499 & 500 [or 503] ?

[Hugh Kingery]

            None of the speculators about Colorado’s 500^th bird(s) addressed one possibility: It already happened.
 
            Over the years the CFO Records Committee has looked at 1000s of records with professionalism, thoughtfulness, and thoroughness. To crack the barrier the Records Committee only has to re-visit some rejected records.

 

            CAROLINA PAROQUET: 1805.

When the Pike expedition (was it Pike?) saw these birds along the Arkansas River, had they crossed that magic line?

 

            PILEATED WOODPECKER: 1940s or 1950s.

Reported near the Maroon Bells by Justice William O. Douglas. Can you doubt the word of a Supreme Court justice? But – he didn’t submit a Rare Bird Form.

 

            MONK PARAKEET: 1983-1985.

When we lived in Denver, a Monk Parakeet spent a whole winter in the Congress Park neighborhood. This wary bird even built a nest along the alley at 11^th & Clayton. It showed up at our feeder on a 20-below-zero winter morning.

            1970’s: Two seen along Platte River bikeway for a couple of months.

 

            RED-BACKED HAWK: 1987-1994.

For eight years a Red-backed Hawk/Buzzard summered on a ranch north of Gunnison. It mated with a Swainson’s Hawk and produced at least one young. Observed by dozens (hundreds probably) of people including former President & wife, Jimmy & Rosalind Carter.

 

            BLACK-HOODED CONURE: 1995.

No RBF, probably. Attended feeders in a subdivision south of Chatfield for 2 months in 1995. Observed on a Fall Count.

 

Hugh Kingery
Franktown, CO

[steven...@comcast.net]

Hi All,

Based on the supreme court we have today, I'd say the bird could have easily been a Pygmy Nuthatch.

Steve Larson 

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From: "COBirds" <cob...@googlegroups.com>
To: "COBirds" <cob...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2014 3:30:05 PM
Subject: [cobirds] 499 & 500 [or 503] ?

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[Chuck]

A pair of Monk Parakeets inhabited our Potter Highlands neighborhood and frequented our feeders for at least two years in the late eighties until a neighbor, tired of their calling, shot them with her BB gun. Gail had called the Rare Bird Alert when we first noted them and was told that they were not reportable because they were escapees unable to survive and breed in our climate.

- Chuck Lowrie, Denver

[drchartier]

A pair of monk parakeets built a nest in a Colorado Springs neighborhood in the mid 90s.  Escapees, I'm sure.  I believe they were captured and incarcerated at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Sent with the Samsung Galaxy Exhilarate™, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone.

Chuck <low...@mindspring.com> wrote:

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[Ira Sanders]

Should have shot the neighbor.  Twice.

Ira Sanders

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[Mark Obmascik]

Several colonies of monk parakeets have lived on the South Side of Chicago for more than 30 years. I think Ira Sanders would back me up in agreeing that Chicago winters are far more harsh than anything in Denver. There may be other reasons to not count monk parakeets in Denver, but hardiness is not one.

Mark Obmascik

Denver, CO 

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[The "Nunn Guy"]

These Monk Parakeets lived near our backyard in Colorado Springs--huge nest on telephone pole in a nearby alley way.  We saw at most seven of them. They did breed in that nest.  We got local media involved to prevent their capture ... :-( ... they use to come to our feeders daily and were highly entertaining!

I remember why wife saying to me "I just saw three green birds flying over our house".

Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn
http://coloradobirder.ning.com/
Mobile:  http://coloradobirder.ning.com/m

[Ira Sanders]

Yep.  40 or so years ago the Chicago Park District was going to destroy the nests around town and extirpate the parakeets but Mayor Harold Washington had a nest in a park across from his apartment and liked the birds so he prevented the Park District from destroying them.  As a result, they are established and are expanding a little but their biggest problem is building nests on cell towers and the communications companies take down the nests as a hazard to the equipment.  They are in Jackson Park on the lake on light standards at a sports complex and are on the Illinois list.

I don't know how they survive the winters.

Ira Sanders

Golden, CO

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[Alludon]

I am pretty sure I have a book about Monk Parakeets (aka "Quaker Parrots") populating an area in Colorado (??Boulder??) in fairly large numbers.  I'm in Steamboat and will post details when I get home.  I remember the book was about why it is now illegal to breed and/or sell them in Colorado. 

Keep in mind I purchased the book from "birdy camp" - a parrot boarding facility.

Allison Hilf

Denver, CO

Currently in Steamboat Springs

Sent from my iPhone

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[Hugh Kingery]

Two people emailed me, but not Cobirds, to add two more species to the Already Seen.

BAIKAL TEAL
    At Evergreeen behind a restaurant for a week or more.

BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHER
    Up Chukar Trail near Cameo 10-20 years ago.

Hugh Kingery
Franktown, CO