Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 22 January 2017

[Joyce Takamine]

Compiler:  Joyce Takamine

e-mail:    RBA AT cobirds.org

Date:   January 22, 2017

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

BRANT (*Arapahoe)

Swan spec (Mesa)

Trumpeter Swan (Douglas, Moffat)

Tundra Swan (*Boulder, Larimer, *Delta)

White-winged Scoter (*Arapahoe)

Long-tailed Duck (Douglas,  Larimer)

Barrow's Goldeneye (Adams, Delta)

Red-necked Grebe (Boulder, Pueblo)

American Woodcock (Larimer)

Spotted Sandpiper (Arapahoe)

Greater Yellowlegs (Denver)

Bonaparte's Gull (Douglas, Pueblo)

Franklin's Gull (Larimer)

Mew Gull (*Arapahoe)

Thayer's Gull (*Arapahoe, Larimer)

ICELAND GULL (*Arapahoe)

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

GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL (*Araphaoe)

Glaucous Gull (*Arapahoe)

Great Black-backed Gull (*Arapahoe)

Double-crested Cormorant (Adams, *Arapahoe, *Douglas, Pueblo)

American White Pelican (Larimer)

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Prowers)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Prowers)

Red-naped Sapsucker (Boulder)

American Three-toed Woodpecker (Larimer, Park)

PACIFIC WREN (La Plata)

Winter Wren (Weld)

Carolina Wren (Prowers)

Hermit Thrush (Mesa)

Curve-billed Thrasher (El Paso)

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

Black Rosy-Finch (Park, Pitkin, Teller)

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

White-winged Crossbill (Boulder)

Lapland Longspur (Elbert, Kit Carson, Logan)

Lincoln's Sparrow (*Boulder)

Northern Cardinal (Prowers)

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 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 18 at Aurora Reservoir, Sue Riffe, Karen Drozda and Rebecca Laroche reported BRANT, 2 White-winged Scoters, 3 Thayer's Gulls, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and Glaucous Gull.  On January 19 at Aurora Reservoir, Norm Lewis and Mark Minner-Lee reported BRANT, White-winged Scoter, Mew Gull, 3 Thayer's Gulls, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and Glaucous Gull.  On January 21 at Aurora Reservoir, Glenn Walbek reported 6 Thayer's Gulls (3 ad, 3 1-st cyc),  12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (5 ad, 1 4th-cyc, 2 2nd-cyc, 4 1-st cyc), 1-st cyc GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, Glaucous Gull, and 1-st cyc Great Black-backed Gull.  On January 21 at Aurora Reservoir, Dale Adams, Glenn Walbek, and Dean Shoup reported BRANT, White-winged Scoter, Double-crested Cormorant, Mew Gull, 11 Thayer's Gulls, 2 ICELAND GULLS (1 ad, 1 1st-cyc), 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS (2 1-st cyc), 1 Glaucous Gull, and 2 Great Black-backed Gulls (1 ad, 1 1-st cyc).  

---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.

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 January 18 at Valmont Overlook, Jim Nachel reported Red-necked Grebe.

---On January 14 at Cottonwood Marsh, Joyce Takamine reported 3 Tundra Swans (2 ad, 1 juv).  On January 21, Minday Musick King reported 3 Tundra Swans at Cottonwood Marsh.

---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.

---On January 19 at Oligarchy Ditch Greenway, Bryan Guarente reported Lincoln's Sparrow.

DELTA COUNTY:

---On January 18 at Confluence Park in Delta, Jason Beason reported 1 m Barrow's Goldeneye.

---On January 21 at G50 Road, Jon Horn reported 6 Tundra Swans.

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 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 18, Matt Newport reported Trumpeter Swan and imm Bonaparte's Gull from High Line Canal Trail and Titan Road.  On January 19, Aaron Tucker reported Trumpeter Swan from High Line Canal Trail and Titan Road.

---On January 15 at Rueter-Hess Reservoir (restricted access), Tim Ryan reported Long-tailed Duck.  On January 19 at Rueter-Hess Reservoir (restricted access), Tim Ryan and  Diane Roberts reported Long-tailed Duck.  On January 21 at Rueter-Hess Reservoir (restricted access), Tim Ryan reported Double-crested Cormorant.

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.

KIT CARSON COUNTY:

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

LA PLATA COUNTY:

---On January 19, Ryan Votta and Jason St Pierre reported PACIFIC WREN on Animas River Trail/ Huck Finn Pond and Hatchery Area.

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.   On January 16, Georgia Doyle reported American Woodcock at Bobcat Ridge Natural Area.  On January 18, David Blue 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 19 at Rawhide Energy Station, Bryan Morrow reported 2 Tundra Swans.

---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 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.

PROWERS COUNTY:

---On January 18 at Lamar Community College Woods, Dave Leatherman reported Carolina Wren, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and 4 Northern Cardinals.

---On January 18 at Willow Valley Subdivision E of Willow Creek Park, Dave Leatherman reported 2 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.

PUEBLO COUNTY:

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

TELLER COUNTY:

---On January 20 in Victor, David Chartier reported all 3 species of Rosy-Finches.

WELD COUNTY:

---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 21, Gene Rutherford reported Rusty Blackbird on CR 4 where it crosses Box Elder Creek.

---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 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