxwings including YOY, Snowy Egrets, Spotted Sandpipers, Yellow Warblers, Warbling Vireos, a Cinnamon Teal, Great Blue Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons, loads of Cormorants, Mallard families, etc. A birdy place and for a change of pace you can always watch the GOLD MINERS working the creek.

Pete Plage

Broomfield

[cobirds] REDDISH EGRET -- Lake Cheraw, Otero 6/29

There appears to be a dark morph Reddish Egret at Lake Cheraw today. This sighting was submitted to e-bird by people I don't know, with a good photo. Since this is a Colorado Review Species, hopefully the observers submit the photo and details to the CBRC. If there are any birders around out there, maybe they can also see this bird, and documented it. I think there are still less than 15 state records for Colorado for this species.

Brandon Percival

Pueblo West, CO

[cobirds] Great Crested Flycatcher, west Longmont, 6/29

This time at Westlake Elementary southwest of 17th Ave and Airport Rd in Longmont. The bird was calling infrequently and actively foraging while chasing and being chased by Say's Phoebes. Seen on the northwest side of the school next to the kid's wildlife habitat. Time observed: 11:47 to just past noon when I left.

I had actually heard a Dickcissel, and pulled over and heard the Great Crested Flycatcher instead. Couldn't find the Dickcissel at the school but heard two singing males west of Airport at 9th Ave.

--Scott

Scott E. Severs
Longmont, CO

[cobirds] Any thoughts?

I found this poor baby in my driveway this morning. Pretty sure it came from the cooper's nest in the tree above it. What could have happened? There is another pair of baby wings only in my yard. Thanks
Pam Norris
Englewood, co
Arapahoe County

Thursday, 28 June 2012

[cobirds] RFI: Rabbit Valley/Brewster Ridge info, Mesa Cty.

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone could enlighten/advise me on birding opportunities at the locations in the subject line, as outlined on the CFO coloradocountybirding.com site. Is that info still good and useful, as far as things like Scott's Oriole and other western slope PJ specialties are concerned? I'm hoping to devote the better part of a morning there, and just wondering if it's worth it. If not, are there other spots in Mesa County worth checking this season? The Oriole would be a real highlight for me, by the way.

Thanks for any help!

Eric DeFonso

Fort Collins, CO
(currently in Pasadena, CA)

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[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Thursday, June 28

Compiler: Joe Roller

Date: June 28, 2012

email: rba at cfobirds.org

phone: 303-204-0828

This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Thursday, June 28, 2012, sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. If you are phoning in a message, you can skip the recording by pressing the star Key (*) on your phone at any time. Please leave your name, phone number, detailed directions, including county and dates for each sighting. It would be helpful if you would spell your last name.

Highlight species include: (*denotes that there is new information on this species in this report)

TRI-COLORED HERON (Jefferson)

Green Heron (Mesa)

ACORN WOODPECKER (Pueblo)

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (*Costilla)

Purple Martin (Mesa)

Grace's Warbler (Pueblo)

Hooded Warbler (Pueblo)

Fox Sparrow (Mesa)

Please note, detailed directions to most of the following locations can be found on the Colorado County Birding Website:

http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/index.php

--Costilla County

-- A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was found by Andrew Spencer on June 28 at Smith Reservoir. It was in the trees at the northern-most pull-out on the west side of the lake.

--Fremont County

--Two Great Crested Flycatchers were reported by MacKerrow on the river side of County Road 119 on June 20.

at the "wildlife preserve" area of Crown Hill Regional Park.

--Jefferson County

--Peter Plage reports a TRI-COLORED HERON, (which would be a FIRST COUNTY RECORD for Jefferson County) at the "wildlife preserve" area of Crown Hill Regional Park,

seen mid-day on June 26. The wildlife preserve is at the corner of Kipiing and West 32nd in Wheat Ridge, and the closest parking is in the Wheat Ridge High School lot. The heron has not

been seen on subsequent searches on the 26th and 27th.

Mesa County:

--A Green Heron was reported by Arnold on the edge of the first pond at Connected Lakes State Park on June 22.

--Small flocks of Purple Martins and Fox Sparrows were reported by Arnold Along FR 266 on June 17.

