TEx^sl
w. Houston,Harris locations, the first present andE Harrington,Ken Hartman (Keri), Eric BobRogers (BRo), Chris Runk (CRu), George 3-7 Apr (fidePF) and the other 19-27 Apr Haskell, Kiyomi Haskell (KHa), Hayden Russell,Billy Sandifer (BiS), Laura Sate (LSa), (PWr). Haucke,John Haynes (JHa), Mitch Heindel, Bob Sargent(BSa), Susan Schaezler (SSc), RhandyHelton, Chuck & NancyHenderson, LibbeyScheible (LSc), John Schneider 0Sc), Citedobservers (subregional editors in bold- AnthonyHewetson (AHe) (NorthwestTexas: Willie Sekula (Central Texas: 7063 Co. Rd. face):Dan Allen, CharleyAmos, Karen Ar- 4407 36th St., LubbockTX 79414. email:ter- 228, Falls City, TX 78113-2627. email: quette,Peter Assmann, Yousef Attia, Mike [email protected]), Aveline Hewetson [email protected],Charles Seniawski (ChS), Austin,Joyce Badger 0oB), Bill Baker(BBa), (AvH), Derek Hill (North-centralTexas: 1508 Chuck Sexton (CSe), Ken Seyffert,Cliff Terry Baldwin, Lynn Barber(LBa), Peter Linden Drive, Denton, TX 76201. email: Shackelford(CSh), Vicky Simon, Steve Sny- Barnes(PBa), JasonBarnett (JBa),Brandon [email protected]),LeeHill, KellyHolli- der(SSn), Dennis Spriggs, John Sproul 0Sp), Best(BBe), Gavin Bieber,Peter Billingham gan (KHo), MarshallIliff, ThomasJohnson, SaraSt. Clair,Shirley Stafford (SSt), Jim .& (PBi), NancyBird, Lorie Black(LBI), Clint RichardKaskan (RiK), Rich Kazmaier(RKa), Eva Stevenson(J&ES), Jim Stevenson(JSt), Boal,Lucie Bruce (LBr), Kelly Bryan(KB), Joe Kennedy,Richard Kinney (RKi), Phillip Cliff Stogner(CS0, ByronStone (BSt), Rose FrankBumgardner, Winnie Burkett, Eric Car- Kite, Kit Larsen,Greg Lasley, Cin-Ty Lee, Ja- Marie Stortz, ScottSummers (SSu), Paul Sun- penter,Larry Carpenter, Will andGill Carter, son Leifester,Lee Lemon,Sue Levy, Michael by,Brady Surber, Malcolm Mark Swan,Rick SherManCoffey (SCo), Scarlet Colley (ScC), Lindsey(MLi), Dell Little, Mark Lockwood Taylor, Darrell Volleft (DVo), Pat Wade Greg Cook, Mel Cooksey(MCo) (South (ML), Bill Lupardus(BLu), Barry Lyon (BLy), (PWa), Dan Walker (DWa), LoisWallace, Jim Texas:16 TownhouseLane, Corpus Christi, Art MacKinnon(AMa), Viola Mann, Ray Mat- & LynneWeber, Ron Weeks (UTC: 110Indi- TX 78412. email: [email protected]), Mark lack, SteveMayes, Jessica & LowryMcAllen, an Warrior, LakeJackson, TX 77566. eraaft: Cranford (MCr), D. D. Curtie, David Angela& CharlesMcKey, Brad McKinney, empidonax•sbcglohal.ne0,Wayne Wendel, Dauphin(DDa), Roband AngieDean, Drew ClaudetteMiller (C1M),Clay & JodyMiller, Paul Wentzel (PWe), Allen Wimple, Jack Dickeft (DDi), Phil Dickinson, Mike Dillon, Tom Morris, John Muldrow (JMu), Jeff Windsor(JWi), Harley Winfrey, Jan Wobben- Alec Dobson,Bob Doe, Jon Durm, Marc and Mundy (JeM),Alan MurphyAMu), Patrick horstOWo), David Wolf (DWO),Mimi Hoppe MaryannEastman, Marc Eastman, Dodge En- Murphy, Derek Muschalek,Carolyn Ohl- Wolf, Pat Wright (PWr), Jim Wyatt 0Wy), gelman,Paul Fagala,Tim Fennell(TFe), Johnson,Brent Oftego, Jay Packer (JAP), Lau- ShermanYoung,•Lee Zieger, Barry Zimmer, ChrisField, Bert Filemyr (BFi), Bennie Flatt ra Packer,Jim Paton(JPa) (Trans-Pecos: 4325 Kevin Zimmer. • (BF1),Mark Flippo,Brush Freeman (BFr), BoyScout Lane, E1 Paso, TX 79922.email: pa- Bert Frenz (BeF) (East Texas:221 Rainbow tonjn•netzero.net),Glenn Perrigo,Barrett MarkW. Lockwood,402 FastHarriet Avenue, Alpine, Dr., #12190, Livingston,TX 77399-2021. Pierce,Jerry Pilny (JPi), Randy Pinkston Texas79830, ([email protected]); email: [email protected]),Terry Fuller (RPi), David & TeresaPritchard, Martin EricCarpenter, 10610 Morado Circle #2325, Austin, (TFu),Tony Gallucci, Derry &Jo AnnGartig, Quest,Ross Rasmussen, Ellen Ratoosh,Jim Texas78759, ([email protected]); Brian Gibbons, Connie Goldman, Steve Ray,Martin Reid (MR), Bill Reiner(BRe), Ce- WillieSekula, 7063 Co. Rd. 228, Falls City, Texas 78113- Gross,April Grunspan,Mary Gustafson,W cilia Riley (CRi), Mary Nell Risley(MNR), 2627,([email protected]) Colorado&Wyoming
TonyLeukering { Bill Schmoker fewspecies in unheard-ofnumbers. A superb ChristopherL. Wood flightof Veeryand Gray-cheeked Thrush up- stagedthe seasoh'slackluster warbler migra- - opesof a reasonablynormal dimatic tion (exceptingBlackpolls). Several other •season meltedas quickly as the win- specieswith few enoughprevious records to ter'ssnowpack whenthe Region ex- counton onehand kept birders busy and will perienceda hot, dry spring.Colorado's tem- undoubtedlyengage both states' records com- '.4 peratureranking was classified"above nor- mittees as documentation is received. mal"by NOAA,while Wyoming's temperature averageranked "much above normal" for the Abbreviations:Bonny (Bonny Res., Yuma); season.By 30 May,the U.S. Drought Monitor BrushHollow (BrushHollow Res.,Fremont); (
VOLUME 60 (2006) NUMBER 3 405 [COLORADO&WYOMING
Continuingthe recent spate of nestingrecords, Hill) thatwould provide the stateg 5th record. a femaleHooded Merganser was spied with 11 GlossyIbis continueto be foundin Colorado downyyoung near Ryan Gulch Res., Latimer in highnumbers, with I2 reportsthis spring, 29 May(D. Hall). 15 Apr-29 May (m.ob.).There were also two Twotardy Sharp-tailed Grouse were seen 2 reportsof GlossyIbis x White-facedIbis hy- Aprat Tamarack(SL), a winteringlocation at brids:4 at CationCity, Fremont 12 Apr (MP; whichthe species is notknown to breed.Rare onestill there22 Apr) andone at EastL., Jef- in spring,an alternate-plumagedRe&throat- ferson2-7 May (T. Mitchell). ed Loonwas a nicefind at PuebloRes., Pueblo 29 Apr (BKP).Of the 14 springreports of RAPTORSTHROUGH SHOREBIRDS CommonLoon, only one was from the West Lateon theplains on 20 Apr,a juv.Northern Slope,an alternate-plumagedbird at k. Cata- Goshawkat Chico(BM, BKP) may have been Thehip-pocket vagrant trap at LastChance, Washington mount, Routt 24 Apr-5 May (FL). Two the sameone seen there in Jan.A juv. Re& County,Colorado can be well worth the detour: among Horned Grebes at Chico, Pueblo 25 Mar thenoteworthy birds found there this season were two (BKP) provideda first recordfor this well- VariedThrushes, including this female on 12 May 2006. workedsite. Single Red-necked Grebes were PhotographbyGlenn Walbek. one-daywonders at Saratogak., Carbon,WY canbe assumed to bein Coloradoexcept that 30 Apr (FB) andat Jumbo8 May (HA); the eachWyoming location is notedas suchthe speciesis rarerin springthan in fall in Col- first timeit appearsin thetext. oradobut still nearly annual. The Brown Pel- icanin Larimer27 May (N. A. Komar)may WATERFOWLTHROUGH IBIS havebeen the sameas that reportednot too A smallpond in Sedgwickhosted 150 Greater far away in Greeley,Weld 29 May (NP); White-frontedGeese 2 Apr (SL),a largenum- age/plumagewas not describedin eithercase. berfor Colorado.Now thatTrumpeter Swans Recordsof migrantAmerican Bitterns are havebecome regular in Colorado,the only rarein theRegion, as most are seen at or near out-of-the-ordinaryspring report was of a sin- known breedingsites; one at LathropS.P, Anexceptional shorebird gathedng atTable Mountain glebird at Silt,Garfield 18 Mar (A. Dahl).The Huerfano7 May (RM) wasdearly a migrant. WildlifeHabitat Management Area, Goshen County, male EurasianWigeon at AlamosaN.W.R., Rareardeids in Wyomingincluded a Great Wyoming16 May2006 included this Hudsonian Godwit. Alamosa1 Apr (BKP,L. Edwards)may also Egretfar n. at GlendoRes., Platte 16 Apr PhotographbyStephen J.Dinsmore. have been found a few countiesto the n., at (CM) and 2 GreenHerons at E.K.W.6 May shoulderedHawk wasreported from Lamar, BuenaVista, charfee, the nextday (RHa, SY). (CM;one still present on 16May). An ad.Lit- Prowets10 May OK, GW), a datethat seems In Colorado,an apparentmale Mexican Duck deBlue Heron, first found at Belmar Park, Jef- latefor a migrant.The high count of Broad- (currentlyconsidered the diazi subspeciesof ferson19 Apr (K. Schofield,ph. BS), stayed in wingedHawk at the DinosaurRidge hawk- Mallard)was found at thenortherly location of thearea until at least10 May.It wasjoined at watch,Jefferson was 5 (all light-morphads.) WaldenRes., Jackson 20-21 Apr (MJI,BG, ph. EastL., Jefferson by anotherad. 3 May (DF) on 20 Apr (TL). C. Sheely);there are threeprevious specimen andmay have accounted for a sightingof the SpringRegional reports of AmericanGold- recordsfor the state. Oddly, for spring, all three speciesin Denver11 May (CC). Reportsof en-Ploverare relativelyscarce, so one bird scorerspecies were reportedin the Region, CattleEgrets in themrs., where rare, included photographedby MountainPlover oglers e. of with an imm.male White-winged a holdover singlesin Chaffee13-14 Apr (RHa), Spring Ault,Weld 13 May (J. & S.Mammoser) was of fromwinter in Adams(m.ob.) through at least ParkRes., Eagle 27 Apr-6 May(D. Filby),and someinterest. Wyoming got into the action, 7 Mar and 2 Blacksat CherryCreek 9 Apr in Chaffee11 May (RM); theonly West Slope too,with an ahernate-plumagedbirdat Table (GW). Threereports of Long-tailedDuck were reportof thespecies came from Routt 6 May Mr. 19 May (DF). Paleplovers were almost more than usual;one at Mack, Mesa2 Mar (R. (FL, VZ). An ad. Yellow-crownedNight- foundmore often outside the small Regional Lambeth)was on theWest Slope, where rare. Heronplayed hide-an&seek at RockyFord breedingareas than insidethem, with the SpringBarrows Goldeneyes were in typicallo- S.W.A.,Otero 19 Apr+ (SO). The ciconiiform mostfar-flung Snowy Plovers being 3 at Bon- cations,though the 28 in BuenaVista 2 Apr of the season was an ad. White Ibis w. of Red ny 16Apr (NP, A. Boyce)and singles at Sarato- (RHa,SY) provided a highcount for charfee. LionS.W.A., Logan 10-15 Apr (L.Johnson. N. gaL. 26 Apr(ph. R. Gorrell),Brush Hollow 28 Apr (RM; firstcounty record), Cheney Res., ThoughtheRegion's birders tend to get out pretty often inMay, most ofus missed outon the best shorebird ground- Mesa2-4 May (D. Wright), TableMt. 16-19 •.ingof the season 16-17 May, as that period fell mid-week. Dinsmore visited Table Mt. on the 16th and recorded a May (SD),and Bonny 26 May (TL). Wander- largenumber ofshorebirds, withafew spedes ofmore*than-passing interest.Among these were 18 Black-bdlied Plovers, a ing PipingPlovers included 2 at Red IJon SnowyPlover (presentlhrough the19thL aHudsonJan Godwit, 132 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 78Pectoral Sandpipers, 511 S.W.A.,Logan 5 May (IL et al.) andsingles 5 km w.of RedIJon S.W.A. 8 Apr(HA), at Table StiltSandpipers, 6 Short-billed Dowitcbers, 147Long-billed Dowitthers, and47 Red-necked Phalaropes. ]hen,Dinsmore Mt. 29 Apr-19 May (DF), andat BrushPrairie t•aveledtothe s. and, with Ely, found an:unprecedented 19Short-billed Dowitcbers atBrunner Res., Broomfield onthe 1 PondsS.W.A., Morgan 8 May (E. Steele). (ph.DAL), with 8 stillthere the next day• Also on the 17th, Peterson visited Bonny and found 12 Black4•ellied Plovers, 72 Justthe 14 reports made it a goodspring [or LesserYellowlegs, 27Sandealings, 200+White-romped Sandpipers, 42Pectoral Sandpipers, 34 Duplins, 723Stilt Sand- Whimbrdin Colorado,but theamazing 240 pipers•pdoneShort-billed Dowitch?r.Interestingly, noWhimbrels were reporte dipthose t•odays, though fourofthe sea- at AdobeCreek Res., Bent/Kiowa 1 May (DN) •son'•14reportsof•the,species fellin the perio•d 14-15 May. wasRegionally unprecedented (by an ordero[ magnitude).Two Hudsonian Godwits graced
406 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS COLORADO&WYOMING
the Region,single birds at TableMt. 16 May Sandstrom-Smith).Though rare, the species (ph. SD) and Duck L., Larirner27-30 May is reportedsomewhere in Coloradonearly (NK, ph RHo).Ruddy Turnstones are annual everyspring. After Colorado birders broke the in springand fall, at leastin Colorado,but blockon Yellow-bellied Flycatcher by finding Nelson'sefforts at monitoringPiping Plovers the state's2nd and 3rd staterecords last fall, andLeast Terns in theArkansas R. valley in se. the 4th was found, like the 3rd, in a mist net, Colorado enables him to visit a considerable thisone at Chico,E1 Paso 24 May (ph. BG, amountof reasonablehabitat. This spring, he m.ob.).All 6 AlderFlycatchers reported this encountered3 at NeegrandeRes., Kiowa 15 springwere foundat Chico,El Paso/Pueblo May, with one (still?) therefour dayslater. 14-25May, with 2 there20-21 May (BG,LS, SingleRuddy Tumstones were also found at IL, BKP). Ihe two breedingflycatchers of BoulderRes., Boulder 4 May(T. Heinrich)and piton-juniperwoodlands in Colorado,Gray at Cheraw21 May (LS,TL). Pushingtypical Flycatcherand Ash-throated Flycatcher, have earlyarrival dates were single White-rumped Colmdo'sfifth {and probably most cooperative) White differingvagrancy patterns in e. Colorado, Sandpipersnear St. Vrain S.P, Weld 4 Mayand Ibisloitered near the RedLion State Wildlife Area, with Graybeing more common in springand RedLion S.W.A.5 May (bothTL). A whop- LoganCounty, Colorado 10-15 (here 15) April 2006. Ash-throated more common in fall. This ping13 Dunlins (seven reports) were seen this PhotographbyBill Schmoker. springdid notbuck the trend, as we received spring,with the most noteworthy being the al- definesthe n. limit of thespecies' range in e. 15 reportsof presumedovershooting Gray ternate-plumagedbird in Wyomingat Sarato- Colorado.The population of BurrowingOwl Flycatchersin e. Colorado,a numberhigher gaL 5 May(FB) and 4 eachat Cheraw26 Apr on Colorado'sWestern Slope has declined thanusual, and only threeof Ash-throated. (J.Drummond) and Bonny 17 May (MP). The considerably,so an ad. notedat Cortez,Mon- All reportsof Graysoriginated from in or near 250Red-necked Phalaropes spinning on Duck tezuma23 May is encouraging.Surveys con- the FrontRange urban corridor from Pueblo L. 19 May (DE, E. Zorawowicz)must have ductedby the U.S.D.A.Forest Service in the to Latimer,spanning 24 Apr-16May. Iwo of beena nice sightand provideda relatively SpanishPeaks area, Huerfano/LasAnimas the Ash-throatedreports came from out on highsingle-site count. turnedup 2 singingBoreal Owls 2 Mar (fide theplains, with singlesat LastChance, Wash- L Semo),thus extending the known range a ington19 May (GW et al.) andCrow Valley 22 GULLSTHROUGH WOODPECKERS bit east•vard.If correcdyidentified, a Lesser May (JR);the otherwas at BelmarPark 16 An ad.Laughing Gull loafed at PuebloRes. 4- Nighthawkreported from e. of ColoradoCity, May (MC). 13 May (BKP),the only one of the season. Pueblo31 Mar (B. Hahn) would be of interest If correctlyidentified, the farthest extralim- The onlyMew Gullsreported were those at andsome three weeks early. A singingWhip- ital reportsof Black Phoebeand Eastern andnear known wintering sites in Pueblo(3) poor-willof thenominate (e.) subspeciessat- Phoebecame from Crow Valley9 Apr (D. andBoulder (one). Two Glaucous Gulls (ages isfiedhappy listeners at Chico,El Paso19-21 Smith) and Boulder, Boulder 6 May (R. unreported)at GlendoRes. 2 Apr (CM) were May (T. VerCauteren,LS, m.ob.). Sieber0,respectively. Of the 6 VermilionFly- fairly late, but an ad. at CherryCreek was Many observerscommented this season on catchersfound, 2 were at Chico, El Paso:a quitelate 30 May (B.Brown); ads. are, more- the declineof Lewis'sWoodpecker popula- male 18-19Mar and a female21 Apr (both over,relatively rare in the Region,and late birdsare almost invariably first-cycle birds. A third-cycleGreat Black-backed Gull thatvis- ited theJTL Ponds,Natrona 15-18 Mar (ph. c..., L0h.•, G&JL) providedonly the 2nd Wyoming record.Another, larger, bird presentat the sametime may have been a second-cycle r• Great Black-backedGull, but the identifica- t tion was not certain. Two extralimital Least Ternswere reported, one each at CationCity tionsin e. Colorado,even along the Arkansas BKP). The otherswere a male in s. Baca 5-10 15 Apr (RM) andChico, Pueblo 25 Apr (ph. R., whereformerly fairly plentiful. However, Apr (J. Ogle)and single females in Campo, BKP), the latter a first localrecord. observersin theleton, WY areareported that Baca17-26 Apr (fide MJ1, BG), Chaffee 26 Apr The comingsand goingsof Colorado's the species'local populations are increasing. (RM), andChatfield Res., Douglas 28-30 Apr Band-tailedPigeons are poorly known, so the Red-belliedWoodpeckers w. of normalin- (JK). The only out-of-rangeGreat Crested 50 in Beason'syard in Paonia,Delta 24 May cludedone at Crow Valley 1-7 May (DAD Flycatchersreported were at Chico,Pueblo 20 wereof interest.Of the22 reportsof White- and anotherat Pueblo,Pueblo 7 May (M. May (BG,TL, LS),a firstthere in spring,and wingedDove, only one was of multiplebirds: Yaeger).Red-naped Sapsuckers were found in at PrewittRes., Washington 28-29 May (DAL). 2 in Casper,Natrona, WY 15-16May (A. & W. late Mar at two or three sites in Prowets (L. A Scissor-tailedFlycatcher was slightly out of Hines).The onlyreports of IncaDove came Paulson,DAL, VT), well out on the e. plains, rangeat Hasty,Bent 16 Apr (BG, MJI), and an- againfrom the small,resident colonies in wherequite rare in spring. otherwas well out of rangeand provideda RockyFord, Otero and Lamar. Single Greater firstlocal record at EstesPark, Lar[rner 23 Apr Roadrunnerswere seen out of rangetwice: n. FLYCATCHERSTHROUGH (S. Rashid). of Salida,Chaffee 4 Apr (G. Mihalik)and at THRASHERS Of therarer migrant vireos, we receivedre- CastleRock, Douglas 24 May (K. Huffstarer). Twosinging Eastern Wood-Pewees were not- portsof 5 White-eyeds,2 Yellow-throateds, 5 A WesternScreech-Owl at Chico, El Paso31 ed this spring,one eachat Lamar5 May Cassinõ,one Blue-headed,and 2 Philadd- May provideda firstlocal record and nearly (BKP)and the CF&I Ponds,Pueblo 13 May (P phias,all on the e. plainsor alongthe e.
VOLUME 60 (2006) ß NUMBER 3 407 JCOLORADO &WYOMING
Chico's the 19th. A Curve- (fideD. McDonald).Chico's wintering East- billed Thrasher was quite a ernTowhee tarried until at least19 May,pro- surprisen. of normalat Lake- vidingunexpected amusement, as it wasseen wood,Jefferson 19 May (MC). and heard mimickingmany local species, suchas Blue Jay, American Robin, and Curve- WARBLERSTHROUGH billed Thrasher (BM, m.ob.). Another East- , FINCHES ern Towheethat may havewintered locally With few exceptions--among washeard singing 7-25 Apr in Boulder(ph. them the second-strongest R. Byers).Finally, an out-of-range and out-of- •11 Blackpollflight in recent years seasonEastern Towhee was reportedfrom (coincident with the Gray- Crow Valley 22-23 May (JR). A singing cheekedThrush fiight)--the CanyonTowhee was a bit n. of normal,at warbler migration was leaston the plains,at Chico8 Apr-20 May mediocre,with only 36 species (KL, m.ob.). being found in Colorado. An am•ing 3 FieldSparrows were report- Lucy'sWarblers returnedto ed from Front Rangecounties this spring, ThisGray Vireo was one of two present at LittleFirehole, Sweetwater County, YellowJacket Canyon,Mon- withindividuals at DixonRes. 24 Apr (N. Ko- Wyomingon 29 May 2006; this photorgraph represents the first firm evidence of tezuma [or at least their 3rd mar), at Chico,Pueblo 11 May (BG), and at thespecies inthe state. Photograph byl)ave McDonald. year(m.ob.), but onlya single Chico,El Paso20 May (b. TL). SingleBlack- foothill edge, where expected, though NashvilleWarbler was reported. All but oneof throatedSparrows were outside their small e. Cassin'sshould certainly be migratingin the 8 Black-throatedGray Warblers reported Coloradobreeding range near Two Buttes Res. springthrough the Western Slope. The Blue- fromColorado's e. plainswere at Chico1-13 in Prowers27 Apr (MP,BKP) and at Denver headedwas at Chico, El Paso,where banded May (m.ob.);the otherwas not far awayat 29-30May (P Vance,N. Lewis).The annual e. 15 May (BG), providingthe first acceptable ClearSprings Ranch S.W.A., El Paso30 Apr ColoradoSage Sparrow vagrancy season (an local record. Carolina Wrens at Lamar and (BKP). "Eastern"warblers in the mountains above-average5 this spring) was bookended Tamarackno longerraise eyebrows quite so weremostly found in Chaffee,with a male by the two northernmostreports, both in high(though a pairnested at Lamarthis year Black-throatedGreen and a femaleBlackpoll Larimer:one in a Lovelandyard 10-13 Mar [DR,m. ob.]), but oneat ColoradoCity 2 Apr 11May (RM) and a femaleBlack-and-white 23 (ph.C. Kogler,m.ob.), the other in EstesPark (D. Silverman)was well w. of normal. Out-of- Apr(NP) at FrantzL., and,at SandsL., a fe- 13Apr (J&SR).A RedFox Sparrowwas quite placeBewick's Wrens included 2 different maleAmerican Redstart 19 May (RM) anda a nicefind at Chico5 Apr (MPet al.,ph. BM); birdsat Chico--12Apr in Pueblo(BKP) and NorthernWaterthrush 9 May (VT). The only mostRegional records are from fall andwin- 14-20May in El Paso(BM)--and oneat Estes other montane "eastern" warblers were an ter.A presumablywintering Harris's Sparrow Park13-21 Apr (J&SR).A maleEastern Blue- imm. male American Redstart at Curecanti wasin Crawford,Montrose until 15 Mar (VZ); birdwas w. of normalat CasperMr., Natrona, N.R.A.,Gunnison 18 May 0Bn) anda North- WestSlope records are relativelyscarce. The WY 24 May(CM, JL), particularly for solate ern Waterthrush at L DeWeese, Custer 24 only out-of-placeNorthern Cardinals were in theseason. Conversely, as many as 4 West- May(RM). Wyoming's only out-of-range war- singlebirds (sex unreported) e. of Casper,Na- ern Bluebirdsat Chico25 Mar-8 Apr (KL) bler was a Black-and-white Warbler at trona,WY 10 Mar (fideDF) andat Louviers, wereon theplains, where quite rare. FontenelleDam, LincohdSweetwater21 May Douglas23 Apr (T. Halverstadt).A Varied Oddly,the only VariedThrushes of the (R. Steenberg).Finally, Wilson's Warbler put Bunting,originally identified as an Indigo springwere both singles out on theplains at on itsbest spring showing on theplains in re- Bunting,was reported from Arvada, Jefferson Last Chance: a male 7 May (LM, G. centmemory (it is abundantthere in fall). 