Grandview Cemetery on May 11, 2020 (Fort Collins, Larimer)

[DAVID A LEATHERMAN]

Highlights today:

Gray skies, colorful assortment of birds, like I suspect everybody else had today.   Great day to try and study feeding behaviors because sustenance was a big priority for birds on this cold day.  Light was poor for photographing food aquisition, however.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (2 males, mostly in American Elms infested with European Elm Scales (although I did not confirm feeding).

                                    

Black-headed Grosbeak (4)

Lazuli Bunting (at least 6 in the area, mostly in the neighborhood between Grandview Ave and Frey Ave n of Mountain Ave) - all were in yards with feeders or flowering boxelder trees). 

Yellow Warbler (at least 5, mostly in flowering boxelder getting what I think were green fruitworms)

Bullock's Oriole (at least 4, mostly in boxelder eating flowers)

                                                                                    

                            Bullock's Oriole eating parts of boxelder flowers.  Photo taken 5/10 but same activities seen today.

Black-chinned Hummingbird (1f at feeder)

                                              

Cassin's Vireo (1 poorly seen briefly in State Champion Thornless Honeylocust in southeastern corner (Section 9)

Broad-tailed Hummingbird (at least 6, including 2 females) - they are getting a late start this year at GC but I think nest-building will be starting in earnest during the coming several days.  One female frequently visiting yellow flowers of caragana shrubs along the south boundary road of GC.  Haven't seen that before.

Western Tanager (at least 3, mostly in cotoneaster shrubs, probably eating flower buds per past history, although not confirmed today).

                                                             

 

Swainson's Thrush (2)

Still no water in the irrigation ditch.  I am told when it comes in depends on the water level of Poudre River.   More birds along the ditch when it has water, so I hope the gates open soon.

Osprey flyover

Total of 33 species (I had 40 the other day), which is good for a habitat with no water and challenged understory (i.e. mowed, groomed, dominated by plastic flowers).

Lowlight: having a homeowner who admits to having an outdoor cat tell me his cat doesn't kill very many birds, then argue with me that the three jays his cat (the one that doesn't kill birds) killed were not blue jays but rather scrub-jays because they weren't blue.  I'm serious.

Best highlight: hot bath

Dave Leatherman

Fort Collins

[Sharon Kay]

Very sad about the cat and stupid man.

[Adam Johnson]

That is sad about the cat owner.

I was in Lee Martinez Park on Sunday from about noon to 3pm and the river went from almost entirely rocks (to the point you couldn't see the water behind the bank I was standing on), to this (pictured), so hopefully there will be water soon: