Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 18 January 2017

[Joyce Takamine]

Compiler:  Joyce Takamine

e-mail:    RBA AT cobirds.org

Date:   January 18, 2017

This is the Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday, January 18, 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 using the new AOU checklist, & the order of families has changed.

BRANT (*Arapahoe)

Swan spec (Mesa)

Trumpeter Swan (Douglas, *Moffat)

Tundra Swan (Boulder, Larimer)

White-winged Scoter (*Arapahoe)

Long-tailed Duck (*Douglas,  Larimer)

Barrow's Goldeneye (*Adams)

Red-necked Grebe (Boulder, Pueblo)

Greater Roadrunner (Baca)

American Woodcock (Larimer)

Spotted Sandpiper (Arapahoe)

Greater Yellowlegs (Denver)

Bonaparte's Gull (Pueblo)

Franklin's Gull (Larimer)

Mew Gull (Arapahoe)

Thayer's Gull (*Arapahoe, Douglas, Larimer, Pueblo)

ICELAND GULL (Arapahoe)

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Adams, *Arapahoe, Bent, Larimer, Pueblo)

GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL (Araphaoe)

Glaucous Gull (*Arapahoe)

Great Black-backed Gull (Arapahoe, Pueblo)

Double-crested Cormorant (Adams, Pueblo)

American White Pelican (Larimer)

Red-naped Sapsucker (Boulder)

American Three-toed Woodpecker (Larimer, Park)

Juniper Titmouse (Baca)

Winter Wren (Weld)

Hermit Thrush (Mesa)

Gray Catbird (Mesa)

Curve-billed Thrasher (Baca, El Paso, Pueblo)

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Boulder, Park,  Pitkin)

Black Rosy-Finch (Boulder, Park, Pitkin)

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (Boulder, Park, Pitkin)

White-winged Crossbill (Boulder)

Lapland Longspur (Bent, *Elbert, Kit Carson, Logan)

Rufous-crowned Sparrow (Baca)

Canyon Towhee (Baca, Bent)

Yellow-headed Blackbird (Larimer)

Rusty Blackbird (Huerfano, Weld)

Great-tailed Grackle (Larimer)

Brown-headed Cowbird (Larimer)

*****For directions to unfamiliar locations (e.g. "Lower Latham"), please refer to CFO's Colorado County Birding site:  www.coloradocountybirding.org

ADAMS COUNTY:

---On January 11 on South Platte River, 88th Ave area, Rebecca Laroche reported 2 Barrow's Goldeneyes and 2 Double-crested Cormorants.  On January 14, Chuck Hundertmark reported Double-crested Cormorant at 88th Ave and South Platte River.  On January 17 on South Platte River, 88th Ave area, Matt Hofeditz reported 3 Barrow's Goldeneyes.

---On January 14 on South Platte River at 78th Ave, David Kembel reported 9 Double-crested Cormorants.

ARAPAHOE COUNTY:

---On January 13 at Aurora Reservoir, Dan Stringer reported ad m White-winged Scoter.  On January 13 at Aurora Reservoir, John Drummond reported f-type White-winged Scoter, 5 Thayer's Gulls (1 ad, 4 imm), 1-st cyc ICELAND GULL, 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (3 ad, 1 2nd-cyc, 1 1st cyc), 1st cyc Great Black-backed Gull.  On January 13 at Aurora Reservoir, Glenn Walbek reported Glaucous Gull and 2 Great Black-backed Gulls (1ad, 1 1-st cyc).  On January 14 at Aurora Reservoir, Loch Kilpatrick and several other birders reported White-winged Scoter, Mew Gull, Thayer's Gulls, ICELAND GULL, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Glaucous Gull, and Great Black-backed Gull.  On January 15, David Blue found a BRANT at Aurora Reservoir in NW corner by the dam.  On January 15, Steve Mlodinow and several other birders reported White-winged Scoter, 14 Thayer's Gulls, 18 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Glaucous Gulls, and 1 Great Black-backed Gulls and 2 1-st cyc GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS.  On January 16 at Aurora Reservoir, Aaron Tucker reported f White-winged Scoter, Mew Gull, 1-st cyc Iceland Gull, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and 1-st cyc Great Black-backed Gull.  On January 17 at Aurora Reservoir, Loch Kilpatrick and Chuck Hundertmark reported Black BRANT, White-winged Scoter, 3 Thayer's Gulls, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Glaucous Gull and ad Great Black-backed Gull. 