14 May (tCC); the ColoradoB.R.C. will have Goodrich)and a female12 May (N. Erthal, An imm. maleSummer Tanager at SandsL. to ponderthis one, as there are no state or Re- LM et al.). Colorado's2 wintering Long-billed 5 May (SY)was in therats., where quite rare, gionalrecords. Thrasherswere present into Apr, with the andprovided a first Chaffeerecord; another Bobohnks are not often found in Colorado Denverbird's last date being the 3rd and was in Laramie,Albany, WY the next day awayfrom breeding areas, so the migrants found at Chico, Pueblo17 (J. Drumanondet al.) & 20 May (BKPet al.) andat Arvada18 S/..iThe Cathorus flightinColorado inmid- tolate May was unprecedented inthe relative abundance of VeerJes •,ndGray- May (DF) helpto definethe migration season /-IcheekedThrushes, twospecies whose primary migration routes take them e. of our Region; oddly, Swainson sThrush for the specieslocally. At leastone Eastern numberswere not elevated, though Gibbons didband arusset-backed Swainsun's atChico (19 May) for the 2nd year in a row, Meadowlarkof subspecieslilianae returned to providingColorado's 3rdrecord. Some 31Veeries were reported onthe e. plains (one of those inWyoming) 9-27 May, appar- a LesserPrairie-Chicken lek e. of Campo, entlyof both e. and w. subspecies, withGibbons banding 4 atChico 10-16 May (including abird referable tosa#cicola ofthe Baca,where recorded for thepast four years, Weston the loth); atypical spring sees five to 10 reports ofVeery on the Colorado plains. singingthere 29 Apr (MP). A brilliantorange ad.male Hooded Oriole brightened feeders at TheGray-cheeked Thrushstory this spring was nothing short ofincredible! Awhopping 35were reported (2of those in a residencein Grand Junction,Mesa 26-30 Wyoming),11-28 May, with 24 of them being found 14-17 May. Eight reports were of multiple birds, with the maximum be- May(ph. J. & M. Hill) andprovided the first ing6 atChico (4in œ1Paso, 2in Pueblo) 15My; Gibbons banded 6in œ1 Paso 15-16 May! At least 3were at the Ft Lupton ceme- stateand Regionalrecord. Baltimore Orioles tery,Weld 14May (ph. TL; with the only other Cathams being 9Swainson's Thrushes), withat least one still there the nex• day, awayfrom Colorado's far e. plainsincluded and3 were on a private ranch elsewhere inWeld 19 May (GW et al.). A typical spring sees one or two Regional reports! Inter- singingimm. males at Chico,El Paso10 May estingly,asingle Wood Thrush wasfound inthe Region thisspring, that at Chico, Pueblo onthe last day of the season (BM). (MP) andLast Chance 13 May (TL, LS)and, even fartherw.. a femaleat the Soapstone
408 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS COLORADO&WYOMING I
Ranch,Latimer 24 May (CW). A wintering Curt Campbell,Mark Chavez,Coen Dexter Semo(n.e. Colorado), Jane Stulp, Van Truan, Bullock'sOriole x BaltimoreOriole hybrid (w.-cen.Colorado), Dave Ely, Doug Faulkner Glenn Walbek (n.-cen. Colorado),Cole Wild, wasin kamaruntil 28 Mar (DR), anda Purple (Wyoming),Brian Gibbons Randy Hancock SherrieYork Many other individualscon- Finchwintering at RockyFord S.W.A. from 4 (RHa),Rachel Hopper (RHo), Marshall J. Iliff, tributedinformation to thisreport but could Nov was last seen 26 Mar (SO). Lesser Joey Kellner, Steve Larson,Gloria & Jim notbe acknowledgedhere. They all haveour Goldfinchesreported from unusual locales in- Lawrence(statewide RBA- Wyoming),David thanksand appreciation. dude 2 at the Stulpresidence, Prowers (sin- A. Leatherman,Tony Leukering, Kara Lewan- gleson 9 & 30 May;JS) and a black-backed towicz, Forrest Luke (nw. Colorado), Bill TonyLeukering, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, malefrom Chico,Pueblo 20 May (BG);both Maynard,Terry McEneaney(Yellowstone), 14500Lark Bunting Lane, Brighton, Colorado 80603, locationsare on theplains, where the species Chris Michelson(Casper, WY), RichMiller, ([email protected]); is a fairlyrare migrant. Duane Nelson, Stan Oswald, Susan Patla Bill Schmoker,3381 Larkspur Drive, Longrnont, CO (Jackson,WY), BrandonK. Percival(se. Col- 80503,([email protected]); Citedobservers (subregional editors in bold- orado),Mark Peterson,Nathan Pieplow, Bert ChristopherL.Wood, Cornell Laboratory ofOrnithology, face):Henry Armknecht, Jason Beason (JBn), Raynes(Jackson, WY), Julie& ScottRoeder- 159Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850, Jim Beatty(sw. Colorado), Francis Bergquist, er, Bill Schmoker(CO Front Range),Larry ([email protected]) Idaho&Western Montana
(SS). A total of 9 CacklingGeese (mostly Camas5 May (?BD),a StiltSandpiper at Ca- minima)stopped in n. Idaho9-11 Mar (TG, mas13-18 May (JC),a Short-billedDowitch- CS), but evenbetter findswere singletav- er at L.M. 3 May(WT), and6 Short-billedsin erneri and hutchinsii near Somers, MT 19 Fremont,ID 11 May (?CW). Interestingrare Mar (DC). EurasianWigeons were scarce, laridsincluded a Mew Gull in Kootenai,ID 9- with only 3 noted in Idaho and one in w. 22 Mar (LH), a Thayer'sGull in Flathead,MT Montana.Although Long-tailed Ducks are 18 Mar (DC), a Glaucous-wingedGull in not annualin spring,a commendableseason Owyhee,ID 12 Apr (RLR),and singleGlau- total of 6 came from n. Idaho, and 2 were cousGulls in Gooding,ID 11 Mar (LB) and recorded in w. Montana. Pacific Loons are Owyhee,ID 12Apr (RLR). veryrare in spring,so one at Sandpoint,1D 4 Mar (MH) and a late one in Elmore, ID 23 DOVESTHROUGH FINCHES May (MC, RLR)were especially noteworthy. EurasianCollared-Doves made an unprece- ApparentlyGreat Egretsare increasingin dentedrange extension, with at leasta totalof Montana, as evidencedby one in Powell1 12 reportedfrom seven new s. Idaholocations May (JB)and 2 at L.M. 24 May (WT). If ac- anda pairdiscovered in Deerlodge,MT. Barn David Trochlell cepted,a Little Blue Heron discoveredin Owls are rare and local in Montana, but at Madison22 Apr (ph., ?D&MW) will repre- least10 were reported in theMission Valley in Pring2006 temperatures variedwidely sent w. Montana's 3rd record. Following hard mid-Apr(DH), and severalpairs reportedly acrossthe Region, but most locations on the heels of last summer's first Idaho re- nestedand fledgedyoung. Montana Snowy experiencedrecord-high temperatures port at Camaswas the discoveryof up to 3 Owls were unusuallylate: singleswere near in May and above-averageprecipitation for GlossyIbis in Jefferson,ID 28 Apr-27 May Red Lodge2 Apr (BJ),Bozeman 12-14 Apr theseason. Bird migration was generally con- (DCI; ph., ?CW). Also presentthere were (PW),and in theMission Valley 13 Apr (DH). sideredmostly uneventful but did include severalpossible Glossy Ibis x White-faced Barred Owls continued to wander out of somenotable early and late arrivals. Ibis hybrids(ph., ?CW). Bringingin a 2rid rangein Idaho,with 2 in Blainein earlyMar recordfor Idaho'sLatilong 2 was a White- (PWP) and one in Gem 24-25 Mar (MW). Abbreviations:Camas (Camas N.W.R.,Jeffer- facedIbis nearCataldo 23 May (SS). TwoBlack Swifts at Camas27 May (JC)pro- son, [D); L.M. (Lee Metcalf N.W.R., near Broad-wingedHawks, rare in spring,were vided a local first. Two Black-chinned Hum- Stevensville,MT); latilong(area encompassed seen near Missoula,MT 22 Apr (one; NK) mingbirdsin Eagle,ID 17 Mar (GW) were by onedegree latitude and one degreelongi- andn. of Howe,ID 7 May (2; ?J&CO).Quite recordearly. Earliest local recordby three tude used in mappingbird distributionin impressivewas the concentrationof 100 weekswas a Red-napedSapsucker near Boze- both Idaho and Montana). Rough-leggedHawks in Beaverhead,MT 18- man, MT 13-14 May (AK). If accepted,an 20 Apr (DC). The only Gyrfalconsreported AlderFlycatcher in Jefferson28 May (?CW) GEESETHROUGH GULLS were a few winter holdoversin Lake, MT in would be a first for Idaho.Single Eastern Greater White-fronted Geese were noted in Mar (JB,DH). Twounusually early American Phoebes,not annualin Idaho,turned up in locationswhere they are consideredex- Golden-Ploversnear Lennup, MT 12 Apr Jefferson14-15 Apr (ph.,?MH) andin Bonner tralimital: 2 were in Flathead, MT 13 Mar (MD) representeda 2nd localspring record. 28-31May+ (?BB). An unprecedentedgather- (BR),and a singlewas in Kootenai,ID 29 Mar Especiallyrare in springwere 2 Whimbrelsat ing of kingbirdswas observed near Gardiner,
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