Red Tanagers, Etc., Las Animas County, 5/31-6/1

[Ted Floyd]

Hello, Birders.

Peter Burke, Duane Nelson, and I were guests at the Beatty Canyon Ranch (PRIVATE), Las Animas County, the past two days, Friday-Saturday, May 31-June 1.

As we arrived late yesterday afternoon, Peter and I were greeted by a GREATER ROADRUNNER carrying nesting material; it immediately joined another roadrunner. A cool start to a great visit.

Next, Peter and I birded some cottonwoods, where the highlight was a bare minimum of 5 SUMMER TANAGERS. We probably saw more than that. Also present were at least 11 MISSISSIPPI KITES, 3 RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS, and 2 EASTERN PHOEBES; thus, birds with a Midwestern bent. But we also saw birds with a canyonlands bent: 4 BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS, 2 WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS, 1 LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER, 5 ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, 3 CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, 1 JUNIPER TITMOUSE, 2 CANYON TOWHEES, and 2 LESSER GOLDFINCHES.

Duane then found us, and we proceeded to a campsite.

Early the next morning, we woke up to GREAT HORNED OWLS, COMMON POORWILLS, and COMMON NIGHTHAWKS. Next, we were expertly and invigoratingly guided by Duane up, up, up to the top of O V Mesa. Our trek gave us encounters with such goodies as 1 GRAY VIREO, 3 RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS, 4 BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS, and 1 glorious HEPATIC TANAGER. Also nice were 8 PINYON JAYS and vast marauding hordes of ROCK WRENS and BEWICK'S WRENS.

Peter and I then made a quick check again of the cottonwoods, where we added a LEWIS'S WOODPECKER and enjoyed repeat appearances by Red-headed Woodpeckers, Mississippi Kites, and Summer Tanagers. On the drive out, we saw a SCALED QUAIL, a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, 2 WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS, and a CURVE-BILLED THRASHER.

Thanks to Steve Wooten, to the Beatty Canyon Ranch, and to The Nature Conservancy in Colorado (TNC-Colorado) for their vital stewardship of wonderful habitats for birds in Las Animas County. This mini-expedition was sponsored by TNC-Colorado and Colorado Field Ornithologists.

Ted Floyd

tedfl...@hotmail.com

Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado