Weld County + Jackson Reservoir (Morgan County) yesterday

[Steven Mlodinow]

Greetings All,

Sorry for the delayed report. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of birding with David Leatherman all day. We did a circuit starting at Tinmath Reservoir, then circled over to Crow Valley, then down to Jackson Reservoir, and then back to the various ponds s of Greeley. 

Amazingly, we had about 110 species of birds, plus a variety of interesting critters. 

Highlights included

Tinmath Reservoir:

Per usual, most birds verrrrryyyy distant, except those birds that could be viewed from east side 

1 WF Ibis in basic plumage (streaking on head) without white around face but with bright red eye

Big numbers of Redhead and PB Grebes, as with last year, and goodly numbers of Snowy Egret

Crow Valley:

No WE Vireos or Black-and-white Warblers, but we did have PINE SISKIN, 2 CHIPPING SPARROWS, and a BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK. BH Grosbeaks don't breed anywhere close, and probably was (yes, as Ted would say) a molt-migrant. Spizella usually go uphill after breeding not out onto the plains, but with this year's fires.... 

Jackson Reservoir:

A couple miles n. of Jackson on Morgan Co Rd 4 we had 2 Upland Sandpipers along the road. At Jackson, there were several hundred Franklin's Gulls, 16 Forster's Terns, and a Black Tern. The real highlights were shorebirds:

1 Semipalmated Plover

85 Killdeer

73 Mountain Plover (in field just n of NE corner of reservoir)

5 American Avocet

6 Spotted Sandpiper

1 Solitary Sandpiper

2 Greater Yellowlegs

1 Willet

5 Lesser Yellowlegs

17 LB Curlews

3 Marbled Godwits

1 Semipalmated Sandpiper

3 Western Sandpipers

9 Least Sandpipers

151 Baird's Sandpipers

3 Stilt Sandpipers

12 Wilson's Phalaropes

WCR 59 Ponds:

Water levels too high for shorebirds, but just s. of the marsh, along Weld Co Rd 59, there were many swallows gathered including at least 2 BARN x CLIFF SWALLOW hybrids. Basically picture a Barn Swallow with an orange rump and a blue collar below the throat.

Loloff Reservoir:

Many birds. Some numbers below:

47 White-faced Ibis

1 Semipalmated Plover

105 Killdeer

51 adult BN Stilt + 7 downy young

44 adult American Avocet + 2 downy young

4 Greater Yellowlegs

6 Least Sandpipers

14 Baird's Sandpiper

4 Stilt Sandpipers

4 Wilson's Phalaropes

Private area w. of Greeley along S. Platte:

Pair of INDIGO BUNTINGS carrying food

Territorial Cooper's Hawk

EASTERN WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH

Sorry for the long lists. A most interesting day with a great companion

Steven Mlodinow

Longmont, CO

[Joey Kellner]

Hey Steve!

 

Your post stated, "...we had about 110 species of birds, plus a variety of interesting critters."  I'll bite, what other "interesting critters" did you and Dave see?

 

Joey.