Curve Billed Thrasher Alamosa
Luke Pheneger
Hi all,
Yesterday Brian Genge and I had a Curve Billed Thrasher at Blanca Wetlands in Alamosa County. This individual represented the first record for the entirety of the San Luis Valley on Ebird. Much like the Crissal Thrashers, this sighting was only a matter of time as we continue to witness the northward expansion of desert species into new regions of our state.
The exact location of the bird was here: (37.5703595, -105.6839124)
https://ebird.org/checklist/S279201123
This comes on the heals of us coming across a Bushtit in Yuma County on September 27th which represented a first eBird record for the entirety of North East Colorado. Bushtits have been documented (irrupting?) in large numbers in SW Kansas in the past albeit sparsely, however, it will be intriguing to see if they infiltrate our eastern plains as they have our front range.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S275838787
On a seperate note, Smith Reservoir was full of shorebirds; however, water is being let back into the res currently which might eliminate habitat. Blanca Wetlands had respectable shorebird numbers as well
https://ebird.org/checklist/S279053803
Best
Luke Pheneger
