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The Colorado Birding List

Updated on Friday, October 19 at 09:17 PM ET
The most recently received Mail is at the top.

At Crow Valley near Briggsdale, Weld County, the early morning weather was 
sunny, crisp and not too windy.?The bird list was not long, but I had a good 
time studying what was there, as I had the place almost to myself.?There were 
at least a dozen Mountain Chickadees, practising their acrobatics.?I found a 
juvenile male Sapsucker, molting into adulthood, which?I think that it was a 
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. I am still?studying photos on the web, etc.?? 

The red on the throat was completely bordered in black. The numberous large 
spots on the back were a nice tan color and the breast was dirty brown. The 
crown was not seen well, but looked speckled, not uniformly brown. There was no 
red on the nape, and little or none on the crown. The chin was all red, making 
this more likely to be a male bird. Red-naped Sapsucker juveniles should be 
almost completely into the adult plumage by now,?but this bird?retained many 
juvenile features. 


I realize that most YB Sapsuckers are seen in November and after in CO. I found 
a photograph on the web taken in Indiana on September 25th last year that 
nearly matches the Crow Valley bird. If anyone can see or photograph this bird 
over the weekend, I would be obliged. It moved around a lot, but was usually 
seen in the?elms north of the road, across the road from ?the large covered 
picnic structure. A dripping water tap there?attracted a few Yellow-rumped 
Warblers, a female Downy, Flickers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, numberous Robins, 
Townsend's Solitaires?and the afore-mentioned Mountain Chickadees. 

Joe Roller, 
Denver
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Spent some time this morning at Big Johnson Reservoir in El Paso County.  
The black-bellied plover that was reported is still on the northeast shore.  
I did not see the phalaropes or the Sabine's gull that I saw a couple of 
weeks ago, though they have been reported this week as well.  There was a 
pretty good list of ducks and grebes:

horned grebe
eared grebe
western grebe (did not note any Clark's, but there were many grebes too far 
away to tell)
pied-billed grebe
American wigeon
canvasback
American coot (many)
mallard
northern shoveler
northern pintail
ring-necked duck
bufflehead
ruddy duck
gadwall

David Chartier
Colorado Springs



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This morning we have a male Broad-tailed Hummingbird! He found the two feeders 
we still have out, one in the front and one in the back. He has a full gorget 
but no wing whistle, just the little chip, chip they make. In fact, I heard 
that before I saw him. 


Kathy Dressel
Deerfield, Franktown
Urling and I went over to Dressels this morning to inspect this anomalous 
hummer. It has all the field marks of a male Broad-tailed except for the wing 
trill. One field guide says that they may lose the trill when molting P10 -- 
maybe that's what's happened to this gorgeous bird. 




Hugh Kingery
Franktown CO 80116



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My trip around your BEAUTIFUL (and snowy!) state is going very well.? We head 
east back over the mountains today for two days in Loveland.? 



Any suggestions for locations close to there where I might try for No. Saw-whet 
Owl?? 


Yesterday I lucked up on a small?flock of rosy finches at the Evelyn Lane 
feeder north of Gunnison.? There were at least two BROWN-CAPPED in the group.?? 
I failed again in my quest for the sage-grouse at the Co 38/38A junction. 



Thank you,

Steve McConnell
Hartselle, AL
(currently in Grand Junction, CO)
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Compiler:  Joyce Takamine
Date:    October 19, 2007
e-mail:  rba AT cfo-link.org
phone: 

This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Friday, October 19 at 5:00 am
sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird
Observatory.

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

HARRIS'S HAWK (Las Animas)
American Golden Plover (*El Paso, Washington)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Adams, Ouray)
Sabine's Gull (Adams, Bent, Boulder, Douglas/Jefferson, Pueblo,
Sedgwick, Weld, Yuma)
ROSS'S GULL (Bent)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Bent)
SPRAGUE'S PIPIT (Yuma)
PINE WARBLER (Prowers)
Palm Warbler (Boulder)
Prothonotary Warbler (Washington)
EASTERN TOWHEE (Yuma)
Fox Sparrow (Yuma)
Swamp Sparrow (Boulder, El Paso, Sedgwick, Yuma)
White-throated Sparrow (*Adams, Sedgwick, Yuma)
Harris's Sparrow (Sedgwick)

To skip this recording to leave a message,  press star at any time.  Please
leave your name, phone number, detailed directions and dates for all
sightings.  It would be helpful if you would spell your last name and
identify the county of the sighting.

Adams County:
--An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and three juvenile Sabine's Gulls were
reported by Sanders at Barr Lake on October 13.  On October 15, Floyd
reported two Sabine's Gulls (1 adult, 1 juvenile) at Barr Lake.
--Two White-throated Sparrows were reported by Erthal at Barr Lake along the
canal opposite the banding station on October 18.

Bent County:
--An adult basic ROSS'S GULL was reported by Percival at John Martin
Reservoir on October 14.  Also present were three Sabine's Gulls.  At least
one Sabine's Gull was still present on October 15.
--A Red-bellied Woodpecker was reported by Percival at Hasty Campground on
October 14.

Boulder County:
--Two juvenile Sabine's Gulls were reported by Larson at Boulder Reservoir
on October 14 and one was seen on October 15.
--A Palm Warbler was reported by Severs in southwest Longmont on October 16.
--A Swamp Sparrow was reported by Floyd at Sombrero Marsh in Boulder on
October 17.

Douglas/Jefferson Counties:
--A first winter Sabine's Gull was reported by Kellner at Chatfield State
Park on October 14.

El Paso County:
--A Swamp Sparrow was reported by Bulow at Fountain Creek Regional Park on
October 13.
--A juvenal American Golden Plover and a juvenile Sabine's Gull were
reported by Drummond at Big Johnson on October 17.

Las Animas County:
--A HARRIS'S HAWK was reported by Gifford north of Aguilar on October 15.

Ouray County:
--A Lesser Black-backed Gull was reported by Dexter at Ridgway Reservoir on
October 2 and was seen again on October 15.   For directions see
the Colorado County Birding Website.

Pueblo County:
--One juvenile Sabine's Gull and one Swamp Sparrow were reported by Percival
at Valco Ponds and Rock Canyon in Pueblo on October 13.

Prowers County:
--A first fall PINE WARBLER was reported by Percival at Fairmount Cemetery
in Lamar on October 14.

Sedgwick County:
--Two juvenile Sabine's Gulls were reported by Semo at Jumbo on October 14.
--In a woodlot at CR 6 and 51, Semo reported one Harris's Sparrow and one
White-throated Sparrow on October 14.

Washington County:
--A Prothonotary Warbler was reported by Semo in Cope on October 13.  It was
seen one block north of the gas station in a small patch of woods.
--Two juvenile American Golden Plovers were reported by Semo at Prewitt on
October 14.

Weld County:
--One juvenile Sabine's Gull was reported by Larson at Union Reservoir on
October 14.

Yuma County:
--At Bonny State Park, Erthal reported two White-throated Sparrows, one Fox
Sparrow and a female EASTERN TOWHEE below the dam along the channel from the
spillway basin on October 13.  There were three SPRAGUE'S PIPITS on a hill
west of CR LL and one juvenile Sabine's Gull at the reservoir on October 13.

The DFO field trip for Saturday, October 20 will be to Walden Ponds in the
Boulder Area led by Ted Floyd ().  Meet the leader of "Early
Birds Special" at 0600 for a prompt departure or at 0800 for "Official"
field trip.

The DFO field trip for Sunday, October 21 will be to Cherry Creek State Park
led by Bob Righter ().  Meet at the Marina at 0800 for half day
trip.  State Parks Pass required.

The next monthly meeting of Denver Field Ornithologists will be on Monday,
October 22 at 7:30 pm in Ricketson Auditorium of the Denver Museum of Nature
& Science.  Ted Floyd will speak on "The Most Excellent Birds in the World."

Thank you and good birding,
Joyce Takamine
Boulder


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Cobirders,? 

Perhaps the Back Street Boys can beat pishing for getting birds to be noticed. 
Check out this cockatoo. 


http://birdloversonly.blogspot.com/2007/09/may-i-have-this-dance.html

Larry Modesitt
Greenwood Village
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Hi all,

I went to Last Chance [Washington Co.] 10/17. Not much there but 2 
Swainson's Thrushes,[I only saw one last week at this location] There was 
one m. American Robin who kept attacking one of the thrushes big time. He 
didn't let up on the one Thrush,with wings hitting each other nonstop. One 
Hermit Thrush was present also, plus one Townsend's Solitaire. There were  8 
Yellow-rumped Warblers, and one Gray Catbird. I saw no White-crowned 
Sparrows like I saw  one week ago at this location [11 immatures, and 6 
adults]. Instead a flock of 9 Juncos replaced the White-crowned Sparrows. 
Three of these Juncos were Oregon, and the rest were Pink-sided. Three 
Black-capped Chickadees and three Blue Jays were present. Exactly one week 
ago at Last Chance I saw one m., Wilson's Warbler,[late], gobs of American 
Goldfinch, 1,Lincoln's Sparrow, & 1, Song Sparrow.

Yesterday, 10/17 I heard lots of Sandhill Cranes. There were so many low 
clouds and the weather was socked in way out east that I could never see the 
Cranes. It sounded like alot of birds.  They were heading SW, I think before 
the temperatures got colder that day.

My humers stayed until 10/4. Only one or two were left. I did have 1, im. f, 
Black-chinned who stayed daily for about one and a half weeks through 
10/4th,[could have been a different one over that time period]. This fall I 
had mostly Black-chinned in the latter part of Sept., and early September. 
My last hummingbird is usually a Calliope or Broad-tailed in the past years, 
so this was new for me having Black-chinned so late,and my last hummingbird 
departure date over the years is more like 10/12.

I'm curious what were other folks average time/times for their hummingbirds 
to leave their yards from urban and suburban plains locations?

Happy Birding!
Tina Jones, Littleton, Jefferson Co.



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I had 2 white-throated sparrows (tan-striped) at Barr lake this afternoon along 
the canal opposite the banding station 

Norman Erthal
Arvada, CO
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Co birders :
 
      late yesterday afternoon one juvenal  American Golden Plover and one 
Black-bellied Plover ( Grey Plover ) were  foraging along the eastern and 
northern shoreline of Big Johnson Reservoir ,El Paso County. You will need a 
good 

telescope to see them from the parking lot.  Mark Peterson and I also had the 
pleasure of hearing the flight calls of   four Red-necked Phalaropes in front 
of us , a lingering juvenile Sabine's  Gull and 2 Forster's Terns. Waterfowl 
numbers are increasing including  Canvasbacks, Redheads and a Common Goldeneye 
which summered. 
 
John Drummond
Monument   



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Yesterday (Oct 17th) at Colorado Gators 18 miles north of Alamosa, and 2 miles 
south of our home in Hooper, (alamosa county) the owner of Colorado Gators 
spotted a "white heron" and knowing I was a birder asked me what it was, I told 
him how to identify the Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets and he said it was 
probably a Great Egret, I later got the chance to see the Great Egret and 
confirm its identification. Great Egrets are fairly unusual around here and 
we've only seen them a couple times in the San Luis Vally before, once was 
years ago at Colorado Gators. Herons and Egrets hang out at Colorado Gators 
because of the warm water year round and abundance of fish (Colorado Gators is 
also a fish farm). also at cColorado Gators there's lots of waterfowl and 
cranes, I havent got a chance to really go birding there so I don't know 
exactly what species of waterfowl. At our yard we do have a few interesting 
birds coming to our feeders such as Mountain and 

 Black-capped Chickadees (got the Mountain Chickadee "hand tamed"), 
White-breasted Nuthatches, Pine Siskins, a flock of Dark-eyed Juncos, the usual 
finches and sparrows, and the occasional Downy woodpecker. 

                            
-Micah




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Oct. 17 at Home Lake there were 2 imm. Snowy Egrets and 8 Lesser Yellowlegs, 
plus the usual Coots. This AM, I noticed the first American Goldfinches, vainly 
seeking food at my empty feeders - probably feeling the effects of yesterday's 
windstorm and cold. 

I have not been filling feeders for 1-2 months as a large flock of Pine Siskins 
had moved, consuming about $2 worth of feed per day. I figured that they could 
easily forage for themselves in the wild in early fall, but the feeders have 
been filled again this morning. 

Virginia Simmons, Del Norte


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Compiler:  Joyce Takamine
Date:    October 18, 2007
e-mail:  rba AT cfo-link.org
phone: 

This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Thursday, October 18 at 5:00 am
sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird
Observatory.

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

HARRIS'S HAWK (Las Animas)
American Golden Plover (Washington)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Adams, Ouray)
Sabine's Gull (Adams, Bent, Boulder, Douglas/Jefferson, Pueblo,
Sedgwick, Weld, Yuma)
ROSS'S GULL (Bent)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Bent)
SPRAGUE'S PIPIT (Yuma)
PINE WARBLER (Prowers)
Palm Warbler (*Boulder)
Prothonotary Warbler (Washington)
EASTERN TOWHEE (Yuma)
Fox Sparrow (Yuma)
Swamp Sparrow (*Boulder, El Paso, Sedgwick, Yuma)
White-throated Sparrow (Sedgwick, Yuma)
Harris's Sparrow (Sedgwick)

To skip this recording to leave a message,  press star at any time.  Please
leave your name, phone number, detailed directions and dates for all
sightings.  It would be helpful if you would spell your last name and
identify the county of the sighting.

Adams County:
--An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and three juvenile Sabine's Gulls were
reported by Sanders at Barr Lake on October 13.  On October 15, Floyd
reported two Sabine's Gulls (1 adult, 1 juvenile) at Barr Lake.

Bent County:
--An adult basic ROSS'S GULL was reported by Percival at John Martin
Reservoir on October 14.  Also present were three Sabine's Gulls.  At least
one Sabine's Gull was still present on October 15.
--A Red-bellied Woodpecker was reported by Percival at Hasty Campground on
October 14.

Boulder County:
--Two juvenile Sabine's Gulls were reported by Larson at Boulder Reservoir
on October 14 and one was seen on October 15.
--A Palm Warbler was reported by Severs in southwest Longmont on October 16.
--A Swamp Sparrow was reported by Floyd at Sombrero Marsh in Boulder on
October 17.

Douglas/Jefferson Counties:
--A first winter Sabine's Gull was reported by Kellner at Chatfield State
Park on October 14.

El Paso County:
--A Swamp Sparrow was reported by Bulow at Fountain Creek Regional Park on
October 13.


Las Animas County:
--A HARRIS'S HAWK was reported by Gifford north of Aguilar on October 15.

Ouray County:
--A Lesser Black-backed Gull was reported by Dexter at Ridgway Reservoir on
October 2 and was seen again on October 15.   For directions see
the Colorado County Birding Website.

Pueblo County:
--One juvenile Sabine's Gull and one Swamp Sparrow were reported by Percival
at Valco Ponds and Rock Canyon in Pueblo on October 13.

Prowers County:
--A first fall PINE WARBLER was reported by Percival at Fairmount Cemetery
in Lamar on October 14.

Sedgwick County:
--Two juvenile Sabine's Gulls were reported by Semo at Jumbo on October 14.
--In a woodlot at CR 6 and 51, Semo reported one Harris's Sparrow and one
White-throated Sparrow on October 14.

Washington County:
--A Prothonotary Warbler was reported by Semo in Cope on October 13.  It was
seen one block north of the gas station in a small patch of woods.
--Two juvenile American Golden Plovers were reported by Semo at Prewitt on
October 14.

Weld County:
--One juvenile Sabine's Gull was reported by Larson at Union Reservoir on
October 14.

Yuma County:
--At Bonny State Park, Erthal reported two White-throated Sparrows, one Fox
Sparrow and a female EASTERN TOWHEE below the dam along the channel from the
spillway basin on October 13.  There were three SPRAGUE'S PIPITS on a hill
west of CR LL and one juvenile Sabine's Gull at the reservoir on October 13.

