Otero County (SE CO) birding 4/10

[Brandon]

Kara Carragher and I birded Otero County today.  Started down at Higbee Valley Road early, saw the usual nice things that live on that road, Black-throated, Field, Brewer's, and Rufous-crowned Sparrows.  Some lingering winter birds, Steller's and Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays, a Mountain Chickadee and Townsend's Solitaire.  Quite a few Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Eastern and Say's Phoebes, Canyon Towhwes, a few Rock and Canyon Wrens, a Greater Roadrunner, a Swainson's Hawk, an Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow-headed Blackbird and Brown-headed Cowbirds.  Today, was the first day of Wild Turkey hunting season, so quite a few hunters down there.  Saw a few other birders too.

Then Lake Holbrook near Rocky Ford (or actually now barely a pond, likely will be dry soon, if there isn't some water going in there), amazing numbers of Black-necked Stilts, American Avocets, both Yellowlegs, 5 Snowy Plovers, Long-biled Dowitchers, Wilson's Phalarope, Franklin's Gulls.

Then Horse Creek Reservoir (NE of Cheraw), where other birders were present.  We saw the continuing Dunlin (one breeding plumage and on non-breeding plumage) hanging out with a flock of Baird's Sandpipers, also Least Sandpipers.  Snowy Plovers and Black-necked Stilts were here too.  I hadn't been here in many years, since it was dry for a while, now it has a good amount of water and shorebirds.  The road out to Horse Creek Reservoir is several miles of dirt road, which if it rains the road will get muddy for sure, like pretty much every dirt road in SE Colorado.  

There's possible wet weather next week coming, Lake Holbrook could use some rain, so it won't dry up.  Usually the best shorebirding in SE Colorado is late April and early May.  

Good birding,

Brandon Percival
Pueblo West, CO