Date: 10/13/25 3:10 pm From: Ted Floyd <tedfloyd73...> Subject: [cobirds] Western Field Ornithologists fundraiser, Oct. 12, 2025: Pictorial recap
Hey, everybody, and Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Western Field Ornithologists (WFO), a partner organization with Colorado
Field Ornithologists (CFO), is in the midst of a fall fundraiser. The WFO
fundraiser, called Wings Across The West, is not unlike CFO's recently
completed Colorado Birding Challenge, although the WFO Big Days can be held
anywhere in the West (duh)—and they're not limited to a single county.
I was a member of the Colorado Team captained by WFO BOD member Isabelle
Busch. We were officially *T**he Colorado Critter Chasers & Birding
Avengers—da Bomb! *We did our (somewhat) Big(ish) Day Fun(d)raiser
yesterday, Sun., Oct. 12, 2025, restricting our efforts to Rocky Mountain
Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Adams County. Team members were: Claire
Wayner, Hannah Floyd, Tykee James, Sean Huntley, Archer Silverman, Isaac
Boardman, Christian Nunes, Emmet Nunes, Cassidy Nunes, Isabelle, & Yours
Truly.
Our effort was highly civilized. We came and went as we pleased; we stopped
for libations & comestibles seemingly continuously; the kombucha flowed
freely and chocolate cookies were dispensed with abandon; and we iNatted
*everything*. Our unofficial motto: "If it has protoplasm, we count it."
Here are some pictorial highlights from our fun day at The Arsenal:
[image: Arsenal 01.jpg]
*Duetting great horned owls at the refuge entrance.*
[image: Arsenal 02.jpg]
*The endless line of cars waiting to get into the refuge a bit before
sunrise.*
[image: Arsenal 03.jpg]
*The nocturnal migration crew—Hannah, Isabelle, and me. We heard many
spectrogram-supported white-crowned sparrows flying over before sunrise.
Curious was a rock wren singing while it was still nautical dawn. Go
figure.*
[image: Arsenal 04.jpg]
*Here's our team! Back: Isaac, Claire. Middle: Isabelle, Archer, me, Tykee.
Front: Christian with Emmet & Cassidy. Point-5 virtuosa: Hannah. Not
pictured: Sean, who had bailed for a rarity reported elsewhere + an
assignment due the next morning. We respect that. Ya gotta do what ya gotta
do.*
[image: Arsenal 05.jpg]
*Sunrise at The Arsenal.*
[image: Arsenal 06.jpg]
*The group birding at the always-productive canal crossing in the New
Mexico locusts on the walk out to Big Havana Pond. We found orange-crowned
and yellow-rumped warblers, American bushtits, and a hermit thrush in
there, plus flyover American pipits, pine siskins, and evening grosbeaks.*
[image: Arsenal 07.jpg]
*We watched birds, yes, but, honestly, we spent as much time iNatting
non-avian biota. Here's Isaac photo'ing a lupine blue, Icaricia lupini.*
[image: Arsenal 08.png]
*Emmet photo'ing the larva ("caterpillar") of a sphinx moth, family
Sphingidae.*
[image: Arsenal 09.jpg]
*Hannah and Archer photo'ing a great crested grasshopper, Tropidolophus
formusus. Isabelle watches on.*
[image: Arsenal 10.jpg]
*We saw migrating mountain bluebirds at several junctures. This male was
wrangling the larva of a tiger moth, subfamily Arctiinae. We talked about
Dave Leatherman, yes.*
[image: Arsenal 11.png]
*Pincer! Tykee and Hannah are completely boxed in by law enforcement. It's
all good. The cops weren't after Tykee and Hannah, although the vehicle was
quite stuck for a while. I hasten to add: The officers were courteous and
professional. Total respect and gratitude for our beleaguered federal civil
servants, including those in law enforcement.*
[image: Arsenal 12.png]
*Some birds we saw yesterday at The Arsenal. Clockwise from upper left:
mountain bluebird, Gambel white-crowned sparrow, American white pelicans,
Great blue heron.*
[image: Arsenal 13.png]
*A sampler of insects that we iNatted yesterday at The Arsenal. Clockwise
from upper left: great crested grasshopper, Tropidolophus formosus;
red-femured milkweed borer, Tetraopes femoratus; harlequin bug, Murgantia
histrionica; locust borer, Megacyllene robiniae.*
[image: Arsenal 14.png]
*More insects yesterday at The Arsenal. Clockwise from upper left: lupine
bug, Megalotomus quinquespinosus; yellow-bearded hammertail, Efferia
pogonias; salt marsh moth, Estigmene acrea; desert stink beetle, Eleodes
carbonaria.*
[image: Arsenal 15.jpg]
*We celebrated Hannah's birthday at the end! Belatedly, but hey.*
Here's our bare-bones eBird trip report for the day:
ebird.org/tripreport/422423
And if you'd like to contribute to the WFO fundraiser, go here:
Thanks to all the Chasers/Avengers/Bombers for a fun day afield!
Ted Floyd
Lafayette, Boulder Co.
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