Colorado Springs' rarities update

[Paula Hansley]

CObirders,

 

Both Colorado Springs rarities were seen in their usual places by Peggy Gonder and myself today!  From about 11 am to noon, the sapsucker spent most of its time about 30' up in the middle Austrian pine in the cluster of three pines.  The trees are about 50 m back from Mirada road on the south side of the property at 13 Mirada Road.  Once, it flew to a deciduous tree with bare branches in the sun where we could get the best views.  The sapsucker would have been very difficult to find due to many branches high in the tree had we not seen it fly into the pine tree just after we and Diane French arrived.  Once, when a pygmy nuthatch ventured too close, the sapsucker pecked at the nuthatch with its long bill!  The bird was getting sap from deep cracks in the bark of the tree.

 

The thrush was in bushes where it was eating berries along Cheyenne Creek just upstream from a footbridge, by a picnic area, and near a parking lot across the highway from the Starsmore Nature Center.  Thanks to Gregg Goodrich and Ann T., who were looking at the thrush when we arrived, for showing us the bird within minutes of getting out of the car!

 

Paula Hansley

Louisville