Weld County 9-28-16

[Dan Stringer]

Tom Whitten and I made a few Weld County stops today, we met at Crow Valley Campground early this morning, it was quite cold for an hour or so. Just before 7 a.m. we saw our best bird there, a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker which was cooperative for photos. A couple Vireos got away from us, warblers were a single Tennessee, an Orange-crowned, and several Yellow-rumped. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher seemed late. Notable were at least 40 Townsend's Solitaires, they were everywhere that the numerous American Robins were. By the time we left at 11 it was quite hot. Bird numbers were sparse, but we had some nice variety overall.

Driving the Pawnee Grasslands produced few sparrows (Brewer's, Vesper, White-crowned), a single McCown's Longspur, and a Prairie Falcon.

Loloff Reservoir was somewhat shore-birdy at or near the northern end, with Marbled Godwits, Willets, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, and around 20 Long-billed Dowitchers. No sandpipers. There were about a dozen Redheads and two Northen Shovelers. 

Lower Latham playa / flooded field south of CR 47 is dry, Beebe Draw is dry, Behrens Res looked worth a scope view but it's so far off the road and afternoon heat shimmer erased everything except a statuesque Great Egret and a few Ring-billed and Franklins Gulls.

So, out go the Lark Buntings, Loggerhead Shrikes, and so many other departures, in come the Shovelers, Solitaires, and so many other arrivals...fall is interesting.

Dan Stringer

Larkspur, CO