The DFO field trip for Saturday, October 20 will be to Walden Ponds in the
Boulder Area led by Ted Floyd ().  Meet the leader of "Early
Birds Special" at 0600 for a prompt departure or at 0800 for "Official"
field trip.

The DFO field trip for Sunday, October 21 will be to Cherry Creek State Park
led by Bob Righter ().  Meet at the Marina at 0800 for half day
trip.  State Parks Pass required.

The next monthly meeting of Denver Field Ornithologists will be on Monday,
October 22 at 7:30 pm in Ricketson Auditorium of the Denver Museum of Nature
& Science.  Ted Floyd will speak on "The Most Excellent Birds in the World."

Thank you and good birding,
Joyce Takamine
Boulder


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Hello, birders.
 
Bill Schmoker and I stopped by Sombrero Marsh, Boulder County, after work 
today, Wednesday, 17 October 2007. Not much doing out there, but we did hear 
the distinctive call note of a Swamp Sparrow out in the extensive sedges. Then 
I pished, and the bird flew away. So we were left with a few Rock Pigeons, Blue 
Jays, and Common Grackles, and we were on our way. 

 
Ted Floyd
tedfloyd57 AT hotmail.com
Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado
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CO-Birders,

I just wanted to report my success this morning in seeing 4-5 WHITE-TAILED 
PTARMIGAN at Guanella Pass.? The location was about 300 yards up the 603 trail 
from the Rosalie intersection/box.? All were about 1/2 white. 


About the time I settled in to enjoy my find, the gust front of wind and driven 
snow really picked up and the birds quickly moved east over the crest of the 
hill. 


Yes!

Steve McConnell
Hartselle, AL
(tonight in Gunnison, CO)
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COBirders:  Can anyone help this visiting birder with his requests?  
   
  Many thanks, Donna Emmons

Steve Maier  wrote:
  Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:11:
From: "Steve Maier" 
To: emmons7 AT yahoo.com
Subject: bird finding

Hi there,
I got your address from birdingpal and I was hoping you could help me
locate some Colorado birds. I would like to find Brown-capped
Rosy-finches, Gunnison Sage-grouse, and Dusky Grouse. Do you know of
any reliable places to find any of these birds? I will be in the
state starting tomorrow the 18th through the end of the month. I plan
to start in the north and work my way south. Locations anywhere in
the state or even near the state would be helpful. Thanks.

Steve Maier




Donna Emmons

Colorado City 81019


emmons7 AT yahoo.co




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There's currently a grass fire burning at Chico Basin Ranch, Pueblo County. 
From the pictures on the local news, it looks like it is burning grass and 
cholla. 

 
Brandon Percival
Pueblo West, CO

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Though the date has been confusing, come plan to joing hundreds (or at least 
about 130 interested birders), here Ted Floyd address, "the ten most excellent 
birds in the world ". The list may surprise you. 

   
 Ted Floyd, Editor of Birding magazine and popular speaker on birds and 
birding, at the DFO meeting, Monday, October 22. On Monday, October 22, 2007 at 
7.30 pm, the DFO meeting speaker will be Ted Floyd. PLEASE ARRIVE BY 7:15 
PM...... See location details below.... 

     
 Besides being the Editor of Birding magazine, Ted Floyd has been and will once 
again be one of DFO�s favorite speakers. 

   
 Ted is senior author of the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Nevada (University 
of Nevada Press, 2007), and author of the forthcoming Smithsonian Field Guide 
to the Birds of North America (HarperCollins, 2008). He has also contributed 
chapters to textbooks and guidebooks published by Oxford University Press, 
Houghton Mifflin, National Geographic, and others. Ted is the author of more 
than 100 articles on birds and bird watching, for popular and more professional 
publications. He is a frequent speaker at birding festivals and ornithological 
meetings, and he has led birding trips throughout North America. 

   
 When he is not writing about birds, or rewriting other people�s article about 
birds, Ted listens to nocturnal migrants with his ten-month-old son Andrew and 
travels on lengthy road trips with his three-year-old daughter Hannah. His wife 
Kei is epically patient. 

 The Denver Field Ornithologists monthly meetings are now held on the 4th 
Monday of each month August to April (but excluding December). 

   
 Meetings are held at the Ricketson Auditorium in Denver Museum of Nature & 
Science. Park on the north side of museum and walk around to the west door 
between 7 pm and 7:30 pm. If late, enter through security/volunteer door. 

   
  Please do not be late, it messes with building security.


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We have been having an abundance of Mountain Chickadees, more than usual and 
earlier than usual and beating out the Black-capped Chickadees in numbers. In 
addition, we had a small flock of Pine Siskins on the feeder yesterday. Also, 
over the past weeks, we have had a Red-breasted Nuthatch at the feeder at the 
same time as a White-breasted Nuthatch. I guess winter is surely coming! 


Happy Birding!

Sallie Ives
Colorado Springs/El Paso County
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This morning Boulder Reservoir still held three juv. Sabine's Gulls and
a juv. Red-necked Phalarope.
 
Bill Kaempfer
Boulder


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Hello, birders.

There will be a Denver Field Ornithologists (DFO) field trip to Walden 
Ponds, Boulder County, this coming Saturday, 20 October 2007. There will be 
two meeting times:

6:00 a.m. for nocturnal migrants. Please arrive promptly, as we'll be on the 
go at 6:00 a.m. sharp. I don't expect a huge amount in the way of flight 
calls, but y'never know. Stuff is still moving over, that's for sure. Early 
this morning in Lafayette, a few miles southeast of Walden Ponds, I heard 
sparrows migrating over at a rate of about 12 flight calls per hour. Among 
the flight calls up there were what I believe were American Tree 
Sparrows--the first (presumed) nocturnal migrants of that species I've heard 
this fall.

8:00 a.m. for "normal" birding. We'll look for seasonal stuff like 
waterfowl, raptors, and late passerine migrants. Walden at this time of year 
often coughs up something like Winter Wren or Swamp Sparrow; we shall see...

This trip is free and open to the public. No RSVP necessary. Just show up. 
Please dress for Colorado weather: bikinis, parkas, etc. Please bring water 
and a snack. We should wrap up by noon.

See y'all on Saturday!

Ted Floyd
tedfloyd57 AT hotmail.com
Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado

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Hello all,

I was working up at the base of the flatirons just north of Gregory Canyon, 
around Chitaqua Park and near NCAR today and witnessed an impressive movement 
of raptors. I was a bit busy and couldn't watch the sky constantly, so here's 
the conservative tally: 


Sharp-shinned Hawk- 24 (mostly adults, only 1 imm and several unknowns)
Cooper's Hawk- 5 (2 ad, 2 imm, 1 unknown)
Red-tailed Hawk- 22 (18 adult Western, 2 adult intermediate Western, 2 imm 
Western) 

Ferruginous Hawk- 6 (2 imm light, 2 ad light, 1 unknown dark, 1 unknown light) 
Merlin- 1
Prairie Falcon- 1 local bird flying north w/full crop

Great birding,

Christian Nunes
Boulder, CO
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Hi all,
Lots of Juncos in the Estes Area. On Monday, White-winged Juncos began 
arriving  along with the Oregon Juncos.
Scott Rashid
Estes Park


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As I was arriving at school this morning in Ovid, Sedgwick
County, I heard Mountain Chickadees and at least one WB
Nuthatch.  I have lived here 4 1/4 years, and this is my
first Sedgwick County chickadee of any kind.  I had neither
binos nor time, so don't know numbers of what else might
have been with these birds.

Henry A
Ovid

Henry Armknecht
Ovid CO

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Pardon the pun . . .

A walk with Julie in our SW Longmont neighborhood this mid-morning as 
the fog cleared produced a couple of fun sightings including a Palm 
Warbler, and a male prairie Merlin patiently preening while a group of 
house finches perched precariously overhead! Heard a Spotted Towhee in 
the underbrush. Plus hundreds of robins descended into the yards and 
groups of White-crowned Sparrows and juncos were flitting around. 
Townsend's Solitaires and Mountain Chickadees were making the rounds, 
as well as a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Amazing what can be seen in a 1/2 
hour walk.

