Journal of the Colorado Field Ornithologists The Colorado Field Ornithologists' Quarterly VOL. 33, NO. 2 Journal of the Colorado Field Ornithologists April 1999 • JOURNAL OF THE COLORADO FIELD ORNITHOLOGISTS (USPS 0446-190) (ISSN 1094- 0030) is published quarterly by the Colorado Field Ornithologists, 3410 Heidelberg Drive, Boulder, CO 80303-7016. Subscriptions are obtained through annual membership dues. Periodicals postage paid at Boulder, CO. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Journal of the Colorado Field Ornithologists, P.O. Box 481, Lyons, CO 80540-0481. OFFICERS OF THE COLORADO FIELD ORNITHOLOGISTS: Dates indicate end of current term. An asterisk indicates eligibility for re-election. President: Leon Bright, 636 Henry Avenue, Pueblo, CO 81005; 719/561-1108; lbrightl @juno.com; 1999* Past-President: Linda Vidal, 1305 Snowbunny Lane, Aspen, CO 81611 ; 970/925-7134; [email protected] Vice-President: William Fink, 1225 Columbia Drive, Longmont, CO 80503; 3031776-7395; 1999* Secretary: Sherry Chapman (filling in for Toni Brevillier), 16085 E. Rice Place #B, Aurora, CO 800 l 5;303/699-1351; BLUEBIRD I [email protected]; 1999* Treasurer: BB Hahn, 2915 Hodgen Road, Black Forest, CO 80921; 719/495-0647; [email protected]; 1999* Directors: Raymond Davis, Lyons, 303/823-5332, 1999*; Pearle Sandstrom-Smith, Pueblo, 719/ 543-6427, 1999*; Warren Finch, Lakewood, 303/233-332, 2000*; Jameson Chace, Boulder, 303/492-6685, 2001 *; Richard Levad, Grand Junction, 970/242-3979, 200 l *; Suzi Plooster, Boulder, 303/494-6708, 2001; Robert Spencer, Golden, 303/279-4682, 2001*; Mark Yeager, Pueblo, 719/545-8407, 2001 * Journal Staff Cynthia Melcher (Editor), 4200 North Shields, Fort Collins, CO 80524, 970/484- 8373, [email protected]; Beth Dillon,Rich Levad (Associate Editors); Mona Hill (Administrative Editoral Assistant); Jameson Chace, Richard Harness (Science Editors). COLORADO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE: Bill Lisowsky (Chair), Ft. Collins, 2001 *, 970/ 225-6827, [email protected]; Joey Kellner, Littleton, 1999*, [email protected]; Joe Mammoser, Fort Collins, 2000*, [email protected]; John Rawinski, Monte Vista, 2000*, [email protected]; Tony Leukering, Brighton, 2001 *, [email protected]; Chris Wood, Lakewood, 2001 *, [email protected]; Vic Zerbi, Glenwood Springs, 2001 , [email protected]; Mark Janos (Former Chair), Pueblo, [email protected]. Terms expire 12/31. ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES (renewable quarterly): General $20; Student $16.00; Institution $30. The annual membership dues also pays for a one-year subscription to the Journal of the Colorado Field Ornithologists, which is published quarterly. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Send membership inquiries, renewals, and changes of address to Colorado Field Ornithologists, c/o Raymond Davis, P.O. Box 481 , Lyons, CO 80540. COPYRIGHT © 1998 by Colorado Field Ornithologists. The publisher holds one-time rights on artwork and photography. Reproduction of articles is permitted only under consent from the publisher. Works by U.S. and Canadian Governments are not copyrighted. Vol. 33, No. 2 Journal of the Colorado Field Ornithologists April 1999 T ABLE OF CONTENTS PHOTOGRAPHS AND ILLUSTRATIONS .......... ................................. ....................•... ······ 78 UPCOMING CFO FIELD TRIPS ..................................................................................... 79 COLORADO FIELD ORNITHOLOGISTS' MISSION STATEMENT ...................................... 79 CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE RONALD A. RYDER A WARD FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO COLORADO FIELD ORNITHOLOGY ................... 80 CFO WEBSITE.. ........................................................................................................ 80 ERRATUM IN VOL. 33, No. 1. ..... .. ........... .. .... ......... ................. ..... ..... ................ 80 T HERE'S STILL TIME TO REGISTER FOR THE 1999 CFO CONVENTION ......................... 81 JoIN THE NORTH AMERICAN MIGRATION COUNT 8 MAY 1999 ...................... ....... ... .. 81 L ETTER FROM THE EDITOR... ........................................................................................ 82 C:ynthia Jvlelcher COLORADO BIRD OBSERVATORY OCCASIONAL p APER N UMBER 2: BREEDING DISTRIBUTION AND N UMBERS OF EARED, WESTERN, AND CLARK'S GREBES IN COLORADO ........ ............ ............................................ c . • . •• . •••••••••• • . ••••••••••• • . •.• •• • . •.. •.. • . 83 Glenn P Giroir and Tony Leukering BLACK SWIFTS ( C:ypseloides niger) IN FULTON RESURGENCE CAVE ....................... 91 Donald Davis NORTHERN PYGMY-OWLS (Glaucidium gnoma) IN R OCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONALPARK.. ..................................................................................................... 95 Scott Rashid BILL AND SYLVIA BROCKNER: PARTNERS IN " SERVICE TO A VES AND HOMO SAP/ENS" ...................................................................................................... 102 Patty Echelmeyer, David Pantle, and Lynn Willcockson FIRST RECORD OF ROYAL TERN IN COLORADO ............................ ............ ............... .. 111 Duane L. Nelson RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE PERTAINING TO COLORADO NUMBER 4 ....... .117 Thomas G. Shane, Editor ARRlvALS AND D EPARTURES : SPRING MIGRATION IN COLORADO 1998 ................. .... 118 William H. Kaempfer 1998-1999 COLORADO CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS .................................................... 124 Alan Versaw NEWS FROM THE FIELD: THE AUTUMN 1998 REPORT (AUGUST - NOVEMBER) ......... .142 David C. Ely 77 I Vol. 33, No. 2 Journal of the Colorado Field Ornithologists April 1999 PHOTOGRAPHS AND ILLUSTRATIONS NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL: Scott Rashid, a wildlife artist and photographer from Estes Park, Colorado, has spent considerable time in the field studying the ecology ofN orthern Pygmy-Owls. See his article on pygmy-owls on page 91. These birds have the ability to raise tiny feathers (part of the facial disk) above their eyes when danger approaches. Scott Rashid... ... .............................. ... ..................................... Front Cover CHIMNEY SWIFTS: Joeseph Rigli sketched this flock of Chimney Swifts with pen and ink. Joseph Rigli ........................................................................................... 93 NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL: Scott Rashid rehabilitates injured birds and bands birds in his free time. He took these photographs of a Northern Pygmy-Owl to show the owl's face (top) and a rear view of the head to show the eye spots (bottom). Scott lives in Estes Park, Colorado. Scott Rashid..... .. ........................................................ ............................ 94 JUVENJLE NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL: JusT A HANDFUL: Jim Osterberg of Estes J>ark, Colorado, photographed this juvenile Northern Pygmy-Owl after Scott Rashid banded it. Jim Osterberg....... .................................................................................. 101 SYLVIA AND BILL BROCKNER: Ron Ruhoff photographed Sylvia and Bill Brockner to accompany the article authored by Patty Echelmeyer, David Pantle, and Lynn Willcockson (see article on page 26). Ron Ruhoff ........................................................................................... 102 ROYAL TERN: Duane Nelson discovered and photographed this Royal Tern (bird on the far left; compare to the Forster's Tern on the far right) while conducting surveys of Least Terns and Piping Plovers at Neenoshe Reservoir, Kiowa County. If accepted by the Colorado Bird Records Committee, this will be the first Royal Tern recorded in Colorado. Duane L. Nelson ................................................................................... 111 FORSTER'S TERN AND LEAST TERN: Kim Potter, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Forest Service in White River National Forest, sketches birds in her free time. She created these two drawings with pen and ink. Kim Potter. .................................... ..................................................... ... 115 BLACK-BJLLED MAGPIES: Using pen and ink, Janet Ruth sketched these Black­ billed Magpies. Janet is a wildlife research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey-Biological Resources Division in Fort Collins, Colorado. Her current research entails studying habitat use of wintering sparrows in southeastern Arizona; she's also the USGS-BRDliason to Partners-in-Flight. Janet Ruth. .. .. ... ................................ .. ............... .. ... .. ..... .. ....................... 116 78 Vol. 33, No. 2 Journal of the Colorado Field Ornithologists April 1999 UPCOMING CFO FIELD TRIPS Sunday. 2 May 1999 -- Tamarack Tally. Species rarely found in other parts of Colorado can be tallied at Tamarack Ranch State Wildlife Area (SWA) in northeastern Colorado. Your leader, Bill Prather, will seek Red­ headed and Red-bellied woodpeckers, as well as other northeastern Colorado specialties. This all-day trip will include local reservoirs: Red Lion and Jumbo Lake. Meet at the Colorado Division of Wildlife check station (house trailer) at Tamarack Ranch SWA at 7:30 a.m. Take 1-76 east, exit #149 (~20 miles northeast of Sterling), go north on Route 55 about 0.5 miles to the trailer on the east side of the road. Please call Bill at least one week ahead for trip details: 303/776-2191. Saturday, 8 May 1999 -- Colorado Migration Mecca. The woods behind Lamar Community College, as well as local SWAs and reservoirs, can produce surprising assortments of spring migrants normally considered rare in Colorado. Mark Janos will lead this all-day southeastern Colorado trip from Lamar