Date: 5/8/25 8:27 pm From: 'Jim Tyler' via Colorado Birds <cobirds...> Subject: Re: [cobirds] YELLOW GROSBEAK in Bennett
I don't know if this is the same bird, but we had a yellow grosbeak stop briefly at a cage feeder two days ago and fly away to the north.
Jim Tyler Roxborough
On 5/8/2025 3:26 PM, Archer Silverman wrote: > Cobirders, I currently have the Yellow Grosbeak reported on Facebook > earlier today. Currently, the homeowner is not home. You can view it > by scoping on the side of the road here > (39.6814199, -104.4157047), which is what we are doing. > > -Archer Silverman, Denver > -- > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Colorado Birds" group. > To post to this group, send email to <cobirds...> > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds > * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. > Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate. > * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/membership/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Colorado Birds" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send > an email to cobirds+<unsubscribe...> > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/<CAL_8wP1WWE9Pi7ddPsswEr4h_3oG806WR1XBxm-fCRpgdWcfsQ...> > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/<CAL_8wP1WWE9Pi7ddPsswEr4h_3oG806WR1XBxm-fCRpgdWcfsQ...>?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.
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Date: 5/8/25 8:23 pm From: 'Jim Tyler' via Colorado Birds <cobirds...> Subject: Re: [cobirds] lazuli bunting, Larimer County, 5/3
I typically have one LB that feeds late afternoon / early evening at a
no-mess caged feeder. It sits at the bottom of the cage and feds from
one of the bottom feeder slots.
He showed up here 3 days ago - wonderful to see him back.
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Date: 5/8/25 8:22 pm From: meredith <meredithmcburney...> Subject: [cobirds] Chatfield Banding Station - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 5/8/25
Like Chico, we banded 5 new birds today. Plus caught 1 banded last year for 6 new birds this morning:
White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Gray Catbird 1 return, banded last year Yellow Warbler 2 Lincoln's Sparrow 1 Red-winged Blackbird 1
I've tried to think of something useful to say about this lack of migrants at our banding stations, but I can't. Yet. Continue to monitor........
We are banding Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) through May 31, weather permitting. There are opportunities for the public to visit on weekends and occasional weekdays through the Denver Audubon website <https://www.denveraudubon.org/calendar>. (Some days are already sold out, so sign up now if you are interested!)
Meredith McBurney Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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Date: 5/8/25 7:55 pm From: 'Buzz Schaumberg' via Colorado Birds <cobirds...> Subject: Re: [cobirds] lazuli bunting, Larimer County, 5/3
I have had one on my birdbath for 2 days, in East Aurora, about 2 miles East of Cherry Creek State Park. Also a male Black- headed Grosbeak .
Sent from the all new Aol app for iOS
Buzz Schaumberg
On Thursday, May 8, 2025, 6:18 PM, Raymond Davis <davisblackdog...> wrote:
Posting this cuz' it seems early. My wildlife camera caught a Lazuli bunting at the water onMay 3rd, 7:39 am
Davis - southern Larimer county by 200 feet., Lyons
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Date: 5/8/25 5:18 pm From: Raymond Davis <davisblackdog...> Subject: [cobirds] lazuli bunting, Larimer County, 5/3
Posting this cuz' it seems early. My wildlife camera caught a Lazuli bunting at the water on May 3rd, 7:39 am
[image: 2025-05-03-IMG_4495.JPG] Davis - southern Larimer county by 200 feet., Lyons
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Date: 5/8/25 4:49 pm From: Susan Rosine <u5b2mtdna...> Subject: Re: [cobirds] YELLOW GROSBEAK in Bennett
On Facebook she said she will allow visitors. You must send her a private
message through Facebook to get her address.
Susan Rosine
Brighton
On Thu, May 8, 2025, 3:51 PM Matt <mnewport...> wrote:
> I have not seen that the actual address has been posted and that the home
> owner has agreed to allow visitors. Scoping directly at the house from a
> busy road with out homeowner being home or consent does not seem like the
> right thing to do.
> Thoughts?
>
> Matt Newport
> Arapahoe county
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On May 8, 2025, at 3:26 PM, Archer Silverman <archer.silverman...>
> wrote:
>
> Cobirders, I currently have the Yellow Grosbeak reported on Facebook
> earlier today. Currently, the homeowner is not home. You can view it by
> scoping on the side of the road here
> (39.6814199, -104.4157047), which is what we are doing.
>
> -Archer Silverman, Denver
>
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Cobirders, I currently have the Yellow Grosbeak reported on Facebook earlier today. Currently, the homeowner is not home. You can view it by scoping on the side of the road here (39.6814199, -104.4157047), which is what we are doing.
-Archer Silverman, Denver
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Date: 5/8/25 1:13 pm From: SnB <weperegrini...> Subject: [cobirds] Lucy’s Warbler El Paso County
A singing Lucy’s Warbler was found this morning at the Adam’s Open Space,
Fountain, El Paso County. It is a hard bird to find but for its fairly
consistent song. It is hanging up high in the canopy. Numerous folks
obtained photos and recordings. This is the second year in a row a Lucy’s
has been found in El Paso.
Scott Shaum
Woodland Park CO
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Date: 5/8/25 11:45 am From: Chicobander <jshieldcastle...> Subject: [cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch Banding Station Report- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies-5/8/2025
A beautiful day to be outside. However, the birds were not around the banding station this morning. The White-eyed Vireo was very vocal most of the morning. Hoping tomorrow will have more birds visiting the Olive Grove. No sign of the Ovenbird today.
Not sure if Ranch roads will be open tomorrow so stay tuned to Aiken Audubon making an announcement. Hoping for better bird days for all.
Have a good day,
Julie Shieldcastle Chico Basin Ranch Bird Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley
Observers: Amanda Baker, Ryan Gannon
Visitors:
Thank you to today's volunteers Amanda Baker and Ryan Gannon for powering
through the moody weather today. Amanda sat through some of the morning
rain with me. It was the last day for both of them. Amanda and Ryan have
both been regular volunteers at the ridge this season, coming up more than
once a week some weeks! This was Amandas first season with us and Ryan's
second. They have been essential help in spotting and IDing birds as well
as educating visitors/volunteers on migration. We look forward to having
them both back next year!
We saw three people on the trail all day, which was three more than we were
expecting to see with all the mud.
Weather:
The morning started off with a muddy ascent and pleasant temperatures.
Temperatures dropped when precipitation came in from the NE and settled in
for a few hours. The count was paused for an hour in the heaviest of it.
Skies cleared slowly, but not before some brief hail. The trail developed a
small stream flowing down it that caused some erosion in spots.
Raptor Observations:
Raptor migration was non-existent today.
Non-migratory raptors were out once the rain stopped, with the local
Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures seen most frequently. One American
Kestrel, Golden Eagle, and Bald Eagle were seen as well.
4 Swainson's Hawks were spotted all in a glide side by side going directly
SE until they couldn't be seen through binoculars anymore.
Non-raptor Observations:
A flock of Franklin's Gulls flew N over Green Mountain just before the rain
started. Most of the bird activity on the ridge was concentrated in the
late afternoon.
White-throated Swift 2, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1, Mourning Dove 2,
Franklin's Gull 21, Northern Flicker 1, Say's Phoebe 1, Woodhouse's Scrub
Jay 1, Magpie 1, Black-billed Magpie 4, Common Raven 1, Tree Swallow 1,
Violet-green Swallow 1, Rock Wren 1, House Wren 1, American Robin 1,
Spotted Towhee 2, Western Meadowlark 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 3
Predictions:
Conditions look promising for at least one migrant tomorrow! The trail will
be muddy and the sun will be shining.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 5/7/25 4:16 pm From: linda hodges <hikerhodges...> Subject: [cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch closed tomorrow Thurs May 8 El Paso/Pueblo Counties
Cobirders,
Chico management has asked birders not to visit the ranch tomorrow, May 8, due to road conditions.
We expect decent conditions on Friday.
Thanks again for your patience.
Aiken Audubon
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Date: 5/7/25 1:41 pm From: David Suddjian <dsuddjian...> Subject: Re: [cobirds] Large Gull standing on chimney at Conclave THREAD CLOSED
Sorry, thread closed as not pertaining to Colorado or Colorado birds in any
fashion. Please reply to Bob offlist.
David Suddjian
CoBirds list moderator
On Wed, May 7, 2025 at 2:35 PM Robert Righter <rorighter...>
wrote:
> Hi
>
> Watching the news about the Concave in Rome, there was a “Large, dark
> backed, White-headed gull standing on top of the chimney where the smoke
> will appear. The gull was dark backed like Great Blacked Gull, leg color
> couldn’t be determined. In looking through *Birds of Europe,* 2nd edition
> the possibilities for black-backed gulls are few, Great Black-Blacked Gull
> and the Lesser Blacked-back Gull. It appears the gull would have to be
> accustomed to urban environment.
>
> Anyone have any thoughts
>
> Cheers,
> Bob Righter
> Denver CO
>
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"Totalitarianism demands, in fact, the continuous alteration of the past,
and in the long run probably demands a disbelief in the very existence of
objective truth,"
-- George Orwell, The Prevention of Literature
On Wed, May 7, 2025, 2:35 PM Robert Righter <rorighter...> wrote:
> Hi
>
> Watching the news about the Concave in Rome, there was a “Large, dark
> backed, White-headed gull standing on top of the chimney where the smoke
> will appear. The gull was dark backed like Great Blacked Gull, leg color
> couldn’t be determined. In looking through *Birds of Europe,* 2nd edition
> the possibilities for black-backed gulls are few, Great Black-Blacked Gull
> and the Lesser Blacked-back Gull. It appears the gull would have to be
> accustomed to urban environment.
>
> Anyone have any thoughts
>
> Cheers,
> Bob Righter
> Denver CO
>
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Date: 5/7/25 1:35 pm From: Robert Righter <rorighter...> Subject: [cobirds] Large Gull standing on chimney at Conclave
Hi
Watching the news about the Concave in Rome, there was a “Large, dark backed, White-headed gull standing on top of the chimney where the smoke will appear. The gull was dark backed like Great Blacked Gull, leg color couldn’t be determined. In looking through Birds of Europe, 2nd edition the possibilities for black-backed gulls are few, Great Black-Blacked Gull and the Lesser Blacked-back Gull. It appears the gull would have to be accustomed to urban environment.
Anyone have any thoughts
Cheers,
Bob Righter
Denver CO
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Date: 5/7/25 12:42 pm From: Chicobander <jshieldcastle...> Subject: [cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch Banding Station Report- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies-5/7/2025
Banding station was closed yesterday due to the torrential rains. It was smart for Linda Hodges to close Birding on the ranch today. It was not easy getting to the banding station from HQ or back this afternoon. If you do not have a 4-wheel drive or AWD vehicle, I would recommend *not* coming out to Chico *until Friday* at the earliest. It is extremely sloppy/slippery ( and your vehicle will have a coat of mud on it). Birds picked up a little when the sun peaked out from the clouds mid-morning. Three new species for the season: Returning Brown Thrasher banded as an adult in Fall of 2023, Swainson's Thrush, and an Ovenbird. The White-eyed Vireo was singing when I put up the nets and after I finished closing today. Do you think it was saying Good Morning and Have a good day?! A ruby-crowned Kinglet was observed around the banding station mid-morning as well.
*Returning Brown Thrasher banded as and adult in Fall 2023- *which makes this bird at least 5 years old.
The banding station will be open tomorrow through Saturday from Sunrise until @ 11AM. Stop by if you are in the area to share your sightings. Construction will be ongoing tomorrow on the educational pavilion near the banding station. Best to bird the olive grove before 8:30AM.
Have a good day,
Julie Shieldcastle Chico Basin Ranch Bird Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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Date: 5/7/25 9:50 am From: kevygudguy via Colorado Birds <cobirds...> Subject: [cobirds] Great Horned Finches at My Feeders Today!!!
Hello Fellow Birders, Well, actually they're fledgling House Finches. But their little feather tufts are reminscent of Horned Larks and of course Great Horned Owls!
And they're the First-Of-Year fledglings to visit my feeders this Spring.
Keep Smilin',Kevin Sent from my Remington Rand Typewriter via my Rotary Dial Wall Phone
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Date: 5/7/25 6:28 am From: Brandon <flammowl17...> Subject: [cobirds] Prairie Warbler Prowers County 5/7
Kara Carragher, Kathy Mihm-Dunning and I found a Prairie Warbler at North Gateway Park in Lamar, on north side by beige out house in tamarisks trees with gnatcatchers, Yellow and Orange-crowned Warblers.
Brandon Percival Pueblo West, CO
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Date: 5/6/25 2:50 pm From: <charles......> <charlesachase3...> Subject: [cobirds] Denver Spring Bird Count 9-11 May
Come join us for the 46th Annual Denver Spring Count this weekend.
The following areas will be counted over 9-11 May. Please contact the leaders posted if you would like to join and help count an area. Each leader will set a meeting place and time.
Friday May 9
Barr Lake Leader Charlie Chase <Charlesachase3...>
Cherry Creek SP Cynthia Madsen <cmadsen08...>
Saturday May 10
Barr Lake Chris Gilbert <chrisgee9...>
Chatfield SP Michael Serruto <Michael.serruto...>
Bear Creek Lake Park Jordan Gerue <jgbirds...>
Audubon Nature Center Bill Schrietz <flannelmoth...>
Rocky Mt Arsenal Charlie Chase <Charlesachase3...> (group full)
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Date: 5/6/25 1:59 pm From: meredith <meredithmcburney...> Subject: [cobirds] Chatfield Banding Station - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 5/6/25
We were open for 1.5 hours before the rain started this morning - possibly the most productive 1.5 hours in the very slow season. We caught 7 birds - 3 banded earlier this season, 2 Northern House Wrens, our 1st Chat of the season (right on schedule!!) and our 108th species for the station - a Summer Tanager (second year male).
We are banding Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) through May 31, weather permitting. There are opportunities for the public to visit on weekends and occasional weekdays through the Denver Audubon website <https://www.denveraudubon.org/calendar>. (Some days are already sold out, so sign up now if you are interested!)
Meredith McBurney Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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Date: 5/6/25 11:09 am From: linda hodges <hikerhodges...> Subject: [cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch closed tomorrow Weds May 7 - El Paso/Pueblo Counties
Greetings, all,
Due to muddy roads, Chico will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday May 7th.
We'll know tomorrow afternoon whether they'll allow birders out on Thursday. If you've already paid for a ticket on a day the ranch is closed, you'll receive a refund.
Thank you for your understanding.
Aiken Audubon
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Date: 5/6/25 5:18 am From: John Rawinski <johnrawinski0...> Subject: [cobirds] Re: Storm Approaches
For 24 hours, it has rained steadily. Home Lake had a bit of a fallout
yesterday and there were scads of Yellow-rumped Warblers in and among the
trees. The Baltimore Oriole was still present for photo opportunities.
Swallows in great numbers fed along the waters edge scouring for insects.
Definitely chilly out there as we were just above the freezing point and
snows stayed in the mountains a bit higher up. Getting my coffee and headed
out to see what is going on today Wed.
John Rawinski
Monte Vista, CO
On Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 5:59:19 PM UTC-6 John Rawinski wrote:
> Last night, an estimated 200,000 birds migrated over Alamosa. But in spite
> of that number, the local habitats were scarce on birds. Perhaps many flew
> onward. But at least one intriguing one stayed. A male *Baltimore Oriole*
> was at Home Lake this afternoon. From a quick look at data, there are less
> than 10 records, more or less.
>
> Next 2 days promise a wintry/wet mix and so we'll see what drops in.
>
> John Rawinski
> Monte Vista, CO
>
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Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 14:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Audrey Anderson, Emma Riley, Emma Riley, Audrey Anderson
Observers: Ajit Antony, Amanda Baker, Clay Gibson, Mike Serruto,
Oliver Urdiales
Visitors:
This part of the season is always sad for us as we have to say our
goodbyes. This one was an especially sad one as we said goodbye to our
Counter Audrey Anderson today as she moves onto her next adventure.
Audrey returned this year after working as an Official Observer with us
last year. She has been an outstanding addition to the site- from
volunteering her time to come up to the ridge as early as 6:00 AM to
explore the passerine migration, to speaking at Evergreen Audubon's chapter
meeting. She has provided many visitors, volunteers, and observers with a
wealth of enthusiastically shared information. Audrey's presence at the
ridge this year has been influential to us all, and we can't wait to see
the impact you have on this field moving forward!
We also said goodbye to our weekly Monday observers Clay Gibson and Mike
Serruto. Thank you both for your dedication, assistance, and overall
companionship every Monday. It has been a real pleasure getting to know you
both over these last few years!
A total of 7 visitors were seen on the ridge today, including a local
birder and new volunteer Oliver Urdiales. Oliver spent a few hours with us
and spotted a few of our migrants.
Weather:
We had a nice morning this morning before thunderstorms rolled in.
Temperatures were pleasant and winds were from the SE. Thunderstorms moved
in from the S over the western slopes by noon. Clouds looked mild at points
and threatening at others. Winds picked up and lightning was recorded <15
miles from us, leading us to end the count.
Raptor Observations:
We were hopeful for a push of migrants before the storm today and a tiny
push we got. A handful of birds came west and overhead, including a low
Osprey. A dark-morph Swainson's Hawk also came through low and took its
time moving north.
Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks were seen scattered across the
landscape all day. 1 to 4 RT were seen kiting at any point in the higher
winds before we ended the day. These birds have consistently used the windy
days this spring to hunt on the wing like this. It was great to share these
sights with volunteers and new visitors!
Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 7, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1, Eurasian Collared-Dove
2, Mourning Dove 2, Killdeer 1, Ring-billed Gull 6, Double-crested
Cormorant 4, American White Pelican 5, Belted Kingfisher 1, Blue Jay 5,
Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 2, Black-billed Magpie 1, Black-capped Chickadee 4,
Tree Swallow 3, Violet-green Swallow 47, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher 4,
White-breasted Nuthatch 1, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, House Finch 6, American
Goldfinch 4, Chipping Sparrow 3, Spotted Towhee 6, Western Meadowlark 3,
Common Grackle 8, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 4
Predictions:
The count will likely be shortened or cancelled due to heavy precipitation
in the area. Volunteers- please check the Google Calendar for updates.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 5/5/25 1:25 pm From: meredith <meredithmcburney...> Subject: [cobirds] Chatfield Banding Station - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 5/4/25
Belated report on Sunday (we were closed today; not due to weather, just our day off).
A slightly better day; 12 if we count the 3 repeats (a wren, a black bird and a Song Sparrow). We got our first Gray Catbird, who arrived exactly on schedule. We also had our first rarish species - a young Northern Parula - the 5th caught since 2008. All visitors got to experience birds up close!
We are banding Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) through May 31, weather permitting. There are opportunities for the public to visit on weekends and occasional weekdays through the Denver Audubon website <https://www.denveraudubon.org/calendar>. (Some days are already sold out, so sign up now if you are interested!)
Meredith McBurney Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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Date: 5/5/25 12:30 pm From: Steven Brown <sbrown37...> Subject: [cobirds] FOY's Clear Spring Ranch, El Paso Co
Hey COBirders,
I have been banding for a week at CSR this spring, but numbers here, as everywhere else, are staying way below average for this time of the season.
A “good day” of banding for me will be 20 birds caught. Today was my first 20+ day - with 25, many of which were unbanded Red-winged Blackbirds that are busy chasing right now.
BUT… today, on this dark threatening morning, several FOY (firsts of the year) showed up! Still not big numbers, and there was movement in the brief periods of sun atetr each round of black clouds rolling through.
Banded today :
Brown Thrasher
FOY Yellow-breasted Chat (SYM - second-year male)
Gambel’s White-crowned Sparrow (8)
FOY Mountain White-crowned Sparrow (AD)
FOY Northern Waterthrush - pretty much right on schedule
Orange-crowned Warbler (3) - first female, after 9 males so far
Yellow Warbler (2) - my first two of the season yesterday were males banded here last fall - great site fidelity!
and 6 RW Blackbirds caught - released.
Also seen notables:
Continuing Swainson’s Hawk on a nest by the railroad tracks
Continuing pair of AM Kestrels
Continuing Great Horned Owl perched
A bunch of Audubon’s Yellow-rumped Warblers staying high above the nets, moving around between dark sky cycles
Continuing strings of Blue Jays migrating up the creek
FOY Barn Swallow
FOY Black-headed Grosbeak (M)
FOY Western Kingbirds (2) along the access road
It IS getting better!
Happy Migration,
Steve Brown
Colo Spgs
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Date: 5/5/25 11:59 am From: Chicobander <jshieldcastle...> Subject: [cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch Banding Station Report- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies-5/4/2025
I was able to get in a full morning of banding. It threatened rain all around the banding station but no rain just a couple sprinkles. Double digits were banded including seven species. The White-eyed Vireo was still around singing. Still not many birds around the station. Construction noise picks up @9 AM but it would be hard to differentiate from low number of birds in the area and no additional capture after 9 AM. No sightings of the owls today. I don't imagine they are around when it is so noisy there by the olive grove.
The banding station will be open weather permitting tomorrow from sunrise until @11:00 AM. Stop by and share your sightings. The Construction crew will be working near the banding station through Thursday this week.
Have a good day,
Julie Shieldcastle Chico Basin Ranch Bird Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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Date: 5/5/25 7:47 am From: Paula Hansley <plhansley...> Subject: [cobirds] Blackburnian(?) Warbler, Louisville
CObirders, I heard a possible Blackburnian Warbler sing a couple of times from a ponderosa tree by my house at ~8:30 this morning!! I was unable to visually identify the bird before it flew.
This is my personal favorite of all the warblers, so I know its song well.
Unfortunately, crews are digging up my street, and the noisy drilling began just after 8:30. Perhaps other migrants also arrived last night!
Paula Hansley Boulder County
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Date: 5/4/25 6:28 pm From: Ira Sanders <zroadrunner14...> Subject: [cobirds] FOY Lazuli Bunting - Golden - Jeffco
Birders, Today we had our 1st LAZB, 1 day before 5/5, which historically is the day they show up.
-- Ira Sanders Golden, CO "My mind is a raging torrent flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
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Last night, an estimated 200,000 birds migrated over Alamosa. But in spite of that number, the local habitats were scarce on birds. Perhaps many flew onward. But at least one intriguing one stayed. A male *Baltimore Oriole* was at Home Lake this afternoon. From a quick look at data, there are less than 10 records, more or less.
Next 2 days promise a wintry/wet mix and so we'll see what drops in.
John Rawinski Monte Vista, CO
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Date: 5/3/25 5:22 pm From: meredith <meredithmcburney...> Subject: [cobirds] Chatfield Banding Station - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 5/3/25
After the 7th day of what felt like incredibly low numbers, I decided to take a look at the first 7 days from the past 4 seasons (since Covid, when we didn't run the station). We are pretty typical of 3 of those 4 years (2023 was much better). So, this is not new (as many of our visitors have reminded us - "It was like this last year when we were here"), but it isn't a good sign for the season as a whole......the years that started slower had lower overall numbers.
The good news is that species are arriving on schedule this year, which has not been the case in recent years for many of our most common species. Today was a big day in this regard - pretty much the last day we could claim that our first Yellow Warbler capture occurred "on time". He was caught at 11 a.m. this morning, an adult male who had been banded last year (the early arrivals in the spring tend to be adult males).
We banded just one bird today - a Northern House Wren, and the Yellow Warbler was the only previously banded bird that we caught for the first time (we recaught 4 Song Sparrows banded earlier this season). Hoping things start to pick up soon!
We are banding Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) through May 31, weather permitting. There are opportunities for the public to visit on weekends and occasional weekdays through the Denver Audubon website <https://www.denveraudubon.org/calendar>. (Some days are already sold out, so sign up now if you are interested!)
Meredith McBurney Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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Date: 5/3/25 12:51 pm From: Ted Floyd <tedfloyd73...> Subject: [cobirds] Field trip announcement: "Lafayette Birds!—tomorrow, Sun., May 4, 2025
Hey, all.
Please join us for the May 2025 installment of "Lafayette Birds!" tomorrow, May 4, starting at 1:00pm MDT at The Shack in Greenlee Wildlife Preserve. (On-street parking just west of the preserve; or park at nearby Waneka Lake and walk over. Or take RTD's 225, which goes straight down Baseline Rd., a very easy walk to the preserve; eastbound arrival at 12:29pm, westbound at 12:35pm.)
Lots of great birds at the preserve & environs of late: *Wilson phalarope, long-billed dowitcher, savannah sparrow, hooded warbler, mottled*(ish) *duck, sora, white-faced ibis, broad-winged hawk, brown thrasher, rock wren,* and many more. We'll look for all of them! Also, for folks thus inclined, we'll be offering a "tiger beetle special," searching for the uncommon twelve-spotted tiger beetle (it's there, we know where it is), *Cicindela duodecimguttata*, along with some more common species.
"Lafayette Birds" is sponsored by the City of Lafayette and hosted by expert birders from Boulder Co. & elsewhere. The activity is free & open to the public.
All are welcome, families & curiosity-seekers especially so. Bring water or kombucha and a hat, as it is supposed to be sunny & warm tomorrow. Bring good cheer. Bring gifts and obeisance for the trip leaders. A good time shall be had by all.
See you tomorrow!
Ted Floyd Lafayette, Boulder Co.
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Date: 5/3/25 12:35 pm From: Chicobander <jshieldcastle...> Subject: [cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch Banding Station Report- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies-5/3/2025
A brisk morning with frost on the ground turned into a beautiful day. More bird activity at the banding station, but they were mainly higher in the trees. The White-eyed Vireo is still singing around the banding station. As we were closing the nets, Volunteers viewed two Long-eared Owls in the olive grove and were able to get photos. New banded species for the season were Gray Catbird, Spotted Towhee, and a MacGillivray's Warbler. *6 New Banded Birds* Orange-crowned Warbler MacGillivray's Warbler Northern House Wren Gray Catbird Spotted Towhee
No Recaptures
The Banding Station will be closed tomorrow and open up Monday at Sunrise. Enjoy the Day,
Julie Shieldcastle Chico Basin Ranch Bird Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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Date: 5/2/25 4:41 pm From: meredith <meredithmcburney...> Subject: [cobirds] Chatfield Banding Station - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 5/2/25
We got drizzled out yesterday, but back in business this morning. Only banded 8 birds, but recaptured another 8 banded in previous days so that our many groups this morning all saw a nice selection of year-round residents and early migrants. Our 8 new birds were:
Hermit Thrush 1 Common Yellowthroat 1 Wilson's Warbler 1 Brown-headed Cowbird 1 American Goldfinch 4
We are banding Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) through May 31, weather permitting. There are opportunities for the public to visit on weekends and occasional weekdays through the Denver Audubon website <https://www.denveraudubon.org/calendar>. (Some days are already sold out, so sign up now if you are interested!)
Meredith McBurney Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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Date: 5/2/25 2:02 pm From: Chicobander <jshieldcastle...> Subject: [cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch Banding Station Report- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies-5/2/2025
Today was a better bird day and no construction noises. A brisk start to the day produced a few more birds banded than previous days. A Lincoln's Sparrow was a first for the season. The Gray Flycatcher was heard and observed earlier this morning by a volunteer. Ash-throated Flycatcher was vocal later in the morning in the area of the banding station and barns. Virginia's Warbler was singing around the banding station off and on during the morning also. *10 New Banded Birds* Audubon's (Yellow-rumped) Warbler- 6 Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warbler- 2 Orange-crowned Warbler- 1 Lincoln's Sparrow- 1
*Recapture* Northern House Wren from 4/30
Tomorrow the banding station will be open from sunrise until @11 AM. Stop by and share your sightings with us. Sunday the banding station will not be open.
Have a good day,
Julie Shielcastle Chico Basin Ranch- Bird Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8.83 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley, Emma Riley, Audrey Anderson
Observers: Janet Peters, Kathie Moses, Laura Hollenbaugh,
Natalie Uschner-Arroyo
Visitors:
Thank you to Kathie Moses, Natalie Uschner-Arroyo, Janet Peters, and Laura
Hollenbaugh for coming out today! Janet and Natalie came up (bearing
lunch-thank you!) to enjoy the last full day this season with both Audrey
and Emma counting.
Trail activity was slow today with intermittent rain. 11 visitors stopped
by today.
Weather:
Late season continues to see precipitation in the afternoons but luckily it
was brief and light today. Winds came predominantly from the NE today at
light speeds mostly, with stronger gusts at the end of the day. Verga was
seen for most of the day in all directions. The first rainbow of the year
was seen just as we were leaving for the day!
Raptor Observations:
May 1 marks the beginning of the end of the 2025 season at Dinosaur Ridge,
with our final count day being May 10. Migrants have begun tapering out but
are still providing us with great looks. We got stellar looks at all of our
late-season buteos today, including the Swainson's Hawk and Broad-winged
Hawk. Most of our migrants came overhead, varying immensely in the
overhead height.
Our American Kestrel flights dropped off very suddenly in the last week,
but the few that we continue to get in the late afternoon remind us of how
incredible this season has been!
This April has been our 6th highest April on record! 2000 was the last year
with a higher count. This was also our 3rd highest American Kestrel count
for April on record.
Non-raptor Observations:
Passerines were moving when the count started just after 0800 MST this
morning. Yellow-rumped Warbler was the main species seen moving N today.
Birds flew through the day in small flocks and as individuals just along
the ridge. Other notable species seen today include American White Pelican
(15) in 2 groups moving N, Chipping Sparrow (33) seen S along the trail
foraging and bathing in a small muddy puddle, and our FOS Hermit Thrush low
in a Juniper.
White-throated Swift 40, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 2, Double-crested
Cormorant 1, American White Pelican 16, Blue Jay 1, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay
1, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 2, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Tree
Swallow 1, Violet-green Swallow 28, Rock Wren 1, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher 2,
Pygmy Nuthatch 1, Western Bluebird 2, Hermit Thrush 1, American Robin 2,
House Finch 2, American Goldfinch 2, Chipping Sparrow 34, Song Sparrow 1,
Spotted Towhee 4, Western Meadowlark 3, Common Grackle 1, Yellow-rumped
Warbler (Audubon's) 34, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 6
Predictions:
Tomorrow and Saturday look to be the last two fully nice days of the
season, so come enjoy migration with us! Thunderstorms/precipitation are
possible every day after Saturday. Tomorrow is expected to see light winds
from the E and sun.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 5/1/25 1:16 pm From: Chicobander <jshieldcastle...> Subject: [cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch Banding Station Report- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies-5/1/2025
The calendar date had no influence on the bird activity today. Ha! Quiet again birdies at the banding station. The White-eyed Vireo was singing @ nets 6 and 7 this morning. I also hear Bullock's Oriole and a Broad-tailed Hummingbird. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Gray Flycatcher were the highlights and new species for the day and season. *4 New Banded Birds* Orange-crowned Warbler-2 Gray Flycatcher-1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-1
No Recaptures
The Construction crew *will not* be working at the station tomorrow through Sunday. I believe it has some affect on the birds but there wasn't much activity anyhow in the grove the past couple days. I hope the bird numbers improve. Stop by the banding station if you are in the area and share your sightings. The banding station will be open tomorrow and Saturday sunrise until @11AM
*note about the Winter Wren banded on tuesday- this is the 7th banded record at Chico. The others were in the fall season and the most recent was in 2013. Have a good day,
Julie Shieldcastle Chico Basin Ranch -Bird Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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On Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at 3:39:05 PM UTC-6 Ajit Antony wrote:
> I can tell you that all species of raptors migrate along the Front Range.
> If you go to hawkcount.org and go to the left sidebar and click on Find a
> Hawk Watch, click on Colorado and then on Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch for
> spring migration, then go back and click on Mount Zion Hawk Watch for the
> results of an exploratory fall migration there, that my wife Liza and I
> undertook in Fall 2024. You will see that
> 17 species of raptors migrate along the Front Range.
> Ajit I Antony
> Central Park, Denver
>
> On Fri, Apr 25, 2025, 2:20 PM Gary Brower <grb......> wrote:
>
>> Bird nerds . . .
>>
>> My wife is working on a project (not an academic one!) having to do with
>> migration in the Front Range, and the perils faced by migratory birds
>> (e.g., lights in tall buildings). .
>>
>> She asked me a question which probably DOES have an answer, but I'm not
>> sure of the best way to find it: “To the best of our knowledge, what
>> species of birds migrate over/through the Front Range?
>>
>> Is this a question that eBird would answer? BirdCast? Something/someone
>> else?
>>
>> Any help you can provide would be amazing!
>>
>> Thanks so much!
>>
>> Gary Brower (happily having “gotten” Life/State/County Piping Plover
>> today, as well as State/County Burrowing Owl Happy camper!)
>> Unincorporated Arapahoe County
>>
>> --
>> --
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>> "Colorado Birds" group.
>> To post to this group, send email to <cob......>
>> For more options, visit this group at
>> http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds >> * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city.
>> Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate.
>> * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/membership/ >> ---
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
>> "Colorado Birds" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
>> email to cobirds+<u......>
>> To view this discussion visit
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/<458B4E6B-2849-4BA8-ACD4-A2A4C475E717...> >> .
>>
>
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Visitors:
Thank you to all of our visitors and volunteers! Today was my last day on
the ridge with Cheryl Wilcox for the season, thank you for your kindness
and constant enthusiasm.
We had a total of 15 visitors on the ridge, many that came with the purpose
of visiting the Hawkwatch! It was lovely to meet you all and we are looking
forward to having you up on the ridge again soon!
Weather:
Today started and ended with strong winds out of the NW. During the day
winds were based out of the E with scattered cloud cover throughout. A
storm rolled in from the W at the end of the count.
Raptor Observations:
Today started and ended with strong winds out of the NW. During the day
winds were based out of the E with scattered cloud cover throughout. A
storm rolled in from the W at the end of the count.
Today, 10 minutes after sunrise we had an extraordinary migrant raptor! A
Short-earred Owl was spotted moving N low above Mathew's Winters before
crossing i70! This is the 2nd SEOW recorded at Dinosaur Ridge. The first
was in 2005 on March 2nd. A very exciting and unexpected addition to the
count total. Not much is known about owl migration as they are a secretive
migrant species so this is a really neat sighting! SEOWs are considered
diurnal raptors as they are naturally very active at dawn and dusk. The
migration count records all diurnal raptor species, including this SEOW.
Overall. raptor migration at Dinosaur Ridge seems to have slowed down a bit
as we are entering the final 10 days of the season. We are still seeing
nice numbers of Osprey, Broad-winged Hawks, and Red-tailed Hawks.
Non-raptor observations included northbound movement of Pygmy Nuthatches
(7), Blue-grey Gnatcatchers (5), and Hermit Thrushes (2).
Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 9, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 2, Mourning Dove 2, Say's
Phoebe 1, Blue Jay 7, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 6, Black-capped Chickadee 2,
Tree Swallow 27, Violet-green Swallow 47, Barn Swallow 3, Cliff Swallow 8,
Rock Wren 2, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher 5, Pygmy Nuthatch 2, Townsend's
Solitaire 4, Hermit Thrush 2, American Robin 7, House Finch 2, Chipping
Sparrow 3, White-crowned Sparrow 5, Spotted Towhee 4, Western Meadowlark 2,
Red-winged Blackbird 1, Common Grackle 6, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)
8
Predictions:
Mostly cloudy skies throughout that day. Winds are expected out of the ENE
up to 10 mph. Temperatures will reach around 14C. Potentially muddy trail
conditions in the morning.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/30/25 4:54 pm From: meredith <meredithmcburney...> Subject: [cobirds] Chatfield Banding Station - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 4/30/25
Another early spring day for us - banded 6 birds, caught 2 returns (birds that were banded in prior years) and 4 repeats (birds that had been caught previously this year). The returns included a House Wren that was banded in 2022 and recaught in both 2023 and 2024. I don't know that we've ever captured a House Wren in 4 consecutive years. Here are the 8 new birds for the season:
Northern House Wren 2 new, 1 banded in 2022 (see above) American Robin 1 (there are many noisy Robins around the station right now) Orange-crowned Warbler 1 Wilson's Warbler 1 Spotted Towhee 1 Red-winged Blackbird 1, banded 2024
We are banding Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) through May 31, weather permitting. There are opportunities for the public to visit on weekends and occasional weekdays through the Denver Audubon website <https://www.denveraudubon.org/calendar>. (Some days are already sold out, so sign up now if you are interested!)
Meredith McBurney Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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I can tell you that all species of raptors migrate along the Front Range.
If you go to hawkcount.org and go to the left sidebar and click on Find a
Hawk Watch, click on Colorado and then on Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch for
spring migration, then go back and click on Mount Zion Hawk Watch for the
results of an exploratory fall migration there, that my wife Liza and I
undertook in Fall 2024. You will see that
17 species of raptors migrate along the Front Range.
Ajit I Antony
Central Park, Denver
On Fri, Apr 25, 2025, 2:20 PM Gary Brower <grb4914...> wrote:
> Bird nerds . . .
>
> My wife is working on a project (not an academic one!) having to do with
> migration in the Front Range, and the perils faced by migratory birds
> (e.g., lights in tall buildings). .
>
> She asked me a question which probably DOES have an answer, but I'm not
> sure of the best way to find it: “To the best of our knowledge, what
> species of birds migrate over/through the Front Range?
>
> Is this a question that eBird would answer? BirdCast? Something/someone
> else?
>
> Any help you can provide would be amazing!
>
> Thanks so much!
>
> Gary Brower (happily having “gotten” Life/State/County Piping Plover
> today, as well as State/County Burrowing Owl Happy camper!)
> Unincorporated Arapahoe County
>
> --
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Colorado Birds" group.
> To post to this group, send email to <cobirds...>
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds > * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include
> bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate.
> * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/membership/ > ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Colorado Birds" group.
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> email to cobirds+<unsubscribe...>
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> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/<458B4E6B-2849-4BA8-ACD4-A2A4C475E717...> > .
>
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Date: 4/30/25 11:49 am From: Julia Shieldcastle <jshieldcastle...> Subject: [cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch Banding Station Report- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies- April 30, 2025
For the first full day of banding it seemed quiet with birds. Seven birds were banded including 5 species. Bird of note was the White-eyed Vireo. Other first captures of the season were: Orange-crowned Warbler, Audubon's (Yellow-rumped) Warbler, and Northern House Wren. (It will take me a few times to get used to the House Wren's new name). The Ash-throated Flycatcher was calling at the banding station this morning. The Cooper's Hawk is still nesting in the cottonwood west of the banding barn.
*7 New Banded Birds* Orange-crowned Warbler-1 Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warbler- 1 Audubon's (Yellow-rumped) Warbler-2 Northern House Wren-2 White-eyed Vireo-1
No recaptures.
Hoping next month the bird numbers will pick up. That is tomorrow! If you are out birding at Chico, Please stop by the banding station and tell us your sightings. The banding station will be open from Sunrise to @11:00AM through Saturday this week. I was told today that the college architectural class building the educational pavilion will be there working tomorrow and off Friday-Sunday.
Have a good day,
Julie Shieldcastle Chico Basin Ranch- Bird Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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Date: 4/30/25 9:51 am From: Charles Hundertmark <chundertmark8...> Subject: [cobirds] Gray Flycatcher singing at Colorado National Monument, Mesa Co.
A belated report from the weekend in Grand Junction. While in there for a Colorado Field Ornithologists board meeting, I scouted a couple of locations where I'll be leading field trips for the CFO Convention (June 5-8). At Connected Lakes, a small group of us found a Brewer's Sparrow along with the expected birds, but the highlight was a migrating Broad-winged Hawk. The hawk will probably not show up for the June convention, but Gambel's Quail were also seen at the lakes and at several other locations in Grand Valley and should be seen by many at the June event.
At Colorado National Monument while driving on Rimrock Drive toward the Liberty Gap trailhead, I was surprised to see two Chukars cross the road (presumably to get to the other side). After watching squalling raven nestlings, I took a short walk on the Upper Liberty Gap Trail and was delighted when a Gray Flycatcher began singing in front of me.
I'm expecting things to be quite lively for the convention in June and hope to see many of you there.
Chuck Hundertmark Lafayette, CO
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Date: 4/30/25 9:27 am From: Charles Hundertmark <chundertmark8...> Subject: [cobirds] Northern Parula at Walden Ponds, Boulder County
This morning at Walden Ponds, while attempting to get a Merlin recording of a recently arrived Northern Rough-winged Swallow pair, I heard a familiar trill behind me. "Northern Parula" popped up on my iPhone screen. There were also Yellow-rumped Warblers in the vicinity. Looking for the parula, I saw a warbler size bird fly up to a cottonwood and a search with bins confirmed it was the parula. There were also singing Yellow Warblers.
At the same time that migrants were arriving or passing through, early nesters were also active. Several pair of Canada Geese were herding downy goslings, a Morning Dove was on the nest, and a flicker was excavating a new cavity in a cottonwood snag.
Things are lively out there.
Chuck Hundertmark Lafayette, CO
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Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 14:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Audrey Anderson, Emma Riley, Audrey Anderson
Observers: Ajit Antony, Beth Davis, Cayce Gulbransen ,
Chris Gulbransen
Visitors:
Thank you to Cayce and Chris Gulbransen for all of your help, support, and
company this season! Cayce and Chris are first-year volunteers that
completely caught the bug and have been at the count multiple times in a
week recently. Today was their last day with us this year. We can't believe
the season is already coming to an end.
We'd also like to thank Ajit Antony and Beth Davis for their help in
spotting migrants today.
16 people stopped at the ridge today to ask about the count and enjoy the
view.
Weather:
Temperatures fluctuated today with a cold start and end to the day
separated by some strong sun. Winds came from the SE for most of the day,
blowing at light speeds until some gusts picked up in the afternoon.
Massive towering cumulus clouds were present early in the day, followed by
walls of rain seen S and N of us. Just before 1400 MST a storm cloud
bringing lightning was spotted directly W of us. A sizable storm was seen
moving in on the weather radar so we ended the count.
Raptor Observations:
Today was the day!! It has been an unbelievable season here at Dinosaur
Ridge with species records, day records, and season records being broken
left and right. While this is not exactly a specific record, it's a huge
milestone in the history of this site. An overhead American Kestrel in the
late morning was our 3000th bird of the season! The last year 3000+
migrants were counted here was 2002. This is an excellent representation of
how crucial full-time coverage at a hawk watch site is!
We had another nice push of Broad-winged Hawks today! These birds continue
to outdo themselves. Most came along the west ridges. Other highlights
include a very close Osprey and an overhead Peregrine Falcon. Swainson's
Hawks continue to come through in low numbers, but are now seen all over
the Front Range en masse (it seems).
Non-migratory Cooper's Hawks were spotted a few times today, sometimes
hunting and sometimes performing their aerial courtship display. Hunting
birds were seen along the ridge, and displaying birds were further away.
Unsure of the true number of locals. Turkey Vultures continue to do what
Turkey Vultures do here. Red-tailed Hawk (3), Golden Eagle (1), and
American Kestrel (2) were also seen in the area.
Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 6, Mourning Dove 6, Double-crested Cormorant 3, Say's
Phoebe 1, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 4, Black-billed Magpie 2, American Crow 4,
Black-capped Chickadee 2, Tree Swallow 1, Violet-green Swallow 8, Rock Wren
1, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher 3, EVENING GROSBEAK 5, Lesser Goldfinch 2,
Chipping Sparrow 1, Dark-eyed Junco 1, Spotted Towhee 4, Western Meadowlark
2, Brewer's Blackbird 1, Common Grackle 8, Yellow-rumped Warbler
(Audubon's) 5
Predictions:
More precipitation/storm activity is possible tomorrow afternoon. The trail
may or may not be muddy in the morning. We are hoping for another nice push
in the morning before potential storms roll in.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/29/25 3:01 pm From: meredith <meredithmcburney...> Subject: [cobirds] Chatfield Banding Station - Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 4/27 & 4/29/25
Sunday (4/27) was such a strange day that I didn't even report. The first day I can remember when we banded 0 birds. We did catch 2 birds that we'd banded already this season, plus 2 birds (a Black-capped Chickadee and a Song Sparrow) that we banded last year.
Today was much more typical for early spring season banding, with an interesting mix of species expected at this time of year:
We are banding Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) through May 31, weather permitting. There are opportunities for the public to visit on weekends and occasional weekdays through the Denver Audubon website <https://www.denveraudubon.org/calendar>. (Some days are already sold out, so sign up now if you are interested!)
Meredith McBurney Bander Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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Date: 4/29/25 2:20 pm From: Pat Hayward <pandion2006...> Subject: [cobirds] Black chinned hummer and western tanager, Larimer County
I went out to change the hummingbird feeders and was greeted with both a western tanager looking for the suet, and a black chinned hummingbird looking for the nectar feeder. FOY for both.
-- Pat Hayward Masonville CO at 5400' west of Fort Collins Larimer County
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Date: 4/29/25 1:41 pm From: Julia Shieldcastle <jshieldcastle...> Subject: [cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch Banding Station- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 4/29/2025
Hi! The first day of spring banding at Chico Basin Ranch. Net lanes and nets were set and we were able to operate for a couple hours. We caught a few nice birds in that short time. Things are different at Chico but I believe it will work out. The leases are split up among different entities, unlike before when the Phillips' had all the leases on the ranch. It made it easier for communication and smoother operations. Michael Moon is the Ranch Manager for the Agricultural lease. He has been nice and helpful. From what I was told, the CO Land Board has more involvement in decisions on the ranch so that is another added step in communications of operations that was not there before. There is some renovation going on around the banding station and a new educational pavilion is being constructed. The loud work on the building is to happen after 11 AM. *4 New Banded Birds* Winter Wren Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warbler Lesser Goldfinch Hermit Thrush
Tomorrow will be a full banding session from sunrise until @ 11AM. Stop on by and share your sightings.
All the best for a great Spring season!
Julie Shieldcastle Bird Bander Chico Basin Ranch Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
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Date: 4/29/25 11:01 am From: Paula Hansley <plhansley...> Subject: [cobirds] House Wren!
I heard the first House Wren singing a few minutes ago in my neighborhood!
Paula Hansley Louisville
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley
Observers: Clay Gibson, Mike Serruto, Molly McCarthy
Visitors:
Thank you to Clay Gibson, Mike Serruto, and Molly McCarthy for your help
looking for migrants today!
We saw 15 people at the Hawk Watch today. A few of them had questions about
the hawk watch and raptor migration, and one couple said they are going to
try to come back before the season ends.
Weather:
It was another windy day at Dinosaur Ridge today with winds from the W/NW
for a lot of the day. Wind speeds varied but reached up to 26 km/h. Clouds
were scattered and high in the morning, with heavy rain clouds in the
distance in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations:
Migrants were sparse again today with most of them counted in the first
half of the day. Immature Red-tailed Hawks were the main bird seen moving
today, many of them coming high overhead along the ridge. A low male
Northern Harrier stood out beautifully against the green hillside of Mt.
Morrison in the late afternoon.
A total of 12 Turkey Vultures were seen moving in kettles around the site
all afternoon. At times they would break apart into smaller groups, some
getting to the cell towers before turning back south. Other non-migratory
raptors seen today include Peregrine Falcon (1), Red-tailed Hawk (7),
Cooper's hawk (1), and one juvenile Bald Eagle seen flying with three
Red-tailed Hawks in the morning.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor activity was low today with the high winds. A few highlights on
the day include our FOY Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, a few Pygmy Nutatches seen
briefly in a snag on the ridge, and 3 Jay species in the morning!
White-throated Swift 91, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 2, Blue Jay 2, Steller's
Jay 1, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 2, Common Raven 5, Tree Swallow 30,
Violet-green Swallow 33, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher 2, Pygmy Nuthatch 3,
American Robin 1, Dark-eyed Junco 1, Western Meadowlark 2, Yellow-rumped
Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Predictions:
Rain is again predicted for tomorrow afternoon at a higher chance, but
winds are from the SE in the morning which could allow for a push of
migrants before the rain. This season continues to surprise us so truly we
don't know what to expect, only that bird 3000 will come by soon!
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/28/25 9:52 am From: George Mayfield <georgemayfield...> Subject: [cobirds] Call for Photographs – Colorado Birds Journal - Winter 2024-25 (December-February)
Dear CO Birders,
We’re excited to invite you once again to share your outstanding
photographs for the next issue of *Colorado Birds*, the quarterly journal
of the Colorado Field Ornithologists. For our “News From The Field”
article, we are seeking images taken between December 1, 2024, and February
28, 2025, *featuring rare, vagrant, or otherwise unusual bird species*
observed in Colorado (please see guidelines below).
If you would like to contribute, please email your best high-quality images
to me at *<george...>* no later than *this Friday, May 2, 2025*. Be
sure to follow the file-naming guidelines outlined below when submitting.
We are especially looking for photos of the following species reported
during this period:
Thanks for your contributions to *Colorado Birds*. Your dedication and
generosity help maintain our journal’s excellence, making it one of the
country’s finest. Thanks for sharing your photography with us!
George Mayfield
Photo Editor, Colorado Birds
Wheat Ridge, Jefferson Co.
***
*Photo Submission Guidelines:*
Photos from *Winter 2024-25 (December-February)*
Photos must be your own, and by submitting them, you give Colorado Birds
permission to reproduce in any issue and on the CFO website. We always
credit images with the photographer’s name.
*Please use the following format for the photo file names*:
*species-date-location-county-photographer*. For example, a photo of an
American Robin taken Oct. 4, 2024 at Chatfield State Park by John James
Audubon would be named as follows:
*American Robin (or AMRO)-20241004-Chatfield-Adams-JJAudubon.*
Minimum quality for interior publication use is 750 x 900 pixels. To be
considered for the journal cover, photos must be at least 2625 pixels
(vertically) x 1725 pixels (horizontally). Please send original files in
the largest resolution possible (300 dpi is preferable) . We will crop and
resize as needed. Email your submissions to <george...>
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Date: 4/28/25 5:34 am From: David Suddjian <dsuddjian...> Subject: Re: [cobirds] Thoughts on the Waneka Lake duck (& other thoughts, too; fancy that)
Ted,
Thanks for an interesting look and consideration of that Waneka duck, I'm
not even gonna guess how to ID the triple hybrid Mottled Mexican Mallard
you reference, and I'm not sure I want to know. But I'm trying to imagine
the three parents getting together on the pond for a discreet
rendezvous behind the reeds . . .
David Suddjian
Littleton, CO
On Sun, Apr 27, 2025 at 9:02 PM Ted Floyd <tedfloyd73...> wrote:
> Hey, all.
>
> A duck in the mallard superspecies complex has been present at Waneka Lake
> & environs, Boulder Co., for close to a month now. The mallard superspecies
> complex comprises the mallard, Mexican duck, mottled duck, American black
> duck, Hawaiian duck, and Laysan duck, plus other species found outside the
> ABA Area. And their many intergrades!
>
> There have been some differences of opinion about the duck at and around
> Waneka Lake. Which is fine. Tricky birds are the ones from which we learn
> the most. When I first saw the Waneka Lake bird, I thought it was a mallard
> x Mexican duck intergrade. I'd been out of the country and wasn't aware
> that there had been discussion back-channel about the bird. In the past
> several days, though, I've come around to wondering why this bird isn't a
> mottled duck or, at least, a bird with mottled duck ancestry.
>
> Here are a few pics from earlier this Sun. afternoon, Apr. 27, seriously
> de-rezzed for posting to Google Groups:
>
> [image: duck 01.jpg]
> [image: duck 02.jpg]
> [image: duck 03.jpg]
> [image: duck 04.jpg]
> [image: duck 05.jpg]
> [image: duck 06.jpg]
> [image: duck 07.jpg]
> Here are some characters that I think indicate mottled duck, rather than
> Mexican duck, for the Waneka Lake duck:
>
> * "school bus" yellow bill (not dusky yellow-green)
> * extensive black at base of bill, including gape spot
> * warmish tones overall, especially the contour feathers
> * pale throat with weak buffy tones (whence *fulvigula*, the specific
> epithet of mottled)
>
> But I'm not sure about that, not at all. I got no dog in this fight.
> Honest. Whatever it is, it's a cool bird, and I thought I'd put my thoughts
> out there because, Why not? And, if you're wondering, I've eBirded it as "
> *Anas* sp." Talk about playing it safe. Incidentally, so-called "triple
> hybrids," birds with mallard, mottled duck, & Mexican duck ancestry, are
> not uncommon in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. I'm just saying.
>
> . . . . .
