Colorado Birds - Colorado Field Ornithologists

Transcription

Vol. 47 No. 3 July 2013
Colorado Birds
The Colorado Field Ornithologists’ Quarterly
Ron Ryder Award: Steve Jones
Flight Song of Hammond’s Flycatcher
Canyon Wren Nest Locations
Colorado Field Ornithologists
PO Box 643, Boulder, Colorado 80306
www.cfobirds.org
Colorado Birds (USPS 0446-190) (ISSN 1094-0030) is published quarterly by the Colorado Field Ornithologists, P.O. Box 643, Boulder, CO 80306. Subscriptions are obtained
through annual membership dues. Nonprofit postage paid at Louisville, CO. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Colorado Birds, P.O. Box 643, Boulder, CO 80306.
Officers and Directors of Colorado Field Ornithologists: Dates indicate end of current
term. An asterisk indicates eligibility for re-election. Terms expire 5/31.
Officers: President: Bill Kaempfer, Boulder, 2014; president@cfobirds.org; Vice President: Christian Nunes, Boulder, 2015*; vicepresident@cfobirds.org; Secretary: Larry
Modesitt, Greenwood Village, 2015; secretary@cfobirds.org; Treasurer: Tom Wilberding, Boulder, 2015*; treasurer@cfobirds.org
Directors: Jim Beatty, Durango, 2014; Christy Carello, Golden, 2016*; Lisa Edwards,
Falcon, 2014*; Ted Floyd, Lafayette, 2014*; Mike Henwood, Grand Junction, 2015*;
Brenda Linfield, Boulder, 2016; Joe Roller, Denver, 2015.
Colorado Bird Records Committee: Dates indicate end of current term. An asterisk
indicates eligibility to serve another term. Terms expire 12/31.
Chair: Doug Faulkner, Arvada; cbrc@cfobirds.org
Secretary: Rachel Hopper, Fort Collins
Committee Members: John Drummond, Monument, 2013*; Bill Maynard, Colorado
Springs, 2013; Brandon Percival, Pueblo West, 2016*; Bill Schmoker, Longmont, 2013*;
David Silverman, Rye, 2014; Glenn Walbek, Castle Rock, 2015.
Colorado Birds Quarterly:
Editor: Nathan Pieplow, editor@cfobirds.org
Staff: Christian Nunes (Photo Editor), pajaroboy@hotmail.com; Hugh Kingery (Field
Notes Editor), ouzels8@aol.com; Tony Leukering (In the Scope Editor), GreatGrayOwl@aol.com; Ted Floyd (Conversations Editor), tfloyd@aba.org; Joel Such and Marcel
Such (News from the Field Editors), jbsuch@gmail.com, mpsuch@gmail.com
Annual Membership Dues (renewable quarterly): General $25; Youth (under 18)
$12; Institution $30. Membership dues entitle members to a subscription to Colorado
Birds, which is published quarterly. Back issues/extra copies may be ordered for $6.00.
Send requests for extra copies/back issues, change of address, and membership renewals
to CFO, P.O. Box 643, Boulder, CO 80306; make checks out to Colorado Field Ornithologists. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
COPYRIGHT © 2013 by Colorado Field Ornithologists. Reproduction of articles is permitted only
under consent from the publisher. Works by U.S. and Canadian governments are not copyrighted.
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Colorado Birds July 2013 Vol. 47 No. 3
The Colorado Field Ornithologists’ Quarterly Vol. 47 No. 3 July 2013
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE........................................ 156
Bill Kaempfer
CFO BOARD MEETING MINUTES.......................... 158
Larry Modesitt
CONVERSATIONS: CHRISTY CARELLO................. 162
Ted Floyd (Ed.)
RON RYDER AWARD RECIPIENT:
STEPHEN R. JONES............................................... 167
Bill Kaempfer
THE FLIGHT SONG
OF HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER............................. 169
Nathan Pieplow
FIELD NOTE: ATYPICAL CANYON WREN
NESTING LOCATIONS............................................ 175
Nat Warning and Lauryn Benedict
The 67TH REPORT OF THE CBRC.......................... 178
Doug Faulkner
NEWS FROM THE FIELD: WINTER 2012–2013..... 187
Marcel Such and Joel Such
Calliope
Hummingbird,
private residence, Douglas
County, 5 Aug
2012. Photo by
Glenn Walbek
THE HUNGRY BIRD:
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HURRICANE BIRDING.......... 209
Dave Leatherman
IN THE SCOPE: JUVENAL PLUMAGE.................... 215
Tony Leukering
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Halls of Montezuma
Bill Kaempfer
The CFO’s annual convention for 2013 is now history—and it
made history as well. For the first time in 51 conventions, we ventured to Cortez in Montezuma County, in the corner of the state
most distant from the metropolitan Front Range, where most of our
members live. Nevertheless, many of you were willing to make the
eight-hour trip for the great birds and fabulous scenery of the Four
Corners region. In fact, over one third of the CFO membership attended this year’s convention.
The reward was a lively weekend full of excellent birding as well as
renewed connections among CFO members. Once again we opened
the convention with a Thursday evening welcome picnic hosted by
the CFO. Last year in Trinidad, we experimented with a welcome
event and it proved wildly successful. It allows attendees to register
and make initial contact with each other. Did the new convention
name tags help? I have to confess that the welcome picnic also allows
those of us on the board to discharge many of the responsibilities that
we have in getting you organized for the next three days of activities.
Saturday featured the convention’s paper presentations—I’d like
to thank Nat Warning, Steve Jones, George San Miguel, and Rick
Harness for their efforts. Later that evening we ventured off to the local Elks club for our banquet, where Steve Jones was honored as this
year’s recipient of the CFO’s Ron Ryder Award (see page 167). Then
John Vanderpoel presented a lively and enjoyable recounting (or was
it a recanting?) of his 2011
Big Year with his program
“Full Chase Mode.” Included were pictures of
John in a previously unseen plumage.
But, of course, birds
are the main pursuit of
any CFO Conference, and
here we made more history. For what I believe is
the first time, we recorded
Lucy’s
Warbler—that
Collared Lizard, Hovenweep National Monument, highly localized breeder of
Montezuma County, 19 May 2013. Photo by southwest Colorado—on
Christian Nunes
official CFO convention
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field trips. By my count, more
than 60 attendees were able to
see some of the handful of Lucy’s that are on territory along
Yellowjacket Creek. A smaller
group was even more fortunate
to catch glimpses of a Painted
Redstart by Bauer Lake north
of Mancos. If accepted by the
CBRC, this would furnish only
the sixth record of the species
for the state and only the third Dusky Grouse, Madden Peak Road, La Plata
since 1974. At least one lucky County, 20 May 2013. Photo by Kay Niyo
birder was able to add both of
these warblers to her state list! The total species count for the entire convention was 184 species.
CFO Field Trip to NE Colorado
24-25 August 2013
The CFO is considering holding its 2014 annual convention in
Sterling in the late summer or early fall of next year. Find out what late
summer birding in northeast Colorado might be like on this overnight,
two-day trip. Join CFO President Bill Kaempfer for an early morning
departure from the Front Range to explore hot spots like Jackson State
Park, Prewitt Reservoir, and North Sterling State Park on Saturday.
We will stay overnight in Sterling on Saturday night, basing our operations at the Comfort Inn (although you could choose among a Super-8, Ramada, or Best Western, as all are very nearby). Sunday we
will continue east to Julesburg, Ovid, Jumbo Reservoir, and other spots
before a departure for home with an expected arrival at about 6:00 p.m.
Expect migratory shorebirds, including chances for Buff-breasted Sandpiper and American Golden-Plover; northeast Colorado breeding and
resident specialties like Upland Sandpiper, Great Crested Flycatcher,
Bell’s Vireo, and Northern Cardinal; and migratory songbirds including
flycatchers, vireos, warblers, and sparrows over the course of these two
full days of birding.
Contact Bill by email at president@cfobirds.org if you are interested
in participating. Please be willing to carpool for the trip and to participate in both days of birding.
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Before I sign off, I want
to give a huge acknowledgment of appreciation
for the efforts of Nathan
Pieplow. Due to the time
required by the field guide
he is writing, Nathan has
asked to step down as
editor of Colorado Birds
following this issue, after serving in this capacity since 2006. While the
CFO has a history of great
editors, Nathan’s sevenAncestral Puebloan ruins at Mesa Verde National year tenure has been the
Park, Montezuma County, 18 May 2013. Photo by journal’s longest, and he
Austin Hess
has clearly set a very high
standard.
By the way, you can check the CFO website at http://tinyurl.com/
kvgfhgd for an interesting chart displaying the history of the CFO
annual convention. If you can add anything that might fill in the
blanks (e.g., the dates of the 1971 convention in Woodland Park or
the name of the banquet speaker at the 1995 convention in Grand
Junction), please be in touch with me at president@cfobirds.org.
Bill Kaempfer, president@cfobirds.org
CFO BOARD MEETING MINUTES
13 April 2013
Baymont Inn
Cortez, CO
Larry Modesitt
The April quarterly meeting was called to order at 12:08 p.m. by
President Jim Beatty. Other officers present were Vice President Bill
Kaempfer, Secretary Larry Modesitt, and Treasurer Maggie Boswell.
Directors Lisa Edwards, Doug Faulkner, Brenda Linfield, Christian Nunes, Joe Roller, and Tom Wilberding were present. Nathan
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Pieplow was present by video call. Director Ted Floyd sent his regrets.
Director-elect Mike Henwood also was present.
Secretary’s Report—Larry Modesitt
Directors approved the minutes of
the 26 January 2013 board meeting.
Treasurer’s Report—Maggie Boswell
Maggie distributed the first quarter report, which as usual shows high
convention revenue without associated costs. Included was a comparison of the previous four convention
results. Convention income for 2013
will be typical, unlike the Trinidad
convention, which had high attendance and low expenses.
Cortez Convention Details—
Jim Beatty
1.Audiovisual
planning—Nathan Pieplow made arrangements for
normally expected requirements for
the two nights, and he will ensure any
special requirements will be covered.
2.Banquet—Jim Beatty discussed
plans in effect for the cafeteria-style
banquet.
3.
Thursday arrival picnic—
Maggie Boswell has made all the arrangements.
4.Breakfast and lunch policy—
Maggie Boswell stated that staff will
be hired for distributing meals. Trip
participants will bring their own beverages, as none will be supplied.
5.Speaker
information—Bill
Kaempfer stated that all is on schedule for John Vanderpoel’s keynote address.
6.Convention awards—Joe Roller announced that a Ron Ryder award
will be presented. A Landowner Ap
preciation Award was given to the
Woodlin Lions Club of Last Chance
and greatly appreciated. CFO members participated in a Habitat Restoration Day to plant many small trees
into the devastated Last Chance habitat.
7.Field trips—Bill Kaempfer. A
new feature is starting arrival trips
this year closer to the convention location.
8.Advertising and other convention publicity—Ted Floyd has been
issuing announcements to COBirds.
9.Paper Sessions & Team ID
Challenge—Nathan Pieplow stated
that four papers will be presented.
The Team ID Challenge format will
follow last year’s successful plan.
10. Name tags—Tom Wilberding bought and printed name tags for
all participants as a means of socializing better with people seen infrequently.
Colorado Bird Records Committee—Doug Faulkner
1.
Change in CBRC Bylaws.
Current bylaws prohibit committee
members from discussing a record
with other committee members before rendering an opinion, although
they are allowed to contact experts
individually. In special situations, the
committee would like expert opinions to be available to committee
members prior to first-round voting.
2.
Contract for programming
the CBRC website. Doug reviewed
proposals received by the deadline
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and distributed portions of a proposal
from Ann Johnson of AJEndeavors,
LLC. She had done similar work for
the Iowa and Missouri bird records
committees. Both committees accept, review, and archive records
in a manner similar to the CBRC.
Both Doug and the directors believe
she showed excellent insights in her
proposal. Doug reviewed the Iowa
and Missouri websites, which appear
to have features we require. Since
modules she wrote already have been
field-tested, cost is expected to be
less and quality high. Bill moved that
Doug Faulkner review the proposal
with Mark Peterson, check AJE references, contact users regarding contracts, and determine likely ongoing
maintenance costs. Brenda seconded,
and the motion succeeded. After this,
if Doug recommends proceeding, he
will send a proposal to CFO directors
for a vote. The board congratulated
Doug on this work.
CFO Website—Brenda Linfield
Brenda reported that improvements in the website continue to be
made.
Social Media Communications—
Christian Nunes
All is going well. There now are
240 people on Facebook. The board
appreciates the excellent posts from
Bill Maynard.
Convention planning for 2014—
Tom Wilberding
Tom reviewed recommendations
from the board for next year’s convention location. Additional input
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will be secured from CFO members,
and a decision will be made at the
August board meeting.
Additional Committee Reports
Colorado Birds—Nathan Pieplow
Nathan said all is going smoothly.
Publicity—Ted Floyd
No additional report beyond submissions to COBirds, Facebook, and blogs.
Membership—Lisa Edwards
Lisa distributed a summary of the
growth in membership from July of
2011 to January of 2013. Membership
varies during the year, but a year-to-year
comparison from January of 2012 shows
an increase of 20 members to 494.
Nominating—Joe Roller
The board decided upon a slate of
officers and directors to nominate for
the membership’s vote at the Annual
Meeting on 18 May.
Information for New Board
Members—Tom Wilberding
Tom suggested compiling information for new board members to
assist them in becoming productive
quickly. Bill and Larry will join Tom
to prepare files and references.
The next board meeting date is 10
August in Boulder.
President Beatty adjourned the
meeting at 3:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Larry Modesitt, Secretary
CFO ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES
18 May 2013
Elks Lodge
Cortez, CO
Larry Modesitt
President Jim Beatty welcomed 157 attendees to the Colorado
Field Ornithologists’ annual convention in Cortez, Colorado. Attendees were pleased to learn how Nat Warning utilized his CFO
grant to study territories of Rock and Canyon Wrens. Jim requested
feedback to improve future conventions. He recognized volunteers
and directors for their activities on behalf of CFO and its membership, including Nathan Pieplow for another excellent Team ID Challenge.
Jim also noted that membership is 450 and growing. The Colorado Bird Records Committee website is being re-designed in order
to make information readily accessible to all. Doug Faulkner expects
it to be operational by the end of August.
Both Jim Beatty and Maggie Boswell are term-limited, and Mike
Henwood and Christy Carello were selected as new directors. Bill
Kaempfer was elected President; Christian Nunes was elected VicePresident; Tom Wilberding was elected Treasurer; and Larry Modesitt
was re-elected as Secretary.
Three Colorado birders, Carolyn Gunn, Kim Potter, and Jason
Beason, received a CFO grant to buy geolocators to be placed on
Black Swifts breeding in Colorado. The Black Swift was the last
of 716 birds breeding in North America whose wintering area was
unknown. Their work revealed the swifts’ migratory path and a
wintering site in Brazil, a country without any Black Swift records.
Carolyn spoke of the U.S. Forest Service 2013 award, Wings Across
the Americas, that the group received for their discovery. Carolyn
thanked CFO and many others for assistance.
Larry Modesitt described a CFO Landowner Appreciation Award
that was graciously received by the Woodlin Lions Club and other
residents of Last Chance, Colorado. Board Member Joe Roller headed up workgroups and fundraising to restore the Last Chance birders’
hotspot that was totally consumed by a prairie fire last summer.
Bill Kaempfer asked Maggie Boswell to come forward to present
the results of “Pass the Hat” for future grants and scholarships. In addition to announcing a record $1,050 received, Bill presented Maggie with a Distinguished Service Award. Maggie’s eight years on the
board were indeed distinguished, as Bill noted that whenever a difficult question came up, the next question started with, “Maggie…?”
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Bill Kaempfer then introduced Steve Jones as the winner of the
Ron Ryder Award. The award, not necessarily given annually, is given for distinguished service to CFO, scholarly contributions to Colorado field ornithology, and for sharing knowledge of birds with the
people of Colorado. Bill noted that Steve is an outstanding teacher
and scholar, and one of the best naturalists in Colorado. He has written books on birds, the natural world, and especially grasslands, a precious but dwindling resource. His leadership in the Boulder County
Nature Society and Boulder Audubon culminated this year in over
400 students interning out in the field. Steve also was the inspiration
for the first of many “Hungry Birder” articles.
John Vanderpoel, our keynote speaker, presented a fascinating
and humorous account, “Full Chase Mode,” of his Big Year, in which
he recorded the second-highest annual tally ever of ABA birds. John
did this without going to the former birder’s Mecca, Attu Island, the
easternmost island in the Aleutians. “For a Big Year,” John stated,
“you need to visit often the Big 5—Florida, Alaska, Arizona, California, and Texas.” We were pleased to hear him say, “Colorado is #6,
with a total of 16 species best seen here.” Just hearing about some of
John’s other adventures—25 pelagic trips—threatened to make some
landlubbers seasick.
Successful Sunday and Monday field trips concluded the convention.
Respectfully submitted,
Larry Modesitt, Secretary
CONVERSATIONS
A Conversation with Christy Carello
Ed. Ted Floyd
Christy Carello was elected to the Board of Directors of Colorado
Field Ornithologists at the May 2013 convention in Cortez. Carello
received her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and
is Professor of Biology at Metro State University. She has taught ornithology to hundreds of students, and she maintains an active birdthemed research program here in Colorado. In this conversation,
Carello tells us about one of the hardest courses at Metro State, up162
dates us on her research in
Summit County, explains
why Eurasian CollaredDoves are so cool, and reflects on her time a while
back in Boulder County.
Colorado Birds: Tell
us about your ornithology courses at Metro State
University. What are your
students like? What sorts
of careers do they go on to
have?
Christy Carello: I
teach two courses on ornithology. One is offered
during the spring semester
and is a senior level course
with the simple title of
Ornithology. The other
course is called Field Ornithology.
I’m pleased that some
students say Ornithology Christy Carello
is the most academically
demanding course they have taken. The course is broken into four
main subjects: evolution, anatomy and physiology, behavior, and
conservation. The lecture portion of the course meets twice a week.
The course has a lab once a week where students learn the details
of anatomy and physiology and the specific adaptations for flight
through the study of feathers, skeletons, and dissections. I also use
lab time to travel to a few select locations for direct observations of
birds in the field.
In the summer, I teach an intensive, five-day Field Ornithology
course. I have taught this course mainly using Great Sand Dunes National Park, Alamosa County, as a base. Last year, however, I taught
the course in Trinidad, Las Animas County, and used some of the
field trip locations from the 2012 CFO convention. In Field Ornithology we camp together in a large group campsite at the national
park and we bird from sunrise to sunset. I start each morning with a
listening exercise. On the first day, most students can identify only
one or two species by ear, but by the fifth day they are identifying all
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the birds that are calling or singing. After each long day of birding,
we have a group camp meal and then discuss a paper from the scientific literature. We follow our academic discussion with a little avian
trivia. The students are usually sleeping by nine, and then we do it
all again the next day.
I love my Metro students! They have very diverse backgrounds.
