Tennessee Warbler at PERC, CSU, Fort Collins (Larimer), noon on 11/19

[DAVID A LEATHERMAN]

I had a TENNESSEE WARBLER briefly at noon today at the PERC gardens in the southwest corner of the Fort Collins CSU campus.  I was collecting and photographing aphids in the viburnum bush area west of the south end of the north-south sidewalk that goes thru the gardens.  The warbler flew past very low to the ground and landed at the base of a shrub.  Of course, I didn't have my binoculars out or my long lens handy.  I rushed over to get these items from my camera bag, finally tracked the bird down nearby and got two quick photos before it flew off to the north.  I looked for over an hour and never refound it.  It very well could be in the area.  Might be loosely associating with juncos.  It was always low (on the ground or within a foot of the ground).  Greenish glow to the entire upperparts, no contrast between head and back, long thin slightly decurved bill (longer, thinner and more decurved than Orange-crowned), pale undertail coverts, shortish tail, suggestion of pale supercillium, no wingbars, medium gray flight feather, no significant eyering.  I can share photos if anyone wants to see them.  This is my first clearly eastern warbler species of the entire autumn period.  Good luck to anyone attempting to refind this bird.

Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins

[David Wade]

Dave gave me a heads up  about the Tennessee Warbler today and I went see for myself. I prowled around the block-sized arboretum for more than an hour without much luck. With only a handful of common birds and a high flying Bald Eagle, I was ready to give it up but thought I should take one more pass through the shrubs and trees that still held leaves. That last pass payed off. I posted  a few pics on my ebird list. :http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S25912489

David Wade
Ft Collins, CO

[John Shenot]

I spent an hour and a half looking for the warbler this morning without success. Joe Mammoser was with me most of the time. I wouldn't discourage others from trying: it was fairly birdy with chickadees, juncos, bushtits, and an RC kinglet. It would have been easy to miss a lone warbler.

We flushed a bird from the ground that had the GISS of a shorebird. Smaller than a killdeer and bigger than a peep. Joe and I were Baffled by that, given that the property has no water. Woodcock? (Baseless speculation)

John Shenot
Fort Collins