---On January 12 at McClellan Reservoir, David Suddjian Reported 1 ad Thayer's Gull.

---On January 15 on South Platte River between Belview and Union, Ted Uhlemann reported Spotted Sandpiper.

BACA COUNTY:

---On January 12 at Cottonwood Canyon, Alec and Bill Hopping reported Curve-billed Thrashers, Canyon Towhees and Rufous-crowned Sparrows.

---On January 12 at a stop on CR 8, Alec and Bill Hopping reported Greater Roadrunner, Juniper Titmouse, and Canyon Towhees.

BENT COUNTY:

---On January 13 at John Martin Reservoir at Dam Area, Alec and  Bill Hopping reported Lesser Black-backed Gull, Lapland Longspur, and 2 Canyon Towhees.

BOULDER COUNTY:

---On January 12 at Valmont Overlook, Sue Riffe reported Red-necked Grebe.  On January 13 at Valmont Overlook, Norm Lewis reported Red-necked Grebe.

---On December 28 at Fawn Brook Inn in Allenspark, Chris Wood reported all 3 species of Rosy-Finches and 22 Bohemian Waxwings.   On December 30 at Fawn Brook Inn, Mark Amershek reported all 3 species of Rosy-Finches.  On January 8, Bill Fink reported all 3 species of Rosy-Finches at Fawnbrook Inn.

---On January 14 at Cottonwood Marsh, Joyce Takamine reported 3 Tundra Swans (2 ad, 1 juv).

---On January 15 at Bohn Park in Lyons, Bill Kaempfer reported ad m Red-naped Sapsucker.

---On January 15 at Left Hand Reservoir, Christian Nunes reported White-winged Crossbill.

DENVER COUNTY:

---On January 16 at Sand Creek between Smith Road and Quebec, Jason Bidgood reported Greater Yellowlegs.

DOUGLAS COUNTY:

---On December 27, Jeff Beavers reported Trumpeter Swan at Chatfield.  The Swan can be seen by going upstream from Kingfisher Bridge to Pond 5 or from High Line Canal Trail accessed from Titan Road.  On January 8, Jeff Dawson and Lynn Sauer reported Trumpeter Swan from upstream from Kingfisher  Bridge.  On January 10, Diane Roberts reported Trumpeter Swan from upstream from Kingfisher Bridge.  On January 10, David Suddjian and Bob Shade reported Trumpeter Swan from High Line Canal Trail and Titan Road.  On January 11, Cynthia Madsen, Jonelle Balais, Anna Troth and Gregg Goodrich reported Trumpeter Swan from High Line Canal Trail and Titan Road.  On January 13, David Blue reported Trumpeter Swan from High Line Canal Trail and Titan Road.  On January 14, Greg Pasquariello and several other birders reported that the Trumpeter Swan continues at Chatfield SP and is best accessed from High Line Canal Trail and Titan Road.  On January 15, Daniel Horton and Ginny Bergstrom reported Trumpeter Swan from High Line Canal Trail and Titan Road.

---On January 13 at Chatfield SP near the dam, Dan Stringer reported ad Thayer's Gull.

---On January 15 at Reuter-Hess Reservoir (restricted access), Tim Ryan reported Long-tailed Duck.  On January 17 at Reuter-Hess Reservoir (restricted access), Tim Ryan reported Long-tailed Duck.

ELBERT COUNTY:

---On January 17 in eastern Elbert County, south of Hwy 24, David Suddjian reported Lapland Longspurs.

EL PASO COUNTY:

---On January 14 on Old Pueblo Road, David Tonnessen reported 2 Curve-billed Thrashers.

JEFFERSON COUNTY:

---On January 9 at South Platte Reservoir, David Suddjian reported Lesser Black-backed Gull.

KIT CARSON COUNTY:

---On January 17 on CR G between CR 9 and CR 7 (imaginary), Mark Peterson reported over a million Lapland Longspurs.

LARIMER COUNTY:

---On January 8, David Wade and Cole Wild reported 2 American Woodcocks at Bobcat Ridge Natural Area in the creek between the parking lot and the road.   Several birders saw one of the Woodcocks on January 8.  On January 9 at Bobcat Ridge Natural Area, Loch Kilpatrick reported American Woodcock seen near Ranger's House.  On Janaury 11 at Bobcat Ridge Natural Area, Sue Riffe reported 2 American Woodcock.  On January 13 at Bobcat Ridge Natural Area, Adam Vesely reported American Woodcock.  On January 16, Georgia Doyle reported American Woodcock at Bobcat RIdge Natural Area.

