Birds: Interesting and Returning

[Eli Boardman]

We've been watching a pair of loons on the ranch lake in Wyoming the past few days. They're most likely migrating through, although I've read that the loon is the rarest nesting bird in Wyoming. I might upload a picture tomorrow if I remember.

In March, there were a number of swans on a smaller lake a bit downstream. They seem to pass through every spring, spending a few weeks here before they continue to wherever it is they go. Canada geese come and go with the swans. The ospreys have also returned to the main lake and appear to be selecting this year's nesting site.

Finally, I've been seeing a dipper at the lake outlet/creek occasionally during the winter and spring. I've never seen one here before, and the dipper is one of my favorite birds, so it was a fun sighting.

[onebyone]

Is this a ferruginous or a red tail?

2nd pic is a burrowing owl

https://imgur.com/a/XIdFvg6

[Iguru]

Looks like a red tailed to me.

[greenonion]

Enjoying the thread. Thought I’d add this read, seems interesting, David Allen Sibley‘s latest on birds:

https://www.npr.org/2020/04/19/83704751 ... me-answers


greenonion: thanks for the shout out. Speaking of green onions... I’ve ordered some Walking Egyptian Onions, which will be arriving shortly; good variety for overwintering and they have the coolest bulblet atop long stems once established. Grew them on a farm in Southwest New Mexico and was mesmerized by their large size and abundance despite the hot desert days and 80mps winds cutting across the Mogollon Mountains’ eastern slopes.

Thanks for the Walking Egyptian Onion tip, SS. Will look into and keep an eye out for those. And thanks for Sibley's bird book nod too!

[Oman]

For the ultimate Colorado obsessive lister, there is the 14er - 400 Club -- people who have summited all 14ers and seen at least 400 species of birds in the state. So far only 11 people have done it.

It's a fantastic way to learn about Colorado -- the 14er path takes you throughout the mountains, but most birds are on the Eastern Plains, where there are some surprisingly cool spots. Instead of using Aspen, Buena Vista, and Lake City as base camps, you hang out in Two Buttes, Tamarack Ranch, Pawnee Grasslands -- and Browns Park (ruffed grouse), Rabbit Valley (Scott's oriole) and Wetmore (flammulated, saw-whet, spotted, and northern-pygmy owls). Birding is best during spring and fall migration, which leaves the summer open for 14ers.

The bird list is harder to finish than the 14ers -- the mountains are always there, but the birds aren't. Only about 290 species of birds are confirmed to nest in Colorado. To get to 400, you have to find and chase species that are 1. blown off course during migration (now!) or 2. afflicted with a weird case of Lynyrd Skynyrd wanderlust.

I'm at 321 Colorado species. It will take years and a lot of luck to get to 400.

Here's the list and more info:
https://cobirds.org/Listing/FourteenersFourHundred.aspx

[cougar]

[kimo]

It's a fantastic way to learn about Colorado -- the 14er path takes you throughout the mountains, but most birds are on the Eastern Plains, where there are some surprisingly cool spots. Instead of using Aspen, Buena Vista, and Lake City as base camps, you hang out in Two Buttes, Tamarack Ranch, Pawnee Grasslands -- and Browns Park (ruffed grouse), Rabbit Valley (Scott's oriole) and Wetmore (flammulated, saw-whet, spotted, and northern-pygmy owls). Birding is best during spring and fall migration, which leaves the summer open for 14ers.

I completely agree. My wife and I picked up birding after moving to Hawaii for a couple years. Now that we are back in Colorado we are keeping at it. We spent a whole day at Chico Basin Ranch during the last migration. That was amazing. We wanted to hit some hot spots on the plains this migration but we are playing it safe by staying home. Now we are turning our backyard into a bird haven and feeding station. We put up some nest boxes that our resident mountain chickadees have become very interested in. I hope they take advantage and nest.

Here's some recent visitors to our yard:

Northern Flicker.jpg (210.92 KiB) Viewed 2645 times

Black-capped Chickadee.jpg (160.7 KiB) Viewed 2645 times

Red-tailed Hawk.jpg (281.16 KiB) Viewed 2645 times

[rijaca]

Here's some recent visitors to our yard:

Northern Flicker.jpg

Black-capped Chickadee.jpg

Red-tailed Hawk.jpg

Thanks for sharing Kimo! Always nice to see your posts.

[CORed]

My family just reported their first hummingbird sighting of the season as well two days ago in the Buena Vista area! Most likely a broad-tailed hummer.

I saw a double-crested cormorant on a run last week in north Denver. Didn't realize we had cormorants in Colorado.

Double-crested cormorants are fairly common in the Denver Metro area at many of the lakes in parks. I used to see them frequently in Rocky Mountain Lake park (just off I-70 and Federal) when I lived near there.

[Wentzl]

KIMO. Excellent photos! Hope you keep them coming.

[onebyone]

Looks like a red tailed to me.

The eye looks different. Hmmmm

https://imgur.com/a/XIdFvg6

[DeTour]

For the ultimate Colorado obsessive lister, there is the 14er - 400 Club -- people who have summited all 14ers and seen at least 400 species of birds in the state. So far only 11 people have done it.

I'm at 321 Colorado species. It will take years and a lot of luck to get to 400.

I’ve been wanting to ask for years - which character in The Big Year are you?