Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 12 August 2017

[Joyce Takamine]

Compiler:             Joyce Takamine

e-mail:                 RBA AT cobirds.org

Date:                    August 12, 2017

This is the Rare Bird Alert for Saturday, August 12 sponsored by Denver Field Ornithologists and the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies.

Highlight species include: (* indicates new information on this species)

NOTE:  The RBA is now using the new AOU checklist and the order of families has changes.

Cackling Goose (Weld)

Northern Bobwhite (Arapahoe)

Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Cheyenne)

Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Larimer)

Greater Roadrunner (Otero)

Sandhill Crane (Gunnison)

Semipalmated Plover (El Paso, Kiowa, Larimer)

Long-billed Curlew (Boulder, Weld)

Stilt Sandpiper (El Paso,  Weld)

Pectoral Sandpiper (El Paso, Larimer, Weld)

Semipalmated Sandpiper (El Paso, Kiowa, Larimer)

Solitary Sandpiper (El Paso, Kiowa, *Mesa, Montrose, Rio Blanco, Weld)

Long-tailed Jaeger (Washington)

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Arapahoe)

Black Tern (Adams, El Paso, Kiowa, Washington, Weld)

Common Tern (Adams)

Common Loon (Ouray)

Green Heron (Kiowa)

SWALLOW-TAILED KITE (Prowers)

Mississippi Kite (El Paso, Weld)

Lewis’s Woodpecker (Mesa)

Red-headed Woodpecker (Adams, El Paso, Otero)

Acorn Woodpecker (La Plata)

Williamson’s Sapsucker (Pueblo)

American Three-toed Woodpecker (Gunnison, Larimer, Routt)

Least Flycatcher (*Larimer)

Gray Flycatcher (Boulder,Mesa)

Great Crested Flycacher (Kiowa)

Cassin’s Kingbird (Mesa)

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Morgan)

Bell’s Vireo (Pueblo)

Pinyon Jay (El Paso)

Chihuahuan Raven (Kiowa, Otero)

Purple Martin (Eagle)

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Kiowa)

Golden-crowned Kinglet (Routt)

Veery (Gilpin)

Curve-billed Thrasher (El Paso)

Chestnut-collared Longspur (Kiowa)

Northern Waterthrush (*El Paso)

Rufous-crowned Sparrow (Otero)

Brewer’s Sparrow (Jackson, Kiowa, Rio Blanco)

Lark Bunting (Gilpin, Gunnison, Jackson, Mesa)

Fox Sparrow (Gilpin, San Juan)

Summer Tanager (Baca, Montezuma)

Indigo Bunting (Kiowa, Weld)

Dickcissel (Boulder, El Paso)

Bobolink (Boulder)

EASTERN MEADOWLARK (Lilian’s) (Kiowa)

Scott’s  Oriole (Mesa)

ADAMS COUNTY:

---On August 10 at Barr Lake SP, David Dowell reported Black Tern and Common Tern.

ARAPAHOE COUNTY:

---On August 3 at Cherry Creek Valley Ecological Park, Linda Czarny reported Northern Bobwhite.

---On August 10 at Aurora Reservoir, David Dowell reported imm Lesser Black-backed Gull.

BOULDER COUNTY:

---On August 1 on S Boulder Creek Trail, Jeff Parks reported Gray Flycatcher.

---On August 2, Luke Pheneger reported 3 Long-billed Curlews at Lagerman Reservoir. 

CHEYENNE COUNTY:

---On August 6 on CR 2, Steve Mlodinow reported Lesser Prairie-Chicken.

EAGLE COUNTY:

---On August 6, JoAnn Riggle reported 6 Purple Martins (2 ad, 4 juv) N of Wolcott off of Muddy Pass Road.

