Lincoln Co. arrivals

[Glenn Walbek]

Folks,

Once again I am performing surveys in Lincoln Co. this spring season.  Some of the recent arrivals include: Four Mountain Plovers seen today in a sprouting winter wheat field.  This is a week earlier than last year and the earliest I have seen this species in Colorado.  Three Sage Thrashers were observed in various locations, usually involving wood (fences, wood piles).  Lastly, I observed a couple of thousand McCown's Longspurs during the past 2 days.  They are using last year's stubble fields and this year's wheat fields, adjacent to short grass prairie.  I noticed longspurs in amazing numbers last spring in this area and this spring appears to be beginning the same.  I am certain a few McCown's and Chestnut-collared Longspurs overwintered here with thousands of Lapland Longspurs, but the numbers of McCown's I am seeing now is way too great for wintering birds.  There are a handful of Chestnut-collared Longspurs mixed in, and may be the over-wintering population.  The longspurs are mostly in breeding plumage.  I was hoping to get some looks at Lapland Longspurs in breeding plumage before they flew north, however I have not seen nor heard any in 2 days of surveying.  Spring has arrived.

Should you plan to look for birds south of Arriba, please stay on county roads.  Not surprisingly, the birds frequent the gravel roads during inclement weather.

Glenn Walbek

Castle Rock, CO