>
> Okay, in other news:
>
> Lots of other stuff of late at the Waneka/Greenlee/Hecla complex. For
> example, a light-morph adult* broad-winged hawk* sailing over, due north,
> this Sun. afternoon. Perfect conditions: late April, warm, south winds;
> plus, we had just had "weather." (I've noticed anecdotally that Boulder
> broad-wings are best detected on the heels of spring storms.) Was anybody
> watching from Broadway Ave. westward in Boulder today? Because I bet there
> were more passing over out there.
>
> Also a couple of FOY *northern house wrens* near the Greenlee feeders
> today. And *American avocets* doing the nasty at Greenlee marsh. Snapping
> turtles, *Chelydra serpentina*, too; indeed, they've been doing it
> essentially nonstop there for several days now.
>
> Yesterday at nearby Prince Lake No. 2, a FOY *Brewer sparrow. *Also a *loggerhead
> shrike* festooning a barbed wire fence with moribund victims.
> Leatherman's ears perk up...
>
> And back on Fri., Apr. 25, in the daylong drizzle at
> Waneka/Greenlee/Helca, a nice smattering of sandpipers* (Wilson snipe,
> Wilson phalarope, spotted sandpiper, solitary sandpiper, lesser yellowlegs,
> greater yellowlegs,* and *least sandpiper).* Also *osprey, American
> bushtit, red-breasted nuthatch, chipping sparrow, dark-eyed junco,* and
> various flavors of *yellow-rumped warbler. *A *spotted towhee* was giving
> a call consistent with that described in the literature for the *arcticus*
> subspecies. However, the literature is muddled in the matter...
>
> Oh, one other thing! Today. This afternoon. On the north shore "beach" of
> Waneka Lake, a fine showing by twelve-spotted tiger beetles, *Cicindela
> duodecimguttata*. If you go looking for the Waneka duck, try for the
> tiger beetles. They're beautiful.
>
> Ted Floyd
> Lafayette, Boulder Co.
>
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Date: 4/27/25 8:02 pm From: Ted Floyd <tedfloyd73...> Subject: [cobirds] Thoughts on the Waneka Lake duck (& other thoughts, too; fancy that)
Hey, all.
A duck in the mallard superspecies complex has been present at Waneka Lake & environs, Boulder Co., for close to a month now. The mallard superspecies complex comprises the mallard, Mexican duck, mottled duck, American black duck, Hawaiian duck, and Laysan duck, plus other species found outside the ABA Area. And their many intergrades!
There have been some differences of opinion about the duck at and around Waneka Lake. Which is fine. Tricky birds are the ones from which we learn the most. When I first saw the Waneka Lake bird, I thought it was a mallard x Mexican duck intergrade. I'd been out of the country and wasn't aware that there had been discussion back-channel about the bird. In the past several days, though, I've come around to wondering why this bird isn't a mottled duck or, at least, a bird with mottled duck ancestry.
Here are a few pics from earlier this Sun. afternoon, Apr. 27, seriously de-rezzed for posting to Google Groups:
[image: duck 01.jpg] [image: duck 02.jpg] [image: duck 03.jpg] [image: duck 04.jpg] [image: duck 05.jpg] [image: duck 06.jpg] [image: duck 07.jpg] Here are some characters that I think indicate mottled duck, rather than Mexican duck, for the Waneka Lake duck:
* "school bus" yellow bill (not dusky yellow-green) * extensive black at base of bill, including gape spot * warmish tones overall, especially the contour feathers * pale throat with weak buffy tones (whence *fulvigula*, the specific epithet of mottled)
But I'm not sure about that, not at all. I got no dog in this fight. Honest. Whatever it is, it's a cool bird, and I thought I'd put my thoughts out there because, Why not? And, if you're wondering, I've eBirded it as " *Anas* sp." Talk about playing it safe. Incidentally, so-called "triple hybrids," birds with mallard, mottled duck, & Mexican duck ancestry, are not uncommon in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. I'm just saying.
. . . . .
Okay, in other news:
Lots of other stuff of late at the Waneka/Greenlee/Hecla complex. For example, a light-morph adult* broad-winged hawk* sailing over, due north, this Sun. afternoon. Perfect conditions: late April, warm, south winds; plus, we had just had "weather." (I've noticed anecdotally that Boulder broad-wings are best detected on the heels of spring storms.) Was anybody watching from Broadway Ave. westward in Boulder today? Because I bet there were more passing over out there.
Also a couple of FOY *northern house wrens* near the Greenlee feeders today. And *American avocets* doing the nasty at Greenlee marsh. Snapping turtles, *Chelydra serpentina*, too; indeed, they've been doing it essentially nonstop there for several days now.
Yesterday at nearby Prince Lake No. 2, a FOY *Brewer sparrow. *Also a *loggerhead shrike* festooning a barbed wire fence with moribund victims. Leatherman's ears perk up...
And back on Fri., Apr. 25, in the daylong drizzle at Waneka/Greenlee/Helca, a nice smattering of sandpipers* (Wilson snipe, Wilson phalarope, spotted sandpiper, solitary sandpiper, lesser yellowlegs, greater yellowlegs,* and *least sandpiper).* Also *osprey, American bushtit, red-breasted nuthatch, chipping sparrow, dark-eyed junco,* and various flavors of *yellow-rumped warbler. *A *spotted towhee* was giving a call consistent with that described in the literature for the *arcticus* subspecies. However, the literature is muddled in the matter...
Oh, one other thing! Today. This afternoon. On the north shore "beach" of Waneka Lake, a fine showing by twelve-spotted tiger beetles, *Cicindela duodecimguttata*. If you go looking for the Waneka duck, try for the tiger beetles. They're beautiful.
Ted Floyd Lafayette, Boulder Co.
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Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 10 hours
Official Counter: Audrey Anderson, Emma Riley, Emma Riley, Audrey Anderson
Observers: Ajit Antony, Cayce Gulbransen , Chris Gulbransen ,
Haley Caron, Laura Farnsworth
Visitors:
Thank you to our Sunday official observer on staff Laura Farnsworth, high
school intern Haley Caron, and our other visitors and volunteers that
helped us look for migrants today.
We had a total 58 visitors on the ridge today with a handful stopping to
ask questions for 10+ minutes. Many people are interested in the pathways
and destinations featured in raptor migrations.
Weather:
Today was a hot and windy day on the ridge today with clear blue skies for
the first half of the day, and some nice cloud cover in the second half of
the day. Thermals were strong by 0900 MST. Winds varied a bit between NW
and SW for most of the day. Wind speeds picked up significantly in the 1500
MST hour leading to us ending the count an hour early.
Raptor Observations:
Migration was slow going in the morning and all but absent in the
afternoon. Our first few migrants of the day came low overhead, but birds
quickly got incredibly high with the strong thermal activity today. Buteos
and Turkey Vultures took advantage of the thermals today, being the main
source of activity seen. Accipitrines came through generally lower than
other migrants. One lone American Kestrel was counted today.
Turkey Vultures continue to scatter the sky for most of the day giving us
some work in sorting them out as migrants or locals. Up to 6 continue to be
seen at once in the area. Local Golden Eagle (2), Red-tailed Hawk (6),
Swainson's Hawk (1), Cooper's Hawk (1), Sharp-shinned Hawk (1), American
Kestrel (1),
Non-raptor Observations:
Canada Goose 4, White-throated Swift 51, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1,
Northern Flicker 1, Say's Phoebe 1, Blue Jay 10, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 4,
Black-billed Magpie 3, Common Raven 1, Tree Swallow 5, Violet-green Swallow
18, Cliff Swallow 2, Rock Wren 1, White-breasted Nuthatch 1, Red-breasted
Nuthatch 1, House Finch 1, Chipping Sparrow 8, Spotted Towhee 4, Western
Meadowlark 2, Red-winged Blackbird 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 3
Predictions:
There is the potential for rain for the next few days with winds predicted
to come out of the W for most of the day tomorrow. Winds look to be more
ideal for migration on Tuesday. We are getting very close to our 3000th
bird of the season, a massive milestone for us! Come enjoy the end of this
outstanding season with us in the next two weeks.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/27/25 1:18 pm From: Jared Del Rosso <jared.delrosso...> Subject: [cobirds] Do they or don't they - C. Poorwill nesting in urban Denver?
This morning, I dropped my wife off for a very early bus to a pretty early flight, then went listening for Common Poorwills in Douglas County. (I heard two. They're back!)
This got me thinking about some of my first encounters with Common Poorwills -- back in 2015, when I saw them through most of May at Denver Botanic Gardens. Near the end of May, with a friend from NY visiting, we encountered *two* Poorwills roosting rather close together. This was on 5/29/2015. Amazing to see one nightjar, but to have good views of two? A rather incredible way for him to get his lifer Poorwills! I took pictures of both, but foolishly, took the photo of each individually!
All this had me wondering -- was this a pair? If so, were they nesting at Denver Botanic Gardens?
I never really pursued this question. But I did ask a biologist who studies the bird what he thought, and he suggested that the late date of the sighting was at least slightly compelling. (Poorwills are on their breeding grounds in Canada by late May, he noted.)
Here are some other observations. None individually provides evidence of nesting in urban Denver, nor do they cumulatively add up to evidence of this. But it's at least slightly compelling (to me, at least).
There are at least three sightings (2021, 2023, 2024) in early June of Common Poorwills in Denver. But all are during the first two days of the month. (There are no sightings in Denver after that until the second week of September.) They are around City Park, Wash Park, and possibly RINO. The RINO sighting is on iNaturalist; it's not as precise as the other two, which are on eBird.
In 2015, Common Poorwills were present at Denver Botanic Gardens from at least 5/1 - 5/29. An email I wrote at the time suggests I'd begun suspecting I was seeing multiple Poorwills about two weeks prior to the 5/29 encounter. In autumn, a Common Poorwill was present from at least 9/30 - 10/5. This bird was photographed quite a bit, as it stuck around at Cheesman in a conspicuous location. All told, it seems like Poorwills were present around Cheesman Park and Denver Botanic Gardens for over a month that year.
In 2016, Josh Bruening reported a Common Poorwill at DBG on 5/30. The earliest report from DBG in 2016 was 5/5.
In 2017, Rebecca LaRoche reported a Common Poorwill at DBG on 5/27.
In 2018, LaRoche encountered a Common Poorwill at DBG as early as 4/19. LaRoche reported multiple -- three, in one case -- on 5/7 and 5/11.
For further context: late May encounters with Poorwills in urban and suburban Denver aren't typical but neither are they especially rare. LaRoche, Chris Rurik, and I saw one along the High line Canal Trail in Cherry Hills Village on 5/24/2017. On the same date, three years prior, there was a report of one at Cherry Creek State Park. There are also 5/25 sightings at City Park (2019) and the Denver Performance Arts Center (2024).
If there's any central Denver birders out there who have June - July sightings of the species in their neighborhood or who stumble upon someone posting about them on Nextdoor, I'd love to know about it!
- Jared Del Rosso Centennial, CO
- Jared Del Rosso Centennial, CO
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Date: 4/26/25 5:16 pm From: meredith <meredithmcburney...> Subject: [cobirds] Bird Conservancy of the Rockies - Chatfield Banding Station, 4/26/25
We got drizzled out yesterday; happy to be back in business again this morning!
It was a slow, early spring day, with only 11 birds banded, but it was a really interesting mix for early in the season.
Our first bird was a Cooper''s Hawk (which may have had some impact on how few birds were caught during the morning). I was surprised to see how few hawks we've caught over the past 18 years - only 7 total including this one.
Our second bird of the day was a Hermit Thrush, which was a really nice surprise - over the years we have averaged about 15 per year, but only a total of 4 in the past 4 years and none last year.
Here's the list of the 11:
Cooper's Hawk 1 Warbling Vireo 1 Hermit Thrush 1 Orange-crowned Warbler 1 Brewer's Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 1 Lincoln's Sparrow 1 Red-winged Black-bird 2 (male and female, together in the net) American Goldfinch 2 (both females, in adjacent nets, with a male singing in the tree above them)
We are banding Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) through May 31, weather permitting. There are opportunities for the public to visit on weekends and occasional weekdays through the Denver Audubon website <https://www.denveraudubon.org/calendar>. (Some days are already sold out, so sign up now if you are interested!)
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Date: 4/26/25 10:53 am From: David Suddjian <dsuddjian...> Subject: [cobirds] BIRD BOMBS Spring Learning Resources
DFO's BIRD BOMBS Video Library
<https://dfobirds.org/Programs/BirdBombs.aspx> has a suite of sweet videos
to help prepare for spring migrants and improve your ID skills for many key
groups. To make it easy, I highlight here many episodes helpful for this
season.
*It’s a Flycatcher* – Identification of Colorado Flycatchers
Littleton, CO
[image: Have a Blast!.png][image: DFO Logo 90th long.jpeg]
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Observation start time: 12:00:00
Observation end time: 14:00:00
Total observation time: 1.5 hours
Official Counter: Audrey Anderson
Observers:
Visitors:
Thank you to all of our volunteers for your flexibility with the count
cancellations.We look forward to see you all again under better raptor
spotting conditions.
There was 1 gentleman and his dog I chatted to about the Hawkwatch on the
way up.
Weather:
The ridge was completely socked in with fog throughout the day, so the
count was canceled. A constant drizzle was also present in the morning.
Foggy conditions worsened in the afternoon, completely engulfing the valley
by Mathew’s Winters.
Raptor Observations:
The count was called for the day due to extreme low visibility. Around
12:30 MST I came up to see if there was a gap in the fog at the top of the
ridge, there was not. Viability only reached the dead trees just south of
the platform along the trail. The 2 migrating kestrels were seen on the
hike up just before the fog intensified. Most birds were seen on the hike
up, others heard or seen moving through the fog from the Hawkwatch
platform. Interestingly, the fog spurred somewhat of a shorebird movement.
A LONG-BILLED CURLEW made an appearance, moving just slightly below the fog
at the start of the W slope, just above Mathew’s Winters. Such a
distinctive bird, so insanely cool and unexpected to have from the
Hawkwatch!! The other shorebird of note was a Killdeer calling away through
the fog moving N bound, also out to the W of the platform. Overall the lack
of visibility was too intense and there was no hope for spotting raptors,
the conditions worsened once I began my decent.
Non-raptor Observations:
Killdeer 1, Long-billed Curlew 1, Northern Flicker 1, Black-billed Magpie
1, American Robin 3, House Finch 7, Chipping Sparrow 1, Dark-eyed Junco 2,
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 1, Song Sparrow 1, Spotted Towhee 3
Predictions:
Tomorrow conditions are expected to improve drastically from today. Expect
muddy trails and fog in the morning, but the fog is predicted to clear out
by late morning. Mixed cloud cover and sunshine for the rest of the day
with temps reaching 20C. Winds up to 10mph out of the east.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/26/25 4:48 am From: <charles......> <charlesachase3...> Subject: [cobirds] Denver Spring Bird Count 9-11 May
Denver Spring Bird Count 9-11 May 2025
The following areas will be counted over 9-11 May. Please contact the leaders posted if you would like to join and help count an area. Each leader will set a meeting place and time.
Friday May 9
Barr Lake Leader Charlie Chase <Charlesachase3...>
Cherry Creek SP Cynthia Madsen <cmadsen08...>
Saturday May 10
Barr Lake Chris Gilbert <chrisgee9...>
Chatfield SP Michael Serruto <Michael.serruto...>
Bear Creek Lake Park Ginny Bergstrom <peakhomeservices...>
Audubon Nature Center Bill Schrietz <flannelmoth...>
Rocky Mt Arsenal Charlie Chase <Charlesachase3...> (group full)
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I’ve been doing a lot of birding in coniferous habitats in Colorado’s
Central Mountains this April as I travel between various grouse leks. The
Pinyon Pine cone crop in Chaffee County has been splendid with many Type 2
Red Crossbills feeding on them. In the Lodgepole country there have been
some Type 2 and Type 5 Red Crossbills, but a good number of the crossbills
I’ve been hearing in Summit, and Lake County that are not type 2s have been
giving Cassia flight calls. I have only been able to record 3 of the
Cassias so far (Lake and Summit), but I heard one in Clear Creek which
would be a first county record if someone were able to obtain
documentation. The Summit Cassia(s) have been visiting feeders for about a
week and a half now but I was only able to record them yesterday. The
Lodgepole Cone crop is a bit underwhelming right now which might be the
reason that Cassias are visiting feeders. Despite spending most of the day
on Cameron Pass today we did not find any crossbills of any type.
The spruce cone crop is still very good in all of these locations but I
haven’t observed any crossbills feeding on them this month, especially none
with white on their wings.
Of course these are just my observations, so I’m excited to hear if others
are noticing anything different!