Pueblo County:

--2 ACORN WOODPECKER were reported by Van Manen in Pueblo Mountain Park just south of Beaulah on June 16. The birds were in a large snag next to the little amphitheater between the pavilion and the lodge. On June 23 Percival saw the Acorn Woodpeckers "...at the usual tree in Pueblo Mountain Park, at the parking lot just west of the Horseshore Lodge. Also, there was a singing male Hooded Warbler (first found by Van Truan), and one or two singing male Grace's Warblers. These warblers were not far up the road from the old basketball court (south end of the Park). The Hooded Warbler was mostly along the creek and the Grace's Warblers were singing in the tall ponderosa pine trees."

Denver Field Ornithologists Field Trip for Saturday, June 30 Chicago Creek Trip Leader: Bob Shade 303-975-2476. Cell: 720-256-4376.

Primary target species: Fox Sparrow (Slate-colored subspecies) in willow carr at 11,000 feet. One of the few nearby sites to see this species on the breeding grounds.

Directions: Meet at 0730 at Fillius Park. Go west on I-70 and get off at Exit 252 (Evergreen Exit) and follow the Evergreen Parkway/CO 74 in a westerly direction 2.5 miles to the Bergen Parkway intersection. Turn right and immediately find the Fillius Park parking lot where we will meet and arrange car-pooling for the drive toward Mt Evans. From the Chicago Creek campground it is a 3.6 mile (one way) moderately strenuous hike uphill to timberline. Please bring lunch and water, wear sturdy hiking shoes and clothing for sudden weather changes and high elevations. Please call Bob if you plan to go.

Joe Roller, Denver

303 204-0828

[cobirds] Early West Nile Activity in Western Colorado

Has anyone on this list seen report of bird die offs, particularly on the Western Slope? I am asking because we have seen an unusually early appearance of 1) mosquitoes that are 2) West Nile positive.

Thanks,

Jim Wilson
Black Canyon Infectious Disease Forecast Station

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[cobirds] One effect of Waldo Canyon Fire - El Paso/Teller Counties

There has been one small (maybe even tiny) positive effect from the fire. At least 15 of my non-birding friends have contacted me to ask how they can do something for the birds and small animals in all this heat, wind, smoke and ash.

They now all have put out water and seed in their yards and are encouraging others to do so. I have explained from my point of view that if they start they should continue - at least for the near future.

Please correct me if need be, but I feel a fresh water source in this arid and smoky time is important.

Mel Goff

Colo Spgs

p.s. At this morning's briefing, it was announced that more than 300 homes burned in the Mountain Shadows area, but no new losses overnight. Specific numbers are still to come.

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

[cobirds] another thought on the Last Chance area

I've been thinking about the whole "fire as a natural and often helpful force in nature". Although I agree with this philosophy in many ways, I would put forth that the preexisting loss of habitat disproportionately increases the importance of these areas to the animals dependant upon them. I also feel that, in some instances, the profound effect of the booming populations of people in these areas will make it harder for these areas to recover. These are the cases that might benefit from outside intervention from people that have knowledge about what it takes to restore the area to an effective environment.

I'm just sayin'....

Deb Carstensen, Littleton

[cobirds] Scissor-tailed Flycathcer/Costilla County

Hi all,

This evening Tayler Brooks and I found an adult Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at Smith Reservoir in Costilla County. It was hanging out in the tall trees by the northernmost pullout on the west side of the lake.

Andrew Spencer
Centennial, CO
Enviado desde mi BlackBerry

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[cobirds] Poudre River south of Prospect, Fort Collins (Larimer) on 6/27/12

I took a stroll over what used to be one of my regular circuits along the Poudre River in Fort Collins south of Prospect down to the Environmental Learning Center. Here are the highlights:

*Red-eyed Vireo (1 persistently singing male), mostly in the dense woods n of the bike trail nw of the Water Treatment Plant. This species has been in this particular patch of cottonwoods overtopping a fairly dense understory of snowberry, etc. in summer's past. Even though the City's Stormwater Department keeps trying to dumb it down, this area persists as special.

*Broad-winged Hawk (1a), shown to me by upset robins and jays in the same woods as above, a shock to see given the date, later seen circling fairly high and working southward toward the Water Treatment Plant.

Other "quality" passerines included:

Lazuli Bunting (at least two singing males)

Western Wood-Pewee (at least 3)

Bullock's Oriole (1f)

Yellow Warbler (at least 3 males)

Warbling Vireo (1 "midwestern")

Eastern Kingbird (1)

[no American Redstarts or Least Flycatchers, which have nested in the vireo-hawk woods mentioned above]

Interesting waterbirds included:

Wood Duck (female with just 1 baby in tow)

"White-cheeked" Goose (I would wager it was a Cackling, only seen flying, sounded right, hanging out in the Sharp Point cow yard with Canadas). Are there any records of Cackling breeding or at least summering in CO? I seem to recall Mr. Mlodinow reporting Cackling out of season a time or two.

