Shorebirds Are In at Blanca Wetlands

[cou...@gojade.org]

Had a chance to observe birds at Blanca Wetlands yesterday. It seems the shorebird migration is happening, though not in numbers we have seen in previous years. Water levels in wetlands are high and extensive due to recent heavy rains. The area is open now, though you will have to walk to the best areas behind the closed gates (foot travel allowed). Best area is pond #16, which is described in my birders guide to the SLV Hotspots.

 

There were no less than 13 varieties of shorebirds and wading birds. Best were Long-billed Curlew, Baird’s, Least and Semi-palmated Sandpipers, 2 Black-bellied Plovers, Snowy Plover, and 6 Black-necked Stilts (All in Alamosa County). Other birds making a spectacle were two Peregrine Falcons, making sonic-boom level dives at frightened shorebirds. Get out there if you can...with a touch of fall in the air, it’s a great place to be.

 

John Rawinski

Monte Vista, CO