I am excited to report that the San Luis Valley has added a new bird to the list (pending CBRC approval). The 15 Chestnut-collared Longspurs I saw at Sanchez Reservoir were the first ever, and had never been reported in Righter and Andrews, Bailey and Niedrach, Kingery, Wickersham, eBird and my own records of 40 years.
This species was one I suspected should migrate through on occasion, since they winter in southern NM and Arizona. They were found on a very-much-overgrazed prairie on the east side of Sanchez Reservoir SWA, which has been heavily grazed by the hundreds of feral horses in that location. The sighting took place as I was headed fishing for the morning. Unfortunately, I had my junker camera and was able to get some blurred pics but enough to be diagnostic. If the ebird report is approved, you can check it out on the Sanchez Reservoir Hotspot.
John Rawinski
Monte Vista, CO