[no Green Heron, but they could be in the area]

Total of 42 species

Dave Leatherman

Fort Collins

[cobirds] Mtn Shadows Fire

I would assume we have quite a few birding areas in peril of late?

Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn

Yeah, another birding site aflame: my vantage point on the Dakota Sandstone ridge above Mountain Shadows, on Colorado Springs' Westside, where i do my impromptu COS Hawkwatch.

Everything between the scar and there, and below it was scorched. It had been mostly oak and some pines. Now just stumps. Not sure how the raptors nesting in the canyons have done. Most famous were the Golden Eagles that nested in the now infamous Queens Canyon for many years. I hope I'll be able to get back in there next spring. That was Flying W Ranch property, and that ceased to exist yesterday. Maybe the scorching won't affect migrant raptor paths.

On a happier note - this morning I was able to find a vantage point on The Mesa where I could see that my house is still standing in the lower elevations of Mountain Shadows. Thank you to the 120+ firetrucks and crews that were there at dawn this morning saving the vast majority of houses.

And another area - Pine Valley on the Air Force Academy where I taught high school biology and environmental science, and where we erected 85 bluebird houses, and have been monitoring them for 25 years. That area is under evacuation, and there is currently a small fire in the upper reaches of the canyon, along W Monument Creek.

Thankfully,

Steve Brown,

Colorado Springs

soon to return to Mountain Shadows.

[cobirds] Lory State Park, Larimer County

Lory State Park, Larimer County, west of Fort Collins, CO, is now
open, as are all the trails.

Tom and Mary France
Fort Collins, CO

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[cobirds] NO sighting of Tri-colored Heron in Wheat RIdge this morning

Dick Schottler called me at 10:10 to tell me that he searched the wildlife area
at Crown Hill Park in Wheat Ridge for an hour this morning. The TC Heron is
not there, but the Snowy Egret and Black-crowned Night-Heron
continued. Who can be the first to find it later today or along the
Wheat Ridge Greenbelt or other
spots in the Clear Creek area?

Joe Roller

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[cobirds] Colorado Rare Bird Alert, Wednesday, June 27th at 0930

Compiler: Joe Roller

Date: June 27, 2012

email: rba at cfobirds.org

phone: 303-204-0828

This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday, June 27, 2012, sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. If you are phoning in a message, you can skip the recording by pressing the star Key (*) on your phone at any time. Please leave your name, phone number, detailed directions, including county and dates for each sighting. It would be helpful if you would spell your last name.

Highlight species include: (*denotes that there is new information on this species in this report)

TRI-COLORED HERON (*Jefferson)

Green Heron (Mesa)

ACORN WOODPECKER (*Pueblo)

Purple Martin (Mesa)

Grace's Warbler (Pueblo)

Hooded Warbler (Pueblo)

Fox Sparrow (Mesa)

Please note, detailed directions to most of the following locations can be found on the Colorado County Birding Website:

http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/index.php

--Fremont County

--Two Great Crested Flycatchers were reported by MacKerrow on the river side of County Road 119 on June 20.

at the "wildlife preserve" area of Crown Hill Regional Park.

--Jefferson County

--Peter Plage reports a TRI-COLORED HERON, (which would be a FIRST COUNTY RECORD for Jefferson County) at the "wildlife preserve" area of Crown Hill Regional Park,

seen mid-day. The wildlife preserve is at the corner of Kipiing and West 32nd in Wheat Ridge, and the closest parking is in the Wheat Ridge High School lot. The heron could not be seen at about 5:30 PM

on the 26th, but may have been skulking in the abundant cattails there. Additional positive or negative news about this bird would be appreciated.

Mesa County:

--A Green Heron was reported by Arnold on the edge of the first pond at Connected Lakes State Park on June 22.

--Small flocks of Purple Martins and Fox Sparrows were reported by Arnold Along FR 266 on June 17.

Pueblo County:

Denver Field Ornithologists Field Trip for Saturday, June 30 Chicago Creek Trip Leader: Bob Shade 303-975-2476. Cell: 720-256-4376.

Primary target species: Fox Sparrow (Slate-colored subspecies) in willow carr at 11,000 feet. One of the few nearby sites to see this species on the breeding grounds.

Joe Roller, Denver

303 204-0828