Some are “traditional” college students, but many already have a
degree in another field or have already had a career or raised kids
and are pursuing their real interests. Students sign up for Ornithology mainly because they have an interest in birds or are pursuing a
career in natural resources. Of course, some students end up in the
course because it works with their schedule, or the course they really
wanted to take was full. That group is interestingly unpredictable:
Some never complete the course, whereas others are “converts”
who are blown away by the diversity and complexity of behaviors
in birds.
About 250 students have taken Ornithology and Field Ornithology. Many have gone on to earn advanced degrees and/or to work for
nonprofit conservation organizations and government agencies.
CB: Tell us about your research in Breckenridge, Summit County.
CC: I have been conducting conservation monitoring in Breckenridge for the past 10 years. My research is focused on a small but
ecologically valuable parcel of land called Cucumber Gulch. It’s a
wetland complex with willows, standing water, mixed conifer woods,
and small fens. This diversity of natural resources in so small a location results in an area of high conservation value. The wetland
complex has been recognized by the Army Corp of Engineers and the
Environmental Protection Agency as an important area for native
species.
The thrust of my study is on how human activities and development affect both plants and animals. The wetland complex is a crosscountry ski area in the winter and a popular hiking and mountain
biking area in the summer. It is also surrounded on three sides by
development. On the south side you have the Town of Breckenridge,
on the west side there are condominiums and large houses, and on
the north and northwest side you have the heavily visited ski slopes.
In addition, a gondola was installed in 2006. It travels over the wetland complex and bisects the mixed conifer habitat.
All of this human activity and development has changed the hydrology of the system and has affected the composition of the natural
community, especially the wetland-dependent plants and birds. One
of the most striking changes I have observed is a dramatic increase in
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the number of Brown-headed Cowbirds. Cowbirds capitalize on forest edges to find host nests, and all of the development has resulted
in more forest edge and thus more cowbirds.
I have also conducted research on how summer operation of the
gondola impacts birds. I have found that avian abundance decreases
along the gondola corridor. Of all the species I observed, Wilson’s
Warblers declined the most. Fortunately, this disturbance was limited
to within 200 meters (about 650 feet) of the gondola corridor, so that
means the impact is very local.
CB: You were recently elected to the board of CFO. What ideas
and perspectives do you bring to the organization?
CC: I’d like to try to bring more awareness of CFO to the collegeage population. I brought a couple students to the meeting in Trinidad, and both students really enjoyed the experience and said they
would attend another meeting if the dates worked with their busy
lives. I feel that my position as a biology professor gives me the opportunity to recruit new members to the organization. I would also like
to bring more awareness of CFO and the journal to my professional
colleagues who study birds in Colorado, and encourage them to speak
at our meetings and submit their findings to Colorado Birds.
CB: You’ve recently initiated a research project on one of the
most fascinating birds in Colorado. What are you looking at, and
how can birders help?
CC: Eurasian Collared-Doves are extraordinary for their ability
to adapt to new locations with different climates and food resources.
This non-native dove has spread from central Florida to southeastern
Alaska in less than 30 years. We really do not understand how this
invasion affects native species. In some regions, the collared-dove
has become the most abundant dove, yet we do not yet know whether and how this bird limits native species.
My students and I are starting a project to determine if there is
competition between collared-doves and native Mourning Doves for
nest and food resources. An interesting aspect of this study is that we
are partnering with hunters, who will provide us with the crops of
doves so that we can determine how much overlap there is in their
feeding preferences.
CFO members can help! Support our research through Nest
Watch. You can get involved by signing up for an account online
<nestwatch.org/nw/join/MetroUDoves>. Your observations will
allow us to begin to understand the basic reproductive patterns of
collared-doves in the state.
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CB: You used to live in Boulder County. Tell us about that.
CC: I received both my masters and doctoral degrees from the
University of Colorado at Boulder. Birds were the focus of both degrees.
My masters work looked at how the location of a Red-winged
Blackbird’s nest influences the likelihood of cowbird parasitism.
Among other things, I found that when red-wings nest near Common Grackles, they are less likely to suffer from cowbird parasitism.
Another aspect of my masters work led me to study the metabolism
of cowbird and red-wing embryos; I was interested in knowing if cowbird embryonic metabolism is faster. It turned out that it isn’t, and
that cowbirds’ embryonic development is consistent with egg size.
My doctoral research focused on locomotion in mammals and
birds. I investigated the energetic efficiency of running on inclines
and different surfaces such as sand. This was a fun project as I ran
both birds and mammals on a treadmill. Birds—the Mountain Quail,
for example—were extremely cooperative. But Siberian hamsters
were more of a challenge; they just rolled up into a ball and refused
to run. I found that there is no difference in the energetic efficiency
of running in four-legged mammals vs. bipedal birds when you account for body mass, but that overall size makes a huge difference in
efficiency. Efficiency in running increases with body mass up to about
one kilogram (about 2.2 pounds). Above that mass, efficiency of locomotion is about the same. The reason for this increase in efficiency
likely is a result of how much birds and mammals can use their tendons and muscles as springs during running. We all get a bounce from
our tendons and muscles when we run and that is essentially free
work. However, small birds and mammals just do not have enough
mass to really bend those tendons and muscles to push them forward.
One thing I didn’t study is the really small birds that hop. This is an
area of study that has largely been ignored and I think would be an
interesting area to explore.
I have so many questions about birds that I will need another lifetime to even begin to address all my questions!
Ed. Ted Floyd, 2009 South Fork Drive, Lafayette, CO 80026, tfloyd@aba.org
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CFO AWARDS
Ron Ryder Award Recipient:
Stephen Jones
Bill Kaempfer
At its annual convention in Cortez this year, the CFO was pleased
to name Stephen R. Jones of Boulder as the 13th recipient of the Ronald A. Ryder Award for distinguished service to Colorado field ornithology. The Ryder Award, the highest honor of the CFO, is awarded
to individuals for distinguished service to the Colorado Field Ornithologists’ organization and its goals; for scholarly contributions to
the Colorado Field Ornithologists and to Colorado field ornithology;
and for sharing knowledge of Colorado field ornithology with the
people of the state of Colorado. Steve, one of the foremost naturalists ever to have worked in Colorado, is eminently distinguished in
all of these areas.
Steve has been a CFO member for many years and a frequent
presenter in paper sessions at our annual conferences. Our goals at
CFO, of being devoted to the study, conservation, and enjoyment
of Colorado’s birds, are Steve’s
goals—except that his interests
and activities encompass far
more than birds and extend well
beyond Colorado, of course!
On his scholarly record,
Steve’s accomplishments are
reflected by his lengthy CV.
Among his many books are The
Last Prairie: A Sandhills Journal;
Colorado Nature Almanac: A
Month-By-Month Guide to Wildlife and Wild Places; The North
American Prairie (part of the Peterson Field Guide series); Wild
Boulder County: A Seasonal Guide
to the Natural World; Butterflies of
the Colorado Front Range; Boulder
County Nature Almanac (based
on broadcast audio downloads);
Owls of Boulder County; and The
Shortgrass Prairie. He also served
as a regional coordinator for the Steve Jones
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Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas II and he has led numerous research
projects, classes, field studies, and outings for many Colorado nature
organizations. The number of people who have been introduced to
the enjoyment of nature in Colorado by Steve must be in the thousands, if not tens of thousands.
Perhaps as impressive as any of these contributions, however, has
been Steve’s active work in getting young people to engage with the
natural world of Colorado. Through his efforts over the years as president of both the Boulder County Nature Association and the Boulder County Audubon Society, Steve (a former teacher) has personally developed several programs aimed at getting teens involved with
nature, such as BCA’s Teen Naturalists, a group that in the past year
had several hundred participants not simply attending programs but
involved and active in projects.
For all of these accomplishments, the CFO is delighted to present
the 2013 Ron Ryder Award to Steve Jones.
Bill Kaempfer, president@cfobirds.org
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VOCALIZATIONS
The Flight Song
of Hammond’s Flycatcher
Nathan Pieplow
Abstract
On 10 June 2011, in Rist Canyon, Larimer County, Colorado, I
made an audio recording of the flight song of Hammond’s Flycatcher
(Empidonax hammondii), a rarely heard vocalization that has been described, but never before audio recorded to my knowledge. This account publishes the first known spectrogram of this vocalization type.
The structure of the flight song is very similar to that of the closely
related Dusky Flycatcher (E. oberholseri). A comparison of the flight
songs suggests that the “chu-lup” phrase of Hammond’s may be homologous to the “prllit” phrase of Dusky (sensu Sedgwick 1975), and
that Hammond’s may altogether lack a bipeaked vocalization (sensu
Smith 1970). Additional recordings of these and other Empidonax
flight songs are necessary to confirm these conclusions and shed additional light on the evolution of vocalizations in the genus.
Introduction
North American flycatchers tend to have well-developed vocal
repertoires. These repertoires typically consist of several different
discrete vocal elements (what we might call the “vocabulary”) and a
set of rules for how those vocal elements are deployed in relation to
one another (the “syntax”). Both the vocabulary and the syntax are
apparently controlled entirely by genetics, without any significant
learned component (e.g., Kroodsma 1985).
Some North American flycatchers have been reported to have a
unique mode of singing that is used solely by males during flight displays. These complex “flight songs” are rarely performed, and even
more rarely audio recorded. Most older sources contend that flight
songs are given most often at dusk during the breeding season, but
at least one recent study (Pereyra & Morton 2010) suggests that it
may be the presence of small raptors rather than time of day that best
predicts the occurrence of flight songs.
In the genus Empidonax, flight songs have been reported in Acadian Flycatcher (Mumford 1964), Willow Flycatcher (McCabe 1951),
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Allen 1903, Gross & Lowther 2011),
Least Flycatcher (e.g., MacQueen 1950, Davis 1959), Gray Flycatcher (Johnson 1963), Dusky Flycatcher (Johnson 1963, Pereyra &
Morton 2010), and Hammond’s Flycatcher (Davis 1954). Of these,
169
as far as I am aware, audio recordings exist only for Dusky Flycatcher
(Pereyra & Morton 2010), Willow Flycatcher (Macaulay Library
catalog numbers 42354, 84840, 84843, and 140072), Acadian Flycatcher (Hershberger 2012), and Least Flycatcher (Ian Cruickshank,
pers. comm.).
The sole published description of an apparent flight song of Hammond’s Flycatcher comes from Davis (1954):
On several evenings birds have been seen on a tree-top singing a
miscellaneous assortment of notes including some male position calls.
The bird may fly ten feet into the air and tumble back into the trees.
This description is broadly consistent with the characteristics of
flight songs in related species, but it is quite vague. Despite spending
much time with the species in the field, Sedgwick (1975) did not
hear any flight songs from Hammond’s Flycatchers.
Details of observation
On 10 June 2011, I stopped to record bird sounds along a stretch
of upper Rist Canyon Road in Larimer County, Colorado, at an approximate latitude and longitude of 40.637876, -105.316248 and an
approximate elevation of 7400 feet (2255 meters). The habitat was
mixed coniferous forest dominated by Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa). There was a significant
component of aspen (Populus tremuloides) and deciduous shrubs along
the bottom of the drainage that paralleled the south side of the road.
At 7:31 AM, I began recording a White-breasted Nuthatch in a
pine on the north side of the road. Shortly after I began recording, I
heard an odd repeated vocalization from behind me. It took me a few
seconds to realize that I was hearing the flight song of an Empidonax flycatcher and swing my parabolic microphone around towards the sound.
Because my recorder was already running, the majority of the performance is audible on the recording, but it is very faint until the final four
seconds (Fig. 1), when my microphone was finally pointed at the sound
source. Sounds were recorded on a Fostex FR2-LE digital recorder with
a Telinga Pro 6 stereo DAT microphone in a 22 inch parabola.
During the performance, I was able to see that the singing bird
was flying in a large circle high above the forest, at least 50 meters
above the ground, and approximately 75 meters from me. I was not
able to see any specific field marks other than a general size and shape
consistent with an Empidonax flycatcher, but I was able to identify
the bird by its vocalizations. I did not observe any potential predators
in the area.
170
10
kHz
sec
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
Fig. 1. Final four seconds of the flight song of Hammond’s Flycatcher, Rist Canyon,
Larimer County, Colorado, 10 June 2011. The song consists of series of “pip” calls
interspersed with “chu-lup” song phrases (here, at 1.5 and 4.0 sec). Note also the
“pip-whit” combination at 2.5 seconds. The entire performance lasted at least 12
seconds. Recording by Nathan Pieplow
10
kHz
sec
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
Fig. 2. Four seconds of the flight song of Dusky Flycatcher, Steamboat Mountain, 25
km NE of Atlin, British Columbia, 1 June 2000. The song consists of series of “whit”
calls interspersed with “tsip-it” song phrases (here, at 1.5 and 4.0 sec). The second
“tsip-it” phrase is followed by a “cheep” that corresponds to the Bipeaked Vocalization of Smith (1969, 1970). The entire performance lasted at least 12 seconds. Both
spectrograms created in Raven Pro 1.5 and cleaned of background sounds using the
GIMP graphics editor 2.8.2. Recording by Maria Pereyra
Description of the flight song
The flight song consisted of several consecutive repetitions of a
fairly simple pattern: 5-6 “pip” notes followed by a two-note phrase.
The final two examples of this pattern are shown in Fig. 1. Because
the early part of the performance on my recording is faint and domi
171
nated by other bird sounds, it is difficult to say exactly when the flight
song began, but it is clear that it lasted at least 12 seconds and included at least 5 consecutive renditions of this pattern. Faint tracings
before those 12 seconds suggest that the first instance of the pattern
may have begun with a much longer series of “pip” notes, perhaps as
many as 15 or more before the first two-note phrase. It is possible that
the flight song performance began before I turned on the recorder, 17
seconds prior to the end of the flight song.
The elements of the flight song appear to be primarily vocalizations that Hammond’s Flycatcher also gives in other contexts. The
“pip” note appears to match the most common call of the species,
called the alarm call by Sedgwick (1975) and referred to as the “male
position note” in Davis’s (1954) description of the flight song. The
two-note phrase (Fig. 1, at 1.5 and 4.0 sec) matches an element of
the species’ advertising song, the phrase that Sedgwick (1975) labeled “H-3” and transcribed as “chu-lup”. Approximately 1.5 seconds
before the end of the song (Fig. 4, 2.5 sec), there appears a single
upslurred “whit” element immediately after a “pip”. Faint tracings
suggest that this “pip-whit” combination, or something similar to it,
may have occurred once or twice earlier in the flight song, always
separated from the nearest “chu-lup” by two or more “pip” notes. The
“whit” element is intriguing, as it does not appear to match published
spectrograms of other elements in the species’ vocal repertoire. Instead, it strongly resembles certain renditions of the “whit” call of
Dusky Flycatcher (Sedgwick 1975, Fig. 10, 1.0 sec). It also resembles
the initial portion of what Sedgwick termed the “g-lerr” call of Hammond’s Flycatcher (Sedgwick 1975, Fig. 14), but as far as I can determine, this “whit” element is not known to be given by Hammond’s
Flycatcher in isolation.
Comparison with Dusky Flycatcher flight song
A recording by Maria Pereyra of the flight song of Dusky Flycatcher (Fig 2; Pereyra & Morton 2010) demonstrates the similarity in
structure between the flight songs of these species, which are closely
related (Johnson and Cicero 2002). In both species, the flight song
is composed primarily of the call which was identified by Sedgwick
(1975) as the alarm call – “pip” in Hammond’s and “whit” in Dusky.
These may be territorial signals, at the lower end of a gradient of
intensity, as Stein (1963) hypothesized for Willow and Alder Flycatchers. In both species, the string of calls is punctuated at nearly
identical intervals by one of the three phrases from the advertising
song. In Dusky, the phrase is the one labeled by Sedgwick (1975) as
“O-1” and transliterated as “prllit.”
172
A few differences between these recordings stand out. The “pipwhit” combination that appears in the Hammond’s flight song has
no apparent equivalent in this recording of the Dusky’s flight song.
Conversely, the Dusky recording includes an extra phrase immediately following the second “prllit” that has no equivalent in the
Hammond’s recording. This phrase matches the one described by
Sedgwick (1975) as the “chase note” and transliterated as “whee-o.”
Given its double-peaked appearance and its use in aggressive interactions, it appears to belong to the general class of flycatcher vocalizations named the “bipeaked vocalizations” by Smith (e.g., 1969,
1970). In Eastern Phoebe, the bipeaked vocalization is a prominent
part of the flight display (Smith 1969).
Discussion
The side-by-side comparison of Hammond’s and Dusky Flycatcher
flight songs allows for inferences about homologies between elements of the two species’ vocal repertoires. It appears possible that
the Hammond’s “chu-lup” and Dusky’s “prllit” may be homologous,
given their apparently corresponding roles in the species’ flight songs.
Furthermore, in both species these are also the elements of song that
are given by themselves, in the absence of other song phrases, by
males after the start of incubation, generally from late June onwards
(Sedgwick 1975). However, they are not necessarily the song elements that most closely resemble one another, and a tentative homology of Dusky and Hammond’s Flycatcher song phrases based on a
recording of an apparent hybrid between the two species (Arch McCallum, unpubl.) suggests that the “prllit” and “chu-lup” may not be
homologous. Moreover, they are deployed in the advertising song in
different ways, such that informally, the “prllit” tends to be identified
as the “first” phrase of the Dusky’s song, while the “chu-lup” tends
to be identified as the “third” phrase of the Hammond’s song (e.g.,
Sedgwick 1975).
It seems highly likely that the “whee-o” of Dusky represents a bipeaked vocalization, given its similarity to the bipeaked vocalization
of Eastern Phoebe, its use in aggressive chases, and its use in the flight
song. It may not be surprising that the flight song of Hammond’s
should lack such a component, because Sedgwick (1975) was unable
to identify a “chase note” in Hammond’s Flycatcher, and a search of
the Macaulay Library’s archive and of the author’s own recordings
has failed to turn up a similar sound (pers. obs.). It is possible that
Hammond’s lacks a bipeaked vocalization altogether, in which case
it likely lost it at some point after the species’ divergence from its
common ancestor with Dusky.
173
It is important to remember that as of this writing, the flight songs
of Dusky and Hammond’s Flycatchers are represented by a single recording each. The low sample size likely hides variation in the structure of these songs, and more recordings are necessary to confirm the
preliminary findings reported here. It may be even more important
to pursue recordings of flight songs in other species of Empidonax,
as they have the potential to shed further light on homologies of
vocabulary and syntax in the genus.
Acknowledgments
I greatly appreciate the assistance of Maria Pereyra, who provided the
audio recording of the Dusky Flycatcher flight song for analysis. Arch McCallum provided a technical review of the paper.
Literature Cited
Allen, G.M. 1903. A list of the birds of New Hampshire. Proceedings of the
Manchester Institute of Arts and Sciences 4: 23-222.
Davis, D.E. 1954. The breeding biology of Hammond’s Flycatcher. Auk 71:
164-171.
Davis, D.E. 1959. Observations on territorial behavior of Least Flycatchers.
Wilson Bulletin 71(1): 73-85.
Gross, D.A., & P.E. Lowther. 2011. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris). The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Hershberger, W. 2012. The amazing Acadian Flycatcher. The Miracle of Nature
[website]. <http://miracleofnature.org/the-amazing-acadian-flycatcher/>.
Johnson, N.K. 1963. Biosystematics of sibling species of flycatchers in the Empidonax hammondii-oberholseri-wrightii complex. University of California
Publications in Zoology 66: 79-238.
Johnson, N.K., and C. Cicero. 2002. The role of ecologic diversification in sibling speciation of Empidonax flycatchers (Tyrannidae): multigene evidence
from mtDNA. Molecular Ecology 11: 2065 – 2081.
Kroodsma, D.E. 1985. Development and use of two song forms by the Eastern
Phoebe. Wilson Bulletin 97: 21-29.
MacQueen, P.M. 1950. Territory and song in the Least Flycatcher. Wilson Bulletin 62(4): 194-205.
McCabe, R.A. 1951. The song and song-flight of the Alder Flycatcher. Wilson
Bulletin 63(2): 89-98.
Pereyra, M.E., & M.L. Morton. 2010. Flight songs of Dusky Flycatchers: a response to bird-hunting raptors? Journal of Field Ornithology 81(1): 42-48.
Sedgwick, J.A. 1975. A comparative study of the breeding biology of Hammond’s (Empidonax hammondii) and Dusky (Empidonax oberholseri) Flycatchers. Master’s thesis. University of Montana, Missoula, MT.
Smith, W.J. 1969. Displays of Sayornis phoebe (Aves, Tyrannidae). Behaviour
33: 283322.
Smith, W.J. 1970. Displays and message assortment in Sayornis species. Behaviour 37: 85112.
174
Stein, R.C. 1963. Isolating mechanisms between populations of Traill’s Flycatchers. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 107(1): 21-50.
Nathan Pieplow, 4745-B White Rock Circle, Boulder, CO 80301, npieplow@
gmail.com
FIELD NOTE
Atypical Canyon Wren
Nesting Locations
Nat Warning and Lauryn Benedict
The nests of Canyon Wrens (Catherpes mexicanus) are cup-shaped,
with a base of twigs and coarse material, topped with softer plant
down and feathers (Bent 1948, Tramontano 1964). True to the bird’s
Fig. 1. Canyon Wren nest located in an abandoned building at the city of Fort Collins’ Bobcat Ridge Natural Area, Larimer County, June 2012. Photo by Nora Covy
175
Fig. 2. Canyon Wren feeding nestlings within a Cliff Swallow nest, Horsetooth Reservoir, Larimer County, June 2012. Photo by Aran Meyer
common name, nests are typically built in cliff crevices, often protected by rock ledges, shelves, or overhangs (Jones and Dieni 1995).
On occasion, nests are constructed in atypical locations, including in
the rafters of buildings or ruins (Bent 1948). This behavior of building nests within structures is known from the southern portion of the
Canyon Wren’s range (Brewer 2001), but it has not been well documented and may also be more common than expected in northern
locations like Colorado.
In the spring of 2012 we observed a pair of Canyon Wrens in eastern Larimer County nesting inside a metal storage cabinet within an
abandoned storage shed. Adults and fledglings easily passed through
small gaps to enter and exit the cabinet from all sides, while the nest
was completely sheltered from the elements. This wren family foraged extensively in the ruins of an abandoned brick works at the
same site. A second nest located near Masonville was discovered
atop a rafter beam inside an abandoned ranch building at a height of
only 2 meters (Fig. 1). This nest was accessed by the wrens through
small window openings and crevices in the cement foundation of the
building.
In addition to using man-made structures, Canyon Wrens sometimes occupy structures made by other species. One pair that nested
on a cliff above Horsetooth Reservoir concealed its nest completely
176
inside an existing Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) nest (Fig.
2). This south-facing nest was located eight meters above the ground
on a 12 meter cliff, approximately 10 meters from active Cliff Swallow nests. The Canyon Wrens occupied the swallow nest prior to the
arrival of migrating Cliff Swallows, and repelled swallows from the
nest during incubation and chick-rearing.
Our observations suggest that unconventional nest sites may be
very productive. The pairs that nested in buildings each fledged five
chicks, while the wren pair that used the Cliff Swallow nest fledged
two successive broods of chicks, the second fledging on 2 July 2012.
These atypical Canyon Wren nests illustrate this iconic western species’ ability to make opportunistic use of available resources, sometimes in unlikely locations.
Literature Cited
Bent, A.C. 1948. Canyon Wren. Pages 277-284 in Life histories of North
American Nuthatches, Wrens, Thrashers and their Allies. National Museum Bulletin Number 195.
Brewer, D. 2001. Wrens, Dippers, and Thrashers. Yale University Press, New
Haven, USA.
Jones, S.L., and J.S. Dieni. 1995. Canyon Wren (Catherpes mexicanus). The
Birds of North America, No. 197.
Tramontano, J.P. 1964. Comparative studies of the rock wren and the canyon
wren. Thesis. University of Arizona, Tucson.
Nat Warning, 1640 Remington St., Fort Collins, CO 80525, natwarning@
gmail.com
Lauryn Benedict, 501 20th St. CB 92, Greeley, CO 80639, lauryn.benedict@
unco.edu
177
CBRC REPORT
The 67th Report of the Colorado
Bird Records Committee
Doug Faulkner
Chair, Colorado Bird Records Committee
Introduction
This 67th report of the Colorado Bird Records Committee (hereafter CBRC or Committee) presents the results of deliberations of
the CBRC involving 49 reports submitted by 25 observers and documenting 41 occurrences of 29 species (or recognizable forms) from
the period September 2000 to October 2012. Per CBRC bylaws, all
accepted records received a final 7-0 or 6-1 vote to accept. Each report that was not accepted received five or fewer votes to accept.
Highlights of this report include the West Slope’s first Yellowbilled Loon, Colorado’s third Curlew Sandpiper, the state’s first Hermit Warbler since 2002, and numerous first county records. With
publication of this report, the state list remains at 493 species.
Committee members voting on these reports were John Drummond, Doug Faulkner, Peter Gent, Bill Maynard, Brandon Percival,
Bill Schmoker, David Silverman, and Glenn Walbek.
Committee Functions
The Committee solicits documentation of reports in Colorado for
all species published in its Main Review List (http://www.cfobirds.
org/records/review_list.htm), species with no prior accepted record
in Colorado, and sightings of regularly occurring species that are considered out-of-range or out-of-season. Documentary materials should
be submitted online at the CBRC website (http://www.cfobirds.org/
CBRC/login.php). Alternatively, one can fill out the form printed on
the inside dust jacket of this journal and mail it to the CBRC Chair,
or request an electronic Word document from the Chair or Secretary
(see this journal’s inside front cover for contact information).
Report Format
The organization and style of this report follow those of Leukering
and Semo (2003), with some alterations. If present, the numbers in
parentheses following a species’ name represent the total number of
accepted records for Colorado, followed by the number of accepted
records during the most recent full 10-year time period (2003-2012).
The latter number is of importance, as it is one of the criteria the
178
Committee uses to determine a species’ continuance on or removal
from the statewide Main Review List.
The records in this report are arranged taxonomically following the American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) Checklist of North
American Birds (AOU 1998) through the 53rd Supplement (Chesser
et al. 2012). Each record presents as much of the following information as we have available: number of birds, age, sex, locality, county,
and date or date span. In parentheses, we present the initials of the
contributing observer(s), the official record number, and the vote
tally in the first round and, if relevant, the second and third rounds
(with the number of “accept” votes on the left side of the dash).
The initials of the finder(s) of the bird(s) are underlined, if
known, and are presented first if that person (or people) contributed
documentation; additional contributors’ initials follow in alphabetical order by last name. If the finder(s) is (are) known with certainty,
but did not submit documentation, those initials are underlined and
presented last. Observers submitting a photograph or video capture
have a dagger (†) following their initials; initials of those who submitted video are indicated by a lower-case, italicized “v” (v); and
those who submitted audio spectrograms or recordings are indicated
by a lower-case, italicized “s” (s). Thus, the parenthetical expression
“(JD v, RA†, TL, JV, CW; 2001-36; 4-3, 6-1)” means: JD found the
bird(s) and submitted documentation (including video) and, as the
finder, is first in the list of those who submitted details, with initials
underlined; RA, though alphabetically first of the five submitting
observers, was not the finder, so is listed second; RA submitted, at
least, photographic documentation; the record number assigned to
the occurrence was 2001-36; and in the two rounds of voting, the
first-round vote was four “accept” and three “do not accept” votes,
while the second-round vote was 6-1 in favor of accepting the report.
The decision on most reports is completed in the first round.
In this report, county names are italicized in keeping with the
style established for the “News from the Field” column in this journal. We have attempted to provide the full date span for individual
records, with the seasonal reports in North American Birds and this
journal being the primary sources of those dates. The Committee has
not dealt with the question of full date spans as compared to submitted date spans when documentations do not provide such. The
CBRC encourages observers to document the first and final dates on
which a rare species was seen, as that provides historical evidence of
the true extent of its stay.
For this report, abbreviations are used for Chico Basin Ranch (CBR),
Reservoir (Res.), State Park (SP), and State Wildlife Area (SWA).
179
RECORDS ACCEPTED
Yellow-billed Loon – Gavia adamsii
(24/8). The CBRC reviewed documentation for the West Slope’s first
individual of this species, a juvenile at
Highline SP, Mesa, 25 December 2005
– 16 January 2006 (LA†; 2012-99;
7-0). The Committee appreciates the
care that Mr. Arnold took to document this occurrence. The documentation outlined the dates on which
each of the 23 observers, including
contributing photographers, saw the
loon.
Tricolored Heron – Egretta tricolor
(25/5). An adult made a brief visit to
the wildlife ponds at Crown Hill Park,
Jefferson, 26 June 2012 (PP; 2012-93;
7-0). Birders looking for it within
hours of its reporting and the next
morning were unsuccessful.
Yellow-crowned
Night-Heron
– Nyctanassa violacea (28/13). Individual juveniles were found during
July 2012. One was at Brush Hollow
Res., Fremont, 22 July (BK†; 2012-92;
7-0) and one was observed for an undetermined period of time in mid- to
late July in the Mary Carter Greenway
along the South Platte River, Arapahoe (PR†; 2012-139; 7-0).
Rough-legged Hawk – Buteo lagopus. In a rare occurrence for early fall,
an adult was observed near the Alpine
Visitor Center in Rocky Mountain
NP, Larimer, 12 September 2012 (BS;
2012-114; 6-1). The species is considered very rare in late September
and there is one late August record
according to Andrews and Righter
(1992). Early dates in neighboring
states include: 20 September, Kansas
(Thompson and Ely 1989), a speci-
180
men (DMNS 37875) of a road-killed
“roughie” found in August 1970 in
southwestern Wyoming (Faulkner
2010), and three records from 14-16
September, Nebraska (Sharpe et al.
2001). The latter reference states that
Rough-legged Hawks may leave their
breeding range early during poor prey
years and arrive on their wintering
grounds as early as August.
Snowy Plover – Charadrius nivosus.
A rare species along the Front Range,
one southbound migrant stopped over
at the Plum Creek Delta in Chatfield
SP, Douglas, 12-13 September 2012
(GW†; 2012-123; 7-0).
Ruddy Turnstone – Arenaria interpres. Rarely observed away from
the eastern plains, one at Blanca
Wetlands, Alamosa, 26 August 2012
(PN†, LR; 2012-97; 7-0) represents
that county’s first record.
Curlew Sandpiper – Calidris ferruginea (3/2). Providing the opportunity to point out the danger of trying
to interpret too much from too little
data, the state’s third Curlew Sandpiper, a juvenile, was found at Jackson
SP, Morgan, 23 August 2012 (SMl†;
2012-103; 6-1) seven years after the
state’s second record in 2005. And
that record came seven years after the
state’s first in 1998. It’s hard to imagine any reason why the species should
occur in Colorado on a seven-year
cycle (but one has to wonder whether
it will be 2019 before we see another).
Buff-breasted Sandpiper – Tryngites subruficollis (36/10). It’s unclear
just how many Buff-breasted Sandpipers were at Jackson SP, Morgan, during the fall of 2012 (DF†, JD†, NK†,
SMl†; 2012-100; 7-0). Three juve-
niles were first reported on 21 August.
Various numbers were reported until
the last date when the high count of
eight was seen on 3 September. Most
records of this species are of single
birds or small groups (3-6) reported
for just a few days. The seemingly
constant presence of this species and
fluctuating number of reported individuals would suggest that the site saw
turnover during the 14-day period in
which the species was observed. The
species may have had a slight westerly
shift in migration route as it was documented from two other sites in eastern Colorado during fall 2012. Two
juveniles were found at Prewitt Res.,
Washington, 25 August 2012 (SMl†;
2012-104; 7-0) and one juvenile at
Jumbo Res., Sedgwick, 8 September
(SMl; 2012-109; 7-0).
Little Gull – Hydrocoloeus minutus (29/7). Among the multitude of
rarities at Jackson SP, Morgan, during
the 2012 fall migration was a juvenile
Little Gull observed on the lone date
of 25 August (GW†; 2012-126; 7-0).
Laughing Gull – Leucophaeus atricilla (44/15). An alternate-plumaged
adult cruised Barr Lake SP, Adams, 16
August 2012 (SMl; 2012-94; 7-0) for
the single observer fortunate enough
to be at the right place at the right
time. Birders looking for the gull within hours of its initial sighting were unable to refind it.
Caspian Tern – Hydroprogne caspia.
The first for Huerfano was found at the
Wahatoya SWA, 13 September 2012
(PN†; 2012-111; 7-0).
Arctic Tern – Sterna paradisaea
(20/10). The second record for Lake
Beckwith and the fourth for Pueblo is
represented by one in second-cycle
plumage, 13 September 2012 (DS;
2012-113; 7-0). Unlike Lake Beckwith, which lies in just one county,
birders keeping county lists were
pleased with an adult visiting Chatfield SP, Douglas/Jefferson, 25-26 September 2012 (GW†; 2012-124; 7-0)
as it presented the rare opportunity for
a double county tick in counties that
previously had one Arctic Tern record
each.
Long-tailed Jaeger – Stercorarius
longicaudus (21/13). The much-delayed review of documentation of a
juvenile jaeger originally submitted in
2001 yielded yet another rarity record
for Jackson SP, Morgan, 5 September
2000 (TL, JR; 2001-209; 7-0).
Black-billed Cuckoo – Coccyzus
erythropthalmus (28/10). Although
this species is generally regarded as a
spring migrant (late May - mid-June),
the acceptance of two records from
fall 2012 brings the total of fall records
to six. Four of these six records have
come since 2011. Despite searches
on subsequent days, an immature in
Nucla, Montrose, was seen only on 22
September (BW†, CD†; 2012-125;
7-0). An immature cuckoo at CBR,
Pueblo, 5 October, was also a one-day
wonder (BM†, JD†, BKP†; 2012-129;
7-0).
Alder Flycatcher – Empidonax alnorum (38/24). A singing male at The
Nature Conservancy’s Fox Ranch,
24 May 2012, represented the first
Yuma record since one was collected
in Wray in 1906 (TF; 2012-96; 7-0).
Colorado’s 38th record pertains to one
at the Last Chance Rest Stop, Washington, 30 August – 2 September 2012
181
(GW†, SMl; 2012-106; 7-0). Based
on Colorado’s other records, these
individuals fell within the expected
timespan for spring (late May – early
June) and fall (late August – early
September) migrants, respectively.
Blue-headed Vireo – Vireo solitarius (40/31). Although there is yet to
be an August record, one at Beecher
Island near Wray, Yuma, 1 September
2012 (SMl†; 2012-106; 7-0) was the
seventh record in the first week of
September. Most records, including
another for fall 2012 of one at Last
Chance, Washington, 27 September
(SMl†; 2012-131-7-0), are from midSeptember to late October.
Philadelphia Vireo—Vireo philadelphicus (43/16). The CBRC can
report on three of an unprecedented
24 documentations (representing approximately 20 individuals) submitted
for 2012: one at the Lamar Community College, Prowers, 11 May (DG;
2012-53; 7-0), one at Burchfield Lake
SWA, Baca, 12 May (SMl†; 2012-61;
7-0), and one at Jackson SP, Morgan,
9 September 2012 (SMl; 2012-110;
7-0).
Pacific Wren – Troglodytes pacificus
(3/3). The third to be accepted for the
state since the species was split from
its congener Winter Wren (T. hiemalis) in 2010, but the second for Pueblo,
one was photographed at Valco Ponds,
12 October 2012 (BKP†; 2012-140;
6-1).
Sedge Wren – Cistothorus platensis
(22/7). The first for Kit Carson was
found by Dave Leatherman at the Flagler SWA, 27 September 2012 (SMl†,
DL; 2012-132; 7-0). This observation
is the earliest documented during the
182
fall, and is only the second record for
September. Dixon Res. hosted the second for Larimer, 5 October 2012 (BB†;
2012-137; 7-0), a date that is also a
tad early for this species. Before these
two records, seven of the state’s nine
fall records fell between 16 October
and 9 November.
“Russet-backed”
Swainson’s
Thrush – Catharus ustulatus ustulatus.
One was photographed at Andrick
Ponds SWA, Morgan, 6 May 2012
(SMl†; 2012-102; 7-0) providing the
sixth record of this form since 2006
(also see Mlodinow et al. 2013).
Brown Thrasher – Toxostoma rufum. Furnishing a first county record,
one was documented for Lathrop SP,
Huerfano, 17 September 2012 (PN;
2012-115; 7-0).
Curve-billed Thrasher – Toxostoma curvirostre. Rare in Colorado
anywhere outside its usual southeastern range, one at a private residence
in Livermore, Larimer, 15 June 2012
(KMC†; 2012-91; 7-0) provided that
county with its second record, both
since 2004. The bird was of the expected oberholseri subspecies which
breeds in Colorado.
Mourning Warbler – Geothlypis
philadelphia (31/10). The first record
for Morgan and second for Yuma were
provided by individual immature females at Jackson SP, 31 August 2012
(SMl; 2012-105; 6-1) and Stalker
Pond near Wray, 1 September 2012
(SMl; 2012-107; 6-1), respectively.
Hermit Warbler – Setophaga occidentalis (13/1). The first Hermit Warbler in more than a decade thrilled
birders lucky enough to see the immature female the two days it was
Hermit Warbler, Last Chance, Washington County, 9 Oct 2012. Photo by
Glenn Walbek
Sedge Wren, Flagler, Kit Carson County, 27 Sept 2012. Photo by Dave
Leatherman
observed at the Last Chance Rest
Stop, Washington, 8-9 October 2012
(KMD†, BM†, SMl†, CS; 2012-138;
7-0).
Eastern Towhee – Pipilo erythrophthalmus (25/13). Along with an
Eastern Meadowlark (see below), the
Holyoke cemetery, Phillips, also hosted
an immature male Eastern Towhee on
30 September 2012 (SMl†; 2012-134;
7-0).
Golden-crowned Sparrow – Zonotrichia atricapilla (32/15). As testimony that it’s never too late to submit
documentation, the CBRC reviewed
a report submitted in 2012 of an immature near Fruita, Mesa, 11 February
2006 (JB†; 2012-127; 7-0).
