Yellow Warblers, Clear Springs Ranch, El Paso Co, Friday

[Steven Brown]

Hi COBIrders,

This is a summary of a week of banding at Clear Springs Ranch, South of Fountain, along Fountain Creek. Specifically, I am operating a small 10-net banding station amongst a few acres of willows, looking for Yellow Warblers in migration. This week Yellow Warblers accounted for about 50% of the catch - about 25 birds. Mostly they have been females and hatch-year birds, with a few males thrown in.
Last year I started seeing Yellow Warblers at CSR abound 7/28. This the first one banded was year on 8/2.

Also caught (I think mostly breeding birds, although a few are probably migrants):
12 Com Yellowthroat, (2 were males banded at the same site in May)
3 W Wood-Pewee
2 Blue Grosbeak
2 Am Goldfinch
Spotted Towhee
and lots of juveniles of Gray Catbird, Yellow-breasted Chat, House Wren, and Brown Thrasher.
And, also caught, but not banded - 2 Black-chinned Hummingbirds, a f Rufous HU, a f Broad-tailed HU, and a f Caliope HU.

Things are moving!
(Note - access to the site is closely controlled by Colo Spgs Utilities, and unfortunately, visiting this banding site is impractical, but I will report what I find. Plus the mosquitoes are awful!)

Happy Migration,
Steve Brown
Colorado Springs

[Ted Floyd]

This is to second Steve Brown's observations that "things are moving"--especially Yellow Warblers. During the past 48 hours, I've been seeing and hearing--mainly hearing--Yellow Warblers all over the place up here in Lafayette, eastern Boulder County. The species breeds here, but there's been a surge that I attribute to migrants from elsewhere. The bird's rich CHIP! is hard to miss. It's also good to know the buzzy flight call, like a little spark. Yellow Warblers give it day or night at this time of the year.

Something else. I've heard several Red-breasted Nuthatches since getting back from New York on Tuesday--including one flying over before sunrise yesterday morning, Thurs., Aug. 7th. Forgot to mention that in my post from yesterday.

Ted Floyd

Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado