Chico Basin Ranch Banding Station Report- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies-5/14/2025

[Chicobander]

Hasn't it been a beautiful day! A Bluebird day and no bluebirds or birds. We banded 2 nice bird species: Rose-breasted Grosbeak and an Ovenbird. There was not many birds around to get into the nets. I saw a Gray Catbird, House Finch, and the locals Northern House Wrens, Brown Thrasher, and Say's Phoebe. 

I checked the past week on Cornell's Birdcast website. There was literally no migration overnight into Colorado and not much migration anywhere within the U.S. in the last week. Hmmmm...

 In 2024, by this date we had banded 404 individuals. In 2023, we had banded 617 individuals. We are currently at 128 individuals banded. Now, you know weather and wind direction assists birds to migrate so, there is a real need to network with other banding research stations outside the Front range. 

Here you go folks( Quality not quantity): ( No birds is data- just not the data we prefer)

2 New Banded Birds

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Ovenbird

No Recaptures

The Banding station will be open tomorrow through Saturday from Sunrise until @11 AM.

Please stop by and share your sightings. The Cape May Warbler was reported at Rose Pond this morning. That is a good bird.

Please sign up at the Aiken Audubon website when wanting to bird Chico Basin Ranch (https://aikenaudubon.com)

All the Best,

Julie Shieldcastle

Chico Basin Ranch Bird Bander

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies

[John Rawinski]

I hear ya Julie. Just over the mountain to the west a paltry 900 birds migrated over Alamosa last night. There are no flycatchers, warblers and tanagers when I would expect them by now. Thanks for the update. 

And one other....I am seeing very FEW peeps. Shorebirds, in decline, are few and far between. 

John Rawinski

Monte Vista, CO