Best,
Luke Pheneger
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Date: 4/25/25 3:40 pm From: John Tumasonis <snakemonev...> Subject: [cobirds] More spring arrivals, Broomfield, Westminster, Boulder
All: More summer residents and spring migrants coming through. These are mostly from today (Friday 4/25/25), but some are from earlier in the week. Key: PR = Present in several locations, common BR = Brunner Reservoir, Broomfield AM = Alex and Michael's Pond, Broomfield BL = Broomfield Library Pond PL = Plaster Reservoir, Broomfield DCW = Big Dry Creek Park and vicinity, Westminster CC = Cotton Creek Trail, Westminster DCT = Big Dry Creek Open Space, Thornton FF = Fredrick \ Firestone MU = Mushroom Pond, Westminster
Western Grebe - PL, only 2 American White Pelican - BR, AM, PL, DCW - groups are moving a lot Double Crested Cormorant - PR - numbers increasing Black Crowned Night Heron - PL - 1 Snowy Egret - BR, AM, BL, PL, MU - numbers increasing Great Blue Heron - AM, PL, DCW, FF, MU Canada Goose - PR - large winter flocks have dissipated Wood Duck - male at Vogler Pond, Westminster, about 1 week ago Mallard - PR - courtship behavior \ copulation Gadwall - BR, AM, PL, MU American Widgeon - PL, AM Northern Shoveler - PL, AM, MU Blue Winged Teal - PL - at least 3 pairs Cinnamon Teal - PL, AM, MU, DCW - lots of pairs Ring Necked Duck - PL, BR, BL - numbers rapidly decreasing Lesser Scaup - PL, BR Bufflehead - PL - numbers decreasing Hooded Merganser - PL, BR - a few still around Turkey Vulture - PR - migratory flyovers Osprey - PL - today, only 1 Bald Eagle - Stearns Lake - pair still at nest - at least one young seen in nest Cooper's Hawk - PL, AM, BR, DCW, CC, MU - numerous this year. Watched two adults fighting over territory. American Kestrel - PR Red Tailed Hawk - PR - all on nests now Swainson's Hawk - PL, AM, BR, BL - one copulation observed near AM - indicates nesting area selected Peregrin Falcon - Near Bear Canyon, Boulder Mountain Park Golden Eagle - Boulder Mountain Park Wild Turkey - Walker Ranch \ Myers Gulch area - Boulder County Dusky Grouse - 1 near Walker Ranch area - Boulder County Virginia Rail - DCW - 1 heard in cattail marsh American Coot - PL, BR Killdeer - PR - numbers increasing American Avocet - AM, DCW - only a few so far Franklin's Gull - PL - flock of about 30 about a week ago - flycatching, and picking insects off water at Plaster Ring Billed Gull - PR - numbers rapidly decreasing Common Pigeon - PR Eurasian Collared Dove - PR Mourning Dove - PR Great Horned Owl - Westminster, Thornton, Broomfield, Boulder County - young are coming off nests, or already off nests; 7 nest sites Belted Kingfisher - PR Northern Flicker - PR Downy Woodpecker - PR Say's Phoebe - PR - numerous Loggerhead Shrike - DCW - only 1 Blue Jay - PR - numerous Scrub Jay - PR - especially near or in Boulder Mountain Park properties Stellar's Jay - PR - Boulder Mt. Park Black Billed Magpie - PR - nest building American Crow - PR Common Raven - PR Tree Swallow - PL - several with large flocks of other swallows Bank Swallow - PL - several with large flocks of other swallows Northern Rough Winged Swallow - several with large flocks of other swallows Cliff Swallow - PL - several with large flocks of other swallows Barn Swallow PR \ PL - flock of over 100 at Plaster Black Capped Chickadee - PR Mountain Chickadee - Boulder Mt Park Bushtit - PR - gathering nesting materials Pygmy Nuthatch - Boulder Mt. Park White Breasted Nuthatch - PR Red Breasted Nuthatch - several in Boulder Mt. Park House Wren - DCT - Thornton - 2 singing already Canyon Wren - Shadow Canyon, Boulder Mt. Park Marsh Wren - AM Ruby Crowned Kinglet - several at Myers Gulch, Boulder County Blue Gray Gnatcatcher - AM - only one Western Bluebird - several at Myers Gulch, Boulder County Mountain Bluebird - several at Myers Gulch, Boulder County Townsend's Solitaire - Boulder Mt. Park American Robin - PR - fights with blue jays are common European Starling - PR Audubon's Warbler - AM, PL, DCW, CC, MU - coming through in good numbers Myrtle Warbler - AM, PL, DCW - only a few, with Audubon's Warblers Spotted Towhee - PR Savanah Sparrow - BR - only one; being attacked by Red Winged Blackbird Song Sparrow - PR White Crowned Sparrow - PR - still in good numbers at lower elevations House Sparrow - PR Dark Eyed Junco - PR - mostly foothills, most gone from lower elevations Western Meadowlark - PR - courtship behaviors noted Red Winged Blackbirds - PR - bumper crop this year - numerous Common Grackle - PR - hundreds coming through in some areas Brown Headed Cowbird - FF, PL, AM House Finch - PR American Goldfinch - PR - numerous, especially at neighborhood feeders
Animals By sight: Coyote Fox Squirrel Black Tailed Prairie Dog Mule Deer White Tailed Deer Eastern Cottontail
By Sign: Mountain Lion Black Bear Moose Elk Northern Pocket Gopher
And.... blooming: Sand lily, yellow violet, pasqueflower, spring beauty, dandelion, wavy leaf dandelion, purple mustard, biscuitroot, wild plum, chokecherry, skunk bush, yellow current, Oregon grape, and many others
Yeesh. That's enough for now. Nothing rare. Most migrants along the northern Front Range seem to be right on time.
Cheers, John T (Tumasonis), Broomfield CO "I'm not a real birder. I only pretend to be one on CoBirds."
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The easier question might be which of the approx. 500 species recorded in
the Front Range region to do *not* migrate to any degree. The great
majority do. Not a very helpful answer, I know, but most of our birds
migrate to some degree. You could discern some of the answer to that
question by inspecting eBird bar charts for the Front Range counties,
collectively, which would give you a start.
David Suddjian
Littleton, CO
On Fri, Apr 25, 2025 at 2:20 PM Gary Brower <grb4914...> wrote:
> Bird nerds . . .
>
> My wife is working on a project (not an academic one!) having to do with
> migration in the Front Range, and the perils faced by migratory birds
> (e.g., lights in tall buildings). .
>
> She asked me a question which probably DOES have an answer, but I'm not
> sure of the best way to find it: “To the best of our knowledge, what
> species of birds migrate over/through the Front Range?
>
> Is this a question that eBird would answer? BirdCast? Something/someone
> else?
>
> Any help you can provide would be amazing!
>
> Thanks so much!
>
> Gary Brower (happily having “gotten” Life/State/County Piping Plover
> today, as well as State/County Burrowing Owl Happy camper!)
> Unincorporated Arapahoe County
>
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My wife is working on a project (not an academic one!) having to do with migration in the Front Range, and the perils faced by migratory birds (e.g., lights in tall buildings). .
She asked me a question which probably DOES have an answer, but I'm not sure of the best way to find it: “To the best of our knowledge, what species of birds migrate over/through the Front Range?
Is this a question that eBird would answer? BirdCast? Something/someone else?
Any help you can provide would be amazing!
Thanks so much!
Gary Brower (happily having “gotten” Life/State/County Piping Plover today, as well as State/County Burrowing Owl Happy camper!)
Unincorporated Arapahoe County
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Date: 4/24/25 7:00 pm From: meredith <meredithmcburney...> Subject: [cobirds] Opening Day - Chatfield Banding Station, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies 4-24-25
Spring banding is officially underway at our Chatfield Banding Station! I'm pleased to report that opening day species were pretty much exactly what we should be catching at this time of year - mostly year-round residents in breeding condition, a few early migrants, either returning to breed or passing through, and a lone White-crowned Sparrow that likely wintered at Chatfield and will soon begin its migration. May this trend continue!!
Here is the breakdown of the 14 birds caught today:
Black-capped Chickadee 4 new, 1 banded in 2024 House Wren 1 Common Yellowthroat 1 Spotted Towhee 2 Lincoln's Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 3 White-crowned Sparrow, Gambel's 1
We are banding Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays) through May 31, weather permitting. There are opportunities for the public to visit on weekends and occasional weekdays through the Denver Audubon website <https://www.denveraudubon.org/calendar>. (Some days are already sold out, so sign up now if you are interested!)
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Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 18:45:00
Total observation time: 12.75 hours
Official Counter: Audrey Anderson, Emma Riley, Audrey Anderson
Observers: Amanda Baker, Emma Riley, George Mamalis, Janet Peters,
Leslie Mamalis, Noah Sanford, Ryan Gannon
Visitors:
Thank you to all of our volunteer observers today for your help spotting
birds! It is one thing to experience this migration as counters, but
getting to share this with others makes it so special.
We had a total of 52 visitors today, with 20 of them being a Jefferson
County all women's volunteer trail maintenance crew! We also saw three
hikers early in the morning and then again at the end of the day after
their summit of Mt. Morrison.
Weather:
It was another really pleasant day on the ridge until the temperatures
dropped at the end of the day when some heavier cloud cover came in.
Temperatures were mild, winds were from the NE at low speeds for most of
the day. Verga and dense storm clouds could be seen west of us for the last
few hours of the day, but never came over us. Precipitation was possible
today but we were spared.
Raptor Observations:
We had a record day at Dinosaur Ridge today with an absolutely outstanding
daily count of 329 raptors! This is the 6th highest daily count at Dinosaur
Ridge Hawk Watch on record. We have the American Kestrels to thank for
making up almost half of today's count. This puts us at the 5th highest
season total in site history, with over 2 weeks left in the season! We
continue to be completely amazed by the afternoon movement we have been
seeing from these birds. The flight was incredibly similar to yesterday's,
but we started the afternoon with a good count of them already.
Across the board there were fantastic numbers of most other species as
well. Today was our highest Broad-winged Hawk day this season by one bird!
A few came right overhead, and one came right below us on the E side. All 3
of our Peregrine Falcons moved along the ridge, with #3 coming close enough
for us to see the notable 'helmet' on this species. Today's 9 Northern
Harriers also make it so that we have doubled (and then some) last year's
count for this species!
To top it all off, today's flight puts the 2025 season as the highest
season total since 2005, with many more days to go.
Non-raptor migrants came in force this morning! It was a great morning
flight for Chipping Sparrows (61), Yellow-rumped Warblers (37 Audubon’s
and 2 Myrtle), and Dark-eyed Juncos (33). Other highlights this morning
were Vesper Sparrows (4), 4 types of swallows, and Broad-tailed
Hummingbirds (7). Today was the largest and most diverse passerine flight
of the season, the songbird migration has really kicked up a notch! There
were 3 main pushes in the morning starting at 6:30 MST, flight lines
directly eye level on the main ridge. A really cool morning flight and
first truly noticeable passerines flight of the season. Hopefully there
will be another push of songbirds tomorrow as conditions are predicted to
be similar in the morning.
** To see final numbers for this mornings passerine flight please visit our
Trektellen site, linked under the 'Visitors' comment section.**
Non-raptor Observations:
Canada Goose 18, White-throated Swift 163, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 7,
Eurasian Collared-Dove 8, Mourning Dove 1, Ring-billed Gull 1,
Double-crested Cormorant 1, Great Blue Heron 1, American White Pelican 3,
Say's Phoebe 3, Blue Jay 1, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 2, Black-billed Magpie
32, Common Raven 15, Black-capped Chickadee 3, Tree Swallow 18,
Violet-green Swallow 25, Barn Swallow 5, Cliff Swallow 5, Rock Wren 4,
White-breasted Nuthatch 1, European Starling 1, Mountain Bluebird 1,
Western Bluebird 1, Townsend's Solitaire 1, American Robin 9, Chipping
Sparrow 61, Dark-eyed Junco 33, Vesper Sparrow 4, Song Sparrow 2, Spotted
Towhee 3, Western Meadowlark 1, Common Grackle 3, Yellow-rumped Warbler
(Audubon's) 37, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Predictions:
Tomorrow's conditions look pretty similar to today's conditions, with a
higher chance of afternoon showers. Winds from the NE again with variable
cloud cover. A rain coat is recommended, as we will do our best to stick
out the rain!
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Colorado Field Ornithologists has been collaborating with Great Basin Bird
Observatory and other partners across six states on the observatory’s
Pinyon Jay Community Science Project. More data from Colorado volunteers
is needed. Getting involved and collecting data is simple. Go to the CFO
website, choose Science in the heading, then Research and then the Pinyon
Jay Community Science Project. Just follow the sign up procedure and start
collecting data whenever you get a chance. The Pinyon Jays will thank you!
Sally Waterhouse
Nathrop, CO
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Date: 4/23/25 4:13 pm From: John Rawinski <johnrawinski0...> Subject: [cobirds] Smith was Poppin
Smith Reservoir put on quite a show for John Stump and I today. With no winds, the lake was a delight to explore. First species catch our eye was a Black Phoebe, a bird that shows increasing abundance each year. Between some fisherman, my eye caught an unusual duck. Turned out to be a Long-tailed Duck, with only a handful of records for the Valley. Two Neotropic Cormorants were next on the list. This makes the third consecutive year they stop here. All in all about 48 species today and we missed a grundle more that we should have had. Great day out with the 88 year old young guy!
You can see photos on the Smith Hotspot site.
John Rawinski Monte Vista. CO
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Date: 4/23/25 9:44 am From: DAVID A LEATHERMAN <daleatherman...> Subject: [cobirds] Random observations (Larimer and Weld Counties)
To avoid watching the news yesterday, I stuck my head in the sand and went up to the Hamilton Reservoir Overlook at the Rawhide Power Station north of Wellington (Larimer County). The number of waterfowl was impressive, even though most individuals were too far away to identify and count. There were more Franklin's Gulls in the northwest corner and along the north side of the reservoir than I can ever remember seeing at this site or maybe anywhere (hundreds). I picked out one basic Bonaparte's Gull, but there were probably more. The most numerous duck species were Northern Shoveler and Lesser Scaup (hundreds of each). A few Common Goldeneyes lingered. Horned Grebes in the hundreds were conspicuously courting (lots of synchronized dancing and vocalizations). A late flock of white geese (Snow/Ross) were on shore in the far northwest corner. I was hoping to find the Vermilion Flycatcher that was reported earlier this spring in the same area east of the Overlook where one also showed up last spring, but no luck. At least 5 Say's Phoebes and a Sage Thrasher were present. No sparrows, which was a surprise. Main fare for the gulls, dabbling ducks and land birds yesterday was, no doubt, chironomid midges. Standing at the Overlook with my scope, hundreds swirled before me and one could actually hear a subtle din of wings "out there" that could easily have been misinterpreted as coming from the distant power plant. WHAT WOULD OUR BIRDS ON AND NEAR WATER DO WITHOUT MIDGES?! These non-biting mosquito lookalikes should be celebrated, not flailed at.
[cid:be0d1956-ad14-4f45-bbf4-388d77b77ca5] [cid:d33342f9-b99c-4bc7-9337-3491bb5462fd]
Northern Shoveler pair fly-by and pinkish-bodied Franklin's Gull over the Hamilton Reservoir surface littered with millions (billions? trillions?) of adult midges emerging from their aquatic youth.
[cid:459c3abb-521b-4450-8a0f-c6dd9c407eaf]
Midge in the genus Orthocladius. Male midges like this one have feathery antennae.
Larimer CR5 from Buckeye Road north to CR92 was less than lackluster. No shrikes, no sparrows, no Lark Buntings.
I did my Loggerhead Shrike loop out east of US85 into the western portion of the Pawnee Grasslands and found only 2 shrikes and about 20 objects impaled on barbed wire. The fence items were all common things we know shrikes use upon arrival in breeding areas: redshank grasshoppers, grasshoppers in the genus Arphia, tenebrionid beetles, lesser earless lizards, many-lined skinks and one particular species of black blister beetle. The last item is a mystery in that these beetles are inedible (toxic organic chemistry) and, at least to the human eye, appear anything but attractive as mate bait (quite small, matte-finish black (lack any bright hues)).
[cid:911010f2-b9e4-4407-ae06-951275c9a8b7] [cid:955eb28c-8df9-43e8-8b27-ce949a12f3e5] [cid:6dbb7579-d99b-4ba1-a522-0297d7e15d1e]
From left to right: Arphia grasshopper, leftover tail of lesser earless lizard and blister beetle.
Both Chestnut-collared and Thick-billed Longspurs are back (best area is along Weld CR114 e of CR45). I saw no Burrowing Owls or Mountain Plovers but think they have been reported.
At Crom Lake west of Pierce noteworthy birds were 66 White Pelicans, a Bald Eagle adult stirring everything up, 1 Marbled Godwit, both yellowlegs, 1 Willet and a handful of American Avocets. FYI, at present the portion of the lake e of the CR that can be good for shorebirds and ibis is dry.
[cid:805af5b6-fd2f-4d9e-b9ca-5d811c7cfe59]
Lesser Yellowlegs dealing with the muck of life at Crom Lake.
Back to human folly. At least Nicola Jokic makes us proud, right?
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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Date: 4/23/25 8:19 am From: Paula Hansley <plhansley...> Subject: [cobirds] Warbler flock, Twin Lakes, Boulder
CObirders, There is a small warbler Flock in the trees at the SW corner of Twin Lakes. So far, all Yellow -rumped Warblers, many singing. Also a pair of Eastern Phoebes by the cement bridge, singing.
Paula Hansley Louisville
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Date: 4/23/25 7:32 am From: Robert Bierling <crossbill1...> Subject: [cobirds] Female Broadtail Hummingbird today. Denver
Great to see her early this morning. East Hampden Ave and Monaco.
Bob & Nancy Bierling 6940 E Girard Ave. Denver Co 80224
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Date: 4/23/25 6:42 am From: Jared Del Rosso <jared.delrosso...> Subject: [cobirds] Re: Backyard nest building - Arapahoe
And for the House Finches, a tragic end: Black-billed Magpies discovered
the nest this morning. A hard thing to see as I finished making my
breakfast and pouring my tea.
I was reminded of an encounter -- and the dizzying emotions and thoughts
that follow -- with a neighborhood magpie pair predating a robin fledgling.
(I wrote about this for the Center for Humans & Nature. If you're
interested, you can read it at my blog here
<https://lonesomewhippoorwill.com/2023/05/22/what-robins-take-with-them/>.)
- Jared Del Rosso
Centennial, CO
lonesomewhippoorwill.com
On Saturday, April 12, 2025 at 4:22:11 PM UTC-6 Jared Del Rosso wrote:
> Three days ago, I noted that a female House Finch was on a "nearly or
> fully built nest" in a relatively young and small Blue Spruce tree in my
> Centennial, CO yard. It's now clear that it was most certainly a fully
> built nest. Today (April 12), I spotted three nestling, gaping mouths held
> high, in the nest.
>
> - Jared Del Rosso
> Centennial, CO
> lonesomewhippoorwill.com
>
> On Wednesday, April 9, 2025 at 5:32:15 PM UTC-6 Jared Del Rosso wrote:
>
>> This week, I've noticed a female Spotted Towhee inspecting and collecting
>> nesting material - mostly dry grasses and possibly wildflower stems -- in a
>> corner of my suburban Centennial yard. The male either follows her around
>> or sings from above her. I haven't seen where they're thinking about
>> nesting, but there are any number of good spots, owing to the disorderly
>> mess that is the chokecherry thicket in my yard.
>>
>> I also spotted a female House Finch visiting a nearly or fully built nest
>> in a medium-sized Blue Spruce that the previous homeowners planted. It's
>> roughly 8 feet tall (maybe). The nest is in a rather secluded spot near the
>> top of the spruce. I have a hard time seeing it and can't see the finch
>> when she's on the nest, despite the relatively small size of the spruce.
>> The male often sings from the mid-to-upper levels of a nearby honeylocust.
>>
>> Other seasonal signs: Western Sand Cherries, Golden Currants, and our
>> Eastern Redbud are blooming. My lonely American Plum has prominent buds.
>> Small, metallic green solitary bees have been visiting Physaria blooms.
>> Several penstemons are beginning to put up their flowering stalks; they're
>> not close yet to putting out buds, though.
>>
>> - Jared Del Rosso
>> Centennial, CO
>> lonesomewhippoorwill.com
>>
>
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Visitors:
We always appreciate having the help in spotting birds from our volunteers.
Thank you to Marirosa Donisi, Cayce & Chris Gulbransen, and Sammy Korengut
for your help today!
Weather:
It was a beautiful day up at the ridge today with much nicer winds than the
last few days. Clouds were present all day to a varying degree of coverage
and darkness. Verga could be seen at time, and we had a light drizzle on us
a few times for no more than 1 minute max at a time. Winds came from the NE
for most of the day.
Raptor Observations:
It was a great day at Dino again today with an outstanding American Kestrel
flight of 113 birds on the day! The real prime time kicked off at 1400 MST,
with 32 Kestrels on the hour. They continued to come 1-4 at a time- coming
low overhead or low over the west ridges. This is the biggest AK count here
in a day since 1997! American Kestrelw have been increasing in seasonal
counts here over the last few years, with this year already turning out to
be a banner year. We counted bird # 2000 this morning, and fittingly it was
an AK.
Other highlights on the day include a juvenile Ferruginous Hawk that came
overhead in the evening. This bird was a complete surprise to see this late
in the season! We got some of our best ever looks at the 'windows' in the
juveniles wings, which were noticeably rounder and closer to the tip of the
wing in comparison to the Red-tailed Hawk's.
Northern Harriers are also having a stellar year and continue to come low
by the site, like one of today's male birds.
We continue to enjoy the Broad-winged and Swainson's Hawks most days, and
look forward to some bigger SW days.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptors also blew us away today with the sites first ever record of
Evening Grosbeaks! Two stopped by a snag just south of us for a minute
before continuing SW. Photos can be found on eBird.
Other notable sightings include late season Sandhill Cranes (6), two groups
of south bound American White Pelicans (12), Pine Siskin (2), and an
American Pipit heard calling on the hike in!
White-throated Swift 207, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1, Eurasian
Collared-Dove
2, Sandhill Crane 6, large gull sp. 1, Double-crested Cormorant 1, American
White Pelican 12, Northern Flicker 5, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 3, Black-billed
Magpie 2, Common Raven 1, Tree Swallow 16, Violet-green Swallow 14, Barn
Swallow 2, swalow sp. 55, Rock Wren 1, Pygmy Nuthatch 1, Mountain Bluebird
1, Townsend's Solitaire 5, American Robin 1, EVENING GROSBEAK 2, House
Finch 1, Pine Siskin 2, Spotted Towhee 1, Western Meadowlark 1
Predictions:
Precipitation is expected tomorrow in the late afternoon, but the winds
have the potential for another great day of migration. The sun should be
out for periods of time, but bring a layer and some rain protection!
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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*Aiken Audubon*
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Date: 4/22/25 2:41 pm From: linda hodges <hikerhodges...> Subject: [cobirds] Chico Basin Ranch Registration Issue El Paso/Pueblo Counties
Greetings, all
It appears that registering to visit Chico via Aiken Audubon's website is currently not working property.
Please use this link until we're able to remedy the situation. Once you choose your date, remember to click on the blue box below it to continue the registration.
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Date: 4/22/25 1:35 pm From: David Suddjian <dsuddjian...> Subject: [cobirds] DFO Field Trips!
We don't post here too often about *Denver Field Ornithologists field trips*, but for those not familiar please let me call attention to the most diverse and rich calendar of free field outings by any Colorado organization, and maybe anywhere in the world, even.
Check out our *DFO Field Trip Calendar* <https://dfobirds.org/FieldTrips/UpcomingTrips.aspx> with over 40 trips listed now for the coming two months, and others will surely be added as spring unfolds. Many trips have open spaces now, and for field trips more than three weeks away you can note the date when registration will open. These last few years DFO has offered *200 to nearly 300 field trips per year*, thanks to our great team of leaders! Registration is free for all trips, and we welcome all birding skill levels, and both members and non-,members are welcome.
I highlight here several overnight trips, including* three three-day trips to Southeast Colorado this May*: a *camping outing May 2-4 *(open now), a *classic Lamar trip May 12-14 *at the peak of the spring season (open now), and an exploration of less-birded *Las Animas County May 27-29*. DFO also offers *Birds Plus+* trips combining birding with a second field learning focus. And we always have many great local area trips from the Denver to Boulder region. DFO partners for some co-sponsored trips with Denver and Aiken Audubon Societies.
Hope to see you out there,
David Suddjian Field Trip Committee Chair Littleton, CO
[image: DFO Logo 90th square.jpeg] [image: Sharptail Ridge OS 7-30-24 Suddjian.jpg] [image: Ken Caryl foothills 6-3-24 Suddjian.jpg]
[image: Beaver Ranch Park 7-18-24 Suddjian.jpg]
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Date: 4/22/25 11:28 am From: Matias Comina <matiasdcomina...> Subject: [cobirds] BCAS program tonight!: The Next of protection of Conservation lands
The Next Level of Protection of Conservation Lands
🗓 Tuesday, April 22, 2025
🕖 7:15 PM – 8:45 PM
📍 Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder
5001 Pennsylvania Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303 (map)
What started in the 1950s as a mission to identify special natural areas
has now become a race to conserve the remaining fragments of nature under
pressure from climate change, development, and time itself.
Join us for a compelling evening with Chris Pague, Senior Conservation
Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy, as he examines the critical question:
Can traditional conservation tools keep up with today’s global challenges?
Chris will share insights drawn from a career spanning over 45 years—from
the edge of Purgatoire Canyon to the vast grasslands of Mongolia—exploring:
- The evolution of conservation planning and the inadequacy of
protecting just 10%
- Challenges in funding, land access, and cross-border conservation
- Innovative strategies from the Southern High Plains Initiative
- Success stories that prove bolder conservation is not just
necessary—it’s possible
About Chris Pague:
Chris has worked across 11 countries, worked with The Nature Conservancy
(TNC) to establish the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP), led
ecoregional assessments, worked with bison restoration, and helped shape
Colorado’s newest state park—Fishers Peak. His current work merges
economics and ecology for transformative impact across the Great Plains and
beyond.
🧑🤝🧑 In-Person Attendance:
- Doors open at 7:00 PM for light socializing
- Program starts at 7:15 PM
- Masks encouraged; free surgical masks available
- Please stay home if you’re feeling ill
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Date: 4/22/25 6:57 am From: Anne Price <raptoresse...> Subject: [cobirds] Broad-winged Hawk, Jefferson Co
Greetings All:
Apologies for the late post: yesterday (4/21) at 8:25am I observed an adult broad-winged hawk flying over my car at approximately 50 ft, at Pierce St./Fair Dr. (Columbine High School).
Only the second one I've ever seen in CO, and rather surprising given the low altitude.
~Anne Price Littleton, JeffCo
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley
Observers: Clay Gibson, Laura Hollenbaugh, Mike Serruto, Ruth Artes
Visitors:
Thank you to today's volunteers Clay Gibson, Ruth Artes, Mike Serruto, and
Laura Hollenbaugh! Your help in spotting raptors and sticking out the winds
is greatly appreciated.
A total of 18 people visited the ridge today, a handful of them familiar
faces to the ridge from this year or previous years.
Weather:
It was a windy day on the ridge today with winds being at 15-20 km/h from
the start of the count. Winds came from the NW to SW all day, gusting up to
speeds of ~40 km/h. The sun was out for a lot of the day, and clouds were
scattered across the sky.
Raptor Observations:
Migration was understandably slow again today with our high W winds. We
still saw some birds moving, many of them coming overhead the site. Turkey
Vultures migrated generally higher than the local TVs were flying today. A
sub-adult Golden Eagle was seen booking it N across Green Mountain. The
bird was briefly stopped by two local Red-tailed Hawks that dove at the
eagle, but the eagle continued N on a mission. A late migrant for us
indeed, but all signs pointed to migration.
Local Red-tailed Hawk and Turkey Vulture activity kept us busy today even
when we didn't have migrants in the air. 3+ of each species was often seen
somewhere around us, sometimes spotted moving N. Many RT were seen kiting
and performing aerial displays. The local Peregrine Falcons were seen
briefly flying together near Mt Morrison. Both birds went down to the Red
Rocks area.
Non-raptor Observations:
Common Merganser 9, White-throated Swift 50, Northern Flicker 1, Say's
Phoebe 4, Black-billed Magpie 1, Common Raven 3, Black-capped Chickadee 1,
Rock Wren 1, Townsend's Solitaire 2, American Robin 4, Spotted Towhee 2,
Western Meadowlark 1
Predictions:
Winds shift back to the E tomorrow hopefully bringing a bigger push of
birds than we've been seeing the last few days. Partial cloud cover is
expected for most of the day.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/21/25 6:13 pm From: John Rawinski <johnrawinski0...> Subject: [cobirds] Red-headed Woodpecker in San Luis Valley
Today I saw and photographed a rare for the Valley Red-headed Woodpecker at Mountain Home Reservoir. There are only a handful of records for this species. But it played elusive for my camera and I got distant and cropped photos. You can view them in eBird for Mtn Home. Looks like things will be getting exciting in the coming weeks.
John Rawinski Monte Vista, CO
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Date: 4/21/25 5:23 pm From: David Suddjian <dsuddjian...> Subject: [cobirds] Register now for DFO Presents: Research, Education & Conservation in Action Mon. Apr 28 at 7 pm
*Research, Education & Conservation in Action: 2024 DFO Grantees Report*
*Register now*
<https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LWeIt-xXSMujBaUSfqyzWQ#/registration> for
DFO's monthly program this coming Monday April 28 at 7 pm.
The Zoom program will present “Research, Education & Conservation in
Action,” a kind of show-and-tell session with recipients of 2024's grants
from the Denver Field Ornithologists’ Research, Education and Conservation
Fund. Three of the six 2024 grantees will present updates on their research
and conservation work. In addition, this evening program will include a
bonus presentation by *Emily Braker*, vertebrate zoology collections
manager at the University of Colorado Boulder Museum of Natural History,
featuring images from the school’s extensive ornithology collection.
Two of the grantee presenters for the April 28 meeting are conducting
research on common bird species in Colorado. *Holden Fox*, now a doctoral
student at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, will discuss his
grant-winning project, “*Conservation Genomics of Loggerhead Shrike,*” a
grassland species of conservation concern. Fox intended to create a map of
“range-wide genetic variation” for use in targeted management and
conservation strategies for the species.
Another doctoral student, *William Churchill Anderson* in the University of
Colorado Boulder’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, will
report on his work with House Wrens, titled, “*Continued Exploration of a
Novel Avian Hybrid Zone.*” Anderson's work sought to more precisely map the
transition zone between subspecies along the Front Range of the Rockies.
The third grant recipient to report is *Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation
Center* in Longmont. On behalf of Greenwood, veterinarian *Dr. Alison Hazel*,
a center volunteer and former avian clinic supervisor, will discuss “*Wildlife
Rehabilitation: the Big Picture.*”
David Suddjian
Denver Field Ornithologists
[image: DFO Logo 90th square.jpeg]
[image: Screenshot (1278).png]
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Date: 4/21/25 9:20 am From: Steven Brown <sbrown37...> Subject: [cobirds] First Broad-tail
Just had my FOS male Broad-tailed Hummingbird here in NW Colorado Springs. That usually means all of the juncos will be gone tomorrow. We'll see!
Happy Migration, Steve Brown Colo Spgs Mountain Shadows neighborhood
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Date: 4/21/25 8:45 am From: David Suddjian <dsuddjian...> Subject: [cobirds] "Last call" to adopt a Colorado Breeding Bird Survey route
Hi CoBirders,
I posted here a couple of times earlier this spring about adopting a survey route for the North American Breeding Bird Survey <https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/about/> (BBS). Efforts to recruit birders for the "vacant" Colorado BBS routes have been very successful: *there are now only five Colorado BBS routes without an assigned observer!* Thanks to the many new and veteran BBS volunteer observersThis is a "last call" for this season to see if anyone else is interested in adopting one of the five available routes, which are all located on the eastern prairie: Route # Route Name County 17020 Boyero Lincoln 17044 Bethune Kit Carson 17307 Julesburg Sedgwick, Logan 17314 Burlington Kit Carson, Yuma 17321 Sheridan Lake Kiowa, Prowers Information on each can be found here Vacant BBS Routes <https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/RouteMap/Map.cfm>. Packets with survey materials are being mailed to observers before the end of this month. Now is the time if anyone else is interested in making the commitment. *Please contact me directly if you want to adopt a route or have questions.*
Here is some more info: The North American Breeding Bird Survey is our longest running continent-wide survey of breeding birds. Each year during the height of the avian breeding season (late May to early July), skilled birders collect bird population data along roadside BBS survey routes. Each survey route is 24.5 miles long with 50 stops situated 0.5-mile apart. At each stop, a 3-minute point count is conducted, and every bird seen or heard within a 0.25-mile radius is recorded. Routes are surveyed once each season, following the same roads and making the same stops each year.
David Suddjian Littleton CO Colorado BBS state coordinator
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Date: 4/20/25 9:23 pm From: Cassie Cranmore <cassiecranmore...> Subject: [cobirds] Field Trip - Saturday, April 26th, The Art of Photographing Birds at Riverbend Ponds
Field Trip - Saturday, April 26th, The Art of Photographing Birds at Riverbend Ponds
Leader is Joseph Webber at <joe.webber26...>
Meeting at 6am and walking along a fairly flat dirt path, working on settings, techniques, and practices to get results with whatever camera participants already have. The walk will last about 2 - 2.5 hours. Be sure to bring water, sun protection, and a snack!
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Date: 4/20/25 8:33 pm From: Tina Jones <tjcalliope...> Subject: [cobirds] Hummingbird in yard
Hi cobirders, I had my first Broad-tailed Hummingbird arrive today, 3 days before the Broad-tailed arrival date for 2024. A beautiful male! Yay
Happy Birding, Tina Jones Littleton, Jefferson County,CO
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Observation start time: 08:45:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8.25 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley
Observers: Beth Davis, Laura Farnsworth, Pam Moore, Tim Meehan
Visitors:
Thank you to Laura Farnsworth, our Sunday Official Observer, Beth Davies,
and Pam Moore for your help spotting raptors on Easter Sunday! A second
thank you goes out to Tim Meehan for bringing a group of Boulder Forest
Service raptor nest-watch volunteers to the site this morning to witness
migration for a few hours.
We had a total of 49 visitors at the Hawk Watch today including the Boulder
group. Matthew-Winters was closed due to mud, bringing us a few extra
visitors that weren't originally planning on stopping by the Hawk Watch.
One visitor spent about an hour with us looking for migrants and talking
birds.
Weather:
Today was mostly a very pleasant day, with only the last hour being pretty
chilly with a stronger wind. Winds were from the WNW/NW all day, from
almost still speeds to about 30 km/h gusts in the last hour. Clouds were
scattered all day making for nice viewing conditions.
Raptor Observations:
Migration was again much slower today than it was before the cold front
came through. We had a small push in the morning and again in the late
afternoon. A small mixed kettle of Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks,, and
Broad-winged Hawks were seen just S of Mt Morrison early in the day. A few
birds materialized near the Cabrini Shrine, despite pretty constant
scanning by a number of people at the ridge. A close Broad-winged Hawk was
a highlight of the day, as well as two back to back Merlin that came
directly overhead in the late afternoon, and a Peregrine Falcon early in
the day.
Non-migratory activity was very high today, with an oddly high number of
birds seen moving S that we do not normally see do that. One Broad-winged
Hawk was spotted W of us, soared for a second, and flew directly south
until it was out of sight. An Osprey did something similar as well. We saw
one local Peregrine Falcon a few times today, including once as it chased
off a migratory PG. Other non-migratory species seen today include a
Swainson's Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Turkey Vultures, an American Kestrel, and
Red-tailed Hawks.