---On January 11 at a Feedlot at corner of CR 9 and CR 30, in Loveland, Georgia Doyle and David Wade reported 2 Yellow-headed Blackbird and 3 Brown-headed Cowbird.  On January 13 at Feedloot at corner of CR 9 and CR 30, Jim Nachel reported Yellow-headed Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, and 31 Great-tailed Grackles.  On January 14 at Boyd Lake Dairy, Gene Rutherford and Nick Komar reported Yellow-headed Blackbird, pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds and numerous Great-tailed Grackles.  On January 15 at Boyd Lake Dairy, Austin Hess reported Brown-headed Cowbird and 50 Great-tailed Grackles.

---On January 14 at Hidden Valley in Rocky Mountain NP, Scott Rashid reported 5 Three-toed Woodpeckers.

---On January 14 at Rawhide Energy Station/Hamilton Reservoir, Gene Rutherford reported American White Pelican and 2 Tundra Swans.  On January 15 at Rawhide Energy Station/Hamilton Reservoir, Nick Komar, Georgia Doyle, and David Wade reported 2 Tundra Swans and American White Pelican

---On January 14 at Horsetooth Reservoir, Nick Komar and David Wade reported 1 Franklin's Gull, 5 Thayer's Gulls, and 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

MESA COUNTY:

---On January 12, Eileen Cunninghar and Kathleen McGinley reported Gray Catbird on Riverfront Trail on east side of Colorado River near the short little street High Country Court.  Access to High Country Court would be off the Riverside Parkway north of Hwy 340 also know as Broadway.

---On January 14 at Connected Lakes SP, Nic Korte reported Hermit Thrush.

---On January 15 at River Front Trail in Grand Junction, Connee Moffat reported 2 Swans.

MOFFAT COUNTY:

---On January 17 at Brown's Park NWR on the Auto Tour Route to Swinging Bridge, Tresa Moulton reported 13 Trumpeter Swans on the Green River downstream of Swinging Bridge.

PARK COUNTY:

---On January 17, David Suddjian reported 

    In Jefferson Gray-crowned and Brown-capped Rosy-Finches;

    In Fairplay all three species of Rosy-Finches;

    On Elkhorn Road near Goshawk Road, Gray-crowned and Brown-capped Rosy-Finches;

    On Silverheels Road an American Three-toed Woodpecker.

PUEBLO COUNTY:

---On January 12 at Pueblo Reservoir South Marina, Adam Vesely reported Thayer's Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Great Black-backed Gull, Curve-billed Thrasher.

---On January 15 at Pueblo Reservoir, Brandon Percival reported 2 Red-necked Grebes, 5 Double-crested Cormorants, and 7 Bonaparte's Gulls.

WELD COUNTY:

---On January 9, Loch Kilpatrick reported 3 Rusty Blackbirds at CR 4 where it crosses Box Elder Creek.  On January 14, at CR 4 where it crosses Box Elder Creek, Kara Carragher reported 3 m Rusty Blackbirds.  On January 15, David Blue reported 3 Rusty Blackbirds on CR 4 where it crosses Box Elder Creek and Art Hudak reported 4 Rusty Blackbirds.

---On January 10 at Frederick Reservoir and Recreation Area, Steve Mlodinow reported Winter Wren.  On January 12 at Frederick Reservoir and Recreation Area, Sue Riffe reported Winter Wren.  On January 14, at Frederick Reservoir and Recreation Area, Gene Rutherford reported Winter Wren.

Denver Field Ornithologists Field Trips: 

Sign up on line for field trips at DFO’s Website. 

The DFO Field Trip for Saturday, January 21 will be the South Platte River at West Florida Ave led by Bill Wuerthele (wuerthel AT ecentral.com; 303-333-2519).   This trip is FULL.

The DFO Field Trip for Sunday, January 22 will be to Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR led by Rebecca Laroche & Patrick O'Driscoll (RebeccaLLaroche At gmail.com; 626-318-4435)  This trip is FULL.

Good birding,

Joyce Takamine

Boulder