Scarlet Tanager – Piranga olivacea.
The CBRC reviewed documentation
that extended the dates of occurrence
of one in Fort Collins, Larimer, by a
day to 21 December 2003 (RL; 200394; 7-0).
Eastern Meadowlark – Sturnella
magna (15/10). The Committee endorsed two records for fall 2012: one
giving the diagnostic “bzzzrrt” call
note from atop a tree in the Holyoke
cemetery, Phillips, 30 September (SMl,
JK, AK; 2012-128; 7-0), and another
calling individual in Wray, Yuma, 6
October (SMl; 2012-135; 7-0).
Purple Finch – Haemorhous purpureus (41/10). A female-plumaged
individual was found during the Bonny Res. Christmas Bird Count at the
bunkhouse in the Bonny SWA, Yuma,
16 December 2011 (GW†; 2012-98;
7-0)
RECORDS NOT ACCEPTED
The Committee recognizes that its
“not accepted” decisions may upset
183
those individuals whose documentations did not receive endorsement as
state records. We heartily acknowledge that those who make the effort
to submit documentation certainly
care whether or not their reports are
accepted. However, non-accepted reports do not necessarily suggest that
the observer misidentified or did not
see the species. A non-accepted report
only indicates that the documentation did not provide enough evidence
to support the identification of the
species reported in the opinion of at
least three of the seven Committee
members. Many non-accepted reports
do not adequately describe the bird(s)
observed or adequately rule out similarly looking species. The Committee
emphasizes that the standard for acceptance is not whether a report will
stand up among one’s contemporary
peers, but whether it will withstand
scrutiny 40 years from now by birders
and researchers who may not know
you.
The Committee recommends that
observers refer to the article written by
Tony Leukering on documenting rare
birds (Leukering 2004), which is available online through the CBRC website (http://www.cfobirds.org/cbrcfiles/
writingbirddescriptions_leukering.
pdf). All non-accepted reports may be
reconsidered by the Committee if new
information is provided (e.g., photos,
documentation from other observers).
We summarize below why the following reports were not accepted.
Brant – Branta bernicla. The split
vote on the documentation of a juvenile reported at Glasser Res., Broomfield, 1 December 2007 (2007-100;
184
4-3, 2-5) highlights the Committee’s
struggle with readily identifiable species and written descriptions that do
not rule out other species. While three
of the dissenting members commented that it likely was a Brant given the
observer’s skill, the written description lacked details to definitively rule
out other species, particularly juvenile
dark Snow Goose.
Zone-tailed Hawk – Buteo albonotatus. A sight report of an adult near
Durango, La Plata, 20 September 2004
(2010-182; 4-3) did not sufficiently
rule out other dark hawks, particularly
dark morphs of our more common Buteo species, in the opinion of a majority of dissenting members. The written
report noted a dark hawk with yellow
legs, yellow beak, barred primaries
and secondaries, and one large white
band near the end of the tail, but that
no “smaller bands closer to the body
as on the zone-tailed hawk” were observed. The observer was familiar with
Common Black-Hawk and ruled out
that species by the bird’s more slender
body shape and wings. One dissenting
member commented that the observer
made no mention of flight characteristics or shape being similar to Turkey
Vulture, which is the usual comparison for most Zone-tailed Hawk sightings.
Magnificent Hummingbird – Eugenes fulgens. Two reports of this species in 2012 were not endorsed by
the CBRC as state records. One was
reported in Littleton, Jefferson, 21
July 2012 (2012-88; 4-3, 2-5) during
a birding field trip to a well-known
hummingbird location. The lone observer noted a dark emerald green
hummingbird that “easily dwarfed the
other hummingbirds in the garden”
with no white markings on the body
or tail. Two dissenting members commented that the description certainly
implied a rare hummingbird species,
but that the description did not rule
out other large green hummingbirds
such as Green Violetear.
A female reported briefly observed
at a feeder in Boulder, Boulder, 15 August 2012 (2012-112; 1-6) received
little support from the CBRC. The
observer relied too heavily on the coloration of the bird’s leggings, which
were white, as the defining characteristic in separating this bird from Colorado’s common hummingbird species.
While Magnificent Hummingbirds do
show white leggings, the size of the
bird was not intentionally stated. Several dissenting members commented
that even if the hummingbird’s size
was not in doubt, Blue-throated Hummingbird was not sufficiently ruled out
as a possibility.
Chihuahuan Raven – Corvus cryptoleucus. The report of two at Bonny
Res., Yuma, 15 October 2011 (2011140; 5-2, 4-3, 4-3) once again raised
the specter of potential out-of-range
Chihuahuan Ravens in northern
Colorado. The experienced observer
noted corvids of size and shape intermediate between American Crow and
Common Raven with heftier bills and
more attenuated appearances than
a crow. Committee members were
in agreement that the birds were, at
least, ravens. Dissenting members
commented that the 200+ yard distance, albeit with a scope, and the
inherent challenges of separating the
two raven species even at close range,
was of enough concern to vote to not
accept.
Baltimore Oriole – Icterus galbula. A photographed female oriole
at the Thompson Ranch, Lincoln,
5 September 2011 (2011-128; 4-3,
3-4) ultimately succumbed to several
Committee members unable to rule
out the possibility of a hybrid Baltimore × Bullock’s Oriole. Several key
characteristics pointed favorably to
Baltimore genes, including the brightness of the orange chest, brownish
head and neck, gray back with brownish streaking, and lack of an eyeline.
Dissenting members noted that the
greater covert white wingbar appeared
too broad for Baltimore Oriole and
the amount of orange-yellow coloration on the head, particularly on
the forehead, suggested an infusion
of Bullock’s genes. There may well
be considerable plumage variation
within the immature age class, and it’s
possible that this was a pure Baltimore
Oriole; however, Colorado’s location
in the Baltimore × Bullock’s hybrid
zone warranted enough caution for
several members to vote to not accept
as a Baltimore Oriole record.
REPORTERS AND CITED OBSERVERS
The CBRC graciously thanks the following individuals for submitting records of or
discovering and reporting the rare species in Colorado discussed in this report: Larry Arnold, Jason Beason, Brad Biggerstaff, Karen Mary Castanova (KMC), Coen Dexter, John
Drummond, Kathy Mihm Dunning (KMD), Doug Faulkner, Ted Floyd, David Gillilan,
Joey Kellner, Rhonda Kelly, Nicholas Komar, Alison Kondler, Bill Kosar, Dave Leather
185
man, Tony Leukering, Roger Linfield, Bill Maynard, Steve Mlodinow (SMl), Polly Neldner, Rudi Nuissl, Brandon Percival (BKP), Peter Plage, Lisa Rawinski, Ann Rillings, Joe
Roller, Pamela Ross, Brett Sandercock, Cathy Sheeter, Joyce Takamine, Glenn Walbek,
Brenda Wright, and Eric Zorawowicz.
LITERATURE CITED
American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American Birds.
Lawrence, KS: Allen Press.
Andrews, R., and R. Righter. 1992. Colorado Birds. Denver Museum of Natural History,
Denver, CO.
Chesser, T.R., Banks, R.C., Barker, F.K., Cicero, C., Dunn, J.L., Kratter, A.W., Lovette,
I.J., Rasmussen, P.C., Remsen, Jr., J.V., Rising, J.D., Stotz, D.F., and K. Winker. 2012.
Fifty-third Supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North
American Birds. Auk 129(3): 573-588.
Faulkner, D. 2010. Birds of Wyoming. Roberts & Co. Publishers, Greenwood Village,
CO.
Leukering, T. 2004. Writing bird descriptions: ruling out other species. Colorado Birds
38(3): 120-127.
Leukering, T., and L.S. Semo. 2003. Report of the Colorado Bird Records Committee:
2001 records, part I. Colorado Birds 37: 138-155.
Mlodinow, S.G., T. Leukering, and N. Pieplow. 2013. In the Scope: “Russet-backed”
Swainson’s Thrush. Colorado Birds 47(2): 135-142.
Sharpe, R.S., W.R. Silcock, and J.G. Jorgensen. 2001. Birds of Nebraska. University of
Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE.
Thompson, M.C., and C. Ely. 1989. Birds in Kansas, Vol. 1. University of Kansas Press,
Lawrence, KS.
Doug Faulkner, 6035 Parfet St., Arvada, CO 80004, cbrc@cfobirds.org
186
NEWS FROM THE FIELD
Winter 2012–13
(December–February)
Joel Such and Marcel Such
Many things were remarkable about the winter of 2012-2013, and
it certainly was an exciting time to be a birder in Colorado. Winter
is normally the bleakest season on Colorado’s bird-watching calendar, but this one competed with the spring and fall with the number
of rarities and other tasty tidbits to keep birders enthralled. When
the occasional cold snap limited the availability of open water, gull
diversity exceeded expectations. While large numbers of Zonotrichia
sparrows were seen throughout the state, the two Golden-crowned
Sparrows of Teller Farms and the Red Rocks Trading Post returned
to winter again.
The cause of some consternation and confusion among the birding community, the gulls of Boulder County provided a unique puzzle
and challenge with the creation of a major gull magnet. This was
caused by the temporary draining of Teller Lake #5 in south Boulder,
which killed hundreds of fish and exposed their bodies in the lakebed.
The rotting flesh of those fish must have proved a bigger draw to the
wintering gulls than the local McDonald’s parking lots and garbage
dumps, as hundreds of gulls, big and small, flocked to the newly created mudflat sushi bar. Many birders braved the stench (particularly
nauseating from downwind) for the chance to observe in detail the
great larid diversity present at a closer distance than most venues offer. Particularly controversial were the pale gulls, an immature “Iceland/Kumlien’s/Thayer’s” Gull and a Glaucous-winged Gull hybrid
(either crossed with Herring, or possibly “just” a Herring × Glaucous).
In response to colder than usual temperatures in the northern
states, there was a large influx of northern bird species, some of which
are normally quite rare in the state. For the first time since their last
major irruption six years ago, Bohemian Waxwings were widely present across many of the northern counties. Rough-legged Hawks,
Short-eared Owls, Merlins, and Northern Shrikes showed a marked
increase in abundance over the standards set by recent years.
However, if only one thing were to be remembered from the winter of 2012-2013, it would be the redpolls. Rare vagrants to the state,
Common Redpolls are normally seen only in scattered ones and twos
amongst feeder-bound goldfinch flocks in the northernmost counties.
Massive flocks of this dainty northern species were seen well south
into Colorado in one of the largest irruptions ever witnessed. Birds
187
Acorn Woodpecker,
Colorado Springs, El
Paso County, 19 Jan
2013. Photo by Steve
Mlodinow
Hammond’s
Flycatcher, Cañon
City, Fremont
County, 16 Dec
2012. Photo by
Brandon Percival
Pine Grosbeak, Moose
Visitor Center, Jackson County, 26 Jan
2013. Photo by Steve
Mlodinow
188
Common Redpoll (left) and Hoary Redpoll (right), Discovery Museum, Fort Collins,
Larimer County, 8 Jan 2013. Photo Glenn Walbek
Hoary Redpoll, Fraser, Grand County, 1 Jan 2013. Photo by David
Waltman
Hoary Redpoll, Discovery Museum, Fort
Collins, Larimer County, 3 Feb 2013.
Photo by Mark Chavez
189
were reported in an extraordinary 35 counties (of the state’s 64 total), with some flock counts exceeding 200 in Kremmling and Fort
Collins! This irruption was noted across the nation, with a similar
phenomenon occurring throughout the southern extent of the species’ range.
Along with these large flocks of Common Redpolls came an even
scarcer and paler denizen of the far north, the Hoary Redpoll. Identification of Hoary Redpolls is tricky, to say the least, and requires
a large amount of intuition and a careful interpretation of a suite
of variable field marks. Previously unreported in the state, several
likely candidates were seen and photographed over the course of the
winter season. Pending acceptance by the Colorado Bird Records
Committee, this will become the 494th species on the Colorado state
checklist. Stay tuned for the October 2013 edition of this journal for
extensive coverage of the Hoary Redpoll issue.
Regarding Colorado’s weather, very little snow fell in the high
country until the spring months. Following the dry summer and fall,
drought conditions continued across the state, and snowpack levels
in the mountains were minimal throughout the period. (These levels
were thankfully restored during the wet and cold spring months.) The
temperature and precipitation figures for the period were considered
nearly average for most of the state (NOAA). Regarding precipitation, December and February averaged wetter than normal and January drier. The western slope averaged colder (with the Rio Grande
River Basin having record cold temperatures in January), but the
Front Range and plains were near normal or slightly warmer. Perhaps
these milder temperatures resulted in the many summer species—
such as American White Pelican, Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher,
Lesser Goldfinch, and some warblers and summer sparrows—that
were observed over-wintering in stronger than usual numbers.
“News from the Field” contains news and reports of birds sighted in Colorado. These reports are compiled from online discussion
groups, rare bird alerts, and eBird (ebird.org), with invaluable contributions provided by a statewide network of informants.
We would like to thank the many contributors for sharing their
sightings, as well as the regional compilers and reviewers for adding
their insight to county and regional rarities and breeding species. No
matter your level of expertise, you are encouraged to send your bird
reports to the COBirds listserv, cobirds@googlegroups.com; eBird,
https://ebird.org; and/or the West Slope Birding Network, wsbn@yahoogroups.com. All of these reports are tabulated by Tony Leukering
and your regional compilers, and are sent in taxonomic order, along
with comments, to the “News from the Field” editors for summary.
190
Note 1 – The reports contained herein are largely unchecked, and
the report editors do not necessarily vouch for their authenticity. Underlined species are those for which the Colorado Bird Records Committee (CBRC) requests documentation. We strongly recommend
that you submit your sightings of these “review” species through the
CFO website at http://cfobirds.org/CBRC/login.php. This is the preferred method to submit your documentation. However, if you require a hardcopy form, you may use the one located on the inside of
this journal’s mailing cover. Mailed documentation of rarities should
be sent to CBRC chairman Doug Faulkner (address on form).
Note 2 – The names of counties are italicized.
Abbreviations: CR – County Road; m.ob. – many observers; NP
– National Park; NWR – National Wildlife Refuge; Res. – Reservoir; SP – State Park; SWA – State Wildlife Area.
Greater White-fronted Goose:
All WS reports: 3 at Confluence Park
in Delta Delta on 6 Dec (BF); 1 in
Grand Junction Mesa on 1 Jan (JSw);
2 in Delta Delta 20-28 Jan (LA, ARo);
4-7 at Zink’s Pond La Plata 11-15 Feb
(BBy); 1 in Grand Junction Mesa 1223 Feb (RL); 1 at the Clifton Sewage
Treatment Pond Mesa on 13 Feb (LA,
DT, JTr).
Snow Goose: All WS reports: 32
in Delta Delta throughout the season
(m.ob).
Ross’s Goose: All WS reports: 1
at Colorado River SP Mesa on 9 Dec
(NKo).
Brant: All reports (2) of the
“Black” subspecies (nigricans): 1 in
Loveland Larimer 3-23 Dec (CC, JTh,
m.ob.); 1 at Jackson Res. Morgan on
23 Dec (SM).
Cackling Goose: West of the Front
Range: 2 in Salida Chaffee on 22 Dec
(SR, TM); 1 on Hwy. 50 Delta on 27
Dec (JTr); 11 at Zink’s Pond La Plata
on 12 Feb (JBy); 3 in Grand Junction
Mesa on 12 Feb (RL). All reports (8)
of the “Taverner’s” subspecies (tav
erneri): 2 at Panama Res. #1 Boulder
on 15 Dec (SM); 1 at Anthem Ranch
Ponds Broomfield on 23 Dec (SM); 1 at
Cattail Creek Golf Course Larimer on
6 Jan (SM); 1 at Valmont Res. Boulder
on 2 Feb (NM); 2 at Riverside Park in
Fort Morgan Morgan on 16 Feb (SM,
DD); 1 at Windsor Lake Weld on 23
Feb (SM, CS).
Canada Goose: Only report of the
occidentalis/fulva subspecies: 1 on S.
Platte River at W. Evans Ave., Denver
Denver on 21 Jan (CS).
Goose hybrids: Snow × Ross’s
Goose (1): 1 on Poudre River Trail,
Greeley Weld on 3 Feb (SM, CS).
Snow × Cackling Goose (6): 1 at
Union Res. Weld on 4 Dec (SM, CS);
1 at Jumbo Res. Logan on 22 Dec (SM,
BT); 1 at Fort Logan National Cemetery Denver on 24 Dec (AH); 2 on
Poudre River Trail in Greeley Weld on
3 Feb (SM, CS); 1 at Rolland Moore
Park in Fort Collins Larimer on 18
Feb (NK). Ross’s × Cackling Goose
(3): 2 at Valmont Res. Boulder on 29
Dec (CN); 1 on Poudre River Trail
in Greeley Weld on 3 Feb (SM, CS).
191
Snow × Canada Goose (17): 1 at Fort
Logan Denver on 3 Dec (AH); 1 at
Cattail Creek Golf Course in Loveland Larimer on 15 Dec (SM); 1 at
Red Lion SWA Logan on 22 Dec (SM,
BT); 1 at Sloans Lake Denver 1-2 Jan
(EA); 1 at Sharp Point Drive Ponds
in Fort Collins Larimer 6-7 Jan (SM,
CS, BBi); 3 at Tamarack Ranch SWA
Logan on 13 Jan (SM); 2 at Jackson
Res. Morgan on 27 Jan (CS); 1 at Riverside Park in Fort Morgan Morgan on
2 Feb (CO, JK, GM, et al.); 6 on Poudre River Trail in Greeley Weld on 3
Feb (SM, CS). Ross’s × Canada Goose
(2): 2 on Poudre River Trail in Greeley Weld on 3 Feb (SM, CS).
Mute Swan: All reports (5 feral
individuals): 1 on Pueblo CBC Pueblo
on 26 Dec (fide BKP); 1 on S. Platte
River at 88th Ave Adams on 5 Feb (JS);
1 on Weld CR 7 Ponds/Saint Vrain SP
17-22 Feb (SM, CS, TW); 2 at Bittersweet Park in Greeley Weld 23-27 Feb
(CS, SM, MML).
Trumpeter Swan: All reports (8):
1 adult and 1 imm at Lower Hoffman
Lake in Loveland Larimer from 1 Jan
to 23 Feb (m.ob.); 2 at S. Platte Park
Arapahoe on 19 Jan (GW); 4 at Browns
Park NWR Moffat on 19 Feb (JL).
Tundra Swan: All reports (36):
flock of up to 15 birds at Boulder area
lakes Boulder seen throughout season
(m.ob.); 2 at Jackson Res. Morgan on
1 Dec (SM, CS); 8 at Valco Pond in
Cañon City Fremont on 11 Dec (RM);
1 at a small private lake in Grand
Junction Mesa on 16 Dec (JTr); 3 at
Zink’s Pond La Plata 16-17 Dec (RD,
JBy); 1 at Totten Res. Montezuma on
20 Dec (JBy); 1 at Redlands Parkway
Ponds in Grand Junction Mesa 20-21
192
Dec (JC, JTr); 3 at Pueblo Res. Pueblo
on 28 Dec (BKP, AS, m.ob.); 1 adult
at Jackson Res. Morgan from 27 Jan to
16 Feb (CS, SM, DD); 1 at Escalante
SWA Delta on 24 Feb (AR).
