In response to Gary Lefko's post about A&B Res #1 on Weld CR124 west of CR77, Nina Routh, Mike Serruto and I visited this res on 9/28 and basically found the same set of birds. We also had a flyover Pine Siskin, both Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds,
a Blue-winged Teal and a Yellow-rumped Warbler (in the cattails). Snipe and dowitchers were fun to see up close but there should have been more in the way of shorebirds, mixed waterfowl and interesting landbirds. The muck at the bottom of this res, especially
n of CR124 is rich with leaches and is a source of food for the shorebirds, especially yellowlegs. It is much better to visit during weekend days vs weekdays because oil field traffic is reduced.
FYI, earlier in the day we visited the Wyoming Hereford Ranch area in eastern Cheyenne, WY just s of I-80. Wyoming Hereford Ranch Reservoir #1 (e of E. College Drive and s out S. Industrial Road) had extensive mudflats: Black-bellied Plover (1), lots of American
Pipits, a few Baird's and Least Sandpipers, one Franklin's Gull, assorted common ducks, and Clay-colored and Vesper Sparrows.
At nearby Wyoming Hereford Ranch proper we had a Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, "Solitary" Vireo I strongly suspect was Cassin's, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, an apparently "pure" yellow-shafted Northern Flicker (note one yellow tail feather in photo
below), a few late Bank Swallows, several Barn Swallows, several Turkey Vultures overhead, several Yellow-rumped Warblers mostly in pines, one Wilson's Warbler, a couple juncos, one Song Sparrow, one White-crowned Sparrow, two Townsend's Solitaires, Lori Pivonka,
Fawn Simonds, no empids or other flycatchers, no Orange-crowned Warblers or more unusual warblers, no thrushes besides robins, no Lincoln's Sparrows or towhees. Where are the birds?
Drive the speed limits in Cheyenne. We almost got nailed but for a sacrificial pickup behind us going the same speed as us that caused an officer to turn around in pursuit.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins