Pacific Wren, CSR, El Paso CO, Tues.

[Steven Brown]

Hey COBirders,

Watching the weather, and getting ready to wrap up banding for the fall at Clear Spring Ranch. The past 10 days have been sparrow days - record numbers of Song Sparrows and Gambel’s White-crowned especially. Only one warbler in the last week, a single Orange-crowned Warbler. Not many of the expected Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and no American Tree Sparrows yet. Maybe this week still.  I try to sty open until 10/31, but we’ll see if the cold and/or wet allow that this year.

Since 8/1/23 I’ve caught 1600 birds, which sounds like a lot (it is) but the lowest total fall number here since 2019. Things were pretty dead for August, average in September, and as I said, record numbers of White-crowned Sparrows in October (like 150% of my best ever - now at 225 for the month, and 10 returns from previous years). Many of these are here to winter, and I usually catch several of them again in the spring before they leave. Chipping Sparrows mostly seem to have bypassed CSR this fall, along with Clay-colored, Brewer’s, Vesper, Savannah, and Lark Sparrows - (I only caught about 8 LASP this fall!)

Today’s specialty was a Pacific Wren banded. I had one also last fall, on 10/25! But this is a new one. This one had a rustier color, shorter bill, stubby tail, buffy throat and breast than would be expected from the more Eastern Winter Wren. Photo below.

Enjoy this great fall weather. Happy Migration, 

Steve Brown

Colo Spgs