Trumpeter/Tundra Swan: Only
report: 1 at Cherry Creek SP Arapahoe
on 9 Dec (KVS).
Wood Duck: Unusual locations: 1
male in the San Juan River in Pagosa
Springs Archuleta on 3 Dec (BBa); 1
female on Nucla City Res. Montrose
on 19 Dec (CD, BW); 1 male at Cortez City Park Montezuma on 20 Dec
(JBy).
Eurasian Wigeon: Only report:
1 adult male in the Cañon City area
Fremont from 16 Dec to 8 Jan (JD,
m.ob.).
Blue-winged Teal: Early report: 1
at Wheat Ridge Greenbelt Jefferson on
19 Feb (CA).
Cinnamon Teal: Early report: 1
on S. Platte River Adams on 10 Feb
(DFO).
Greater Scaup: 124 individuals were reported, from the counties
Adams (3), Arapahoe (38), Bent (5),
Boulder (1), Broomfield (3), Crowley/
Otero (25), Denver (10), Douglas (3),
El Paso (2), Fremont (3), Jefferson (2),
Larimer (2), Morgan (1), Pueblo (3),
Sedgwick (1), and Weld (22). High
count: 34 at S. Platte Park Arapahoe
on 16 Feb (GW).
Surf Scoter: All reports (2): 1 at
Marston Res. Denver 2-8 Dec (DB,
LK, CT); 1 at Isthmus Park in Denver
Denver on 8 Dec (JK).
White-winged Scoter: All reports
(4): 2 at Marston Res. Denver/Jefferson
1-23 Dec (SED, m.ob.); 2 at Isthmus
Park Denver on 8 Dec (WB, JK).
Park Jefferson on 4 Dec
(PO); 1 on Pueblo Res.
CBC Pueblo on 15 Dec
(fide MY); 6 on Salida
CBC Chaffee on 22 Dec
(fide AM); 4 on the Animas River La Plata from 2
Jan to 18 Feb (JBy); 1 at
Pueblo Res. Pueblo 3-10
Jan (BKP, m.ob.); 2 on
the San Juan River ArMallard × Northern Pintail, Denver, Adams County, chuleta on 10 Jan (JBy); 1
29 Dec 2012. Photo by Steve Mlodinow
at Pueblo Res. Pueblo on
1 Feb (RM); 2 at Village
Lake Archuleta on 23 Feb
(RBG). High count: 145
at Coryell Ranch in Carbondale Garfield from 10
Jan through the end of
the season (DF).
Hooded Merganser:
Unusual reports: 2-3 near
Craig Moffat throughout
the season (FL, TLi); 2
in Ridgway Ouray on 5
Dec (BF); 1 in the Nucla
Eurasian Wigeon, Centennial Park, Fremont County, area Montrose on 19 Dec
6 Jan 2013. Photo by Mark Chavez
(CD); up to 5 at Totten
Res. Montezuma from 20
Long-tailed Duck: All reports (9): Dec to 31 Jan (JBy); 4 at Denny Lake
up to 3 females at S. Platte Park Arap- Park Montezuma on 9 Jan (SH); 1 at
ahoe from 4 Dec to 22 Feb (m.ob.); Lake Creek Village Dr. Eagle on 30 Jan
1 imm female at Big Johnson Res. El (MH); 2 at Chipeta Lake SWA MonPaso on 12 Dec (JD); 1 at Marston trose on 27 Feb (JHo).
Res. Denver/Jefferson 15-23 Dec (CM,
Ruddy Duck: Unusual reports: 5 at
GW); 1 at Frederick Res. Weld from Stagecoach Res. Routt on 2 Dec (TM);
20 Dec to 22 Feb (SM, m.ob.); 1-2 at 1 at Lake DeWeese Custer on 7 Dec
Pueblo Res. Pueblo 15-29 Dec (BKP, (RM); 1 at Village Lake Archuleta on 23
PH); 1 at Barr Lake SP Adams on 23 Feb (RBG). High counts: 80 at LUNA
Feb (MF).
Res. Weld on 15 Dec (SM); 80 at
Barrow’s Goldeneye: Unusual re- Thornton Pond Adams on 22 Dec (BS).
ports: 1 at Big Johnson Res. El Paso
Duck hybrids: Gadwall × Mallard
on 1 Dec (RHi); 1 at Belmar Historic (5): 1 at Barr Lake SP Adams on 16
193
Bohemian Waxwing, Fort Collins, Larimer County, 26 Jan 2013. Photo by
Steve Mlodinow
“Eastern” White-breasted Nuthatch,
Fort Collins, Larimer County, 13 Dec
2012. Photo by Dave Leatherman
Common Redpoll, Foothills North
of Boulder, Boulder County, 13 Dec
2012. Photo by David Waltman
Common Redpoll, Discovery Museum,
Fort Collins, Larimer County, 3 Feb
2013. Photo by Mark Chavez
194
Dec (SM, CS); 3
on the S. Platte
River Adams on
29 Dec (SM,
CS); 1 on the
S. Platte River
Denver on 21 Jan
(CS). Gadwall ×
Northern Pintail
(1): 1 at Centennial Park in Cañon City Fremont
on 19 Jan (SM,
DD). Mallard × Pacific Loon, Chatfield State Park, Jefferson County, 15 Dec
“Mexican Duck” 2012. Photo by Glenn Walbek
(1): 1 at Woods
Lake Weld on 23 Feb (SM, CS). Amer- (BKP); 1 at Connected Lakes SP Mesa
ican Black Duck × Mallard (4): 1 at 4-5 Dec (LA, JTr, DT); 1 at N. PouJumbo Res. Sedgwick on 8 Dec (DD, dre Res. #3 Larimer on 8 Dec (GP);
SM); 1 at Teller Farms Boulder on 28 1 at Chatfield SP Jefferson 22-26 Dec
Dec (TF); 1 at Riverbend Ponds, Fort (GW, m.ob.).
Collins Larimer on 30 Dec (GP); 1 at
Clark’s Grebe: All reports (16):
Jackson Res. Morgan on 16 Feb (SM, 12 at the Rawhide Energy Station
DD). Mallard × Northern Pintail (2): Larimer on 2 Dec (CG); 1 at Centen1 on S. Platte River Adams on 29 Dec nial Park in Aurora Arapahoe on 4
(SM, CS); 1 at Utah Park in Aurora Dec (JS); 1 at Pueblo Res. Pueblo from
Arapahoe on 20 Jan (CS). Redhead 12 Dec to 27 Jan (BKP, m.ob.); 2 at
× Ring-necked Duck (1): 1 at Siena Valmont Res. Boulder on 16 Dec (JV,
Pond Broomfield on 27 Dec (BSc, CS, BK); 1 at John Martin Res. Bent on 17
SM). Common × Barrow’s Goldeneye Dec (fide DR, DN).
(1): 1 on Penrose CBC Fremont on 16
Western × Clark’s Grebe: All reDec (fide MP).
ports (2): 1 at Pueblo Res. Pueblo from
Red-throated Loon: All reports 2 Dec to 19 Jan (SM, NM, DD); 1 at
(2): 1 imm at Valmont Res. Boulder Valmont Res. Boulder from 27 Dec to
6-8 Dec (CN, SM); 1 at Pueblo Res. 7 Jan (SM, CS).
Pueblo from 28 Dec to 23 Feb (BKP,
Double-crested Cormorant: Odd
m.ob.).
location: 10 in Mesa on 3 Dec (LA).
Pacific Loon: All reports (2): 1 at
American White Pelican: Many
Pueblo Res. Pueblo from 1 Dec to 26 were seen throughout the state durJan (BKP, SM, m.ob.); 1 at Chatfield ing the period, in the counties AdSP Douglas on 15 Dec (GW, CL).
ams, Arapahoe, Bent, Boulder, Crowley,
Red-necked Grebe: All reports Denver, Larimer, Mesa, Otero, Pueblo,
(4): 1 at Pueblo Res. Pueblo on 1 Dec Washington, and Weld.
195
Dec (JTr); 1 on Animas
River Trail in Durango
La Plata on 27 Feb (KS).
All reports of “Krider’s”
(2): 1 at Golden Acres
Park in Longmont Boulder on 24 Jan (BG); 1 at
S. Weld Dump on 27 Feb
(SM).
Sora: All reports (6):
1 caught and eaten by
Great Egret, Valco Ponds, Cañon City, Fremont Red-tailed Hawk on PaCounty, 2 Dec 2012. Photo by Steve Mlodinow
gosa Springs CBC Archuleta on 15 Dec (CD,
Great Egret: Only report: 1 at Val- BW); 1 on Penrose CBC Fremont on
co Pond in Cañon City Fremont on 2 16 Dec (fide MP); 3 on John Martin
Dec (RM, SM, NM).
Res. CBC Bent on 17 Dec (fide DR,
Turkey Vulture: All reports (2): 1 DN); 1 at Rocky Ford SWA Otero on
at Flagler Res. SWA Kit Carson on 29 18 Dec (KMD, DM).
Dec (KH); 1 near Niwot Boulder on 3
Sandhill Crane: Unusual locations:
Feb (BSc, GS).
30 at a private residence Arapahoe on
Cooper’s Hawk: Far eastern re- 15 Dec (CY); 1 at 155th and Hwy. 52
ports (9): 4 at Bonny Res. Yuma 13- Boulder 6-10 Jan (DBa, m.ob.).
14 Dec (GW, LK, KH, KMD); 1 at
Greater Yellowlegs: All reports
Seibert Cemetery Kit Carson on 27 (3): 1 at Andrick Ponds SWA Morgan
Dec (BK); 1 at Flagler Res. SWA Kit on 1 Dec (SM, CS); 1 at Rocky Ford
Carson on 29 Dec (KH); 1 at Lamar SWA Otero on 18 Dec (KMD, DM); 1
Community College Prowers from 31 on S. Platte River at Weld CR 6 on 4
Jan to 23 Feb (JS, DR); 1 in Fort Mor- Jan (BK).
gan Morgan on 2 Feb (CO, JK, GM,
Dunlin: Only report: 1 at Falcon El
m.ob.); 1 at Two Buttes SWA Baca on Paso 3-8 Dec (AS, DD).
23 Feb (HS).
American Woodcock: Only reNorthern Goshawk: Eastern report: 1 dead bird found on the Uniports (5): 1 at Bonny Res. Yuma 13-14 versity of Colorado-Colorado Springs
Dec (GW, LK, KH, KMD); 1 on the campus El Paso on 9 Feb (DG).
Rocky Ford CBC Otero/Crowley on 18
Bonaparte’s Gull: Late reports (2):
Dec (fide SO); 1 on the Lake Isabel 1-2 at Pueblo Res. Pueblo from 27 Dec
CBC Pueblo on 5 Jan (fide DS); 1 in to 1 Jan (PO, SM, CS).
Colorado Springs El Paso on 19 Jan
Little Gull: Only report: 1 at
(SM, DD); 1 near Bijou Creek Morgan Windsor Lake Weld on 2 Dec (NK,
on 16 Feb (SM, DD).
m.ob.).
Red-tailed Hawk: WS “Harlan’s”
Mew Gull: All reports (5): 1
reports (2): 1 near Fruita Mesa on 16 at Chatfield SP Douglas on 20 Dec
196
Little Gull, Windsor Lake, Weld
County, 2 Dec 2012. Photo by Dave
Leatherman
Bonaparte’s Gull, Windsor Lake, Weld
County, 2 Dec 2012. Photo by Dave
Leatherman
(GW); 1 at Valmont Res. Boulder
from 26 Dec to 6 Jan (TF, m.ob.); 1 at
Pueblo Res. Pueblo from 27 Dec to 15
Feb (BKP, m.ob.); 1 at S. Platte Park
Arapahoe on 18 Jan (PO); 1 at LUNA
Res. Weld on 31 Jan (TL).
Herring Gull: Unusual location: 1
at Chalk Cliff Fish Hatchery Chaffee
on 1 Feb (BGr).
Iceland Gull: All reports (7): 2 at
Chatfield SP Douglas/Jefferson 21-23
Dec (LK, JK, GW); 1 imm at Pueblo Res. Pueblo from 31 Dec to 3 Jan
(BKP, m.ob.); 1 at South Plate Park
Arapahoe from 19 Jan to 8 Feb (GW,
m.ob.); 1 at Anthem Ranch Ponds
Broomfield on 26 Jan (LM); 1 adult at
N. Teller Lake #5 Boulder on 26 Jan
(JR, MB, BK, CN); possibly 1 imm at
N. Teller Lake #5 and Valmont Res.
Boulder from 26 Jan to 2 Feb (m.ob.).
Glaucous-winged Gull: All reports (3): 1 imm at John Martin Res.
Bent on 17 Dec (MP, m.ob.); 1 imm at
Pueblo Res. Pueblo from 31 Dec to 3
Jan (PH, BKP, m.ob.); possibly 1 imm
at Valmont Res. Boulder on 27 Jan
(TL, MP, SM).
Glaucous Gull: All reports (9):
1 at Cherry Creek SP Arapahoe from
20 Dec to 28 Feb (GW, m.ob.); 1
at Chatfield SP Jefferson on 22 Dec
(PO); 1 at Pueblo Res. Pueblo from 22
Dec to 15 Feb (BKP, DD, m.ob.); 1 at
Valmont Res. Boulder from 26 Dec to
8 Feb (CN, m.ob.); 1 at Siena Pond
Broomfield on 27 Dec (BSc, CS); 1
at Anthem Ranch Ponds Broomfield
on 27 Dec (BSc); 1 at S. Platte Park
Arapahoe from 18 Jan to 16 Feb (PO,
m.ob.); 2 at John Martin Res. Bent 1924 Feb (DN, TF).
Great Black-backed Gull: All reports (3): 1 adult at Pueblo Res. Pueblo
from 1 Dec to 1 Feb (BKP, RM, m.ob.);
1 imm at Prince Lake #1 Boulder on 19
Jan (BK, JV); 1 at John Martin Res.
Bent on 21 Feb (DN).
197
ties Boulder, Douglas,
El Paso, Fremont, Jefferson, La Plata, Mesa,
Morgan, Otero, Prowers, Pueblo, and Weld.
Mourning Dove:
High winter count: 36
at Union Res. Weld on
4 Dec (SM, CS).
Greater Roadrunner: All reports (3):
Herring × Glaucous Gull, Teller Lake #5, 20 Jan 2013. 1 on the Pueblo Res.
Photo by Steve Mlodinow
CBC Pueblo on 15 Dec
(fide MY); 1 on the
John Martin Res. CBC
Bent on 17 Dec (fide
DN, DR); 1 at Lake
Hasty Bent on 24 Jan
(DL).
Barn Owl: All reports: 1 injured bird in
Grand Junction Mesa
seen throughout the
period (NKo); 1 at
Clear Springs Ranch El
Paso on 21 Dec (JD); 1
at Rocky Mountain
Arsenal NWR Denver
on Jan 1 (UK, HK); 2
Herring × Glaucous-winged Gull, Teller Lake #5, 20 at Duck Creek SWA
Jan 2013. Photo by Steve Mlodinow
Logan on 20 Jan (CT,
DB); 2 in Brighton
Herring × Glaucous Gull: Only Adams on 26 Jan (GD, CB); 1 at Barr
report: 1 at Teller Lakes Boulder on 20 Lake SP Adams on 5 Feb (AD); 1 in
Jan (SM).
Cedaredge Delta on 18 Feb (MCa).
Herring × Great Black-backed
Snowy Owl: Only report: 1 at
Gull: Only report: 1 at John Martin 160th Ave. Adams on 25 Jan (MC).
Res. Bent on 17 Dec (fide DR, DN).
Long-eared Owl: 1 at Great Sand
Band-tailed Pigeon: Rare in win- Dunes NP Alamosa on 21 Dec (AG).
ter: 2 on the Westcliffe CBC Custer
Short-eared Owl: All reports (17):
on 29 Dec (fide JPe).
1 at Saint Vrain SP Weld on 13 Dec
White-winged Dove: Many were (NL); 1 on the John Martin Res. CBC
seen over the period, in the coun- Bent on 17 Dec (fide DR, DN); 1 at
198
Poncha Springs Chaffee
on 4 Jan (JPi); 1 in
Keenesburg Weld on 5
Jan (JK, GW, NE); 1
at Lagerman Res. Boulder on 13 Jan (BG); 1
near Crook Logan on
18 Jan (CT, DB); 1
near Denver International Airport Denver
on 29 Jan (EAn); 1 in
Keenesburg Weld on
2 Feb (JK); 2 at Wellington County Road
60 and 3 Larimer 8-16 Thayer’s Gull, Teller Lake #5, Boulder County, 20 Jan
Feb (CC, BBi, JS); 2 2013. Photo by Steve Mlodinow
near Hudson Weld on
16 Feb (GL); 1 near Merino Washing- 12 Dec (BKP); 1 on the Pueblo Res.
ton on 17 Feb (JK); 4 at Lower Latham CBC Pueblo on 15 Dec (fide MY); 1
Res. Weld 23 Feb (SM, CS).
on the Penrose CBC Fremont on 16
Northern Saw-whet Owl: Rare on Dec (fide MP); 1 in the Nucla area
e. plains: 2 at Bonny Res. Yuma on 13 Montrose on 22 Dec (CD); 2 in CaDec (KMD, JK).
ñon City Fremont from 1 Jan to 23 Feb
Rufous Hummingbird: Rare (KMD, m.ob.); 2 at Beulah Pueblo on
in winter: 1 in Parachute Garfield 5 Jan (VT).
through 19 Dec (SB, KM).
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: All reRed-headed Woodpecker: Rare in ports (9): 2 at Pueblo City Park Pueblo
winter: 1 at Pathfinder Park in Flor- from 2 Dec to 17 Feb (BKP, m.ob.); 1
ence Fremont from 31 Dec to 28 Feb at City Park Nine Golf Course Larimer
(RM, DM).
on 10 Dec (CC); 1 at Turkey Creek
Acorn Woodpecker: All reports, Recreation Area El Paso from 16 Dec
away from La Plata (2): 1 female in to 23 Feb (JD, JHe); 1 on Rocky Ford
Colorado Springs El Paso from 15 Dec CBC Crowley/Otero on 18 Dec (fide
to 19 Feb (m.ob.); 1 at Pueblo Moun- SO); 1 at Fairview Estates Boulder
tain Park Pueblo from 5 Jan to 28 Feb on 13 Jan (BK, CN, JV); 1 in Grand
(m.ob.).
Junction Mesa 6-10 Feb (LA, JTr); 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker: Unusual at Willow Creek in Lamar Prowers on
reports: 1 on the Penrose CBC Fre- 24 Jan (DL); 1 in Cañon City Fremont
mont on 16 Dec (fide MP); 2 on the on 18 Feb (SEM).
Rocky Ford CBC Otero/Crowley on 18
Red-naped Sapsucker: Rare in
Dec (fide SO).
winter: 1 in Cañon City Fremont on
Williamson’s Sapsucker: Rare in 1 Jan (KMD, JK, CL, JR); 1 at Pueblo
winter: 1 at the Pueblo Zoo Pueblo on City Park Pueblo on 3 Jan (CT); 1 in
199
Red-naped Sapsucker, Turkey Creek,
El Paso County, 6 Jan 2013. Photo by
Mark Chavez
Northern Pygmy-Owl, Bobcat Ridge
Natural Area, Larimer County, 11 Feb
2013. Photo by Dave Leatherman
the Turkey Creek Park Area El Paso
on 6 Jan (KH, MC).
Yellow-bellied/Red-naped
Sapsucker: Only report: 1 at Jackson Res.
Morgan on 16 Feb (SM, DD).
Northern Flicker: “Yellow-shafted,” rare on WS: 1 in Mesa Mesa 2-5
Jan (RL, JTr, DT).
Merlin: All reports, “Taiga” subspecies (2): 1 at Flagler Kit Carson on
27 Dec (NM); 1 at Greenlee Preserve
Boulder from 14 Jan to 15 Feb (TF).
Peregrine Falcon: All reports (6): 1
near Delta Delta on 2 Dec (LA); 1 near
Arvada Jefferson on 16 Dec (AW); 1
at Riverbend Ponds Larimer on 16
Dec (CLu); 1 at Mountain Village San
Miguel on 29 Dec (RF, MBa, KMa); 1
at Connected Lake SP Mesa on 20 Jan
(LA); 1 at North Fruita Desert Recreation Area Mesa on 15 Feb (KP).
Hammond’s Flycatcher: Only report: 1 on the Cañon City Riverwalk
Fremont 16-22 Dec (fide MP).
Black Phoebe: All reports (5): 1
in Grand Junction Mesa on 11 Dec
(BBr); 2 in the Cañon City area Fremont from 16 Dec to 26 Feb (m.ob.);
1 on Arkansas River in Pueblo Pueblo
on 1 Jan (DC).
Say’s Phoebe: Several were seen
during the period, in the counties
Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Fremont, Jefferson, Larimer, Las Animas,
Mesa, Pueblo, and Weld.
Loggerhead Shrike: Early report: 1
at the Cortez Airport Montezuma on
18 Feb (HRM).
Steller’s Jay: Unusual location: 1
on the Pueblo CBC Pueblo on 26 Dec
(fide BKP).
Western Scrub-Jay: Unusually far
200
BT); 2 at the Eaton
Cemetery Weld 3-23
Feb (SM, CS); 3 at Linn
Grove Cemetery in
Greeley Weld 3-23 Feb
(SM, CS); 1 at Jackson
SP Morgan on 16 Feb
(SM, DD); 1 at Riverside Park in Fort Morgan
Morgan on 16 Feb (SM,
DD); 2 at Narrows Dam
Site Morgan on 16 Feb
(SM, DD).
Rock Wren: Winter
Mountain Chickadee, Jackson Lake State Park, Mor- reports (8): 3 in Mesa on
gan County, 16 Feb 2013. Photo by Steve Mlodinow 3 Dec (LA); 1-3 at Tunnel Dr. in Cañon City
east: 7 on the Rocky Ford CBC Otero/ Fremont from 10 Dec to 23 Feb (RM,
Crowley on 18 Dec (fide SO).
m.ob.); 1 at Canyon Ranch Delta on 5
Chihuahuan Raven: Unusual lo- Jan (JB); 1 at Horsetooth Res. Larimer
cations (27): 1 at Lagerman Res. Boul- on 19 Jan (CB); 1 on Escalante Cander on 2 Dec (TF); 2 near Florence yon Road Delta on 10 Feb (LA).
Pueblo on 2 Dec (SM); 1 in Boulder
Pacific Wren: Only report: 1 at
Boulder on 11 Dec (SM, CS); 4 at the Greenhorn Meadows Park Pueblo 22Valmont Res. complex Boulder on 16 31 Dec (DS).
Dec (BK, JV); 13 on the Penrose CBC
Winter Wren: 12 individuals were
Fremont on 16 Dec (fide MP); 3 on the seen during the period, from the counPueblo CBC Pueblo on 26 Dec (fide ties Baca, Boulder, El Paso, Fremont,
BKP); 1 in Fort Collins Larimer on 2 Jefferson, La Plata, Larimer, and MorJan (GP); 1 on the Lake Isabel CBC gan.
Pueblo on 5 Jan (fide DS); 1 on CounCarolina Wren: All reports (5): 1
ty Line Road near Longmont Boulder/ at Stulp’s Farm Prowers 7-23 Dec (JS);
Weld on 21 Feb (JV).
1 on the Penrose CBC Fremont on 16
Tree Swallow: Winter reports (1): Dec (fide MP); 1 in Longmont Boulder
1 at Wheat Ridge Greenbelt Jefferson on 30 Dec (TD); 1 at Lamar Comon 6 Dec (CA).
munity College Prowers 6-24 Jan (DL,
Pygmy Nuthatch: Low elevation DR, DN); 1 at Tamarack Ranch Logan
reports (5): 3 at Pueblo City Park on 13 Jan (SM).
Pueblo 2-12 Dec (BKP, m.ob.); 2 on
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: Rare in
the Pueblo Res. CBC Pueblo on 15 winter: 1 in Mesa on 3 Dec (LA); 2
Dec (fide MY).
at John Martin Res. Bent on 17 Dec
Brown Creeper: Rare on e. plains: (DN).
1 in Haxtun Phillips on 22 Dec (SM,
Golden-crowned Kinglet: Rare on
201
Fremont on 16 Dec (fide
MP).
Western Bluebird:
Rare in winter: 5 at
White Rocks Trail
Boulder on 1 Dec (SW);
6 at Hawthorne Gulch
in Boulder Boulder on
7 Dec (JSu, MS); 6 on
Olde Stage Road Boulder on 13 Dec (DW); 1
in Franktown Douglas
on 23 Feb (KMe).
Mountain Bluebird:
“Dwarf” Hermit Thrush, Jackson Lake State Park, Mor- Rare in winter: 1 in
gan County, 1 Dec 2012. Photo by Steve Mlodinow
Franktown Douglas on
19 Jan (KMe).
Hermit
Thrush:
All reports (14): 1-3 at
Jackson Res. Morgan
from 1 Dec to 16 Feb
(SM, CS); 1-2 at Pueblo City Park Pueblo 2-23
Dec (SM, NM, BKP); 1
w. of the Pueblo Nature
Center Pueblo 4-13 Dec
(BKP); 1 on the Colorado State University
campus in Fort Collins
Larimer 10-15 Dec
(GD, CB); 1 at Bonny
Varied Thrush, private residence, Conifer, Jefferson Res. Yuma 13-14 Dec
County, 14 Dec 2012. Photo by Mark Chavez
(GW, LK, KH, KMD);
1 at Riverbend Ponds,
e. plains: 1 in Haxtun Phillips on 22 Fort Collins Larimer on 15 Dec (JTh);
Dec (SM, BT); 1 at the Eaton Cem- 1 on Grand Junction CBC Mesa on
etery Weld 3-23 Feb (SM, CS).
16 Dec (fide PD, KSc); 1 near Nucla
Eastern Bluebird: Good numbers Montrose on 22 Dec (CD); 1 in Duwere reported throughout the sea- rango La Plata on 29 Dec (HRM); 1
son from the counties Bent, Crowley, at Paonia High School Delta 30-31
El Paso, Fremont, Huerfano, Logan, Dec (JB); 1 in Lamar Prowers on 17
Morgan, Otero, Prowers, and Pueblo. Feb (JaT).
High count: 52 on the Penrose CBC
Varied Thrush: All reports (3): 1
202
in Conifer Jefferson 14-17 Dec (WB,
MJG, m.ob.); 1 in Pagosa Springs
Archuleta on 15 Dec (CD, BW); 1 in
Littleton Jefferson on 24 Dec (JSh).
Northern Mockingbird: All reports (12): 1 at Pueblo Res. Pueblo
from 4 Dec to 15 Feb (MJ, BKP); 1 e.
of Valco Bridge in Pueblo Pueblo on 4
Dec (BKP); 1 at Bonny Res. Yuma on
14 Dec (JK); 1 on Colorado Springs
CBC El Paso on 15 Dec (fide KP); 1
on Montrose CBC Montrose on 16
Dec (fide CD); 1 on John Martin Res.
CBC Bent on 17 Dec (fide DR, DN);
1 on Fountain Creek CBC El Paso on
21 Dec (fide DM); 1 on Pueblo CBC
Pueblo on 26 Dec (fide BKP); 1 at Lamar Community College Prowers on
26 Jan (JS); 1 at S. Platte Park Jefferson on 12 Feb (WB); 1 s. of Chatfield
SP Douglas on 17 Feb (LB); 1 at the
Pueblo West Airport Pueblo on 17 Feb
(RH).
Sage Thrasher: All reports (2): 1
at Cattail Crossing in Pueblo West
Pueblo on 3 Dec (BKP); 1 near Nucla
Montrose on 22 Dec (CD).
Brown Thrasher: All reports (5):
1 n. of Gunnison Gunnison in early
Dec (anonymous); 1 on John Martin
Res. CBC Bent on 17 Dec (fide DR,
DN); 1 at Roxborough SP Douglas on
19 Dec (DKl); 1 at Lamar Community
College Prowers on 31 Jan (JS, DR);
1 at Jackson Res. Morgan on 16 Feb
(SM, DD).
Curve-billed Thrasher: Unusual location: 1 in the Wetmore area
Custer from 4 Jan to 19 Feb (RM).
Bohemian Waxwings: Many were
seen throughout the period, in the
counties Adams, Boulder, Clear Creek,
Delta, El Paso, Larimer, Mesa, Moffat,
Montrose, Morgan, Routt, and Summit.
High count: 800 in Niwot Boulder on
21 Feb (JV).
Lapland Longspur: W. of normal
(34): 1 near White Rocks Boulder on
7 Dec (CN); 1 at Chatfield SP Douglas
on 9 Dec (JK); 12 near Boulder Boulder on 27 Dec (SM); 1 at Pueblo Res.
Pueblo on 1 Jan (JD); 9 on St. Vrain
Road near 75th St. Boulder on 24 Dec
(BG); 9 near Castle Rock Douglas on
28 Feb (NW, GW). High count: 673
near Flagler Kit Carson on 27 Dec
(BK).
Chestnut-collared
Longspur:
Only report: 1 at Valmont Res. Boulder on 27 Jan (MP, SM, TL).
McCown’s Longspur: All reports
(13): 3 at Flagler Res. SWA Kit Carson on 27 Dec (CH, SR); 10 on CR 10
Bent on 19 Feb (DN).
Snow Bunting: All reports (24): 2
at the Denver Zoo Denver on 4 Dec
(EL); 1 at Jumbo Res. Sedgwick on 8
Dec (SM, DD); 1 on Pueblo Res. CBC
Pueblo on 15 Dec (fide MY); 15 at Barr
Lake SP Adams on 5 Jan (KVS, DH,
m.ob.); 1 at CR 45 and 122 Weld on
15 Jan (BSc); 2 e. of Aurora Adams on
16 Jan (FNH); 12 on CR 19 Moffat on
16 Feb (GB); 1 at LUNA Res. Weld
on 27 Feb (CS, SM); 2 on Piceance
Creek Rio Blanco on 28 Feb (JBr).
Common Yellowthroat: Only report: 1 on S. Platte River Adams on 1
Jan (EK, TF, TMa, et al.).
Northern Parula: Only report: 1
male in Pueblo City Park Pueblo on 5
Dec (BKP).
Palm Warbler: Only report: 1
“western” on the Colorado College
campus El Paso 15-24 Dec (MW, TB,
NM).
203
“Eastern” Field Sparrow, Holyoke, 22
Dec 2012. Photo by Steve Mlodinow
Pine Warbler: All reports (3): 1 on
Pueblo Res. CBC Pueblo on 15 Dec
(fide MY); 1 male in Loveland Larimer
18-19 Dec (DD, JRe); 1 imm at Pueblo City Park Pueblo from fall through 1
Jan (BKP et al.).
Yellow-throated Warbler: Only
report: 1 at Pueblo City Park Pueblo
2-8 Dec (BKP, SM, NM).
Wilson’s Warbler: Only report: 1
at Pueblo City Park Pueblo on 2 Dec
(BKP, SM, NM).
Eastern Towhee: All reports (3):
1 female in Wetmore Custer on 1 Jan
(BKP, MP, m.ob.); 1 near Barr Lake SP
Adams 4-31 Jan (CA, RR et al.); 1 at
Lamar Community College Prowers
5-24 Jan (DN, DL).
Spotted × Eastern Towhee: All
reports (2): 1 male at Lamar Community College Prowers from 7 Jan
to 22 Feb (DR, JS, TF, m.ob.); 1 male
204
in Lafayette Boulder on 27 Feb (SM,
CS).
Chipping Sparrow: Only report: 1
at Pueblo City Park Pueblo on 2 Dec
(BKP, SM, NM).
Field Sparrow: Only report: 1 in
Holyoke Phillips on 22 Dec (SM, BT).
Vesper Sparrow: Only report: 1
near Nucla Montrose on 25 Dec (CD,
BW).
Sage Sparrow: Only report: 1 near
Hotchkiss Delta on 4 Jan (DGa).
Savannah Sparrow: All reports
(2): 1 on John Martin Res. CBC Bent
on 17 Dec (fide DR, DN); 1 at Fossil
Creek Res. Larimer on 23 Jan (SM).
Fox Sparrow: All reports of “Red”
subspecies: 1 at Walden Ponds Boulder
continuing from fall to 1 Dec (CN,
JH); 1 at Bonny Res. Yuma 13-14 Dec
(GW, LK, KH, KMD); 1 at Barr Lake
SP Adams from 16 Dec to 10 Jan (SM,
CS, HS).
Swamp Sparrow: 60+ individuals were reported, from the counties
Adams (2), Arapahoe (1), Bent (16),
Boulder (6), Chaffee (2), El Paso (6),
Fremont (9+), Jefferson (5), Larimer
(2), Morgan (3), Pueblo (7+), and
Weld (1).
White-throated Sparrow: 27 individuals were seen, from the counties Baca (1), Boulder (4), Custer (1),
El Paso (1), Fremont (8), Huerfano
(1), Jackson (1), Jefferson (3), Larimer
(3), Montrose (1), Morgan (2), Otero/
Crowley (2), and Weld (1). Western
slope report: 1 near Nucla Montrose
on 11 Dec (CD).
Harris’s Sparrow: 73 individuals were reported, from the counties Baca (3), Bent (1), Boulder (17),
Chaffee (1), El Paso (3), Fremont (6),
1 near Haxtun Logan on 22
Dec (BT, SM); 1 at Tamarack Ranch SWA Logan
on 22 Dec (SM, BT); 2 in
Haxtun Phillips on 22 Dec
(SM, BT); 1 near Crook
Logan on 5 Jan (NE, JK,
GW); 1 at Brush SWA
Morgan on 23 Feb (DD);
1 at Drake Lake Weld on
23 Feb (SM, CS). All reports of Gray-headed on
plains (7): 1 at Bonny Res.
Yuma on 14 Dec (JK); 1 at
Golden-crowned Sparrow, Red Rocks Trading Post, Jef- Rocky Ford SWA Otero
ferson County, 9 Dec 2012. Photo by Mark Chavez
on 18 Dec (KMD, DM);
2-5 at Barr Lake SP Adams
Grand (1), Huerfano (6), Jefferson (3), from 10 Jan to 9 Feb (HS, LL). All reLa Plata (1), Larimer (6), Logan (2), ports of Oregon × Pink-sided (2): 1 at
Mesa (1), Montezuma (1), Morgan Barr Lake SP Adams on 25 Dec (SM);
(4), Otero (3), Prowers (2), Pueblo (6), 1 at Greenlee Preserve Boulder on 26
Sedgwick (1), Washington (1), Weld Jan (TF). All reports of Pink-sided ×
White-winged (2): 1 near Lyons Lar(3), and Yuma (1).
American Tree × Harris’s Spar- imer from 9 Dec to 20 Jan (MS, JSu);
row: Only report: 1 at Chico Basin 1 at Red Rocks Park Jefferson from 25
Dec to 22 Feb (CS, SM, m.ob.).
Ranch Pueblo on 21 Jan (JM).
Northern Cardinal: All reports
White-crowned Sparrow: All reports of the “dark-lored” subspecies (17): 1 male in Hawthorne Gulch,
group (1): 1 at Valco Ponds SWA Boulder Boulder throughout season
(m.ob.); 2 at Bonny Res. Yuma 13-14
Pueblo on 19 Jan (SM, DD).
Golden-crowned Sparrow: All Dec (GW, LK, KH, KMD); up to 7 at
reports (3): 1 at Red Rocks Park Jef- Tamarack Ranch SWA Logan from 22
ferson from 11 Jan to 24 Feb (m.ob.); Dec to 2 Feb (SM, BT, m.ob.); up to 6
1 at Teller Farms Boulder from 1 Jan to at Lamar Community College Prowers
end of period (m.ob.); 1 at Two Buttes from 7 Jan to 23 Feb (DR, TF, m.ob.);
1 at Narrows Dam Site Morgan on 16
SWA Baca on 23 Feb (JG, m.ob.).
Dark-eyed Junco: All reports of Feb (SM, DD).
Yellow-headed Blackbird: All reWhite-winged on n. plains (16): 1 at
Jackson Res. Morgan 1-23 Dec (SM, ports (6): 1 in Pueblo Pueblo on 26
CS); 1 at Flagler Res. SWA Kit Carson Dec (PH); 1 on S. Platte River Adams
on 13 Dec (GW, LK, KH); 6 at Bonny on 1 Jan (SC); 1 at Rocky Mountain
Res. Yuma on 14 Dec (JK); 1 at Barr Arsenal NWR Adams on 1 Jan (JH);
Lake SP Adams on 16 Dec (SM, CS); 2 near Crook Logan on 18 Jan (DB,
205
Common Grackle:
193 individuals were reported, from the counties Baca (1), Bent (1),
Boulder (5), Chaffee (1),
Crowley/Otero (8), Denver (46), Douglas (120),
El Paso (1), Kit Carson
(1), Mesa (5), Prowers
(3), and Routt (1). High
count: 120 in Parker
Douglas on 10 Jan (LK).
Great-tailed Grackle: High count: 500 on
Rock Creek Trail near
Broomfield Boulder on 9
Rusty Blackbird, Platte River, Adams County, 6 Jan Jan (CH).
2013. Photo by Tom Wilberding
Brown-headed Cowbird: All reports (78+):
up to 20 on Stulp’s Farm
Prowers from 7 Dec to
7 Jan (JS); 2 near Prewitt Res. Logan on 8
Dec (SM); 10 at Union
Res. Weld on 11 Dec
(SM); 19 in Fruita Mesa
on 16 Dec (JTr); 1 at
Clear Springs Ranch El
Paso on 21 Dec (JD);
15 near Haxtun Logan
on 22 Dec (BT, SM);
1 in Siebert Kit Carson
on 27 Dec (NM); 1 on
Phantom Ranch Road
Purple Finch, private residence, Douglas County, 1 Jan Fremont on 25 Jan (NF);
2013. Photo by Glenn Walbek
lots near Lewis La Plata
on 18 Feb (OW); 7 at
CT); 1 near Wellington Larimer on 17 Lamar Community College Prowers
Feb (CC).
on 23 Feb (JB); 2 In Lafayette Boulder
Rusty Blackbird: 83 individuals on 27 Feb (BG).
were reported, from the counties AdPurple Finch: All reports (3): 2
ams (22), Douglas (5), Jefferson (1), Lo- at Bonny Res. Yuma 13-14 Dec (GW,
gan (1), Morgan (51), and Prowers (3). LK, KH); 1 female at a private resi206
dence in Castle Rock Douglas from 25
Dec to 24 Feb (GW, m.ob.).
White-winged Crossbill: Only report: 1 at Kiowa Elbert on 8 Feb (MPi).
Common Redpoll: Seen throughout the winter in the counties Adams,
Arapahoe, Bent, Boulder, Broomfield,
Chaffee, Clear Creek, Delta, Denver,
Douglas, Eagle, El Paso, Fremont, Garfield, Grand, Gunnison, Jackson, Jefferson, Kit Carson, Larimer, Logan, Mesa,
Moffat, Montrose, Morgan, Ouray,
Park, Pitkin, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Routt,
San Juan, Summit, Weld, and Yuma.
High counts: 225 at Lee Martinez
Park in Fort Collins Larimer on 12 Jan
(SM, CS); 200 in Kremmling Grand
on 27 Jan (MP, TL, SM).
Hoary Redpoll: All potential reports (12-16): 1-5 at Lee Martinez
Park in Fort Collins Larimer from 23
Dec through end of period (m.ob.); 1
in Fraser Grand 1-15 Jan (DW, MO); 1
in Black Forest El Paso on 5 Jan (JD);
1 along US 50 in eastern Bent from 21
Jan through end of period (LG, JG,
m.ob.); 1 in Walden Jackson on 26 Jan
(SM, TL, MP); 3 in Kremmling Grand
on 27 Jan (SM, TL, MP); 1 in Longmont Boulder 29-30 Jan (BSc, m.ob.);
and 3 at North Sterling Res. Logan on
3 Mar (SM).
Lesser Goldfinch: 67 individuals
were reported, from the counties Boulder (2), Delta (2), El Paso (21), Fremont (1), Jefferson (13), Larimer (4),
Mesa (17), and Prowers (7).
Evening Grosbeak: Low elevation:
4 on Pueblo Res. CBC Pueblo on 15
Dec (fide MY).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Without the compilation of sightings from the volunteer regional compilers, “News
from the Field” could not be written. Continued appreciation goes to Jim Beatty
(southwest), Coen Dexter (west central), John Drummond (southeast), Forrest Luke
(northwest), Brandon Percival (Pueblo area), Bill Schmoker (Front Range), and Glenn
Walbek (montane). Special thanks goes to Tony Leukering for all of his hard work in
extracting data from eBird and in preparing all of the reports for our consideration.
CITED OBSERVERS
CA: Chuck Aid; EA: Eric Albright; EAn: Erika Andresen; LA: Larry Arnold; BBa:
Ben Bailey; GB: Gerald Baines; DBa: Dale Ball; MBa: Michael Barnes; LB: Lowell Baumunk; JB: Jason Beason; JBy: Jim Beatty; BBi: Brad Biggerstaff; CB: Cree Bol; MB: Maggie Boswell; SB: Steve Bouricius; BBr: Bob Bradley; JBr: Jessica Brauch; DB: Dan Brooke;
TB: Tom Bunker; WB: Will Burt; BBy: Barb Byron; MCa: Mary Cappel; DC: David
Chartier; MC: Mark Chavez; JC: Jacob Cooper; SC: Sue Crawford; CC: Cade Cropper;
GD: Grace Daenen; AD: Amy Darling; SED: Stoddard and Ellen Davenport; TD: Todd
Deininger; JDe: Jim Dennis; DFO: Denver Field Ornithologists; CD: Coen Dexter; PD:
Paul Didier; RD: R. Donley; DD: David Dowell; JD: John Drummond; NE: Norm Erthal;
BF: Betty Fenton; DF: Dick Filby; RF: Richard Filley; TF: Ted Floyd; NF: Nelson Ford;
MF: Mike Foster; DGa: Dennis Garrison; MJG: Mel & Jeanne Goff; JG: Jeff Gordon;
CG: Chris Goulart; DG: Doug Gould; BGr: Bryon Grauerholz; RBG: Robert B. Green;
LG: Linda Groat; BG: Bryan Guarente; AG: Alan Gutsell; FNH: Frank & Nancy Hatch;
JH: John Haycraft; RH: Robert Hays; SH: Steve Heath; JHe: Jacqueline Heyda; DH:
Dave Hill; RHi: Robb Hinds; MH: Marbry Hopkins; JHo: Jon Horn; AH: Art Hudak;
207
KH: Kirk Huffstater; CH: Charles Hundertmark; PH: Paul Hurtado; MJ: Margie Joy; BK:
Bill Kaempfer; JK: Joey Kellner; DK: Doug Kibbe; MK: Michael Kiessig; DKl: Dianne
Kile; LK: Loch Kilpatrick; HK: Hugh Kingery; UK: Urling Kingery; EK: Elena Klaver;
NK: Nick Komar; NKo: Nic Korte; RL: Ron Lambeth; CL: Charles Lawrence; DL: Dave
Leatherman; LL: Linda Lee; JL: Jan Leonard; TL: Tony Leukering; NL: Norm Lewis;
TLi: Tom Litteral; FL: Forrest Luke; GL: Georganne Luke; CLu: Carl Lundblad; EL: Eric
Lutomski; AM: Andrew Mackie; CM: Cynthia Madsen; KMa: Karen Marchi; TMa: Topiltzin Martinez; LM: Luis “Beto” Matheus; DM: Dan Maynard; KMe: Karen Metz; KMD:
Kathy Mihm-Dunning; KM: Kathy Miller; RM: Rich Miller; MML: Mark Minner-Lee;
JM: Jeannie Mitchell; TM: Tina Mitchell; SM: Steve Mlodinow; GM: Gwen Moore;
NM: Nick Moore; HRM: Heather & Riley Morris; SEM: SeEtta Moss; DN: Duane Nelson; CN: Christian Nunes; MO: Mark Obmascik; CO: Chris Owens; PO: Penny Owens;
DP: Danny Paez; KaP: Katie Palmer; KP: Ken Pals; JPe: Jane Pederson; BKP: Brandon K.
Percival; GP: Guillaume Peron; MP: Mark Peterson; JPi: Jeannette Piecznski; MPi: Mark
Pierson; RR: Rob Raker; AR: Allison Rehor; JRe: John Reichhardt; SR: Sue Riffe; ARo:
Andrea Robinsong; JR: Joe Roller; DR: Dorothy Russell; BSc: Bill Schmoker; GS: Garrett Schmoker; KSc: Ken Schreinert; CS: Cathy Sheeter; JSt: John Shenot; JSh: Janet
Shin; AS: Aaron Shipe; DS: Dave Silverman; BS: Bruce Snyder; HS: Harriet Stratton;
KS: Kristi Streiffert; JS: Jane Stulp; JSu: Joel Such; MS: Marcel Such; JSw: Jack Swelstad;
CT: Cheryl Teuton; JaT: Janeal Thompson; JTh: Jim Thompson; DT: Dave Trappett; JTr:
Jackson Trappett; VT: Van Truan; BT: Bill Tweit; JV: John Vanderpoel; KVS: Karen von
Saltza; SW: Sarah Wagner; GW: Glenn Walbek; NW: Nicole Walbek; DW: David Waltman; AW: Austin White; TW: Tom Wilberding; OW: Owen Williams; MW: Marty Wolf;
BW: Brenda Wright; MY: Mark Yeager; CY: Carmen Yon
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Andrews, R., and R. Righter. 1992. Colorado Birds: A Reference to Their Distribution
and Habitat. Denver, CO: Denver Museum of Natural History
National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). 2013. National Temperature and Precipitation Maps. Retrieved on 4 Jun 2013 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/maps.php
Righter, R., R. Levad, C. Dexter, K. Potter. 2004. Birds of Western Colorado: Plateau and
Mesa Country. Grand Junction, CO: Grand Valley Audubon Society.
Joel Such, 1186 Rowell Dr., Lyons, CO 80650, mpsuch@gmail.com
Marcel Such, 1186 Rowell Dr., Lyons, CO 80540, mpsuch@gmail.com
208
THE HUNGRY BIRD
A Day of Rocky Mountain
“Hurricane Birding”
Dave Leatherman
During my graduate school days in the central piedmont of North
Carolina, an occasional hurricane would slam the coast, filling my
imagination with visions of pelagic terns flying over Pamlico Sound
or a shearwater sitting in the Piggly Wiggly store parking lot in the
town of Wilson. But the realities of studies, the expense of a 350-mile
roundtrip (after all, gas was 30 cents a gallon!), and a spouse not all that
thrilled at the possibility of getting whacked by flying plywood kept me
in Durham.
While we in Colorado do occasionally experience the effects of true
hurricanes (witness Magnificent Frigatebird and Sooty Tern on the official Colorado bird checklist), it’s quite rare for the aftermath of an
ocean storm to reach into our distinctly landlocked borders. But this
spring it occurred to me that we do get to experience a Rocky Mountain version of “hurricane birding”— during our occasional but regular major spring snowstorms. Just like a hurricane hitting the Atlantic
Coast, an upslope blizzard blanketing the Front Range with a foot or
more of wet snow can bring exceptional species to exceptional locations exhibiting exceptional behaviors.
Sane people don’t go out in multi-day spring snow storms unless
absolutely required. Like maybe for bread, milk, or beer? On 16 April
2013, as our next-to-last big storm of the spring wound down, practical
birders like my friends Mary and Tom France described it as a “day to
stay in and have soup.” But after spending over 30 minutes reclaiming
my car from its thick exoskeleton of frozen water (“Cool, it looks a
lot cleaner!”), I headed east from Fort Collins for Windsor Lake, just
northeast of the old downtown area of Windsor.
Someone advising that town’s park staff knows what they are doing
regarding the fishery of this impoundment. The secret is gizzard shad of
the right sizes to produce “keepers” for recreational fishers and abundant meals for fish-eating waterfowl. As many birders have discovered
and reported over the last few years, a diverse mix of bird species, many
in high numbers, some quite unusual, come here to dine.
Upon my arrival in the already-plowed southwest parking lot near
the playground equipment, Bird Oddity #1 was apparent. Sitting quietly in the middle of the lot, on wet, cold asphalt not all that far from
two police cars in their characteristic side-by-side mating position, was
a Wilson’s Snipe. Apparently, wormy shoreline was in short supply, and
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what little existed was being pummeled by horizontal snow and serious waves, so the normally-inconspicuous shorebird just slumped in
the 10-degree wind chill, endured carbon monoxide fumes, and eavesdropped on stories of small-town crime. Perhaps it even heard its first
flippant joke about global warming.
Joining the snipe on the pavement, and appearing a bit more attached to this stark habitat than would be normal, were at least three
Killdeer appearing to square-dance with the occasional car, and a couple Common Grackles. Their targets were earthworms, and possibly
food crumbs accidentally dropped by humans.
On the same fishing pier occupied a year earlier by Cole Wild’s rare
Black-legged Kittiwake (or was it the even more amazing second individual found by Steve Mlodinow?), was Bird Oddity #2. Hunkered
down on the leeward side of the pier, just below its surface and mere
inches from fairly calm water (and protected from the influence of very
strong south-southeast winds), was a Say’s Phoebe. This is not an odd
bird for the date, but its actions were definitely worthy of a FUI (feeding
under the influence) citation, as it pecked at adult chironomid midges
on the side of the pier. A few feet away, a group of about 20 American
Coots tried to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for “Most
Coots in a 9 Cubic-Foot Area” (existing record held by a bunch of guys
solving the world’s problems near a senior center in Des Moines). I did
not see them feed and do not know if they set the record. They just
bobbed up and down with that goofy look coots have most of the time,
somehow avoiding agonistic behavior or bashing the pier.
Large numbers of Common and Red-breasted Mergansers; Western
Grebes; California, Ring-billed and Franklin’s Gulls; and lesser numbers of other waterbird types decorated the lake. For them, on this day
or most any day at Windsor, shad is their staple. The avian inventory
was quite similar to what had been here over the past few weeks. The
scene, however, was much more dramatic, with its sullen gray sky and
mini-breakers. Add dunes or a lighthouse, and it could have been Lake
Superior or Montauk.
Despite the churn approaching chaos on the surface, it occurred to
me that diving species could escape. Below the surface, while the turbidity might have been a bit higher, they could forage in almost total
denial of the harshness above. Such was not the case for insectivores.
As is typical in times of precipitation, airborne insects were forced to
fly low or land. As the wind pushed the largest concentration of midges
to the northwest corner of the lake, midge-loving birds followed. Many
of the more numerous gull species hovered less than 15 feet high over
this area, with most eventually landing to snatch up these mosquitolookalikes on both the water surface and shore. The northwest corner
210
is where the few Savannah
Sparrows, half-dozen Greater
Yellowlegs, and many Spotted Sandpipers were.
By their appearance at
least, the Tree Swallows
seemed to be coping pretty
well. If the water is not frozen, they seem to know there
will be sufficient midges for
sustenance. The main difference was the amount of
labor required to fly upwind
prior to each downwind pass. Fig. 1. Between bouts of very active midge-plucking
The effort they expended from the surface of wave troughs, a Bonaparte’s Gull
per midge had to be much prepares to absorb a small breaker at Windsor Lake
higher than on a day of nice on 16 April 2013. Photo by Dave Leatherman
weather.
In contrast to the Tree Swallows, the Barn Swallows could not hide
their misery. Making them look like an alien species, their tails hung
down perpendicular to the plane of their head, body, and wings (Bird
Oddity #3). This “tailhook” posture would have been good for successfully snagging arrestor wires during a carrier deck landing. But otherwise, this reluctant feather rearrangement looked to be an impediment
to aerial maneuvers, not to mention heavy. I do not know the fate of
these insectivorous swallows, but assuming they survived, they owe it
all to midges.
The lone Bonaparte’s Gull joining the fray was notable for its actions. Standing right where the waves came ashore, it sometimes found
itself on mud, sometimes in water deeper than its belly. On occasion,
making the most of lulls in the wave action, it chicken-plucked midges
at a furious pace. Most high waves were handled with a gentle float
up and over. However, an occasional swell up to two feet high would
become white-topped and overturn, threatening to break right on the
bird’s head. In these cases, the gull simply stretched its beak and neck
straight out, poked a hole in the wall of water, and came cleanly out
the other side to resume pecking for midges (Bird Oddity #4, Fig. 1).
After hours of such seemingly free entertainment, I suddenly realized that I was paying a cost. I was cold. Make that really cold. The car
heater felt wonderful. A few miles north of Windsor, Highway 257 ends
at the new Highway 14 intersection traffic light. On the other side is
a short spur with no outlet called Weld County Road 17. It traverses
former shortgrass prairie and leads to a small horse ranch and a mod
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est collection of houses. For some unknown reason, I continued through the
intersection to the dead-end lane. That
was fortuitous.
Like so many feathered mice preoccupied with cell phones, I immediately
noticed heads-down Horned Larks and
McCown’s Longspurs lining the west
edge of the pavement. In the six-inch
strip of wet grass between the plowed
pavement and a blanket of snow
stretching to the foothills, they worked
nonstop for plant germ. Their marketplace, the economy of evolution, is free
of tariffs and other artificiality. They
were being paid by the seed, their beaks
blurs of purpose. And they did so oblivious to a blue Honda, its combustion
Fig. 2. Mountain Plover standing at the engine active, with me and a telephoto
edge of Weld CR 17 on 16 April 2013, lens hanging out the window less than
its breast adorned with ice as witness to its 10 feet away (Bird Oddity #5). These
“sitting out” a portion of the recent snow species’ hoeing for seeds beside a road
storm. Photo by Dave Leatherman
was not an oddity, but their intensity
and total lack of wariness were.
The longspurs being a bit west of their normal haunts on the Pawnee
Grasslands constituted but a sliver of a major phenomenon observed by
northern Front Range birders all during the latter half of April. This
involved all normal Colorado longspur species (McCown’s, Chestnutcollared, Lapland, and perhaps even a few Smith’s) showing up in large
numbers well west of where expected as far south as Denver. Many
observers, with fascinating storm stories of their own, added McCown’s
and Chestnut-collared to their various county lists.
Finally prying my eye from the camera viewfinder, I noticed Bird
Oddity #6 out the front windshield. It was a Mountain Plover, with an
apparent chest-wound, just standing in the road. Like the other birds,
it allowed very close approach. So close, in fact, that the “wound” revealed itself as a chunk of ice (Fig. 2). Apparently, this somewhat recent arrival to the prairies of Weld County had literally sat out the
storm for a time, until compelled to find food somewhere other than a
frigid, white prairie temporarily devoid of its beloved darkling beetles.
Not sure what it found on the pavement except maybe relief from the
snow, or more likely, insects.
The “grand finale” for this day involved a Western Meadowlark,
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Bird Oddity #7.
Towering
above
the larks and longspurs, this individual also stood out
with its behavior.
Oh, it was poking
the ground too, but
close examination
of its movements
showed
amazing
skills. The sites it
consistently probed
were the bases of
an
unidentified,
clumped grass, with
the blades perhaps
5 inches tall on
average. First, after
visual assessment,
the bird jabbed
its tightly-closed
beak straight down
into the grass root
crown, to a soil
depth of about
an inch. Then it Figs. 3a, 3b. A Western Meadowlark grasps and then gulps
opened its beak to a cutworm along Weld CR 17 on 16 April 2013. Photos by
part the grass (the Dave Leatherman
reverse of how we
use a post-hole digger to remove soil while forming a hole), and looked
into the gap it had created. Every several jabs, it found the object of its
pursuit, a caterpillar. Grasping the larva in the tip of its beak, it then
quickly raised its head, tossed the prey in the air, and gulped it down
(Figs. 3-4).
The classic images of grizzly bears about to devour leaping salmon,
frozen in mid-gape by fortuitous shutter snaps, come to mind. But, really, all the bears have to do is find the right river on the right day,
wade into the middle, face the right direction, and open wide. What
the meadowlark did was a bit more self-directed, an astonishing feat
of precise coordination. Its mandibles are most useful for finding and
obtaining insect morsels, and the hard part—manipulating them with
facial chopsticks in a way that allows swallowing—is deftly overcome
213
by its toss and snatch maneuver. On degree-of-difficulty alone, it would
receive high marks in any competition (except maybe from the Russian
judge). Waders including herons, storks, and ibis do similar things with
invertebrates and frogs.
Examination of the caterpillar in the photo shows it to be one of the
cutworms, most likely the army cutworm or infamous “miller moth”
(Euxoa auxiliaris), which was the subject of the first installment of this
“Hungry Bird” series (Leatherman 2010). Crop entomologists proclaim
2013 a banner year for this convicted pest (Whitney Cranshaw, pers.
comm.). To certain prairie birds on a day like this one, at least, they
become the grist of survival. In spring during big cutworm years, meadowlarks probably do what I observed routinely. Perhaps all the storm
did was narrow the dinner table and allow up-close observation of an
individual bird whose need to eat outweighed its fear of a big Canon
telephoto. It’s possible that the cutworms are also what brought the
Mountain Plover to the road (Fritz Knopf, pers. comm.).
In no way am I knocking the sage advice of my dear friends Tom
and Mary. I like warmth and soup as much as the next person. But
sometimes during Rocky Mountain “hurricanes,” there’s more to living
large (for some of us, anyway) than physical comfort. Let it snow, let it
snow, let it snow.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I appreciate Dr. Fritz Knopf, former research ornithologist with the U.S.
Department of the Interior and author of the Birds of North America account
for Mountain Plover, sharing his vast knowledge of this species with me. Dr.
Whitney Cranshaw, entomology professor at Colorado State University and
webmaster for the online listserv “PestAlert,” provided information about
the 2013 population status of army cutworms.
LITERATURE CITED
Baldwin, P.H. 1971. Diet of the Mountain Plover at the Pawnee National
Grassland, 1970-71. Grassland Biome Program Report no. 134. U.S. International Biological Program, Fort Collins, CO.
Knopf, F.L., and M.B. Wunder. 2006. Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus).
The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab
of Ornithology.
Leatherman, D. 2010. The Hungry Bird: The Army Cutworm, or Miller Moth.
Colorado Birds 44(2): 105-108.
Dave Leatherman, 612 Stover Street #7, Fort Collins, CO 80524, daleatherman@
msn.com
214
IN THE SCOPE
Juvenal Plumage in Colorado Birds
Tony Leukering
I can still recall my first birding trip to California in April 1987,
particularly a morning spent looking, unsuccessfully, for Le Conte’s
Thrasher. The most vivid memory from that day was of finding a
sparrow that completely flummoxed me. I could not identify the bird
until an adult Sage Sparrow hopped up next to it and fed it!
While I certainly must have had some problems identifying other
fledged passerines in my early birding days (they were certainly not
treated well – or at all – in the field guides back then), this California
occurrence really got me thinking about identifying such birds. Additional experience got me thinking about juvenal plumages in general
and how variable they are in appearance and longevity.
Juveniles of many bird species hold juvenal plumage for lengthy
amounts of time, with many large species (such as eagles and hawks)
not initiating molt out of the plumage until nearly a year old. On the
other end of the scale, many small passerines may be found in full
juvenal plumage for just weeks. Or less! In fact, Canada Warblers
initiate molt out of juvenal plumage while still in the nest!
Summer provides a great opportunity for Colorado’s birders to
study the juvenal plumage of many passerine species. This essay is
Back Cover Photos
Fig. 1 (top). Many non-passerines hold their complete juvenal plumage for long periods, some for nearly a year. Unlike most gull species,
juvenile Sabine’s Gulls do not initiate molt out of juvenal plumage
until reaching winter quarters in the southern hemisphere, a typical
feature of arctic-breeding, long-distance migrant species (Arctic Tern
is another example).
Fig. 2 (bottom). Like individuals of most passerine species, this juvenile Spotted Towhee will sport the juvenal plumage it is wearing for
just a short time, initiating molt into formative plumage within a week
or two of departing the nest. Such ephemerality makes birders’ learning
curves fairly steep. However, that learning process can be quickened
by paying attention to shape, structure, and the details of pattern on
wings and tail, which are not replaced in the preformative molt in most
such species.
215
intended as an overview of the appearance and longevity of juvenal
plumage in Colorado’s bird species (breeders, migrants, and winterers), generally by family or order, with a bit more depth provided
for a few species as examples. Two examples are illustrated on the
back cover of this issue. Even for the layperson, I strongly encourage
those with only a modicum of interest in molt to own a copy of Steve
Howell’s (2010) book Molt in North American Birds; it is informative,
interesting, and engaging!
Juvenal plumage in Colorado’s birds
Below, I briefly outline the general appearance and longevity of
juvenal plumage in a selection of families/orders of Colorado birds,
primarily treating speciose groups, but including some small groups
that I find interesting for various reasons. I start with definition of a
few terms to assist understanding of the gist of the essay.
Juvenal vs. juvenile – Many are confused by the differing spellings
of these two words, thinking that they should be interchangeable.
They are not, at least when discussing birds. “Juvenal” is an adjective
describing plumage, while “juvenile” is a noun and/or an adjective
related to age: by definition, a juvenile is in juvenal plumage1.
Technically, a first-cycle bird ceases being a juvenile the moment
that it drops the first feather initiating a molt, thus becoming an
immature (see below). Practically, this moment usually cannot be
discerned in the field, so many birders continue to call such birds
juveniles, even when they sport a few post-juvenal feathers.
Juvenal plumage vs. first-basic plumage – With the redefining of
terms by Howell et al. (2003) (see Leukering 2010), these terms are
now equivalent and interchangeable.
Juvenile vs. immature – These terms are not equivalent and not
interchangeable. Juveniles are birds in juvenal plumage, while immatures are birds that are in any plumage other than adult. In fact,
“immature” is often used even more restrictively to mean a bird in a
plumage other than juvenal or adult. With this last sense, the terms
“juvenile” and “immature” are then non-overlapping in meaning.
Preformative molt – In most Colorado species, the molt that initiates the replacement of juvenal plumage is the preformative molt.
This molt is generally not complete and is occasionally not very
extensive; most preformative molts do not include flight feathers
(primaries, secondaries, and tail feathers). In some large species (but
nowhere near all of them), juvenal (= first basic) plumage is held for
Editor’s note: this lexical distinction has a long history in the ornithological community, but is
controversial in some circles. For a critique of this usage, see http://tiny.cc/tFfD9
1
216
nearly a year and is replaced via the second prebasic molt. In such
species, the preformative molt is absent.
Juvenal plumages by family
Larger species tend to hold juvenal plumage longer than do smaller species. Species within a family tend to have similar strategies
concerning longevity of juvenal plumage. Unfortunately for those
of us that might like these “rules” to be hard and fast, this is biology,
and these “rules” are gross generalizations, particularly the first one.
The flexibility in these rules is due primarily to the fact that juvenalplumage longevity is a result of selection within a species, and various
species, even some closely related to each other, may have cause to
exhibit very different strategies. Data on preformative-molt timing is
taken from Howell (2010) and, particularly, Pyle (1997, 2008).
Waterfowl – Geese and swans generally initiate preformative
molt in fall, though resident Canada Geese in Colorado may start in
late summer. The appearance of juvenal plumage is not very different
from that of adults and close scrutiny is often required to pick out
juvenal-plumaged geese. Juvenal plumage in swans is usually quite
different from adult plumage. Juvenal plumage in ducks is femalelike, with preformative molts initiated in fall. In the “blue-winged
teal” group (Northern Shoveler and Blue-winged and Cinnamon
Teal), sea ducks, and Ruddy Duck, the preformative molt is quite
protracted, with some individual immature males not becoming very
male-like until late winter or, even, spring (see Leukering 2013).
Chickens – Grouse, quail, and pheasants initiate preformative
molts in summer, not long after fledging; juvenal-plumage appearance is adult-like and/or female-like. Interestingly, the preformative
molt in grouse and quail is extensive, including all feathers except
the outermost two primaries and primary coverts for some reason.
Pheasants are similar in this regard, but replace all feathers. Turkeys,
which have two preformative molts, replace all or nearly all of their
juvenal plumage via the first preformative molt that initiates shortly
after (or even slightly before) complete attainment of juvenal plumage; the second preformative molt initiates immediately upon completion of the first one.
Herons – Colorado’s heron species hold their juvenal plumages
for nearly a year, replacing them via the second prebasic molt. As an
aside, none of these species has a prealternate molt; the long “breeding”
plumes present in spring and summer are simply slow-growing aspects of
basic plumage. Juvenal plumage is similar to adult plumage in most species, but radically different in Little Blue Heron and the night-herons.
Accipitridae – The kites, Osprey, hawks, and eagles present a
217
mish-mash of differing strategies concerning juvenal-plumage appearance and longevity. In the accipiters, the buteonine hawks (genus Buteo and relatives), and Bald Eagle, juvenal plumage looks quite
different from adult plumage. In individual species and individual
birds, the presence or absence of a very limited preformative molt
seems to be nearly random. Because this molt, when present, is very
limited, most of the juvenal plumage is replaced via the second prebasic molt when the individual birds are nearing a year old. Ospreys
and Golden Eagles resemble the abovementioned species in molt
strategy, except that juvenal plumages more strongly resemble adult
plumage. The kites, as in many aspects of their biology, do things differently, with Mississippi Kites replacing their head and body juvenal
plumage (which is notably different in appearance from that of adult
plumage) in a preformative molt on the winter grounds.
Plovers – Juvenal plumage strongly resembles adult basic plumage
and is replaced via a variable preformative molt conducted mostly on
winter grounds.
Sandpipers – Unlike in plovers, juvenal plumage of most sandpiper species looks quite different from adult plumage, and the timing, location, and extent of the preformative molt is quite variable by
species (and often by wintering latitude within species). Regardless,
most juvenile shorebirds seen in Colorado are entirely (or nearly)
in juvenal plumage, not replacing any significant amount of it until
reaching winter grounds.
Gulls – Ah, gulls; they cause problems for birders in so very many
ways. By species, juvenal plumage is more or less different in appearance from adult plumage, but timing and extent of the replacement
of juvenal plumage varies greatly across the family. Sabine’s Gull (see
Fig. 1 on back cover), like many very-long-distance migrant species,
delays molt out of juvenal plumage until reaching winter grounds.
Thayer’s Gull, unlike most of its look-alike cousins, initiates its
preformative molt in mid- to late winter or, even, in early spring;
Ring-billed and California initiate it in late summer or early fall, and
Herring in mid- to late fall. Thus, in a single flock of gulls in mid-November, the first-year Ring-billeds and Californias will have replaced
an extensive amount of juvenal plumage, the first-year Herring Gulls
will have only just started their preformative molts, and the firstyear Thayer’s Gulls will be in full juvenal plumage! Franklin’s Gulls
initiate their preformative molt almost as soon as they can fly, with
even late-July birds having obviously replaced at least a few back and
scapular feathers. Franklin’s Gull also conducts two complete (or very
nearly complete) molts per year. The only other ABA-area species to
do this is Bobolink.
218
Owls – Except for Boreal and Northern Saw-whet Owls, juvenal plumages in this group are very similar in appearance to those
of adult plumages in all species; preformative molts initiate in late
summer in all.
Woodpeckers – In most species, juvenal plumages are very similar
to those of adult plumages, with Red-headed Woodpecker being a
notable exception and Lewis’s Woodpecker being somewhat intermediate in this regard. Interestingly, those two species are the only
Colorado species in which the sexes, even of adults (!), are indistinguishable in the field. In most species, preformative molts initiate
in summer, with some individuals initiating the preformative wing
molt in the nest before they’ve ever flown! The sapsuckers delay the
initiation and/or completion of this molt, with Williamson’s starting in August and most Yellow-bellieds remaining mostly in juvenal
plumage well into winter.
Flycatchers – Juvenal plumage resembles adult plumage in all species, though usually with minor field-useable differences. The timing of juvenal-plumage replacement, however, is variable across species, with some Colorado breeding species initiating the molt on the
breeding grounds (e.g., Hammond’s Flycatcher), and others delaying
initiation until reaching winter grounds (e.g., Dusky Flycatcher). In
general, those species breeding primarily in lower, drier habitats in
which food resources decline in late summer hold off molting until
they reach the winter grounds. However, this is biology, and such
aphorisms should be considered guidelines rather than rules. Both
Dusky and Hammond’s Flycatchers breed at very high elevation in
Colorado, as do Olive-sided Flycatcher and Western Wood-Pewee,
but of these four species, only Hammond’s initiates preformative molt
on the breeding grounds. Interestingly, Black and Say’s Phoebes both
initiate preformative molts on the breeding grounds, although most
Say’s breed in fairly arid habitat and Blacks in rich riparian habitat.
Corvids – As noted by Howell (2010), crows and jays are “relatively ‘boring’ and predictable in their molting,” with most species
having juvenal plumage that resembles adult plumage (Gray Jay being a notable exception) and all initiating preformative molt in summer.
Thrushes – Juvenal plumage in thrushes is quite distinctive, being characterized by spotting, a feature quite rare in passerine juvenal
plumage (only larks share it). Despite this distinctive feature, juvenal
plumage is still fairly similar to adult plumage. Preformative molts
are initiated on breeding grounds in all species. Despite retention of
juvenal flight feathers in most individuals of all species, discernment
of age of most species in spring in the field is problematic, at best.
219
Warblers – In the less-patterned species like Orange-crowned
Warbler and Common Yellowthroat, the appearance of juvenal
plumage is generally similar or fairly similar to that of adult plumage (though juvenile male Common Yellowthroats are plumaged like
females). In most of the strongly-patterned species (generally the
members of the old genus Dendroica, now subsumed into Setophaga),
juveniles are quite streaky and can cause identification quandaries,
though wing and tail patterns are like those of adults and quite useful
in these cases. In nearly all species, preformative molts are initiated
on the breeding grounds, though Lucy’s Warbler apparently molts
on or near winter grounds, and some western U. S. populations/individuals of Orange-crowned Warbler conduct an upslope movement
in late summer to molt in moister habitats with greater food resources
than their drier, low-elevation breeding sites.
Sparrows – In nearly all species, preformative molts are initiated
on breeding grounds, with the exceptions being some individuals
(at least) of Grasshopper Sparrow and some other grassland species
(particularly in the genus Ammodramus) and western populations of
Chipping Sparrow. The latter exception is the most interesting, as
juveniles of the western subspecies of Chipping Sparrow can travel
large distances in juvenal plumage (a phenomenon that is readily
observed on Colorado’s plains, where the species does not breed);
whether this is just an extreme example of post-juvenal dispersal or
true migration has not (to my knowledge) been determined. Even
with western Chipping Sparrows, the preformative molt may well be
initiated on the breeding grounds, but it may be that not very much
of the molt is conducted there. As with the wood-warblers, there is
great variation among species concerning the similarity of juvenal
plumage to that of adult plumage, but most species have similar juvenal and adult plumages. The “rufous-sided” towhees provide the best
example of quite dissimilar plumages (see Fig. 2 on the back cover).
Blackbirds – All members of this family, whether Bobolink, blackbirds, meadowlarks, or orioles, tend to have juvenal plumages quite
similar to adult plumage (at least adult female plumage), with that of
Brown-headed Cowbird being, perhaps, the most dissimilar (though
the dissimilarity is more in degree rather than kind), with juveniles
often being mistaken for species in different families! The two meadowlark species have juvenal plumage lacking the obvious black ‘V’ of
worn adult plumage; however, adults also lack that ‘V’ in fresh plumage (September into November), as it is a feature that is revealed by
plumage wear rather than molt (see Leukering 2011). Preformative
molts of all species are initiated in summer on the breeding grounds.
Finches – The juveniles of most species are similar in appearance
220
to adults, although the streaky young of rosy-finches and crossbills
appear fairly different from their parents. Except, perhaps, for the
highly nomadic crossbills, preformative molts in the family are initiated on or near the breeding grounds. Individuals of the two (11?)
crossbill species can breed in juvenal plumage (when less than six
months old) in the presence of superabundant food resources; initiation of the preformative molt is obviously quite variable depending
upon local conditions.
Literature Cited
Howell, S.N.G. 2010. Molt in North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt, New York.
Howell, S.N.G., C. Corben, P. Pyle, and D.I. Rogers. 2003. The first basic
problem: A review of molt and plumage homologies. Condor 105: 635653.
Leukering, T. 2010. Molt and plumage: A primer. Colorado Birds 44: 135142.
Leukering, T. 2011. Spring plumage change in passerines: Prealternate molt
vs. wear. Colorado Birds 45: 154-157.
Leukering, T. 2013. Plumage progression in male Northern Shovelers. Colorado Birds 47(1): 58-63.
Pyle, P. 1997. Identification Guide to North American Birds, part I. Slate
Creek Press, Bolinas, CA.
Pyle, P. 2008. Identification Guide to North American Birds, part II. Slate
Creek Press, Bolinas, CA.
Tony Leukering, 1 Pindo Palm St. W, Largo, FL 33770, greatgrayowl@aol.com
221
222
The Colorado Field Ornithologists’ Quarterly
Instructions for Contributors to Colorado Birds
Colorado Birds is devoted to the field study of birds in Colorado. Articles and short
notes of general or scientific interest are welcomed; potential authors are encouraged
to submit any materials that contribute to the enjoyment and understanding of birds
in Colorado. The preferred submission format is electronic, via email attachment or on
CD. However, typed or hand-written manuscripts are also accepted.
Photos or art: submit black & white or color material. Photos & graphics printed
inside the journal will typically be printed in black & white; cover art is printed in color.
Graphics can be submitted as prints, slides, or electronically. Electronic submissions can
be sent in JPEG (*.jpg), PDF (*.pdf), PSD (*.psd) or TIFF (*.tif) format. Photos must
be submitted in JPEG, PSD or TIFF; maps, tables and other non-photographic material
may be submitted as PDF. Photos should be sent in their original format without editing,
cropping or color correction. Cover art must be of the highest quality. Cover photos
should be a minimum 5.75” wide by 8.75” tall at 300 dpi (1725 × 2625 pixels). Minimum
size for interior photos is 3” by 2.5” (900 × 750 pixels or 750 × 900 pixels). For best reproduction, photos can be larger and higher resolution, but they cannot be smaller. Submit
electronically via email or on CD. Include information about artist or photographer,
subject, date, location and medium used.
Art and photos will be returned at your request; however, manuscripts and CDs will
not, unless specifically requested. While your materials will receive the utmost care, the
Colorado Field Ornithologists (CFO) or any representative thereof cannot be responsible for materials lost in the mail or due to other circumstances beyond our control.
Manuscripts reporting formal scientific research are sent out for peer review.
Contributors who are not members of CFO will, upon request, receive a complimentary copy of the issue of Colorado Birds in which their articles appear.
Send journal contributions to:
Nathan Pieplow
4745-B White Rock Circle
Boulder, CO 80301
editor@cfobirds.org
Submissions of photos or graphics not accompanied by articles are welcomed. Send
these to Christian Nunes, pajaroboy@hotmail.com.
223
Fig. 1. Juvenile Sabine’s Gull, Boulder Reservoir, Boulder County, CO, 25
Sept 2007. Photo by Thomas Heinrich
Fig 2. Juvenile Spotted Towhee, Douglas County, CO, 1 July 2007. Photograph by Glenn Walbek
In the Scope: Juvenal Plumage . . . 215
224

Colorado Birds - Colorado Field Ornithologists

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