Date July 23,2013
This is the Colorado Rare Bird Alert for Tuesday, July 23, 2013 sponsored by the Denver Field Ornithologists and the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. If you are phoning in a message, you can skip the recording by pressing the star key (*) on your phone at any time. Please leave your name, phone number, detailed directions including county, and dates for each sighting. It would be helpful if you would spell your last name.
Highlight species include (* indicates new information on this species in this report):
Mexican Duck (Weld)
Pacific Loon (El Paso)
TRICOLORED HERON (Fremont)
REDDISH EGRET (Kiowa)
Green Heron (Fremont)
GLOSSY IBIS (Weld)
American Golden-Plover (Washington)
Snowy Plover (Washington)
Ruddy Turnstone (Morgan)
LAUGHING GULL (El Paso, Washington)
Caspian Tern (Arapahoe)
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Boulder)
Great Crested Flycatcher (Washington)
SEDGE WREN (Gunnison)
Fox Sparrow (*Gilpin, San Juan)
Indigo Bunting (Jefferson, Larimer)
Scott's Oriole (Montezuma)
ARAPAHOE COUNTY:
--2 Caspian Terns were reported by Walbek on the South Shore at Cherry Creek SP on July 20.
BOULDER COUNTY:
--On July 15, around 11:00 am, Wait reported an American Three-toed Woodpecker, while walking up the 4th of July trail towards Arapahoe Pass. The bird was on the north side of the path.
EL PASO COUNTY:
--A non-breeding ad LAUGHING GULL was reported by Peterson on June 28, in the SE corner of Big Johnson and was seen again on July 13, by Kibbe.
--On July 13, Kibbe reports that the Pacific Loon continues at Big Johnson.
FREMONT COUNTY:
-- On July 7, Moss reported that the ad TRICOLORED HERON was at Holcim wetlands and one Green Heron was seen by Kibbe at Holcim on July 13. (Added bonus was a fledgling Least Bittern.)
GILPIN COUNTY:
--A Fox Sparrow was reported by Kaempfer about 0.5 mile east of Tolland on the road to East Portal that heads west out of Rollinsville on July 22.
GUNNISON COUNTY:
--A singing SEDGE WREN was reported by Zerbi at McCabe Wetlands west of Gunnison on July 18.
JEFFERSON COUNTY:
--A male Indigo Bunting was reported by Henwood along the Cottonwood Trail at Bear Creek Lake Park on July 20.
KIOWA COUNTY:
--On July 13, Dowell reports a white morph REDDISH EGRET at Lake Meredith, probably the same bird that was seen by Nelson at Adobe Creek Res.
-- On July 5 and July 6, Nelson reports a white morph REDDISH EGRET at Adobe Creek Reservoir 200 yards east of the
easternmost camping unit in the SE part of the lake.
LARIMER COUNTY:
--An Indigo Bunting was reported by Sparks on the Poudre Bike Trail on July 19.
MESA COUNTY:
--6 Purple Martins were reported by Robinsong on Buzzard Divide where the road crosses W Muddy Creek on July 21.
MONTEZUMA COUNTY:
-- Garrison reports that his mother had two Scott's Orioles in her back yard, on July 13, from 7:00-7:30 AM. They were eating apricots.
She is willing for birders to try to see them. Her address: 203 S. Market, Cortez, CO, (blue house). Knock on her door, as the tree is in her fenced back yard.
MORGAN COUNTY:
--A Ruddy Turnstone was reported by Dowell at the SWA on the north side of Jackson Reservoir on July 21.
SAN JUAN COUNTY:
--4 Slate-Colored Fox Sparrows were reported by Dexter at Lime Creek Road and Silverton on July 17.
WASHINGTON COUNTY:
--On July 14 at Prewitt Reservoir, Dowell reported a Laughing Gull, (2nd y,worn, not unlike the Big Johnson Bird) a Snowy Plover, ad., and an American Golden-Plover, (apparent first alternate plumage) on the south end of the reservoir in the mud.
--Dowell reported a Great Crested Flycatcher on July 14 at Prewitt Reservoir, the bird was along the inlet channel.
--On July 17, Mlodinow reported an immature CAVE SWALLOW feeding along the south shore of Prewitt Reservoir. This would be
a new state record if accepted. Take the first entrance into Prewitt. The road ends in a T. Go left, take second right, which winds to edge of resevoir. Walk to water's edge, and then work area between water's edge and inlet channel. You can cross the fragmented inlet channel and chase swallows on the far side. They seem to sit on drier mud and feed over entire area.
WELD COUNTY:
--A GLOSSY IBIS and Mexican Duck were reported by Mlodinow at Loloff on July 17.
DFO FIELD TRIPS
The DFO Field Trip for Wednesday, July 24, will be to Banner Lakes SWA (Weld) led by Bruce Neuman and Mark Amershek. Please RSVP to Mark after July 21. Email address is mamershek AT
msn.com. Group limit is 8. Meet leaders at 0800 at the wildlife area for a half-day trip. Directions: Take I-76 north; at the Hudson exit (exit 31), go four miles east on CO 52. The main parking lot is on the left (north) just past CR 53 (Delorme -- 31 D6). Will bird both north and south sides of the area. There are numerous small to medium sized ponds, may ringed with marshes, Russian olives, and junipers. There is moderate on and off trail hiking of about two miles. Bring water, hat sunscreen, and insect repellant. Scopes would be helpful but not necessary. Potential for a hawk/owl search of the DIA loop in the afternoon.