Phoebe Trifecta possible?

[Curt Brown --- Boulder, CO]

Seeing an Eastern Phoebe  this morning (Boulder Creek at 75^th St.) got me thinking about Trifectas or Hat Tricks.  It is getting more likely each year that someone could see the Black, Eastern, and Say’s Phoebes all from the same spot.  There are several other Hat Tricks possible, at varying levels of difficulty.  I’m sure many of us have seen three Jay species together.  Swallows (several possible combinations).  Nuthatches (red, white, pygmy)?  Bluebirds (east, west, mountain)?  Rosy-finches? Wrens (house, rock, canyon)?   Longspurs???

We live in an area that makes several Trifectas possible that would be inconceivable in most parts of the country.  I’m sure there are many additional with varying degrees of complexity.        -Curt Brown

[Diana Beatty]

In Colorado Springs, there are a few places where I can pretty regularly get a trifecta of jays - Blue, Steller's and Woodhouse's.  There are a couple where Pinon and Gray are also not entirely out of the question although a lot 'harder' but I haven't yet got all 5 species in one park.

Diana Beatty

El Paso County

On Sun, Apr 12, 2020 at 1:04 PM Curt Brown --- Boulder, CO <cbrown...@gmail.com> wrote:

Seeing an Eastern Phoebe  this morning (Boulder Creek at 75^th St.) got me thinking about Trifectas or Hat Tricks.  It is getting more likely each year that someone could see the Black, Eastern, and Say’s Phoebes all from the same spot.  There are several other Hat Tricks possible, at varying levels of difficulty.  I’m sure many of us have seen three Jay species together.  Swallows (several possible combinations).  Nuthatches (red, white, pygmy)?  Bluebirds (east, west, mountain)?  Rosy-finches? Wrens (house, rock, canyon)?   Longspurs???

We live in an area that makes several Trifectas possible that would be inconceivable in most parts of the country.  I’m sure there are many additional with varying degrees of complexity.        -Curt Brown

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All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.

[Steven Rash]

Teals would be another one. Plovers too, easier if you count Killdeer. Accipiter trifecta would be a hard one. Sage/brown/curve-billed thrasher should be doable at Chico Basin Ranch, I think grey-cheeked/swainsons/hermit/wood thrush have all occurred there at the same time as well. Cassins/eastern/western kingbird at The Rocky Mountain Arsenal is a definite possibility. I’d imagine it’s possible but really unlikely to get all three sapsuckers in one place. Might be able to get brewers/red-winged/rusty blackbird on a fall day at cherry creek. Fun to think about though.

Happy birding,

Steve Rash
Denver Co.

[Peter Ruprecht]

If you were really lucky at, say, Pueblo Reservoir, you might be able to see six grebe species.  Which would be 20 Hat Tricks in one shot!  (I think that's right for "six choose three" but my last math class was a long time ago...)

Three loons or three doves would be reasonable to expect there too.

Peter Ruprecht

Superior

On Sunday, April 12, 2020, 1:04:06 PM MDT, Curt Brown --- Boulder, CO <cbrown...@gmail.com> wrote:

Seeing an Eastern Phoebe  this morning (Boulder Creek at 75^th St.) got me thinking about Trifectas or Hat Tricks.  It is getting more likely each year that someone could see the Black, Eastern, and Say’s Phoebes all from the same spot.  There are several other Hat Tricks possible, at varying levels of difficulty.  I’m sure many of us have seen three Jay species together.  Swallows (several possible combinations).  Nuthatches (red, white, pygmy)?  Bluebirds (east, west, mountain)?  Rosy-finches? Wrens (house, rock, canyon)?   Longspurs???

We live in an area that makes several Trifectas possible that would be inconceivable in most parts of the country.  I’m sure there are many additional with varying degrees of complexity.        -Curt Brown

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[Dan Stringer]

I liked that thought-provoking post. Among the more unique days I've had, I was fortunate one spring day to see the three Phoebes in Canyon City, over a wide area with many stops. On another trip there I saw Rock, Canyon, and Bewick's Wrens at Tunnel Drive (no House Wren). John Breitsch and I once saw the six swallow species over Hasty Lake. The only other thing I can remember is on a dawn to late-afternoon visit to Chico Basin Ranch I saw the four falcon species. All of those were one-timers over a lot of years, it seems to me that the more often I hit the trail and the more different places I go, the higher my chances to are to eventually have an interesting accumulation of related species. 

Dan Stringer

Larkspur, CO 

[Derek Hill]

Trifectas always make for a good day of birding. As for CO trifectas, mergansers and Haemorhous finches are also possibilities. Not sure how plovers would work since CO gets 7 species regularly. Another term might be "grand slam" if it's more than a trifecta, ie all 4 regularly occurring Catharus thrushes, 4 longspurs, etc. For the aforementioned teal trifecta, would it be the 3 Spatula teals (BWTE, CITE, NSHO) or the 3 birds with teal in the name (BWTE, CITE, and Green-wings, which are closer to a Mallard than a Spatula teal)? We are one of the better states for diverse Corvid grand slam - has anyone scored 10 CO Corvids in a day? Colorado also can boast our pretty solid grouse grand slam. Looks like B. Gibbons and M. O'Brien led last year's VENT CO Grouse Tour to victory with 7 of 8 native chickens over a few days. Who's had the Accipiter trifecta? I hope to some day.

Thank goodness the migrants aren't on lockdown,

Derek Hill

Ft. Collins

[Steven E Larson]

A couple of Winters ago several CO birders myself included had an eight goose species grand slam

Steve Larson

Northglenn CO

Sent from my iPhone

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[Brian Johnson]

This morning I saw all three teals, the ducks with teal in the name, all with in twenty feet of each other along the Souh Platte River. It rather cool after reading this post. I don't think I would have thought about it with reading this post.
Good birding
Brian Johnson
Englewood CO

[Joe Roller]

Trifecta? 

Three is OK, but what about TEN?

What route would you plan to see all of Colorado's Corvid species in one calendar day?

In what season?

Don't drive the route, just think one up, save gas, plan your time, just as Einstein used to do "thought experiments".

Has anyone seen all ten in one day?   Nine? 

Joe Roller, Denver

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[Doug Ward]

Joe,

This is one of my all time favorite challenges, and may have had it once, though we just couldn't get ourselves to make a definitive call on the Chihuahuan!  

Back before many of you were born, was down in the San Luis Valley to see the cranes in March (so early Spring) and had camped at the Sand Dunes.  In the morning we awoke to a sizable pack of (1) Clark's Nutcrackers down in the pinyons and they were toting along a lone (2) Grey...Canada Jay.  While not in close proximity, there were also quite a few (3) Pinyon Jays around too.  Obviously (4) Magpies and (5) Common Ravens in the area, but on the way out of the Dunes, in the flats, saw what was probably a (.....?) Chihuahuan Raven, tough it was just too distant to get comfortable.  At this point we are like, "let's do this, we can get all ten!".  So changed our plans and headed around to Pueblo.  Had a (6) Stellar's fly across the road on La Veta Pass, then stopped in Lathrop State Park near Walsenburg where we landed a (7) Scrub Jay...I mean Woodhouse's Scrub Jay and (8) American Crow.  Now we were left with a quandry.  We reeealy wanted to confirm a Chihuahuan, but unfortunately had school the next day.  We swung into Pueblo and picked up our (9) Blue then headed home to Louisville.  It was so tempting to run out onto the southeastern prairies that day for the raven, but just wasn't to be and had to leave it at 9 1/2 Corvids on the day.  Still not too bad.

Have tried purposely for the "tenfecta" a few times since, with a couple of solid 8s, and one more 9 (actually missed Canada Jay), but yet to land a perfect 10.  Next time.  You obviously need a good route and knowledge of the habitats along the way, but as with any birding, a little luck is also necessary (like that Canada Jay in with the Nutcrackers). So the same route we did, or another southeast route like from the mountains west of the Springs or Pueblo out to the prairies...unless of course you get real lucky which can redirect your day like it did for me and Larry (Halsey).

Good luck if you try for this one.  It will take you through a lot of nice country and the varied habitats we get to enjoy (someday) here in Colorado.

Good Corviding,

Doug

Denver

PS - You know you are getting old when places you used to just hang become National Parks and all the names and classifications of the birds you saw have changed.

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