Logan/Sedgwick counties

[woodcr...@comcast.net]

Hi All,

Yesterday Glenn Walbek and I spent the day in Northeastern CO, primarily Logan and Sedgewick counties. The day started overcast and drizzly but as the day went on things dried out and visibility improved. This weather pattern produced a fallout the likes of which I haven't seen in Colorado in decades. It was reminiscent of being on the coast as every little patch of weeds had sparrows by the hundreds and every wooded area was full of warblers. We totaled 306 White-crowned Sparrows with hundreds going unidentified. At Tamarack Ranch SWA every stand of junipers was alive with Orange-crowned Warblers. We ended up with 102. Undoubtedly there were several hundred more as we only scratched the surface of the available habitat. We counted 22 Spotted Towhees in one sunflower patch and totaled 38 for the day. Rarities included a Male Hooded Warbler, Cassin's Vireo, a total of 4 Northern Parulas and a Piping Plover at Jumbo reservoir Sedgewick county side. Besides the previously mentioned species others that "broke the ebird filters" were 22 Lincolns sparrows, 15 Say's Phoebies, 12 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 35 Willets and 100 Eared Grebes. Other birds of note were a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Ovid, Harris's and White-throated Sparrows at Jumbo White-throated Sparrow and Gray Catbird at Tamarack Ranch. Another interesting note is that most of the observed Orange-crowned Warblers associated mostly with the juniper habitats while the large groups of Yellow-rumped Warblers were seen primarily in the cottonwood river bottom or around Jumbo. All in all an amazing day for overall numbers of birds!

Steve Larson 

 

Northglenn, CO