Waves Arriving San Luis Valley

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I have been out fairly often this fall and the migration has been slow. But it seemed to arrive in force yesterday. Wilson’s Warblers are by far the major warbler group. Common yellow-throats are also in good numbers. Yellow-rumped, MacGills, and OC are few but present. Best bird seen in two locations yesterday were Townsend’s Warbler, seen by me at the Monte Refuge (Rio Grande County) and independently by John Stump in Alamosa’s cougar woods (Alamosa County). Sparrows and Towhees were also in good numbers. Birds that I saw were in Russian Olive and Lilacs thickets and feeding apparently on aphids.

 

Sandhill Cranes arrived this weekend in small numbers but no major concentrations yet.

 

We had another downpour yesterday (0.46 inches in about 30 minutes). We have been wet but safe. Been thinking about you all on the front range....

 

Anyway, lots of opportunity for observers and photographers in the SLV right now!

 

John Rawinski

Monte Vista, CO)