Black Rail Search

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Today John Stump and I ventured out to search for the Black Rail this morning at the Bluff Overlook on the Alamosa Refuge. We arrived at 7 am as the fog was lifting, giving us expansive views of the wetlands and the flocks of birds below. We scoped the area for the next hour and a half.

 

This must be one of the few wetlands having water in this Valley for there were high concentrations of birds, including over 200 Am White Pelicans, Great Blue Herons, BC Night-herons, Snowy Egrets and WF Ibis.

 

Shorebirds included Wilson Phalaropes, Killdeer, Black-necked Stilts, Gr Yellowlegs, and peeps that were too far to discern. A juvenile Peregrine Falcon came speeding by, scattering the flocks of peeps.

 

We never did see the Black Rail, though we did scope many Sora and Virginia Rails, which included one dark fuzzy juvenile Virginia Rail, walking on mudflats.

 

We ventured over to Smith Reservoir taking the back roads and were impressed with the bountiful numbers of Lark Buntings. I estimate we saw more than 60. At Smith, lots of birds, ducks, egrets and shorebirds, which included Baird’s, Western, Least and Spotted Sandpipers.  I highly recommend working these places into your birding visits as the numbers at wetlands are very concentrated and high at the moment.

John Rawinski

Monte Vista, CO