Best,

--Scott

Scott Severs
Longmont, CO


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Dear Cobirders,
	Thanks to Bill Schmoker's post last evening, once the fog lifted  
this morning I was able to locate one of my nemesis birds, the Cattle  
Egret, in the field between CO 119 and Six-mile Reservoir.  True to  
it's name, the Egret was associating with cattle in the fields just  
north of the Gunbarrel Veterinary Clinic.  A quick check of both Six- 
mile and Boulder Reservoir revealed many Aechmophorus and at least  
two Sabine's Gulls.

Cheers,
Walter Szeliga
Boulder, CO

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Compiler:  Joyce Takamine
Date:    October 16, 2007
e-mail:  rba AT cfo-link.org
phone: 

This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Tuesday, October 16 at 5:00 am
sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird
Observatory.

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

HARRIS'S HAWK (*Las Animas)
American Golden Plover (*Washington)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Adams, *Ouray)
Sabine's Gull (*Adams, Bent, *Boulder, *Douglas/Jefferson, Pueblo,
*Sedgwick,
Weld, Yuma)
ROSS'S GULL (Bent)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Bent)
SPRAGUE'S PIPIT (Yuma)
PINE WARBLER (Prowers)
Prothonotary Warbler (Washington)
EASTERN TOWHEE (Yuma)
Fox Sparrow (Yuma)
Swamp Sparrow (El Paso, *Sedgwick, Yuma)
White-throated Sparrow (*Sedgwick, Yuma)
Harris's Sparrow (*Sedgwick)

To skip this recording to leave a message,  press star at any time.  Please
leave your name, phone number, detailed directions and dates for all
sightings.  It would be helpful if you would spell your last name and
identify the county of the sighting.

Adams County:
--An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and three juvenile Sabine's Gulls were
reported by Sanders at Barr Lake on October 13.  On October 15, Floyd
reported
two Sabine's Gulls (1 adult, 1 juvenile) at Barr Lake.

Bent County:
--An adult basic ROSS'S GULL was reported by Percival at John Martin
Reservoir on October 14.  Also present were three Sabine's Gulls.  At least
one Sabine's Gull was still present on October 15.
--A Red-bellied Woodpecker was reported by Percival at Hasty Campground on
October 14.

Boulder County:
--Two juvenile Sabine's Gulls were reported by Larson at Boulder Reservoir
on October 14 and one was seen on October 15.

Douglas/Jefferson Counties:
--A first winter Sabine's Gull was reported by Kellner at Chatfield State
Park on October 14.

El Paso County:
--A Swamp Sparrow was reported by Bulow at Fountain Creek Regional Park on
October 13.


Las Animas County:
--A HARRIS'S HAWK was reported by Gifford north of Aguilar on October 15.

Ouray County:
--A Lesser Black-backed Gull was reported by Dexter at Ridgway Reservoir on
October 2 and was seen again on October 15.   For directions see
the Colorado County Birding Website.

Pueblo County:
--One juvenile Sabine's Gull and one Swamp Sparrow were reported by Percival
at Valco Ponds and Rock Canyon in Pueblo on October 13.

Prowers County:
--A first fall PINE WARBLER was reported by Percival at Fairmount Cemetery
in Lamar on October 14.

Sedgwick County:
--Two juvenile Sabine's Gulls were reported by Semo at Jumbo on October 14.
--In a woodlot at CR 6 and 51, Semo reported one Harris's Sparrow and one
White-throated Sparrow on October 14.

Washington County:
--A Prothonotary Warbler was reported by Semo in Cope on October 13.  It was
seen one block north of the gas station in a small patch of woods.
--Two juvenile American Golden Plovers were reported by Semo at Prewitt on
October 14.

Weld County:
--One juvenile Sabine's Gull was reported by Larson at Union Reservoir on
October 14.

Yuma County:
--At Bonny State Park, Erthal reported two White-throated Sparrows, one Fox
Sparrow and a female EASTERN TOWHEE below the dam along the channel from the
spillway basin on October 13.  There were three SPRAGUE'S PIPITS on a hill
west of CR LL and one juvenile Sabine's Gull at the reservoir on October 13.

The DFO field trip for Saturday, October 20 will be to Walden Ponds in the
Boulder Area led by Ted Floyd ().  Meet the leader of "Early
Birds Special" at 0600 for a prompt departure or at 0800 for "Official"
field trip.

The DFO field trip for Sunday, October 21 will be to Cherry Creek State Park
led by Bob Righter ().  Meet at the Marina at 0800 for half day
trip.  State Parks Pass required.

The next monthly meeting of Denver Field Ornithologists will be on Monday,
October 22 at 7:30 pm in Ricketson Auditorium of the Denver Museum of Nature
& Science.  Ted Floyd will speak on "The Most Excellent Birds in the World."

Thank you and good birding,
Joyce Takamine
Boulder


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Hello, birders.

On the way home from an early-morning DIA dropoff yesterday, Monday, 15 
October 2007, Hannah and I stopped by Barr Lake State Park, Adams County. 
There were thousands of gulls out there, almost all of them on the far 
(west) side of the lake, way out beyond the heat shimmers. The few gulls 
that were in close were a nice & diverse lot, including 2 Sabine's Gulls, 2 
Franklin's Gulls, 4 Herring Gulls, and 5 California Gulls amid a bunch of 
Ring-billed Gulls. The Sabine's Gulls were an adult and a juvenile--thus a 
different mix from what Ira Sanders reported 2 days earlier at Barr Lake.

If anybody has the time and gumption to make the slog out to the west side 
of the lake, the reward will be close-up viewing of many, many gulls. But we 
had neither time nor gumption this morning.

It wasn't just gulls out there. Lots of ducks, with 100+ Northern Pintails 
and big rafts of Redheads and Ring-necked Ducks. Single Blue-winged and 
Cinnamon Teals were latish. A handful of landbirds included 1 Hairy 
Woodpecker, 2 -nelsoni- White-breasted Nuthatches, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 5 
American Pipits, 1 Audubon's Warbler, 2 Myrtle Warblers, and 5 Pine Siskins.

Ted Floyd
tedfloyd57 AT hotmail.com
Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado

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Hello everyone,

Andrew Spencer and I just returned from John Martin Reservoir where we failed 
to locate the Ross's Gull. We birded the Res from ~1pm until the sun set. Lots 
of activity out there and we had a fun day birding. Highlights included the 
continuing juvenile SABINE'S GULL, 1 adult PIPING PLOVER (late?), 1 basic 
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, 3 basic FORSTER'S TERN, and several hundred SANDHILL 
CRANES. 


Good birding,

Christian Nunes
Boulder, CO
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I saw a Harris Hawk flying low over a field north of Aguilar about 4 pm today. 
It was quite close and I had my binoculars, so I got a good look at it. 


About 2 -3 weeks ago, I thought I saw one east of Aguilar - about 1or 2 miles 
from where I was today. I wasn't sure that day and I knew it was unlikely in 
this area. 


I just read in my National Geographic guide that it may be an "escape " from a 
falconer. 


Has anyone else seen Harris Hawks in Colorado? If so, are they generally 
presumed to be "escapes"??? 


Susan Gifford  


giffstar AT earthlink.net

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Hello Co-birders,
After a nasty day(Sunday,Oct.14th)decided to go check at Ridgway Reservoir. The 
Lesser Black-backed Gull was there with 12 Calif. Gulls. I don't know if this 
is the same gull as seen Oct.3rd,4th, 10th. Not much else to report there. 

Here at Lake Lenore, I had a Ring-necked Duck, Mallards, Geese. Also at the 
feeders a immature male Broad-tail Hummer was at the feeder, guess its a 
migrant. The Townsend's Solitaire was really singing today! It was a beautiful 
day! The feeders are quite busy. No Sand Hill Cranes yet heard or seen. 

Sue E. Hirshman/Ouray
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Thanks to the 20+ birders that braved the rain and wind we tallied 52
species!  Nothing REALLY rare, but we did have a four falcon day (Kestrel,
Merlin, Prarie and Peregrine) and we had a nice flock of 80 Sandhill Cranes.
A first winter Sabine's Gull and two flocks of Black-bellied plovers. One
plover flock of eight stayed for an hour, the other flock of 15 flew
overhead and kept going...one bird was smaller...possible American
Golden-Plover?  We also watched at least two Osprey easily pluck Rainbow
Trout out of the reservoir.  Thirteen hours after it started we tallied our
last species...Great Horned Owl.

Attendees from as far away as Colorado Springs, Boulder, Longmont, Fort
Collins, even from Aurora, Golden and Highlands Ranch helped search for
species.

A sincere "Thank you!" to everyone who came, saw and counted!

Joey Kellner
Littleton, CO



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Folks- on the way in to work at a little after 7 am this morning my  
attention was very briefly drawn to a white bird standing on a cow's  
back just south of 6-Mile Reservoir, on the Boulder Diagonal just  
before 55th.  Hmmm- what could that be?  Sure enough, upon returning  
to 6-Mile Res this afternoon after work I found the Cattle Egret  
standing on the shore with a bunch of gulls near where the little  
inlet creek runs in on the south side.  Nearby were 3 American Avocets.

Boulder Reservoir still had a juvenile Sabine's Gull, plus growing  
numbers of Western & Clark's Grebes.  A sizable raft (probably about  
100) of Redheads cruised the big water, and a smattering of Eared  
Grebes & smaller numbers of Horned Grebes (at least 3) added to the  
mix.  A Common Tern fished along the north shore, and 4 American  
Pipits foraged on the sandy beach near the sailboard launching ramp.

Enjoy- Bill Schmoker, Longmont

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
|           Bill Schmoker              |
|  bill.schmoker AT gmail.com  |
|       http://schmoker.org         |
| http://brdpics.blogspot.com |
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/




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yesterday late afternoon, sunday, at the pond just west of 63rd 
street by ecocycle, there were 2 pairs of wood ducks and 2 pairs of 
pintails, along with many widgeon, a few green winged teal, a few 
shovelers, and other expected species.

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Hello all,
 
Yesterday (October 14), Tim Smart and I birded northeast Colorado
through the rain, 40 mph winds, and 40 degree temperatures, but birds
were in abundance.  Although no mega's, we did find some birds of
interest including:
 
Woodlot at Sedgwick CRs 6 & 51
Harris' Sparrow - 1
American Tree Sparrow - 1
White-throated Sparrow - 1
many other sparrows, including Lincoln's, White-crowned, Vesper, and
Chipping
 
Sand Draw SWA
(http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/county/bird_a_county.php?name=Sedg
wick)
Hairy Woodpecker (Eastern)
 
Jumbo Reservoir (Sedgwick)
SABINE'S GULL - 2 juvs
Horned Grebe - 3
Greater Yellowlegs - ~ 10
Lesser Yellowlegs - ~ 15
American Pipit - many
 
Jumbo Reservoir (Logan)
Bufflehead - adult male
American Pipit - many
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER - 3 juvs
Lesser Yellowlegs - ~ 35
Baird's Sandpiper - ~ 25
Least Sandpiper - ~ 15
Long-billed Dowitcher - ~ 225
 
Prewitt Reservoir (Washington)
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER - 2 juvs
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER -  5 juvs
Sanderling - 1
Barn Swallow - 1 (getting a tad late)
Baird's Sandpiper - ~ 50
Least Sandpiper - ~ 5
(side-note:  Prewitt has drained considerably and there are extensive
mudflats across the western portion of the lake).
 
Jackson Reservoir (Morgan)
Barn Swallow - 5
Greater Yellowlegs - 2
Long-billed Dowitcher - 4
California Gull - 1
(Jackson is virtually full, except for some mud in the northwest corner
of the lake).
 
Cheers,
 
Larry Semo
Westminster
 


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Hi all,

I spent a few hours this past weekend making short birding stops at various 
bodies of water in Boulder County, and here are the highlights (or lack 
thereof) 


Stearns Lake: Almost no ducks, just a few Mallards, a White-breasted Nuthatch, 
a few Siskins and two Prairie Falcons. (A week ago I flushed a Barn Owl there, 
not this time) 


Prince Lake #2: Most of what Ted reported (except the swallow, but see below), 
I also saw 8 Long-billed Dotwitchers. 


Thomas Reservoir: A single Ring-billed Gull, that's it.

Burke Lake: Redheads, a female Pintail, Ring-necks, Wigeons, Pied-billed 
Grebes. This small pond has more ducks than all others combined. 




Baseline Reservoir: A few distant Horned/Eared Grebes.

Teller Lake: An Osprey, five Great Egrets. A Merlin nearby. Green-winged and 
Blue-winged Teals, Gadwalls and Wigeons in a small pond just north of the 
Teller Lake open space parking lot that I don't know the name of. It also felt 
like there was a Red-tailed on top of every pole. 


Boulder Reservoir: One or two Sabines Gull, and a swallow - it was too far way 
to tell even the genus. I was scoping from the main entrance and the bird was 
in the far NW side. This was yesterday around 3:30 pm. 


Sixmile Reservior: Two Common Mergansers.

Chishun Kwong
Superior, CO








       

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Compiler:  Joyce Takamine
Date:    October 15, 2007
e-mail:  rba AT cfo-link.org
phone: 

This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Monday, October 15 at 5:00 am
sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird
Observatory.

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

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Adams, Arapahoe, Ouray)
Sabine's Gull (Adams, Arapahoe, *Bent, *Boulder, Logan/Sedgwick, Pueblo,
*Weld, *Yuma)
ROSS'S GULL (*Bent)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (*Bent)
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER (El Paso)
SPRAGUE'S PIPIT (*Yuma)
PINE WARBLER (*Prowers)
Prothonotary Warbler (Washington)
EASTERN TOWHEE (*Yuma)
Fox Sparrow (*Yuma)
Swamp Sparrow (*El Paso, Pueblo)
White-throated Sparrow (*Yuma)

To skip this recording to leave a message,  press star at any time.  Please
leave your name, phone number, detailed directions and dates for all
sightings.  It would be helpful if you would spell your last name and
identify the county of the sighting.

Adams County:
--An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and three juvenile Sabine's Gulls were
reported by Sanders at Barr Lake on October 13.

Arapahoe County:
--Bob Spencer reported that the Tuesday Birders observed a Sabine's Gull and
a Lesser Black-backed Gull at Cherry Creek Reservoir on October 9.

Bent County:
--An adult basic ROSS'S GULL was reported by Percival at John Martin
Reservoir on October 14.  Also present were three Sabine's Gulls.
--A Red-bellied Woodpecker was reported by Percival at Hasty Campground on
October 14.

Boulder County:
--Two juvenile Sabine's Gulls were reported by Larson at Boulder Reservoir
on October 14.

El Paso County:
--A juvenile YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was reported by Lee at Homestead Ranch
Regional Park on October 9.  Directions:  Go east on Hwy 24 to Elbert Road.
North 5 miles on Elbert to Sweet Road.  East on Sweet to Golihar.  North .5
mile on Golihar to park entrance on the left.
--A Swamp Sparrow was reported by Bulow at Fountain Creek Regional Park on
October 13.

Logan/Sedgwick Counties:
--Two adult Sabine's Gulls were reported by Armknecht at Jumbo on October 8.

Ouray County:
--A Lesser Black-backed Gull was reported by Dexter at Ridgway Reservoir on
October 2 and was seen again on October 13 by Beatty.   For directions see
the Colorado County Birding Website.

Pueblo County:
--One juvenile Sabine's Gull and one Swamp Sparrow were reported by Percival
at Valco Ponds and Rock Canyon in Pueblo on October 13.

Prowers County:
--A first fall PINE WARBLER was reported by Percival at Fairmount Cemetery
in Lamar on October 14.

