Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 22 October 2017

[Joyce Takamine]

Compiler:           Joyce Takamine

e-mail:                RBA AT cobirds.org

Date:                   October 22, 2017

This is the Rare Bird Alert for Sunday, October 22 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 now using the new AOU checklist and the order of families has changes.

Mute Swan (Weld)

Greater White-fronted Goose (Denver)

Cackling Goose (Larimer)

Tundra Swan (Montrose)

Surf Scoter (*Jefferson, Mesa)

White-winged Dove (La Plata)

Sandhill Crane (*Kiowa)

Black-bellied Plover (*Kiowa)

Sanderling (Pueblo)

Pectoral Sandpiper (*Kiowa, Weld)

Semipalmated Sandpiper (*Kiowa)

Pomarine Jaeger (Arapahoe)

Sabine’s Gull (Otero)

Common Tern (Boulder, *Crowley)

ARCTIC TERN (Weld)

Common Loon (Arapahoe)

American Bittern (Jefferson)

Cattle Egret (Kiowa)

Bald Eagle (*Crowley)

Northern Pygmy-Owl (*El Paso)

Red-headed Woodpecker (*Kiowa)

Red-belllied Woodpecker (*Bent)

Williamson’s Sapsucker (*La Plata, Montrose)

Ladder-backed Woodpecker (El Paso)

American Three-toed Woodpecker (Larimer)

Eastern Phoebe (Morgan)

Northern Shrike (*Lincoln)

Steller’s Jay (Denver)

Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay (Kiowa)

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Kiowa)

Pygmy Nuthatch (Morgan)

Winter Wren (Jefferson, Kiowa)

Eastern Bluebird (El Paso)

Curve-billed Thrasher (El Paso)

Sage Thrasher (Montrose)

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (*Park)

Red Crossbill  (*Bent)

Chestnut-collared Longspur (*Kiowa, Weld)

Black-throated Blue Warbler (Jefferson)

Clay-colored Sparrow (La Plata)

Brewer’s Sparrow (Weld)

Swamp Sparrow (Moffat, Park)

White-throated Sparrow (*Kiowa, Pueblo)

Harris’s Sparrow (Kiowa)

Golden-crowned Sparrow (*Mesa)

Sagebrush Sparrow (Montrose)

Fox Sparrow (*La Plata, Montrose)

ARAPAHOE COUNTY:

---On October 18 at Cherry Creek Reservoir, Bob Righter reported 3 loons, one of which he identified as Common.

---On October 20 at Cherry Creek SP Swim Beach and Smoky Hill Shelter Area, Cynthia Madsen and David Hill reported Pomarine Jaeger.

BENT COUNTY:

---On October 20 at Melody Tempel Grove, Dan Stringer and Tom Whitten reported Red-bellied Woodpecker.

---On October 21 at John Martin Reservoir, Joel Adams reported flyover Red Crossbill on top of dam.

CROWLEY COUNTY:

---On October 21 at Lake Meredith, David Dowell reported Commonn Loon and 2 ad Bald Eagles.

DENVER COUNTY:

---On October 14 at Garland Park Lollipop Lake, Mary Keithler reported Greater White-fronted Goose.  On October 17 at Garland Park, Jessica Gordon-Bowser reported Greater White-fronted Goose.

---On October 17 at Corvid Brewing HQ, Soren Dinsmore and Tracy Rackauskas reported Steller’s Jay.

EL PASO COUNTY:

---On October 17 at Cheyenne Mountain SP, Rod Schmidt reported Ladder-backed Woodpecker.

---On October 20 on Milne Road, Jeff Dawson reported 3 Curve-billed Thrasher.

---On October 21 at Blodget Peak Open Space, Aiken Audubon field trip reported Northern Pygmy Owl.

JEFFERSON COUNTY:

---On October 17 at Tabor Lake at Wheat Ridge Greenbelt, a f Surf Scoter was reported by Andy Knolla and

later seen seen by Mark Chavez, George Mayfield, and Ginny Bergstom.  On October 18 the Surf Scoter at Tabor Lake was seen by Dough Kibbe, Jeff Dawson, Bruce Snyder, and Meg Reck.  On October 18 the Surf scoter at Tabor Lake was seen by Karen Drozda, Lorraine Lanning, and Sarah Leavesley.  On October 20 at Tabor Lake, Mary Geder, Ira Sanders, Christy Payne, Cyndy Johnson, Candice Johnson, Bez Bezuidenhoot, and Jerry Baines reported Surf Scoter.  On October 21 at Tabor Lake Michelle Pupkava and many other birders reported Surf Scoter.

---On October 18 at Harriman Lake Park, Chuck Aid and Michael Kiessig reported American Bittern; Ginny Berstrom also saw it.  On October 20 at Harriman Lake Park, Frank Farrell reported American Bittern.

---On October 19 at Waterton Canyon from Waterton Road to overhead pipes, Tom WIlberding reported Black-throated Blue Warbler.

---On October 18 on Trailmark Retention Pond, Cynthia Madsen and Janet Shin reported Winter Wren.

KIOWA COUNTY:

---On October 20, Dan Stringer and Tom Whitten reported Tan Stripe White-throated Sparrow, Black-bellied Plover, and Pectoral Sandpiper at NeeNoshe Reservoir.

---On October 20 at Upper Queens, Dan Stringer and Tom Whitten reported Red-headed Woodpecker.

---On October 20 at Lower Queens, Dan Stringer and Tom Whitten reported 4 Black-bellied Plover, 7 Pectoral Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and 30 Sandhill Cranes.

---On October 21 at Neenoshe Reservoir, Joel Adams reported Black-bellied Plover, Pectoral Sandpiper, Laughing Gull and 2 Chestnut-collared Longspurs.

KIT CARSON COUNTY:

---On October 18 Glenn Walbek reported PURPLE FINCH and Le CONTE’s SPARROW somewhere in Kit Carson County.  He gave no details

Of his photos on Facebook.

LA PLATA COUNTY:

---On October 8 Jason St. Pierre reported 2 Slate-colored Fox Sparrows at Oxbow Park and Preserve.

---On October 15 Jason St Pierre reported Red Fox Sparrow in his front yard.  Birders are welcome to try for it at 3508 Earl St in Durango.

On October 16 Susan Allerton reported seeing the Red Fox Sparrow in the St. Pierre yard.  On October 18 Jason St Pierre reported that the

Red Fox Sparrow continues in his yard.  On October 19 Vic Zerbi reported Red Fox Sparrow and White-winged Doves in St. Pierre yard.

---On October 17 at Pastorius Reservoir, Ed Rumberger reported Clay-colored Sparrow.

---On October 18 at Animas River Trail Huck Finn Pond and Hatchery area, Ryan Votta reported Slate-colored Fox Sparrow.  On October 20, Ryan Votta reported Red Fox Sparrow at Animas River Trail Huck Finn Pond and Hatcher area.  On October 21, Ryan Votta reported both Slate-colored and Red Fox Sparrow at Animas River Trail Huck Finn Pond and Hatchery area.

---On October 21 on Colorado Trail Durango Trailhead to June Creek Bridge at 2.6 mi, Susan Allerton reported m Williamson’s Sapsucker.

LARIMER COUNTY:

---On October 13 at Timnath Reservoir, David Wade and Nick Komar reported 6 Cackling Geese.  On October 17 Nick Komar reported that the 6 Cackling Geese continue at Timnath Reservoir.  

---On October 14 at Soapstone Prairie NA, David Wade, Georgia Doyle, and Nick Komar reported Lapland Longspur.

---On October 18 at pond S of Wellinton on Clinton Avew, Lori Pivonka reported Cackling Goose.

---On October 18 in Rocky Mountain NP, Alexa Boyes reported American Three-toed Woodpecker.

LINCOLCN COUNTY:

---On October 21 at Hugo SWA, Norm Lewis reported Northern Shrike.

MESA COUNTY:

---On October 17 Ron Lambeth reported Surf Scoter at Colorado River SP Fruita Section.  On October 18 the Surfscoter at Colorado River SP Fruita Section was seen by Denise and Mark Vollmar, Mike Hendwood, Katey Buster, Rhonda Woodward, and Rodene Harwood.

---On October 21 at Snooks bottom Open Space, Wayne Baumgartner reported Golden-crowned Sparrow.

MOFFAT COUNTY:

---On October 18 at Loudy-Simpson Nature Trail, Jan Leonard reported Swamp Sparrow.

MONTROSE COUNTY:

---On October 16 at Silver Hawk Ranch, Coen Dexter and Brenda Wright reported f Williamson’s Sapsucker.

---On October 17 James Valimont reported Slate-colored Fox Sparrow at Black Canyon of Gunnison NP.  

---On October 17 SW of Hopkins Montrose Airport, Betty Fenton reported Sage Thrasher and 6 Sagebrush Sparrows.

---On October 18 S of Montrose E side of Hwy 550 on S side of Uncomphgre River immediately after Chipeta Road, Jon Horn reported Tundra Swan.

OTERO COUNTY:

---On October 16 at Holbrook Lake, Stan Oswald reported juv Sabine’s Gull.

PARK COUNTY:

---On October 20 at Lake George, David Elwonger and John Druder reported Swamp Sparrow.

---On October 21 at Wade Elk Lodge, Alec Oliver reported 3 Brown-capped Rosy-Finch.

PUEBLO COUNTY:

---On October 19 at Valco Ponds, Brandon Percival reported 2 White-throated Sparrows.

WELD COUNTY:

---On October 17 at Eaton Cemetery, Steve Mlodinow reported Brewer’s Sparrow.

---On October 17 at Stewart’s Pond, Steve Mlodinow reported Mute Swan and 5 Pectoral Sandpipers.

---On October 17 at Union Reservoir, Steve Mlodinow and David Dowell reported ARCTIC TERN and Luke and Tracy Pheneger reported Chestnut-collared Longspur.

On October 18 at Union Reservoir, Nick Moore reported ARCTIC TERN.

DFO Field Trip

The DFO Field Trip for Sunday, October 22 will be to Cherry Creek SP led by Mary Cay Burger (mcburger3 AT juno.com; 720-940-8394).  Meet at 0800 at Pelican Point.

Directions:   Enter east side of Cherry Creek SP via Lehigh off of Parker Road.  Go just past the entrance station and turn left (South) at the first intersection.  The road bends and heads west with the reservoir ahead of you.  Go about ¼ miles, just past the next intersection.  The parking for Pelican Point will be on your left.  State Parks pass or day pass required.  Will carpool from Pelican Point to various stops and walk 1-2 miles.  Bring binoculars, water, snacks , and sunscreen.  Scopes are useful.  Register online or contact leader.

The monthly meeting of Denver Field Ornithologists will be on Monday, October 23 at 7:30 pm in RIcketson Auditorium at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  Park on north side and enter the security/employee entrance.  Tell the guard that you are there for the DFO meeting.

Good Birding,

Joyce Takamine

Boulder