Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Sunday, January 5, 2020
Ira Sanders
Date: Sunday, January 5, 2020
Email: R...@cobirds.org
Compiler: Ira Sanders zroadrunner14 at gmail.com
Birders have been helpful by reporting updates to COBIRDS. Thanks!
CAPITAL LETTERS denote very rare species, as listed by the Colorado Bird Records Committee at the CFO website.
(*) indicates new information on a species.
For more information on birds seen today, go to cobirds.org and scroll to the bottom for “Recent eBird Sightings.”
Rare, out-of-place and out-of-season species include:
BRANT (*Jefferson)
Barrow’s Goldeneye (*Adams)
White-winged Scoter (*Douglas/Jefferson)
Long-tailed Duck continues to be seen in multiple counties. You can search with eBird’s “Explorer” menu in your preferred county for any recent sightings.
Red-necked Grebe (*Douglas/Jefferson, *Pueblo)
Dunlin (*Mesa, *Pueblo)
Iceland Gull (“Kumlien’s”)(Pueblo)
Great Black-backed Gull (*Pueblo)
Pacific Loon (*Arapahoe, *Douglas/Jefferson)
YELLOW-BILLED LOON (*Arapahoe)
Northern Goshawk (Arapahoe, Larimer)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (*Boulder, Larimer)
GYRFALCON (Larimer)
PACIFIC WREN (Fremont, Jefferson)
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Douglas)
Black Rosy-Finch (w/mixed Rosy-Finch flock) (Fremont)
Golden-crowned Sparrow (*Mesa)
Rusty Blackbird (Garfield, Jefferson)
Western Tanager (Pueblo)
ADAMS COUNTY:
--On Jan 4 a pair of Barrow’s Goldeneye were found on the Platte River south of 88th and Colorado by Bill Fink.
--On Jan 5, Tim Smart reports 92 Bald Eagles at Barr Lake. On Jan 4, Sanders counted 55.
ARAPAHOE COUNTY:
--On Dec 29 a Northern Goshawk was seen near Holly and Orchard by Jon Green. No other details were given.
—On Jan 3 a YELLOW-BILLED LOON was reported at Aurora Reservoir. It was first reported on Dec 29 by Steve Mlodinow. This might be the same bird first reported Nov 8 at Cherry Creek SP, then at Aurora Reservoir in early Dec.
—On Jan 5 a Pacific Loon was reported at Aurora Reservoir. It was first reported Dec 26 by Cynthia Kristensen.
BOULDER COUNTY:
—On Jan 5 a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was reported In pines along Old Tale Road south of Arapahoe, about halfway to McSorley Lane. First reported on Dec 15 by Nathan Pieplow.
DOUGLAS COUNTY:
—On Dec 30 Nine Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches were reported at Roxborough SP - South Rim Trail by Carl Lundblad.
DOUGLAS /JEFFERSON COUNTIES (CHATFIELD SP RESERVOIR):
—On Jan 5 a White-winged Scoter was reported at Chatfield SP Marina Sandspit; also seen from the N Boat Ramp and Handicapped Fisherman’s Platform. First reported on Nov 29 by Joey Keller.
—On Jan 5 a Pacific Loon was reported at Chatfield SP Marina Sandspit; previously reported from the Handicapped Fisherman’s Platform. First reported on Dec 8 by Joey Kellner.
FREMONT COUNTY:
—On Dec 27 thirty-six Black Rosy-Finches were reported at Royal Gorge Park-Nature Center by Joel Adams. Also observed in the same flock were two Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches and a Brown-capped Rosy-Finch.
GARFIELD COUNTY:
—On Dec 28 four Rusty Blackbirds were reported in Carbondale at Delany Nature Park, in the ditches with running water. First reported Dec 21 by Jason Gregg.
JEFFERSON COUNTY:
—On Jan 5 a BRANT was reported at Lake Arbor. First reported by Amy Cervene on Dec 20.
—On Jan 3 a PACIFIC WREN was reported at Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood. It was observed along Bear Creek WSW of Whitetail Picnic area, about 150 yds downstream from where trail from parking lot meets creek. First reported by Chris Wood on Dec 22. This is a first County Record for this species. Note, this location requires a fee via Daily or Annual Pass (Not covered by State Park Pass).
—On Dec 29 a Rusty Blackbird was reported at Bear Creek Lake Park. First reported Dec 23 by Robert Raker.
--On Jan 5 a Red-necked Grebe was seen again off the Marina Sandspit. This bird has been present since at least Nov 8.
LARIMER COUNTY:
—On Dec 30 (the young male was seen again Jan 2) two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were reported in Fort Collins at Grandview Cemetery. One is a young male and has been reported south of the Trolley House several times in different trees. Last reported by Dave Leatherman “in a medium-sized deciduous tree due south of the Trolley House out on City Park Nine golf course. This tree has a white tag on the north side about 7 feet up that identifies it as a tree I've never heard of called "Pacific Sunset Maple". This is a hybrid between Acer platanoides (Norway maple, a widely planted native of Europe) and A. truncatum (Shantung maple, native to northern China). The tag also says it is the horticultural variety called "Warrenred".
The Trolley House is the westernmost building on the south side of Mountain Avenue just east of the cemetery entrance. There is an east-west row of 10 or so Scots Pines that runs from the sw corner of the building w toward the golf course. It seems the bird spends a lot of time in those pines and retreats out into deciduous trees on the golf course (between the Trolley House and the softball fields to the south). This young male was first reported by Dave Leatherman on Dec 23.
The other Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is an adult that favors Austrian pines just east of the gray portapotty midway along the southern cemetery boundary road and often retreats to the big cottonwood just east of the pines. This adult male is probably the same bird reported by Fawn Simmons on FC CBC, Dec 14 and seen periodically in the cemetery since mid November.
—On Jan 1 a Gyrfalcon was observed near the Larimer County Landfill in SW Fort Collins. First reported by Robert Beauchamp on Nov 3. This is the same location a Gyrfalcon spent much of last winter. Please post updates to COBirds.
--On Jan 2 an adult Northern Goshawk was observed and photographed by Dave Leatherman at Grandview Cemetery in Ft. Collins.
MESA COUNTY:
—On Jan 4 a Golden-crowned Sparrow was reported at Grand Junction Wildlife Area. First reported on Dec 28 by Mike Henwood.
—On Jan 4 a Dunlin was reported at Horsethief Canyon State Wildlife Area on the shoreline of a gravel bar on the Colorado River. First reported Dec 28 by Douglas Diekman.
PUEBLO COUNTY:
—On Jan 1 a juvenile “kumlien’s” Iceland Gull was reported at Pueblo Reservoir at South Shore Marina. It was first reported by Brandon Percival on Dec 26. Although it’s no longer recognized as its own species by the AOU, and has been combined with Thayer’s Gull, it is rare in CO.
—A Great Black-backed Gull that has spent the last twenty something winters at Lake Pueblo (nicknamed “Murray”) is here again. See eBird for most recent sighting (Jan 4)
--On Jan 4 a Red-necked Grebe was seen at Pueblo Reservoir South Marina. It was first seen by Elaine Wagner on Dec 14.
--On Jan 4 a Western Tanager was seen again at the West pit and Pueblo Nature Center. It was found by Brandon Percival and Chris Knight near the Pueblo West pit along the Arkansas River on Jan 2. It may be the same bird seen in November.
—On Jan 4 a Dunlin was seen at the South Marina at Pueblo Reservoir on the tires. It was first found by Paul Hertado Dec 31.
Please help out and sign up for one or more of these CBCs!
For a clickable map of Colorado's counts with registration/location details, go to https://audubon.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=ac275eeb01434cedb1c5dcd0fd3fc7b4
Upcoming Denver Field Ornithologists field trip (details at dfobirds.org)
Southwestern
Metro Area
Tuesday, January 7
7:30 AM - 12:00 PM
David Suddjian (Email: dsud...@gmail.com; 831-713-8659)
South
Platte River Trail at E 88th Ave and I-76
Saturday,
January 11
8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Mark Amershek (Email: mamershek AT msn.com;
303-329-8646)
First Creek at Denver Open Space
Sunday, January, 12
7:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Patrick O’Driscoll (Email: patodrisk AT gmail.com; 303-885-6955)
Good birding,
Ira Sanders Golden
Zroadrunner14 at gmail.com