Washington County:
--A Prothonotary Warbler was reported by Semo in Cope on October 13.  It was
seen one block north of the gas station in a small patch of woods.

Weld County:
--One juvenile Sabine's Gull was reported by Larson at Union Reservoir on
October 14.

Yuma County:
--At Bonny State Park, Erthal reported two White-throated Sparrows, one Fox
Sparrow and a female EASTERN TOWHEE below the dam along the channel from the
spillway basin on October 13.  There were three SPRAGUE'S PIPITS on a hill
west of CR LL and one juvenile Sabine's Gull at the reservoir on October 13.

The DFO field trip for Saturday, October 20 will be to Walden Ponds in the
Boulder Area led by Ted Floyd ().  Meet the leader of "Early
Birds Special" at 0600 for a prompt departure or at 0800 for "Official"
field
trip.

The DFO field trip for Sunday, October 21 will be to Cherry Creek State Park
led by Bob Righter ().  Meet at the Marina at 0800 for half day
trip.  State Parks Pass required.

The next monthly meeting of Denver Field Ornithologists will be on Monday,
October 22 at 7:30 pm in Ricketson Auditorium of the Denver Museum of Nature
& Science.  Ted Floyd will speak on "The Most Excellent Birds in the World."

Thank you and good birding,
Joyce Takamine
Boulder


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Some of the divers have  returned back to the ponds where I live. A pair of 
hooded mergansers came last  week and have occurred here sporadically since. 
Yesterday, ring necked ducks  (and shovelers) were here. 
    I saw activity in a cherry tree (I'm not sure  exactly what kind of fruit 
it is but looks like cherries) and  found cedar  waxwings mixed in with 
robins feeding there. They have been here during the fall time pretty 
regularly. I 

was suprised to see a Townsend's solitaire there as  well! I've never thought 
of them being in the city, always have seen them in the  mountains. He sat 
perched at the top of a tree for at least a half hour, lost  him after that.
    I'd be interested in feedback on seeing the  solitaire in the city.
    I live in unincorparated Arapahoe county south of  Bowles off Platte 
Canyon drive.
    thanks, Deb Carstensen



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Hello, birders.

Hannah and I visited Prince Lake No. 2, Boulder County, late yesterday 
afternoon, Sunday, 14 October 2007. It was overcast and raining lightly. One 
of the first birds we saw was a Petrochelidon swallow skimming low over the 
water's surface. Given the late date, I right away wondered if it was a Cave 
Swallow. It was hard to get a great look at the bird head-on, but it did 
*not* seem to have the pale forehead (or "headlights") of Cliff Swallow. 
Fortunuately, the bird seemed to be sticking around, so I went for the 
scope. That was a terrible blunder, as I had one mishap after another with a 
defective tripod leg. Meanwhile, Bill Winocur had arrived on the scene, but 
too late to get him on the bird for a good look. The bird was gone after 
three or four minutes--most of them spent fiddling with my tripod.

Well, we'll have to leave this one as an intriguing mid-October 
Petrochelidon swallow. Cliff Swallow is, of course, the (vastly) more 
expected Petrochelidon swallow in Colorado--but not necessarily by 
mid-October! Cliff Swallows are rare in the state after late September, and 
Cave Swallows in late autumn have recently, suddenly, and shockingly become 
routine in the mid-Atlantic region, with sightings of multiple individuals 
increasingly being reported in the lower Great Lakes region, as well, and in 
the Midwest, too. I don't at all assume that the bird out at Prince Lake No. 
2 was a Cliff. Neither do I assume it was a Cave. I just don't know.

By the way, those of you are going to be down at John Martin Reservoir these 
next few days might want to be on the lookout, at least in a half-hearted 
way, for Cave Swallow. With the winds forecast to shift to the southeast at 
some point on Monday in southeastern Colorado, conditions might be just 
dandy for Cave Swallow. You heard it here first...

Otherwise, not much else doing out at Prince Lake No. 2 yesterday. A Greater 
Yellowlegs with the still sizeable flock of Lesser Yellowlegs, some new 
recruits of Least Sandpipers, a bunch of Franklin's Gulls still lingering, a 
Myrtle Warbler flying over, and a Western Meadowlark singing its heart out 
despite the ubiquitous gloomery.

Ted Floyd
tedfloyd57 AT hotmail.com
Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado

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I am NOT claiming to have seen the Ross's Gull.  When I was
at Jumbo a week ago, I caught one glimpse of what seemed
like a very small gull with no black in the wing tips.  It
was not a Bonaparte's or Sabine's.  It went by me very
quickly in the wind as I was trying to scope something else.
 At the time, I glanced through the field guide and didn't
see anything that looked likely, so decided I was probably
mistaken.  I could not relocate the bird and thought I
probably just didn't see what I thought I saw.  I had
completely forgotten about it until I read this post.

Henry A
Ovid



Henry Armknecht
Ovid CO

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Allison Hilf and I are leaving Denver at 4:30 tomorrow. My cell is  
and hers is . If you do go, please give me a call and I will let 
you know where we are looking and whether we have found it. That way we can 
maximize search efforts. 

Thanks and good birding,
Norm Erthal
Arvada, CO
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Been at my current house for 5 years now and had my first pair of Eurasian 
Collard Doves come into my feeders today. Yesterday I had my first downy 
woodpecker for the season. Usually don't see the downy's during the summer at 
my place. I was excited to see the doves...first time as a yard bird. 


Matt Newport
Aurora (arapahoe county)
near Quincy and Tower Rd.
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Hi all,

Thanks to Joey Kellner for letting the word out about the Ross's Gull for us.

Here's the story. Mark Peterson and I were at one of points in the southeast 
side of John Martin Reservoir. Duane Nelson mentioned to us, that there could 
be shorebirds around that area. So, we decided after checking Hasty Campground 
(mid-afternoon), we would drive around to the south east side of John Martin 
Reservoir and check the lake and shore. There wasn't too many shorebirds today, 
though there were a lot of birds on the lake. It was quite windy, and there 
were gulls flying around. I noticed a small gull flying in the northeast 
portion of the lake, near the dam. I was watching it, and decided Mark needed 
to look at it, as it was something interesting, though at that time I wasn't 
too sure what. We were seeing a small overall white gull, upper parts and lower 
parts. In flight, there was no black underwings that adult Little Gulls have, 
and there were no white wedges in the wings that Bonaparte's Gulls have. Then 
were able to see the bird 

 on the water. It had an all white head, and pale wing tips, and because of the 
distance to the bird, we couldn't even pick out the bill, which we could easily 
see on a nearby larger Ring-bileld Gull. The bill must have been very small and 
short (though we couldn't really see it). The bird got up and flew again, and 
banked, and both Mark and I were scoping the bird, and saw the tail, it was 
WEDGE SHAPED. Then we were totally convinced that this bird is a basic adult 
ROSS'S GULL, though we wanted to see the bird closer and try perhaps for some 
sort of photos. We had lost the bird, when some gulls, got up and flew. We 
decided to go east, and find a closer point in the southeastern corner of the 
reservoir. It was too late in the day for out of towners to get there, and we 
really wanted to see the bird closer. So, we were able to reach Duane Nelson 
and Stan Oswald, who live close enough to perhaps get to John Martin Reservoir, 
and hopefully see the 

 bird. So, Duane, Mark, and I searched for it from the southeast side of the 
reservoir, and couldn't find it, though there seemed to be more gulls near the 
north east side of the reservoir. So, it takes like 15 mintues to get over to 
the northeast side of the reservoir. The three of us scoped the birds, and 
couldn't find it. We then decided that there were gulls back in the southeast 
side of the reservoir, so we went back over there, and Stan appeared. So, we 
all searched until dark without refinding the bird. It seemed like the gulls 
that were closer to the dam, were going west, and we wonder if the bird went to 
west and left the eastern part of the reservoir. There were also three SABINE'S 
GULLS and a PACIFIC LOON, among a lot of other birds present. 


