Colorado Rare Bird Alert, 9 April 2017

[Joyce Takamine]

Compiler:           Joyce Takamine

e-mail:                RBA AT cobirds.org

Date:                   April 9, 2017

This is the Rare Bird Alert for  Sunday,  April  9 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 and the order of families has changed.

Eurasian Wigeon (Adams,  *Weld)

Mallard (Mexican intergrade) (Larimer)

Trumpeter Swan (Archuletta, *Fremont, Routt)

Tundra Swan (Park)

Barrow’s Goldeneye (Chaffee, Delta, Gunnison, Routt)

Chukar (Arapahoe, Gunnison, Mesa)

Gunnison Sage-Grouse (Gunnison)

Dusky Grouse (Gunnison)

Sharp-tailed Grouse (*Logan, *Weld)

Greater Roadrunner (Adams, Morgan)

Mountain Plover (El Paso, *Lincoln, Weld)

Short-billed Dowitcher (*Weld)

Mew Gull (Larimer, Weld)

Thayer’s Gull (Larimer)

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larimer, Weld)

Great Black-backed Gull  (Larimer)

Red-throated Loon (Kiowa)

Neotropic Cormorant (Weld)

Acorn Woodpecker (Pueblo)

Williamson’s Sapsucker ( Gunnison, Pueblo)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (El Paso)

Ladder-backed Woodpecker (*El Paso)

American Three-toed Woodpecker (Park)

Black Phoebe (Boulder, Delta,  Mesa)

Eastern Phoebe (Adams,  *Douglas,  El Paso, * Jefferson, Pueblo)

Vermilion Flycatcher (Arapahoe)

Chihuahuan Raven (*Crowley)

Carolina Wren (Pueblo)

Bewick’s Wren  (Pueblo)

Curve-billed Thrasher (El  Paso, Pueblo)

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Summit)

Black Rosy-Finch (Summit)

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (Summit)

Lapland Longspur (Weld)

Chestnut-collared Longspur (El Paso, *Lncoln, Weld)

McCown’s Longspur (*Crowley, *Lincoln, Weld)

Sagebrush Sparrow (Costilla, Mesa)

Savannah Sparrow (El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Park, Pueblo)

Fox Sparrow (Gunnison)

Lincoln’s Sparrow (Gunnison, Park)

EASTERN MEADOWLARK (*Boulder)

ADAMS COUNTY:

---On April 2 at Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR, Bob Spencer reported Eastern Phoebe.

---On April 3 at Adams County Fishing Lakes at Henderson Road and Park Blvd, Kim Maurtiz reported 2 Eurasian Wigeon.

---On April 5 at Raptor Education Foundation, Anne Price reported Greater Roadrunner.

ARAPAHOE COUNTY:

---On April 1 a male Vermilion Flycatcher was seen by Larry Gurzick on Open Space along Tollgate Creek Canal near the intersection of Iliff and Rifle St.  The flycatcher was seen again on April 4 and April 6 by

Gurzick.  

---On April 6 at CR 157 and Prentice Place, Cheri Phillips reported 2 Chukar.  This would be a new county record if accepted.

ARCHULETA COUNTY:

---On April 6 at Pinon Lake Reservoir, Byron Greco reported Trumpeter Swan.

BOULDER COUNTY:

---On April 2 at Boulder Creek and 75th St, Chuck Hundertmark and several other birders reported Black Phoebe.  On April 3 at Boulder Creek and 75th St.  Gregg Goodrich, Anna Troth, and Roger Horn reported Black Phoebe.  On April 4 on  Boulder Creek near 75th, John Rutenbeck reported Black Phoebe.   On April 7, Susan Rosine reported Black Phoebe at Boulder Creek and 75th St.

---On April 7 at GreenLee Preserve in Lafayette,  Ted Floyd reported EASTERN MEADOWLARK.  On April 8 at Waneka Lake/Greenlee Preserve, Glenn Walbek reported Eastern Meadowlark.

CHAFFEE COUNTY:

---On April 2 at Buena Vista Ice Pond, Ruben and Victor Stoll and Christian Hagenlocher reported

16 Barrow’s Goldeneyes.  On April 4 at Buena Vista Ice Pond, Christian Hagenlocher reported 11 Barrow’s Goldeneyes.

COSTILLA COUNTY:

---On April 5 at Smith Reservoir, John Rawinski report 6+ Sagebrush Sparrows.

CROWLEY COUNTY:

---On April 8 at Lake Henry, Steve Mlodinow reported Chihuahuan Raven and 3 fly-over McCown’s Longspur.

DELTA COUNTY:

---On April 3 at Fruitgrowers Reservoir, Andrea Robinsong reported 14 Barrow’s Goldeneyes.

---On April 3 at Escalante Canyon from Gunnison River to Cap Smith Cabin, Jeff Kline et al reported 2 Black Phoebes.

DOUGLAS COUNTY:

---On April 2 near Kingfisher Bridge at Chatfield SP, Thomas Holub, Tim Ryan, and Tom and Debbie Behnfield reported Eastern Phoebe.  On April 3, upstream from Kingfisher Bridge at Chatfield, Mark Minner-Lee reported Eastern Phoebe.   On April 5 at Chatfield SP upstream of Kingfisher Bridge, Doug Kibbe reported 2 Eastern Phoebe.   On April 8 at Chatfield SP, Gavin Bieber reported 2 Eastern Phoebe nest building.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

EL PASO COUNTY: 

---On April 1 on Squirrel Creek Road just  NE of Ellicott Hwy, Linda Hodges reported 2 Mountain Plovers.

On April 2 on Squirrel Creek Road near Ellicott Hwy, Tim Leppek reported 2 Mountain Plovers.

---On April 3 at Cottonwood Creek in Colorado Springs, Christine Hubbell reported Eastern Phoebe.

---On April 3 at Cheyenne Mountain SP, Rod Schmidt reported Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

---On April 5 on Birdsall Road, Ann Reeves reported Curve-billed Thrasher.

---On April 7 on Birdsall Road, Scott Somershoe reported 2 Savannah Sparrows.

---On April 7 at Chico Basin Ranch (fee area), John Drummond reported Eastern Phoebe.

---On April 7 at Squirrel Creek Road and Ellicott Hwy, Scott Somershoe reported Chestnut-collared Longspur flyover.

---On April 7 on S Meridian Road from Hanover Road to Pueblo County Line, Scott Somershoe reported Curve-billed Thrasher.

---On April 8 on Birdsall Road, Chris Brobin reported Ladder-backed Woodpecker.

FREMONT COUNTY:

---On April 8, SeEtta Moss reported that a Trumpeter Swan was seen at the closed Holcim Wetlands but was flushed and flew to a flooded agricultural field in Florence.

GUNNISON COUNTY:

---On April 3 on Hwy 114 N of CR 43A, Ruben and Victor Stoll reported 2 Chukar.  This would be a new county record if accepted.

---On April 4 on CR 32 just south of Hwy 50, Jerry Pruett  and Jim Peterson reported Lincoln’s Sparrow and 2 Fox Sparrows.

---On April 5 at Black Canyon of Gunnison NP,  Craig Robson reported Fox Sparrow (Slate-colored).

---On April 6 at Blue Mesa Reservoir, eastern portion, Jordan Roderick and Dave Stejskal reported 3 Barrow’s Goldeneye.

---On April 6 at Waunita-Hot Springs Lek, Matt Goldowitz reported 12 Gunnison Sage-Grouse (8m, 4f).

---On April 7 at Black Canyon of Gunnison NP South Rim Campground, Dave Stejskal  reported 3 Dusky Grouse, f Williamson’s Sapsucker fly by and 3 Slate-colored Fox Sparrows.

JEFFERSON COUNTY:

---On April 2 at Chatfield Farms and Denver Botanic Gardens, Tom Wilberding reported Eastern Phobe.

---On April 5 at Robert A Easton Regional Park, Aaron Shipe reported Savannah Sparrow.

---On April 8 upstream from Kingfisher Bridge at Chatfield SP, Doug Shoffner, Heather and Riley Morris

reported Eastern Phoebe.

KIOWA COUNTY:

---On April 2 at Adobe Creek Reservoir (Blue Lake), David Dowell reported a worn 1-st year Red-throated Loon.

LARIMER COUNTY:

---On April 1 at Horseshoe Reservoir, Andy Bankert and David Wade reported  imm Great Black-backed Gull, 2 Thayer’s Gulls, and 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.  On April 1, Andy Bankert also reported Mallard (Mexican Intergrade) at Horseshoe Reservoir.  On April 2 at Horseshoe Reservoir, Christine and Richard Sparks reported 1-st winter Mew Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull.

---On April 3 at Wellington SWA Cobb Lake Unit, Mike McCloy, Nicole Teel, and Austin Hess reported Lesser Black-backed Gull and Savannah Sparrow.

LINCOLN COUNTY:

---On April 8 near Arriba on CR 43, Tom Johnson reported 2 Mountain Plover, 15 Chestnut-collared Longspur, and 200 McCown’s Longspur.

LOGAN COUNTY:

---On April 8 on CR 58 between CR 21 and CR 25, Bill Kaempfer reported a fly-over Sharp-tailed Grouse.

MESA COUNTY:

---On April 5 at Connected Lakes SP Blue Heron Section, Cary Atwood reported 2 Black Phoebes just below Redlands Powerplant outflow.

---On April 7 on State Line, Mike Henwood reported 6 Sagebrush Sparrows.

---On April 7 at Colorado National Monument, Ellen and Jerry Horak reported 2 Chukar.

MORGAN COUNTY:

---On April 5 Dave Hyde reported a Greater Roadrunner on Hwy 52 1 mile south of CR J.

PARK COUNTY:

---On April 3 at Lake George, David Suddjian reported Lincoln’s Sparrow along South Platte near Hwy 24.

---On April 3 at a Saline Pond on CR 59 near Mineral road (north of Spinney), David Suddjian reported 2 Tundra Swans (ad and imm).

---On April 3 on Kenosha Pass Pond, David Suddjian reported American Three-toed Woodpecker.

---On April 3 near Eleven Mile Reservoir, David Suddjian reported Savannah Sparrow.

PUEBLO COUNTY:

--On March 31 on Arkansas River Trail east of Pueblo Blvd, Glenn Walbek reported Winter Wren, Carolina Wren, and Bewick’s Wren.  On April 5 on Arkansas River Trail east of Pueblo Blvd, Maikel Wise reported Black Phoebe, Eastern Phoebe, and Carolina Wren.

---On April  2 on CR 601 or IL Road, Dave Stejskal  reported 4 Curve-billed Thrasher and Brewer’s Sparrow.

---On April 2 at Chico Basin Ranch, Ellen and Jerry Horal and Karyl Gabriel reported Curve-billed Thrasher.

---On April 4 at North Shore Marina of Pueblo Reservoir, Maikel Wise reported Savannah Sparrow.

---On April 7 at Pueblo Mountain Park, Scott Somershoe reported Acorn Woodpecker.

ROUTT COUNTY:

---On March 28 at Stagecoach Reservoir near Oak Creek, Tom Litteral reported imm Trumpeter Swan and 5 Barrow’s Goldeneyes.  On March 31, Tresa Moulton reported imm Trumpeter Swan at Stagecoach Reservoir.  On April 5, Matt Goldowitz reported Trumpeter Swan at Stagecoach Reservoir.

SAGUACHE COUNTY:

---On April 8 at Russell Lakes SWA, John Cobb reported Short-billed Dowitcher.

SUMMIT COUNTY:

---On April 6 in the Wildernest area Joan Baker and Richard Sayles reported all three species of Rosy-Finches.

WELD COUNTY:

---On April 7 at Murphy’s Pasture area, Simon Harvey reported 3 Chestnut-collared Longspurs and McCown’s Longspur.

---On April 4 at Firestone Gravel Pits, Steve Mlodinow reported Lesser Black-backed Gull and imm Neotropic Cormerant.

---On April 5 at Union Reservoir, Steve Mlodinow reported Mew Gull.

---On April 7 at Stewart’s Pond, Jason St. Pierre and Riley Morris reported Eurasian Wigeon.  On April 8 at Stewart’s Pond, Christine Alexander and many other birders reported Eurasian Wigeon.

---On April 7 at Pawnee National Grassland, Stephan Lorenz reported 2 Mountain Plover and 3 Chestnut-collared Longspurs and McCown’s Longspur.

---On April 8 at CR 134 between Cr 111 and 115 Bill Kaempfer reported 19 Sharp-tailed Grouse.

---On April 8 west of Behren Reservoir, Christine Alexander reported 2 Short-billed Dowitchers.

Denver Field Ornithologists Field Trips

The DFO Field Trip for Sunday, April 9 will be to Rueter-Hess Reservoir led by Mary Cay Burger (mcburger3 At juno.com; 720-940-8394).  This trip is full.

The DFO Field Trip for Sunday, April 9 will be to Cherry Creek SP Wetlands Loop led by Karen von Saltza (kvonsaltza AT yahoo.com; 303-941-4881).  Meet at 0800 at the Prairie Loop lot in Cherry Creek SP.   From either park entrance, follow Lake View Rd to the Prairie Loop that is located at the south rim of the reservoir.  State Parks pass or day pass required.

   This is a half day of walking that passes through most of the important habitats found in the park over a distance of about 3 miles.  Trails could be slippery or muddy, so dress accordingly.  Bring water and

Snacks; lunch is optional.  Beginning birders are welcome.  Register online or contact leader.

Good Birding,

Joyce Takamine

Boulder