Non-raptor Observations:
Wild Turkey 1, White-throated Swift 86, Eurasian Collared-Dove 1, Northern
Flicker 1, Steller's Jay 1, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 2, Black-billed Magpie 2,
Common Raven 1, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Tree Swallow 8, Pygmy Nuthatch 1,
American Robin 1, Dark-eyed Junco 1, Spotted Towhee 2, Western Meadowlark 2
Predictions:
Tomorrow looks to be warmer than today with less cloud cover. Winds
continue from the general W direction tomorrow, with gusts up to 35 km/h.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/20/25 10:51 am From: 'Deborah Carstensen' via Colorado Birds <cobirds...> Subject: [cobirds] Broad tailed, Hummer saga Arapahoe County
I just wanted to send an update about the Hummer that I’ve been having in the snow/ice. On Friday, I went out every hour to clean off the snow and sometimes ice on the feeders. I used a toothpick to keep the openings open. I didn’t see a hummer that day.
But… The hummer was back on Saturday! I know it could be a different hummingbird but, as far as I’m concerned, it’s the same one. I was really glad to see he made it through the snow and ice!
Deb Carstensen, Arapahoe county
Sent from my iPhone
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Date: 4/18/25 9:58 pm From: Chris Selvig <mrselvig...> Subject: [cobirds] Migrating Swainson’s Hawks, Weld County
On my way back south from a visit to UNC in Greeley, I saw four Swainson’s Hawks in the span of about half a mile along Weld County 49, a few miles north of I-76. I presume they were a group of newly arrived migrating birds.
Chris Selvig
Colorado Springs
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There was a group of 10 Swainson's Hawks this morning about 8:45 standing around in a recently plowed field along Hwy 385 in southern Kiowa County, presumably waiting for things to heat up enough to create some thermals to head north on. Others were hanging out on poles along the road. I saw two of them flying around a dust devil, perhaps hoping to ride it higher.
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 14:00:00
Total observation time: 5 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley, Audrey Anderson
Observers: Ajit Antony, Alex Sell, Chip Dawes, Jeff Birek, Sage Church
Visitors:
Thank you to all who helped us spot birds today! Despite the winds it
seemed as though everyone got good looks at at least a few raptors today.
We had a total of 10 visitors on the ridge today, including Alex Sell, a
birding guide from Chicago that was out in CO guiding for leks.
Weather:
The cold front came in the form of moderate winds from the start of the
day, coming from the SW. Clouds were scattered and it felt nice and warm
out when the sun wasn't covered. Within the 1200 MST hour the winds shifted
to the NE, cloud coverage increased, and wind speeds picked up to a 5-6 on
the Beaufort scale. The count was ended at 1400 MST due to high winds.
Raptor Observations:
Migrants were moving in the morning with 13 Turkey Vultures over Green
Mountain, a few Broad-winged Hawks, and a juvenile Peregrine Falcon that
came overhead to name a few. Around 1100 MST migration came to a halt.
We saw a number of non-migratory birds that seemed like they were maybe
trying to move N but were unsuccessful due to the winds. One adult Bald
Eagle, one male Northern Harrier, one Cooper's Hawk, and the usual
Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures were seen. The CH was seen with prey
in its talons once.
Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 20, American White Pelican 7, Say's Phoebe 1,
Black-billed Magpie 2, Common Raven 2, Tree Swallow 15, Cliff Swallow 3,
American Robin 1, Spotted Towhee 1
Predictions:
Snow is predicted to fall for much of the day tomorrow. We will try to
count through the snow as long as we have decent visibility. Prepare for
cold and snowy conditions if you plan on visiting the site tomorrow!
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/17/25 5:19 pm From: 'Deborah Carstensen' via Colorado Birds <cobirds...> Subject: [cobirds] Broadtail, hummingbird, Arapahoe County
The broad tailed hummingbird continues to be seen almost daily. I just wanna pass on a reminder to keep your hummingbird feeders cleared of snow so they can get to their drink. Happy spring! Deb Carstensen, Arapahoe county Sent from my iPhone
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Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 9.25 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley, Audrey Anderson
Observers: Ajit Antony, Amanda Baker, Karrie Lagon , Patricia Galli,
Ryan Gannon, Sage Church
Visitors:
We had a busy morning up at the ridge today with many visitors looking for
Broad-winged Hawks, as well as our second Denver Audubon Homeschool field
trip. We love getting to share migration with you all, and really love to
see young people get excited about birds.
Thank you to today's volunteers for your help spotting migrants!
We saw 38 people at the site today, the vast majority being in the morning.
Weather:
The morning started out with scattered clouds, warm temperatures, and winds
from the SE. Winds began shifting in the late morning, moving from SE to NW
and in between. By the late afternoon we saw stronger winds and
precipitation almost 360 degrees around us, and felt drizzle in the last
hour.
Raptor Observations:
Migration started slow today but picked up by the late morning. Birds were
overhead and west of us, most closer than yesterday but generally higher
than yesterday. We had up to 8 Broad-winged Hawks move across the W ridge
at once, with another great day total of 23. Some close accipitrine were
spotted this morning as well. By the afternoon there was an extremely
dramatic halt to migration, with no more than 4 birds counted in an hour
after 1100 MST. We did have a relative low Northern Harrier come by, as
well as some American Kestrels.
Local Turkey Vulture activity has increased over the last few days, with up
to 6 non-migratory birds seen at once. They have been coming extremely
close to our count site going both N and S. We have seen weird flight
behavior the last few days and today figured out that we've been seeing the
courtship display, sometimes also seen on migration according to Birds of
the World, of the Cooper's Hawk! They have been flying with
Harrier/owl-like wingbeats, moving quickly and seemingly sporadically
around the sky. Local RT and AK were seen today utilizing the late day
winds to kite while hunting.
Non-raptor Observations:
Passerine activity followed raptor activity today, slowing as the day went
on. SPTO and WOSJ were seen nicely perched all day, giving us something
nice to look at when raptors were down. We had two GBHE move WNW over us, a
first for us in recent years at this site.
Mallard 2, White-throated Swift 2, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1,
Double-crested Cormorant 3, Great Blue Heron 2, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 9,
American Crow 1, Common Raven 9, Tree Swallow 7, White-breasted Nuthatch 1,
American Robin 1, Pine Siskin 1, Spotted Towhee 3, Western Meadowlark 2,
Common Grackle 1
Predictions:
A cold front is moving through the area starting tomorrow through Friday
night, carrying the potential to bring 6+ inches of snow. Temperatures will
drop tomorrow, winds will pick up, and precipitation is predicted to start
sometime in the afternoon. We are hoping for a nice push of migrants before
this front moves through! Winds will vary from the SW to NW tomorrow.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/15/25 2:30 pm From: 'Buzz Schaumberg' via Colorado Birds <cobirds...> Subject: Re: [cobirds] Broadtail Hummer, Arapahoe County
Cool.
Sent from the all new Aol app for iOS
Buzz Schaumberg
On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, 1:02 PM, 'Deborah Carstensen' via Colorado Birds <cobirds...> wrote:
I had a broad tailed, hummingbird at my feeder just now here in Littleton. I’m glad I had decided to put them up!
Deb Carstensen, Arapahoe county
Sent from my iPhone
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Date: 4/15/25 12:02 pm From: 'Deborah Carstensen' via Colorado Birds <cobirds...> Subject: [cobirds] Broadtail Hummer, Arapahoe County
I had a broad tailed, hummingbird at my feeder just now here in Littleton. I’m glad I had decided to put them up!
Deb Carstensen, Arapahoe county
Sent from my iPhone
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Date: 4/15/25 10:08 am From: <behn......> <behnfield...> Subject: [cobirds] Yellow-billed Magpie in El Paso County?
Hi all, I haven't posted on Cobirds in eons, but today I saw a second report of a Yellow-billed Magpie on eBird in the Springs from I believe the same person who reported it a couple of weeks ago. This time again, the yellow bill is mentioned. Has anyone in El Paso County tried to verify this? I understand that it would be a fairly mega-rarity, but... If not a YBMA, what is it?
Thanks,
Tom Behnfield Lakewood <behnfield...>
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Weather:
Incredibly heavy fog was present at the ridge this morning upon arrival,
causing us to push our start time back to 1040 MST. Fog was present for
most of the morning, but by the end of the day we barely had any clouds in
the sky at all. Temperatures were low in the morning but increased when the
fog lifted. Winds were variable today but from the E for a lot of the day.
Raptor Observations:
Right when we got to the ridge this morning migration kicked off. Birds
flew incredibly low near us as well as over Green Mountain for a few hours,
eventually shifting to a flight line over the W ridge. We had a stellar
Northern Harrier flight with birds coming one after the over overhead and
over Green Mtn. At one point we had two NH move together overhead. Today's
NH flights puts as at the highest season count for them in three years!
American Kestrels continue to come en masse, surpassing our RT count for
the season so far. We also had two BW move today, which was a little
surprising with the lack of thermals.
Local RT, TV, and a non-migratory SW were seen today.
Non-raptor Observations:
Passerine activity was low today in terms of migrants, but SPTO and WEME
were heard singing almost non-stop all day today. Our Rock Wren was also
singing for most of the afternoon, perching very nicely for us to get many
good looks. A group of 16 BBMA were seen moving N across Mt. Morrison, and
our first BTHU was heard today!
White-throated Swift 6, Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1, Double-crested
Cormorant 1, Northern Flicker 1, Black-billed Magpie 16, Common Raven 2,
Rock Wren 1, American Robin 2, Spotted Towhee 4, Western Meadowlark 3,
Black-capped Chickadee 2, Dark-eyed Junco 4
Predictions:
Temperatures will be warmer tomorrow with partial cloud cover for most of
the day. Winds are predicted to come from the E/SE, hopefully bringing us
another nice day of migration!
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/14/25 5:31 pm From: David Suddjian <dsuddjian...> Subject: [cobirds] BIRD BOMBS Cone Forests video now available; registration open for the next one
Hi CoBirders,
The video of *BIRD BOMBS Habitat Blast: Cone Forests* <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1F0MaG6fg4> is available for viewing. Learn about bird communities of our montane forests.
And register now for the next BIRD BOMBS webinar on May 22 at 7 pm, continuing the Colorado habitat theme -- *BIRD BOMBS Habitat Blast: Riparian Zone* <https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_z1KDF1ERSnetsoacxj44iA#/registration>. Explore the bird communities, bird ID and key resources birds find in Colorado's riparian forest and woodland. We birders know how important streamside and lakeside habitats are for migrant and resident birds.
David Suddjian Littleton, CO [image: DFO Logo 90th square.jpeg]
[image: Screenshot (1274).png]
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley
Observers: Ryan Speights, Ashley Speights, Diana Hornick,
Ginni Dickinson, Haley Caron, Laura Farnsworth, Ric Olson
Visitors:
We had a great amount of support today in spotting birds, from volunteers
to hawk counters from the Goshutes site in Nevada. Our weekend observer
Laura Farnsworth, and intern Haley Caron, were also present today.
A total of 50 people visited the ridge today, many of them spending at
least 10 minutes with us looking for migrants. The trails surrounding us
seemed quieter than expected, especially with the mass amount of people out
recreating yesterday. We still managed to have a busy day at the hawk
watch.
Weather:
We had another warm day on the ridge today with temperatures thankfully not
as high as yesterday. Winds were constantly from the SE/E all day at light
speeds, until they picking up around 1630 MST. Rain clouds were seen moving
in over the last hour, and resulted in us ending our count early.
Raptor Observations:
We had another fantastic day of migration today with a total of 125 raptors
migrating today. The day started off with our FOY Broad-winged Hawks (!)
moving far over the west ridge. Our final BW of the day came much closer
giving us some great looks at the adult tail band. These birds are a real
treat for us, as they are the only raptor seen at this site that can only
be found in the state during migration! Other highlights today include a
very low overhead Merlin, a few kettles of Turkey Vultures, and great
American Kestrel flights for a chunk of the day. One Swainson's Hawk was
counted today as well, distant over the W ridge.
Local raptor activity was high again today with up to 4 RT seen displaying
at once. We also saw a PG, GE, BE, a handful of TV, a CH, and both the male
and female AK in the area.
Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 2, Mourning Dove 2, American White Pelican 75,
Northern Flicker 1, Say's Phoebe 1, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 3, Black-billed
Magpie 6, Common Raven 5, Black-capped Chickadee 1, Mountain Chickadee 1,
Tree Swallow 3, swalow sp. 45, Rock Wren 1, Dark-eyed Junco 1, Spotted
Towhee 2, Western Meadowlark 2, Common Grackle 1
Predictions:
Precipitation is moving through the area overnight, cooling the site off
tomorrow. Winds are predicted to be light from the NE. The trail will
likely be muddy in the morning! Migration may slow down a bit tomorrow with
a cooler ground.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/13/25 7:24 pm From: linda hodges <hikerhodges...> Subject: [cobirds] Aiken Audubon Program Weds on Desert Birds Adaptations
Greetings, birders,
Aiken Audubon invites you to join us for this Wednesdays presentation by
Ivan Phillipsen on the adaptations of desert birds. Please join us!
*AIKEN AUDUBON MONTHLY MEETINGWednesday, April 16 at 6:30 pmOur April
Monthly Meeting is proudly sponsored by Birding Man Adventures*
Join us this month, along with Ivan Phillipsen, for a fascinating
presentation on the remarkable adaptations of desert birds - some of the
toughest and most resilient avian species on the planet. While deserts host
fewer bird species than almost any other habitat, the ones that thrive in
these environments are a fascinating bunch. They must endure extremes of
temperature - both hot and cold - as well as relentless winds, scarce food,
and very little water. From physiological tricks to behavioral strategies,
desert birds have found ingenious ways to carve out a living in the world’s
harshest landscapes.
Ivan is the host and the creator of The Science of Birds podcast. He is
also a professional birding guide with a background in scientific research.
Ivan has loved animals and nature his whole life. His first obsession was
with amphibians and reptiles. This interest led him to graduate school,
where he studied amphibians. After earning a Masters degree in Biology and
a PhD in Zoology, he did postdoctoral research on aquatic insects. Along
the way, his love of nature expanded to include plants, fungi, and all
animals, including birds. Birds have become Ivan’s greatest passion. He’s
an avid birder and co-
owns a birding ecotour company called Wild Latitudes. Some places where
Ivan leads natural history tours are Vietnam, Patagonia, Iceland, Alaska,
Australia, and Spain. He and his houseplants live in the wonderful city of
Portland, Oregon.
This is an in-person meeting held at the *BEAR CREEK NATURE CENTER*
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Date: 4/13/25 6:17 pm From: Barbara Spagnuolo <BSpagnuolo...> Subject: [cobirds] Swainson’s Hawk, Douglas County
Spotted a pair of Swainson’s Hawks soaring overhead in my neighborhood near Eastridge Rec Center around 4pm this afternoon. We’ve had a pair nesting nearby for several years now, so I’m happy to see them return.
Barbara Spagnuolo, Highlands Ranch
Sent from my iPhone
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Date: 4/13/25 2:04 pm From: Jared Del Rosso <jared.delrosso...> Subject: [cobirds] Eastern Phoebe pair - Centennial (Arapahoe)
Had I checked eBird, I would have known that a year ago yesterday was when I first encountered an Eastern Phoebe that would eventually attract a second (and briefly, a rival third) to the High Line Canal Trail in Centennial and Greenwood Village in Arapahoe County.
But I didn't check eBird before heading out this morning to look for wildflowers -- few along this stretch yet -- and hope for the return of a phoebe. So I ended up surprised, though apparently shouldn't have been, when I found the birds were there, already paired up, flycatching over the Little Dry Creek, near where its trail intersects with the High Line Canal's.
Last year, I failed to find their nesting location. I have some suspicions, but it also seemed to me that they may have been nesting somewhere in the surrounding neighborhood and only flycatching along the creek.
- Jared Del Rosso Centennial, CO
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Date: 4/13/25 8:05 am From: John Rawinski <johnrawinski0...> Subject: [cobirds] Birding Trip to Smith SWA Costilla County
Had a wonderful field trip leading a group to Smith Reservoir for a morning of learning and birding. About 16 persons attended and had lots of questions and sightings. Highlights were Sandhill Cranes, very colorful Yellow-rumped Warblers, Cinnamon Teal, Greater Yellowlegs, and all loved the Killdeer!
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: Audrey Anderson, Emma Riley, Audrey Anderson
Observers: Ajit Antony, Archer Silverman, Haley Caron, Janet Peters,
Laura Campbell, Natalie Uschner-Arroyo, Pam Moore
Visitors:
Thank you to our visitors, volunteers, and everyone that helped support our
2025 Raptorton! 41 species were seen from the Hawkwatch and many more were
contributed from within the event radius! The final species total from
Raptorton will be posted soon! Thank you one again to all those who are a
part of our wonderful Hawkwatch community, your support makes a world of a
difference.
Weather:
Weather consisted of around 30C. With overcast clouds throughout the day.
Winds mostly originating out of the SE before transitioning to NW in the
late afternoon. Thermals allowed for high migrant activity beginning around
10:00.
Raptor Observations:
Today was the second best day of the season! Large movements of Osprey,
Cooper’s Hawk, and American Kestrel were noticeable throughout the count.
The first of season Swainson’s Hawk was recorded as well as the 2nd
Goshawk of the season. The juvenile Gos came low over the E side of the
ridge. A total of 10 migrant raptor species were recorded for the count, 12
including local individuals. Out of the 11 Osprey we had today, our last
individual, presumably a female based on extensive chest markings, perched
up on the power pole directly S of the Hawkwatch and consumed a bass! The
American Kestrels continue to come in the force, making up the majority of
our migrants at 41 individuals. They continue to be picking up in the late
afternoon. Overall count numbers show 355 American Kestrels this season
which is creeping up on the Red-tailed Hawk current season total of 360!