EL PASO COUNTY:

---On August 3 at Ramah Reservoir SWA, Alan Versaw reported Semipalmated Plover, 3 Red-headed Woodpecker, and 4 Dickcissels.  On August 5 at Ramah Reservoir SWA, Robb Hinds reported Stilt Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Black Tern; John Drummon reported Stilt Sandpiper, 2 Black Terns, and 2 Dickcissel.   On August 8 at Ramah Reservoir SWA, David Tonnessen reported Semipalmated Plover, Semiplamated Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, 10 Black Terns, and Dickcissel.

On August 9 at Ramah Reservoir SWA, 6 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 Stilt Sandpipers, Solitary Sandpiper, 4 Black Terns.  

---On August 5 at Hanover Road, Diane Roberts reported 3 Curve-billed Thrashers.

---On August 7 at Venetucci Farm, Sharon Milito reported Mississippi Kite.

---On August 9 in town of Fountain, Tanja Britton reported Mississippi Kite.

---On August 10 at Bear Creek Park West, David Tonnessen reported 22 flyover Pinyon Jay.

---On August 11 at Clear Spring Ranch, Steve Brown banded Northern Waterthrush.

GILPIN COUNTY:

---On August 2 on Lower Apex Valley Road, Kathy Mihm Dunning and Tony Leukering reported Veery.

---On August 8 on Tolland Road CR 16, Brian Johnson reported pair of Lark Buntings and Fox Sparrow.

GUNNISON COUNTY:

---On August 1 (Colorado Day) on Brush Creek Trail, Phil Lyon reported Lark Bunting (Colorado State Bird).

---On August 10 going over Kebler Pass near Anthracite Creek, Tom McConnell reported 2 Sandhill Carnes west of Erickson Ranch CG.

JACKSON COUNTY:

---On August 9 at Arapaho NWR Auto Loop, Tyler  McClain reported 8 Brewer’s Sparrows and pair of Lark Buntings.

KIOWA COUNTY:

---On August 6 at Adobe Creek Reservoir (Blue Lake), Steve Mlodinow reported Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, 5 Black Terns, Brewer’s Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, 2 EASTERN MEADOWLARKS (Lilian’s), Chestnut-collared Longspur, and Red-breasted Nuthatch.

---On August 6 at Kiowa Creek at CR 40, Steve Mlodinow reported Green Heron and Great Crested Flycatcher.

LA PLATA COUNTY:

---On August 9 on Meadow Road in Rafter J Subdivision , Gloria Nikolai reported 3 Acorn Woodpeckers.

LARIMER COUNTY:

---On August 1 at Wellington SWA Cobb Lake Unit, David Wade heard Yellow-billed Cuckoo.  On August 6 at Wellington SWA Cobb Lake Unit, David Wade and Nick Komar reported Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

---On August 2 at Duck Lake, Nick Komar and Walter Wehtje reported Semipalmated Plover, Pectoral Sandpiper and Semipalmated Sandpiper.

---On August 3 at Lory State Park, Libby Edwards reported a pair of American Three-toed Woodpeckers

along Overlook Trail.

---On August 5 at Bobcat Ridge NA, Nick Komar and Walter Wehtje reported f-type American Three-toed Woodpecker 2 miles up Ginny Trail.

---On August 6 at Wellingont SWA, Schware Unit, David Wade and Nick Komar reported Semipalmated Sandpiper.

---On August 11 in Rocky Mountain NP on Cub Lake and Trail, Brian Genge reported 4 Least Flycatchers.

MESA COUNTY:

---On August 5 at Vega Reservoir and Vega SP, Ronda Woodward and Deb Stegall reported Lewis’s Woodpecker.

---On August 6 at Glade Park, DS Road and Coates Creek School Area, Mike Henwood reported 5 Cassin’s Kingbirds (2 ad, 3 juv).

---On August 7 on 10 ½ Road in Loma, Steve Patterson reported f-type Lark Bunting across road from Unitah Fishing area where fence angles away from road.

---On August 8 at Brewster’s Ridge/Bar X Wash, Nic Korte reported Gray Flycatcher and juv Scott’s Oriole.

---On August 10 at Grand Junction WA, Mike Henwood reported Solitary Sandpiper.  

MONTROSE COUNTY:

---On August 1 at Buckeye Reservoir, Coen Dexter reported 2 Solitary Sandpipers.

MORGAN COUNTY:

---On August 3 along Hwy 34 at old rest area by turn off to Jackson Lake, Cole Wild reported Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.

PROWERS COUNTY:

---On August 10 Bryant Will found a juv  SWALLOW-TAILED KITE in Lamar which was refound by Janeal Thompson, Tammy Gonzales, Jane Stulp, and Duane Nelson near Oak and 14th.  

OTERO COUNTY:

---On August 2 on Higbee Valley Road, Baxter Beamer reported Greater Roadrunner, 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers and 4 Chihuahuan Ravens.

---On August 2 in Vogel Canyon, Baxter Beamer reported Rufous-crowned Sparrow.

PUEBLO COUNTY:

---On August 6 at Valco Ponds SWA, Mark Yaeger reported juv Bell’s Vireo.

RIO BLANCO COUNTY:

---On August 8 at Jensen SWA, Steve Patterson reported 2 Solitary Sandpipers and Brewer’s Sparrow.

ROUTT COUNTY:

---On August 6 at Buffalo Pass, Tom Litteral reported 2 families of American Three-toed Woodpeckers.

---On August 6 at Fish Creek Reservoir, Tom Litteral reported Golden-crowned Kinglet.

WASHINGTON COUNTY:

---On August 6 at Prewitt Reservoir, Loch Kilpatrick and Norm Erthal reported Long-tailed Jaeger and 6 Black Terns.

WELD COUNTY:

---On August 1 at Glenmere Park in Greeley, Steve Mlodinow and Tony Leukering reported Mississippi Kite.

---On August 1 at CR 59 Bend Pond, Steve Mlodinow and Tony Leukering reported Stilt Sandpiper, 3 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 Solitary Sandpiper and Peregrine Falcon.

---On August 1 a Loloff Reservoir, Steve Mlodinow and tony Leukering reported Cacking (Taverner’s) Goose, Long-billed Curlew, and Stilt Sandpiper.

---On August 1 at Behrens Reservoir, Tony Leukering and Steve Mlodinow reported Cackling (Taverner’s) Goose.

---On August 3 at CR 61 and CR 74 ponds, Jean Olson reported 2 Black Terns.

---On August 8 on Poudre River Trail, Kodak SWA, Ryan Graves reported a pair of Indigo  Bunting.

Denver Field Ornithologists Field Trips:

The DFO Field Trip for Saturday, August 12 will be to Belmar Historic Park led by Jackie King (jackie.king AT ccd.edu; 720-381-3314).  Meet at 0730 in parking lot near the lake  Belmar Historic Park is at 800 S. Wadsworth Blvd in Lakewood.  From Alameda and Wadsworth, go south on Wadsworth, turn west at the light on West Ohio Ave.  Drive a short two blocks to the parking lot.  

   Bring snacks, water, and sunscreen for an easy walk around the ponds.  A good trip for beginners and accessible for persons with a disability.   Register online or contact leader.

The DFO Filed Trip for Sunday August 13 will be to Cherry Creek SP Wetlands Loop led by Karen von Saltza & Bill Wherthele (kvonsaltza AT yahoo.com; 303-941-4881).  Directions:   Meet at 0800 at the Prairie Loop lot in Cherry Creek SP.  From either park entrance, follow Lake View Rd to the Prairie Loop that is located at the south rim of the reservoir.  State Parks pass or day pass required.  

    This is a half day of walking that passes through most of the important habitats found in the park over a distance of about 3 miles.  Trails could be slippery or muddy, so dress accordingly.   Bring water and snacks; lunch is optional.  Register online or contact leader.

For more information on the field trips go to dfobirds.org.

Good Birding,

Joyce Takamine

Boulder