John Martin Reservoir isn't the easiest place to bird. There are various dirt 
tracks that goes to various points in the southeastern part of the reservoir. 
Also, there are points on the north side of the reservoir as well. The Picnic 
Overlook and others. We really hope that the bird can be re-found. Neither Mark 
nor I have previously seen a Ross's Gull, though have seen all the other small 
gull species, that the bird could be, and we feel this bird was a Ross's Gull. 
We are aware how rare of a find this is, and even though we couldn't re-find 
the bird after the 15 minutes of watching it in flight and on the water, we 
feel that we should let everyone know about it. 


Hasty Campground below John Martin Reservoir dam, is probably worth a walk 
through, if you have time. There was a Red-bellied Woodpecker, two Mountain 
Chickadees, two Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a White-breasted Nuthatch, and some 
Yellow-rumped Warblers. 


The other highlight of the day, was a first-fall PINE WARBLER at the Fairmount 
Cemetery in Lamar, (Prowers County) with a large flock of Yellow-rumped 
Warblers. Three Mountain Chickadees were below the dam at Two Buttes Reservoir 
(Baca County). Overall, there weren't a lot of little birds around at most of 
the places that we checked. 


Good luck on the gull, please call me, if you re-find it, and I will post to 
cobirds. 



Brandon Percival
Pueblo West, CO


       

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The first Colorado Ross's Gull was found on April 28, 1983,?by Inez Prather at 
Jumbo (aka Julesberg) Reservoir, and it stayed until May 7th. 

They seem to occur in a 24.5 year cycle.

Joe Roller

"Work is the Curse of the Birding Class."


-----Original Message-----
From: Joey Kellner 
To: COBIRDS Discussion List 
Sent: Sun, 14 Oct 2007 9:14 pm
Subject: [cobirds] ROSS'S GULL at John Martin Reservoir!!




I just got a call from Brandon Percival and Mark Peterson (there still
driving home).  They had a 15 minute look at an adult basic ROSS'S GULL!!
This would be a second state record for this species.  I believe the first
state record was a bird found at Jumbo Reservoir back in April of 1980 (I
think).

Brandon said that he'd post details late tonight.

Chasers, get ready, get set...



Joey Kellner
Littleton, CO


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I just got a call from Brandon Percival and Mark Peterson (there still
driving home).  They had a 15 minute look at an adult basic ROSS'S GULL!!
This would be a second state record for this species.  I believe the first
state record was a bird found at Jumbo Reservoir back in April of 1980 (I
think).

Brandon said that he'd post details late tonight.

Chasers, get ready, get set...



Joey Kellner
Littleton, CO


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Hi Folks,
Spent a few hours looking for water birds today in the rain. Union Res had 1 
juv Sabine's Gull, an adult Bald Eagle and several hundred of Aechmophorus 
grebes many of which were so close to shore as to permit very good comparisons 
of both species. Boulder Res still had at least 2 Sabine's Gulls and Six Mile 
had 2 Great Egrets. There was a lone Rough-legged Hawk along Oxford Rd. I had 
several large flocks of blackbirds, probably 15,000 total at several locations 
in Boulder cnty. These flocks included Red-wings, Yellow-heads, grackles and 
Brewer's. Driving up I-25 I had a fly over 0f a Swainson's Hawk at the highway 
52 interchange. Also interesting to me were the large numbers of kestrels I 
saw, 42 all together. 

Later,
Steve Larson

--
Northglenn, CO 

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Hi, COBirders~
 
The board of directors from ABA were in town for meetings this weekend, and  
we took a short birdwalk Saturday morning before proceedings started.  We  had 
40 species, including a Swamp Sparrow, Great Egret, Wilson's Snipe, calling  
Virginia Rail, both chickadees, YR Warbler, quite a few White-crowned 
Sparrows,  juncos, and the usual suspects.  Lovely fall morning.
 
Tamie Bulow
Colorado Springs



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I have been amazed at the numerous locations where Mountain Chickadees have 
been seen in the last couple weeks. 

They have been recorded at the following locations with Creeper and 
Golden-crowned Kinglets at a few. We did not see Mountain Chickadee at Bonny 
yesterday. I wonder how far east they have ranged or whether these birds are 
from further north or from the local mountains. If they are local, what drove 
them out of the mountains? 


Crow Valley GC Kinglet
Barr Lake GC Kinglet and Creeper
Last Chance GC Kinglet
Flagler Reservoir
Jackson SP
Prewitt Reservoir GC Kinglet
Lincoln County 2 other locations
NW Cheyenne County GC Kinglet and Creeper

Norm Erthal
Arvada, CO


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Yesterday birded at Last Chance and Bonny SP with Joe Roller, Allison Hilf, 
George Armbrust, Larry Semo, and Tim Smart. The weather was overcast and in low 
50's but calm to light wind. 


All passerine below the dam along the channel from the spillway basin.
Virginia Rail Heard 2
Hermit Thrush
White-throated Sparrow 2
Fox Sparrow
Eastern Towhee female

Hill west of CR LL
Sprague's Pipit 3 flew and called but we did not see on the ground although we 
had one drop done but flushed it again from less than 40 feet as it dropped on 
the other side of a ridge and as we approached, we were not sure where it 
really was. 


Reservoir
Sandhill Crane 2
Sabine's Gull immature
Baird's Sandpiper
Dowitchers
Stilt Sandpipers

Last Chance
Swainson's Thrush

Norm Erthal
Arvada. CO
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Ted and any interested COBIRDS Members-
 
I agree with Ted that the majority of the Sandhill Cranes flying over Colorado 
recently are Lesser Sandhill Cranes. My best guess is that many of these are 
birds that will spend at least part of the winter in Arizona and New Mexico. 
Surprisingly, these are technically Central Flyway spring migrants (i.e. they 
stage on the Platte River in Nebraska in the spring). In the fall, they tend to 
stage in southern Saskatchewan and the Dakotas. The recent North winds have 
likely got them moving. 

 
There is a very interesting study where radio transmitters were put on some of 
the Lesser Sandhill Cranes wintering in Arizona and New Mexico -- some of these 
were the smaller Lesser Sandhill Cranes that breed in the northern portion of 
their breeding range (as far north as Siberia). Looking at a map, it would seem 
that these birds would join the Rocky Mountain flyway flock of Sandhills (these 
are primarily Greater Sandhill Cranes) and that they would just keep heading 
North. However, during Spring migration, these birds surprised the researchers 
and ended up going thousands of miles out of their way to stage on the Platte 
River in Nebraska before heading North (if anyone is interested in details from 
this study, please contact me privately and I will send them). Intellectually, 
it makes sense to conclude that these birds need the extra fat reserves they 
can safely find by staging with the masses on the Platte River, as waste corn 
is usually readily available in this region. 

 
I'm sure someone out there is saying who cares what they do in the spring, as 
we are talking "fall migration". Well, there is some controversy over when 
young Sandhill Cranes are "on their own" (i.e. when they are no longer with 
their parents). Some theories argue that the birds stay in family groups until 
the parents get close to their breeding range (i.e. the young birds learn the 
migratory route North from their parents). Other theories suggest that the 
birds learn the migratory route on their journey South (e.g. the Whooping 
Cranes that follow the ultralight plane South and migrate North on their own in 
the spring). Well, if this second theory holds true for at least some Sandhill 
Crane populations, does that mean that Colorado will keep seeing more and more 
flocks of migrating Sandhills and that some of these migrating birds might stay 
longer in the spring, or perhaps even breed here? 

 
For example, take the pair of Sandhills that nested near Lower Latham in 2006. 
I think most people assumed these were Rocky Mountain Flyway Greater Sandhill 
Cranes, but they just as likely could have been Central Flyway Lesser Sandhill 
Cranes. If you want to get even more confused, most researchers that study and 
band Sandhill Cranes will admit that it is virtually impossible to look at a 
Sandhill Crane in a field and discern by size alone whether it is a Lesser or 
Greater Sandhill, as a large Lesser Sandhill Crane can be larger than a small 
Greater Sandhill Crane. As Ted's recent post noticed, there are differences in 
vocalizations, wing shape, bill size, etc. between Lessers and Greaters, but 
these differences can be quite subtle. If anyone has any pictures of the Latham 
birds, I would be interested in showing them to some researchers I know in 
Nebraska. 

 
Of note, yesterday I was at Bonny Reservoir birding with some very experienced 
birders. There were two Sandhill Cranes calling and flying directly over us. We 
all commented on how the birds sounded different from the flocks of Sandhills 
we are used to hearing. I could tell that one of the two birds was a young bird 
(most likely a bird hatched in 2006), as its voice was still showing 
characteristics of a young bird (Sandhills generally do not acquire adult 
vocalizations until they are at least 1-2 yrs. old -- the younger birds have a 
much higher pitch type of "squeal"). In retrospect, it dawned on me that these 
were most likely two younger birds (not hatch year birds, as these would most 
likely still be with their parents), but they could be a young pair (too young 
to breed, as most Sandhills don't successfully breed until they are 3+ years 
old). It was strange to see the birds alone, as Sandhills generally migrate in 
large flocks. As far East as we were, my guess is that these were more typical 
Central Flyway migrants that will winter in Texas and/or Mexico. 

 
It is worth checking all flocks of Sandhill Cranes at this time of year, as 
there is always the possibility of a Whooping Crane(s) migrating with the 
Sandhills. There are at least two individual Whooping Cranes that were 
migrating with Sandhills last spring -- these birds may still be with Sandhills 
as at least one of them spent all of last winter with a flock of Sandhills. 

 
Good Birding,
 
Allison Hilf
Denver, CO

 
 

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Compiler:  Joyce Takamine
Date:    October 14, 2007
e-mail:  rba AT cfo-link.org
phone: 

This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Sunday, October 14 at 5:00 am
sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird
Observatory.

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

Lesser Black-backed Gull (*Adams, Arapahoe, *Ouray)
Sabine's Gull (*Adams, Arapahoe, Logan/Sedgwick, *Pueblo, Yuma)
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER (El Paso)
Prothonotary Warbler (*Washington)
Swamp Sparrow (*Pueblo)

To skip this recording to leave a message,  press star at any time.  Please
leave your name, phone number, detailed directions and dates for all
sightings.  It would be helpful if you would spell your last name and
identify the county of the sighting.

Adams County:
--An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and three juvenile Sabine's Gulls were
reported by Sanders at Barr Lake on October 13.

Arapahoe County:
--Bob Spencer reported that the Tuesday Birders observed a Sabine's Gull and
a Lesser Black-backed Gull at Cherry Creek Reservoir on October 9.

El Paso County:
--A juvenile YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was reported by Lee at Homestead Ranch
Regional Park on October 9.  Directions:  Go east on Hwy 24 to Elbert Road.
North 5 miles on Elbert to Sweet Road.  East on Sweet to Golihar.  North .5
mile on Golihar to park entrance on the left.

Logan/Sedgwick Counties:
--Two adult Sabine's Gulls were reported by Armknecht at Jumbo on October 8.

Ouray County:
--A Lesser Black-backed Gull was reported by Dexter at Ridgway Reservoir on
October 2 and was seen again on October 13 by Beatty.   For directions see
the
Colorado County Birding Website.

Pueblo County:
--One juvenile Sabine's Gull and one Swamp Sparrow were reported by Percival
at Valco Ponds and Rock Canyon in Pueblo on October 13.

Washington County:
--A Prothonotary Warbler was reported by Semo in Cope on October 13.  It was
seen one block north of the gas station in a small patch of woods.

The DFO birding for Sunday, October 14 will be "The Big Sit" led by Joey
Kellner () at the Heron Overlook, Chatfield State Park.  Come
and join Joey and other recruits at any time after dawn for an hour, a
morning, or all day.

The DFO field trip for Saturday, October 20 will be to Walden Ponds in the
Boulder Area led by Ted Floyd ().  Meet the leader of "Early
Birds Special" at 0600 for a prompt departure or at 0800 for "Official"
field
trip.

The DFO field trip for Sunday, October 21 will be to Cherry Creek State Park
led by Bob Righter ().  Meet at the Marina at 0800 for half day
trip.  State Parks Pass required.

The next monthly meeting of Denver Field Ornithologists will be on Monday,
October 22 at 7:30 pm in Ricketson Auditorium of the Denver Museum of Nature
& Science.  Ted Floyd will speak on "The Most Excellent BIrds in the World."

Thank you and good birding,
Joyce Takamine
Boulder


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Hello, birders.

I stepped outside early this morning, Saturday, 13 October 2007, hoping to 
hear some night-flying Sandhill Cranes. Didn't hear any, but it was neat to 
hear a Swainson's Thrush migrating over at 12:45 a.m. With little wind, and 
with fog and high humidity, the bird's flight call carried far indeed. The 
bird called 7 times on its way south, with the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th calls being 
impressively loud; I suspect the bird was just above the rooftops, and a 
little disoriented in the fog. After a fall migration of almost nothing but 
the high-pitched, short-duration seet's, szzt's, and tswit's of migrating 
sparrows and warblers, it was great to hear the low, long, melodious flight 
calls of that thrush up there.

Here's how Paul Griswold Howes, quoted in Bent's account, put it, way back 
in 1914: "The night voices fill the September air; weird, almost awesome, 
are these whistles of the migrating thrushes, guided by some unknown power 
through thousands of miles of space to their winter home in the tropics. It 
is thrilling indeed when one hears the sound high in the air and far in the 
distance. Gradually it comes closer as the bird flies steadily southward. As 
it passes, unseen, directly overhead, again the cry floats down to earth and 
a fainter answering call in the north, tells one of a companion or perhaps a 
mate. Thus the voices echo back and forth across the sky from evening till 
early morn, when the birds drop down from the high road of travel to feed 
and rest in the friendly woods and thickets."

The only other sound up there early this morning was a latish Wilson's 
Warbler, winging its way over right around 1:00 a.m.

Birds on the ground--well, on the water--down at Greenlee Preserve during 
the wee hours of the morning were squealing American Wigeons and quacking 
Mallards. Daytime birds at Greenlee yesterday (Friday, 12 October 2007) and 
today had a distinctly montane feel about them: Mountain Chickadee, 
White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Townsend's 
Solitaire, Dark-eyed Junco, Red Crossbill, and Pine Siskin.

Lots of American Robins on the move, too, these past two days, mainly in 
high, somewhat erratic, generally north-to-south flight. Like the Sandhill 
Cranes, the robins seem to have taken advantage of the 
light-but-nearly-continual north winds of the past several days.

I have a question about all these cranes: They're mainly "Lesser" Sandhill 
Cranes, right? Nobody has actually said so, as far as I can tell. But that's 
my guess, given the fairly late date of this passage, the large numbers 
being reported, and the generally eastward concentration of the sightings. 
"Lesser" Sandhill Crane is a very different bird from "Greater," with 
different vocalizations, wing patterns, body shape, bill and leg structure, 
and especially migratory proclivities. In fact, many "Lesser" Sandhill 
Cranes migrate all the way to Siberia to breed, whereas most "Greater" 
Sandhill Cranes breed in the Intermountain West. (By the way, the other 
"North American" bird that routinely crosses the Bering Sea to beed in 
Siberia is Gray-cheeked Thrush, if you're ever in need of an avian trivia 
question.)

One last random tidbit: Hannah and I made a quick pass by Prince Lake No. 2, 
Boulder County, just after "sunrise" this morning. In the fog and mist, we 
saw 8 Long-billed Dowitchers, plus a new batch of Franklin's Gulls. A good 
number of Lesser Yellowlegs were still hanging on, but just 1 Least 
Sandpiper. Things are always on the go out there at Prince Lake No. 2, it 
seems.

Ted Floyd
tedfloyd57 AT hotmail.com
Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado

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I am considering joining a Maine Audubon Birding Trip to Mexico. If any 
Cobirder has taken a tour with this group, I would be interested in hearing 
your comments. Please reply to my private email. 


Laura Osborn
Boulder
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