Non-raptor Observations:
SNOW GOOSE 125, White-throated Swift 8, Feral Pigeon 2, Mourning Dove 2,
Sandhill Crane 23, Double-crested Cormorant 3, American White Pelican 8,
Say's Phoebe 2, Blue Jay 1, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 3, Black-billed Magpie 9,
American Crow 2, Common Raven 8, Tree Swallow 7, Northern Rough-winged
Swallow 1, Barn Swallow 1, American Bushtit 4, Western Bluebird 2, American
Robin 2, House Finch 4, American Goldfinch 4, Dark-eyed Junco 4, Spotted
Towhee 4, Western Meadowlark 2
Predictions:
Tomorrow we can expect a drop in temperatures, ranging around 20C. Winds
will be out of the NE with gusts up to 20 mph at times. Overall sunny skies
with mixed cloud cover throughout. After a great stretch of migrant
activity this drop in temperatures could yield a good flight! Potentially
bringing birds lower than they’ve been the last few days as well.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/12/25 3:22 pm From: Jared Del Rosso <jared.delrosso...> Subject: [cobirds] Re: Backyard nest building - Arapahoe
Three days ago, I noted that a female House Finch was on a "nearly or fully
built nest" in a relatively young and small Blue Spruce tree in my
Centennial, CO yard. It's now clear that it was most certainly a fully
built nest. Today (April 12), I spotted three nestling, gaping mouths held
high, in the nest.
- Jared Del Rosso
Centennial, CO
lonesomewhippoorwill.com
On Wednesday, April 9, 2025 at 5:32:15 PM UTC-6 Jared Del Rosso wrote:
> This week, I've noticed a female Spotted Towhee inspecting and collecting
> nesting material - mostly dry grasses and possibly wildflower stems -- in a
> corner of my suburban Centennial yard. The male either follows her around
> or sings from above her. I haven't seen where they're thinking about
> nesting, but there are any number of good spots, owing to the disorderly
> mess that is the chokecherry thicket in my yard.
>
> I also spotted a female House Finch visiting a nearly or fully built nest
> in a medium-sized Blue Spruce that the previous homeowners planted. It's
> roughly 8 feet tall (maybe). The nest is in a rather secluded spot near the
> top of the spruce. I have a hard time seeing it and can't see the finch
> when she's on the nest, despite the relatively small size of the spruce.
> The male often sings from the mid-to-upper levels of a nearby honeylocust.
>
> Other seasonal signs: Western Sand Cherries, Golden Currants, and our
> Eastern Redbud are blooming. My lonely American Plum has prominent buds.
> Small, metallic green solitary bees have been visiting Physaria blooms.
> Several penstemons are beginning to put up their flowering stalks; they're
> not close yet to putting out buds, though.
>
> - Jared Del Rosso
> Centennial, CO
> lonesomewhippoorwill.com
>
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Audrey Anderson
Observers: Ajit Antony, Amy Walsh, Cayce Gulbransen , Dave Hill,
Michael Lorton
Visitors:
Thank you to all of our volunteers today and to everyone who came up to the
ridge! The ridge had 41 visitors. A few previous visitors from the last few
days returned to spend more time at the count, exciting to have new people
join the Dinosaur Ridge Hawkwatching community! We also had a visitor from
the Evergreen Audubon Society come to the count this morning!
Weather:
Today consisted of cloudless skies with the exception of small scattered
whisps in the late afternoon. Winds mainly out of the SE throughout the day
with around 5mph gusts. Temperatures were around 30C.
Raptor Observations:
Another great day to add to the week! Raptors were mostly seen high in the
W with a number of birds coming overhead and in the E towards the late
afternoon. American Kestrels once again made up a large portion of the
count with 28 individuals. 22 Cooper's Hawks also made up a large chunk of
the data along with 24 Turkey Vultures. Today was hot with thermals keeping
the birds high and distant, similar to the last few days. Clear movement in
the morning with a lull in the mid-afternoon before picking back up around
14:00. Other migrant highlights included an Osprey, an adult Bald Eagle,
and a Northern Harrier. A few kettles of Turkey Vultures were seen to the W
and repetitive combos of COHA, AMKE, and a single TUVU was noted a few
times throughout the day.
Local raptor activity seemed low compared to the last week with a few
Red-tailed Hawks, a Golden Eagle, and a couple of Turkey Vultures
throughout the count.
Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 99, Northern Flicker 2, Say's Phoebe 2, Woodhouse's
Scrub Jay 5, Black-billed Magpie 2, American Crow 1, Common Raven 5,
Black-capped Chickadee 1, Tree Swallow 4, American Bushtit 3, Mountain
Bluebird 1, American Robin 1, American Goldfinch 1, Spotted Towhee 3,
Western Meadowlark 2
Predictions:
Even warmer temperatures are heading our way with highs once again
around/above 30C. Partial cloud cover and WSW winds up to 15 mph could
provide good conditions for another great flight!
Tomorrow is also Raptorton! Beginning from predawn to after dusk we will be
trying to find as many avian species as we can within an 8 mile radius of
the Hawkwatch! More information can be found on the Dinosaur Ridge
Hawkwatch website. The top section of the platform will be limited to
Hawkwatch volunteers, observers, and counters due to the event.
Looking forward to potentially another great flight!
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/11/25 8:47 am From: John Tumasonis <snakemonev...> Subject: [cobirds] Underrated and Overlooked birding areas in Colorado
All: Mostly for newbies and new birders who have moved into the Front Range area in Colorado: There are many overlooked areas throughout the state that are not mentioned in guidebooks or glossed over. I will mention only a few, as this would turn into a 300-page brief otherwise.
*Plaster Reservoir, Broomfield: *Good all year round, but especially in late winter \ early spring. Local birders know this place. Waves of waterfowl of 10 or more species come through in early spring. Bald eagles, osprey, red tailed hawks frequently visit. In spring you can see and hear sora, Virginia's rail, marsh wrens, American white pelicans (sometimes 50 - 100) forester's terns, franklins gulls, common yellowthroats, and others. Late spring and all summer offer great blue herons, black crowned night herons, snowy egrets, and great egrets along with juvenile pelicans. Rarities are fairly common, including a common loon I saw here two years ago, along with snow geese. There are mink, muskrat, raccoons, and coyote here also.
*East Lake Shores Park, Thornton*: I've only met one birder here in three years. Good all year, but late winter and spring are best. Waves of waterfowl come through in the hundreds - pintails, redheads, canvasback, scaup, widgeon, buffleheads, ruddy ducks, thousands of geese (including snow geese). The walk around the lake offers sora, rail, herons and egrets. I found a green heron here last summer.
Adjoining East Lake to the north is a hiking called* "The Heritage Trail"* that follows the canal route going east. There are nesting great horned owls, Coopers hawks, and red-tailed hawks here in spring and early summer.
*Mushroom Pond, Westminster*: Off of Federal Blvd, near 112th - Late April and early May can yield flocks of chipping sparrow, clay-colored sparrows, white crowned sparrows and occasional brewers sparrows. Wood ducks, pelicans, cormorants, snowy egrets, and yellow rumped warblers show up in mid-May. Occasional odd warblers like Wilson's and Orange Crowned show up. This area is good for "herping" with western painted turtles, common snapping turtles, and wandering garter snakes.
Follow the *Niver Canal Trail (Northglenn) *east from Mushroom Pond: Walk through Northwest Open Space until the trail gets squeezed between 111th Ave and Claire Lane - this section can be loaded in early to mid-May with migratory songbirds due to the thick shrubbery, cottonwood trees, and exotic flower gardens. If you hit it just right, you can see western tanagers, bullock's orioles, chats, catbirds, spotted towhees, house wrens, yellow rumped warblers, and perhaps some rarities.
The *"Slough" near Standley Lake, Westminster*: Follow North Independence Drive going south from Wadsworth Parkway until it curves around just past 94th Ave. You'll see a trail crossing with an unmarked dirt parking area where the trail crosses the road. There are two marshes here below the lake that in spring can be very good with migrants - yellow rumped warblers, bullock's orioles, western tanagers, house wrens, spotted towhees. Also present are sora, Virginia's rails, snowy egrets, hawks, and "regulars" like blue jays, flickers, grackles, cowbirds, and others. (Shhhhh! Don't tell anybody about this place.) In fall, if the rabbit brush is blooming you can get more than 12 species of butterflies, praying mantis, ambush bugs, wild bee species and dozens of other insects).
*Hecla Lake (Hecla Pond) Louisville CO*: In my opinion Hecla Lake is 10 times better than nearby Waneka Lake (Lafayette), yet many birders pass it by. It's better for two reasons - more bird species squeezed into a much smaller area; and much better closer looks at dozens of species. Mid spring to late spring is best. During migration: all 6 swallow species, ducks, herons, snowy egrets, yellow rumped warblers, yellow warbles, American avocets, occasional yellowlegs, chipping sparrows, white crowned sparrows, and the odd, unusual warbler species show up here. I tagged a singing brown thrasher here two years ago. Nearby neighborhoods have Coopers' hawks and great horned owls.
*Alex and Michael's Pond, Broomfield: * The locals know this place well. It can be hit or miss depending on water levels and nutrients. Late winter (for waterfowl) and spring are best. If conditions are good, American avocets, yellowlegs, snipe, sora, pelicans, and cormorants show up in spring. Summer residents include great blue herons, black crowned night herons, snowy egrets, and occasional great egrets. During spring migration yellow rumped warblers, marsh wrens, yellow warblers, orange crowned warblers, and one year - a northern parula. The area is "coyote dense" along with raccoons, red fox, muskrat, and fox squirrels (of course!). Great horned owls, Swainson's hawks, and Cooper's hawks have all nested here in the past.
That's it for now, as this is getting too long. Note: remember that the first two hours after sunrise are best. And that many of these places can be hit-or-miss, depending on conditions. If you hit several of these places in late April \ May \ and early June, you may be pleasantly surprised.
Good luck, John T (Tumasonis), Broomfield CO "I'm not a real birder. I only pretend to be one on CoBirds."
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Emma Riley, Audrey Anderson
Observers: Ajit Antony, Chip Dawes, Dave Erickson, Jeff Birek,
Kathie Moses, Laura Hollenbaugh, Liza Antony,
Marianne Erickson
Visitors:
Thank you to all that helped us pick up very distant birds today! The ridge
was busy throughout the day with both birds and people. We had a few new
people on the ridge that had intentions of volunteering and spent a few
hours with us, which was great.
Roughly 40 people stopped by the ridge today, but that number is an
estimate as most of us had our faces in binoculars for the whole day.
Weather:
Today was a sunny day with very little to no cloud cover present all day. A
haze was present all day, getting more prevalent as the day went on. Winds
were from the general E direction today staying at light speeds all day.
The wind provided a nice relief from an otherwise hot day on the ridge!
Thermals were strong right from the start of the day, with birds only
lowering in the last 30 minutes or so of the day.
Raptor Observations:
We had an incredible day of migration today, with our third biggest day of
migration since Denver Field Ornithologists hired a full-time counter (now
two counters!) in 2022. A total of 206 migrating raptors were seen today.
Most of these birds were very distant over the west ridge, making us really
work for it. At times we had kettles of 10+ Turkey Vultures, as well as
small mixed kettles of 2-4 species at a time. We were also happy to get
some close and low birds throughout the day, including the Osprey that came
by low as our first migrant of the day. All in all it was a fantastic day
to experience the migration!
As usual we had a whole number of non-migratory raptors today including at
least one Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Sharp-shinned Hawk,
Turkey Vulture, and Red-tailed Hawk. We did not witness as much aggression
today towards migrants from local birds, possibly because most of the
migrants were moving outside of our local birds' territories.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor observations were low for the day as we were all very busy
trying to spot speck birds, but we were very excited to have FOY migratory
American White Pelicans today! We had three separate groups of these birds
fly by today. Another standout today was a Say's Phoebe that landed in a
close snag for a minute.
White-throated Swift 4, Feral Pigeon 1, American White Pelican 32, Northern
Flicker 2, Say's Phoebe 1, Woodhouse's Scrub Jay 1, Common Raven 1, Spotted
Towhee 1, Western Meadowlark 1
Predictions:
Tomorrow's conditions are predicted to be similar to today's, with blue
skies and high temps. Thermals will be strong again, hopefully bringing
another fantastic day of migration! Prepare for difficult but rewarding
spotting conditions.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Official Counter of the day shown above (<dinoridgehw...>)
Dinosaur Ridge - Denver Field Ornithologists information may be found at:
www.dinosaurridgehawkwatch.org
Site Description:
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawk watch in Colorado and is
the best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Hawk
watchers may see 17 species of migrating raptors; and it is an excellent
site to see rare dark morph buteos including Broad-winged hawk,
Swainson’s hawk, Ferruginous hawk, Rough-legged hawk and Red-tailed Hawk.
Other raptors we see include Golden and Bald Eagles, Northern harrier,
Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlin, and Turkey Vultures. American Goshawk is
uncommon but also counted each season. Non-raptor species include Rock
Wren, Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift,
American White Pelican, and Dusky Grouse. Birders of any skill level are
always welcome. The hawk watch at Dinosaur Ridge is staffed by Hawk
Counter(s) and volunteers from March through early May.
Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take
left into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow hawk watch signs
from the southwest end of the parking lot to the hawk watch site. The hike
starts heading east on an old two-track and quickly turns south onto a
trail on the west side of the ridge. When the trail nears the top of the
ridge, turn left, and walk to the flat area at the crest of the ridge.
(Distance: 0.56 miles, Elevation gain: 259 feet)
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Date: 4/9/25 4:32 pm From: Jared Del Rosso <jared.delrosso...> Subject: [cobirds] Backyard nest building - Arapahoe
This week, I've noticed a female Spotted Towhee inspecting and collecting nesting material - mostly dry grasses and possibly wildflower stems -- in a corner of my suburban Centennial yard. The male either follows her around or sings from above her. I haven't seen where they're thinking about nesting, but there are any number of good spots, owing to the disorderly mess that is the chokecherry thicket in my yard.
I also spotted a female House Finch visiting a nearly or fully built nest in a medium-sized Blue Spruce that the previous homeowners planted. It's roughly 8 feet tall (maybe). The nest is in a rather secluded spot near the top of the spruce. I have a hard time seeing it and can't see the finch when she's on the nest, despite the relatively small size of the spruce. The male often sings from the mid-to-upper levels of a nearby honeylocust.
Other seasonal signs: Western Sand Cherries, Golden Currants, and our Eastern Redbud are blooming. My lonely American Plum has prominent buds. Small, metallic green solitary bees have been visiting Physaria blooms. Several penstemons are beginning to put up their flowering stalks; they're not close yet to putting out buds, though.
- Jared Del Rosso Centennial, CO lonesomewhippoorwill.com
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Date: 4/9/25 7:05 am From: Matias Comina <matiasdcomina...> Subject: [cobirds] BCAS Presents Chris Pague on The Next Level of Conservation – April 22
The Next Level of Protection of Conservation Lands
🗓 Tuesday, April 22, 2025
🕖 7:15 PM – 8:45 PM
📍 Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder
5001 Pennsylvania Avenue, Boulder, CO 80303 (map)
What started in the 1950s as a mission to identify special natural areas
has now become a race to conserve the remaining fragments of nature under
pressure from climate change, development, and time itself.
Join us for a compelling evening with Chris Pague, Senior Conservation
Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy, as he examines the critical question:
Can traditional conservation tools keep up with today’s global challenges?
Chris will share insights drawn from a career spanning over 45 years—from
the edge of Purgatoire Canyon to the vast grasslands of Mongolia—exploring:
- The evolution of conservation planning and the inadequacy of
protecting just 10%
- Challenges in funding, land access, and cross-border conservation
- Innovative strategies from the Southern High Plains Initiative
- Success stories that prove bolder conservation is not just
necessary—it’s possible
About Chris Pague:
Chris has worked across 11 countries, worked with The Nature Conservancy
(TNC) to establish the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP), led
ecoregional assessments, worked with bison restoration, and helped shape
Colorado’s newest state park—Fishers Peak. His current work merges
economics and ecology for transformative impact across the Great Plains and
beyond.
🧑🤝🧑 In-Person Attendance:
- Doors open at 7:00 PM for light socializing
- Program starts at 7:15 PM
- Masks encouraged; free surgical masks available
- Please stay home if you’re feeling ill
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Date: 4/9/25 12:25 am From: Cassie Cranmore <cassiecranmore...> Subject: [cobirds] Northern Colorado Bird Alliance April Program - 4/10 @ 7pm
[image: 118_shultz.jpg]Birds exhibit a broad palette of colors that thrill our senses, but serve utilitarian purposes such as providing camouflage or communication. Conspicuous plumages exploit the exceptional color vision of birds and may be tuned to specific viewing conditions. In this talk, Tom Schultz will explore the mechanisms that produce bird colors, whether they are pigmentary or structural, and how they work to produce salient signals. In addition, he will examine the evidence for how bird coloration serves as a condition-dependent signal providing information about the health or fitness of a potential mate or rival.
Tom D. Schultz is an Emeritus Professor of Biology at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where he taught Animal Behavior, Animal Communication, the Biology of Insects, and Ornithology. His research has concerned the utility of structural coloration in providing anti-predator defenses in tiger beetles, and mating signals in damselflies. He retired and moved to Fort Collins in 2019 with his wife Janet, where he spends his time engaged with hiking, natural history, nature photography, and fly-fishing.
Join us for this informative program. It is free and the public is welcomed!
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