Sprague's Pipit -- Private Ranch in Weld County

[Andrew Bankert]

It seems like every summer Colorado gets a report of Sprague's Pipit, but as far as I can tell (eBird, CBRC, Colorado Birds) before today there hasn't been any documented summer records of this species which typically nests in the northern Great Plains and looks really similar to juvenile Horned Larks which are really easy to find right now.  Luckily for us, we didn't have to worry about identification issues this morning as a Sprague's Pipit was singing pretty actively at a Weld County ranch that Bird Conservancy of the Rockies is monitoring for Baird's Sparrows and other grassland birds.  In addition to the pipit, we found a continuing Eastern Meadowlark, baby Wilson's Phalaropes, Sora and Virginia Rails, and 9 Baird's Sparrows.  I think my coworker, Matt Webb, may have audio of the Sprague's Pipit, Eastern Meadowlark, and a Baird's Sparrow or two singing at the same spot.  I wonder if we will continue to see northern breeders attempting to set up territories here in Colorado like the Baird's Sparrows have done for the past 5 years.  We did try playback for LeConte's Sparrow at multiple spots without hearing any.  Hopefully these rarities will encourage others to keep an ear out while birding the grasslands in northeastern Colorado, especially on the Pawnee Grasslands.

We will upload media to this eBird list in case anyone wanted to see documentation: www.ebird.org/view/checklist/S58397225

Good Birding,

Andy Bankert

Fort Collins

[Sebastian Patti]

Well that's pretty neat . . . Sprague's Pipit and Baird's Sparrow singing on the same recording in CO

in July . . . who'd've thunk!!!

sebasti...@hotmail.com
Sebastian T. Patti
770 S. Grand Avenue

Unit 3088

Los Angeles, CA 90017 
CELL: 773/304-7488

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From: cob...@googlegroups.com <cob...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Andrew Bankert <abanke...@my.fit.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2019 2:36 PM
To: Colorado Birds <cob...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [cobirds] Sprague's Pipit -- Private Ranch in Weld County

 

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