Vol. 47 No. 4 October 2013 Colorado Birds The Colorado Field Ornithologists’ Quarterly Piping Plovers in Colorado Water it and They Will Come Hungry Birder: Breckenridge 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 Colo- rado Field Ornithologists, P.O. Box 643, Boulder, CO 80306. Subscriptions are obtained through annual membership dues. Nonprofit postage paid at Louisville, CO. POST- MASTER: 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; [email protected]; Vice Presi- dent: Christian Nunes, Boulder, 2015*; [email protected]; Secretary: Larry Modesitt, Greenwood Village, 2015; [email protected]; Treasurer: Tom Wilberd- ing, Boulder, 2015*; [email protected] 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, 2013*; [email protected] 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: Peter Burke, [email protected] Staff: Christian Nunes (Photo Editor), [email protected]; Hugh Kingery (Field Notes Editor), [email protected]; Tony Leukering (In the Scope Editor), GreatGrayOwl@ aol.com; Ted Floyd (Conversations Editor), [email protected]; Mike Henwood (News from the Field Editor), [email protected] 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 Ornitholo- gists. 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. 226 Colorado Birds October 2013 Vol. 47 No. 4 The Colorado Field Ornithologists’ Quarterly Vol. 47 No. 4 October 2013 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ....................................... 228 Bill Kaempfer CFO BOARD MEETING MINUTES ......................... 230 Larry Modesitt CONVERSATIONS: PETER BURKE ........................ 232 Ted Floyd (Ed.) THE STATUS OF PIPING PLOVERS AS A COLORADO NESTING SPECIES, 1990–2013 ......... 236 Duane Nelson WATER IT AND THEY WILL COME— LOWER SOUTH PLATTE BIRD DIVERSITY, HISTORY AND OUTLOOK ..................................... 243 Bruce Bosley FIELD NOTE: NORTHEAST COLORADO ................ 246 Bill Kaempfer CBRC WEBSITE ANNOUNCEMENT ....................... 248 Doug Faulkner THE 68TH REPORT OF THE CBRC ......................... 252 Doug Faulkner NEWS FROM THE FIELD: SPRING 2013 .............. 264 Mike Henwood THE HUNGRY BIRDER: BRECKENRIDGE ............ 294 Christy Carello Western Scrub-Jay, Red IN THE SCOPE: Rocks Trading WARM-COLORED MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS .......... 297 Post, Jefferson County, 11 Tony Leukering February 2013. Photo THE HUNGRY BIRD: CATERPILLAR TRICKS ...... 300 by Peter Burke Dave Leatherman PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE New Year’s Resolutions Bill Kaempfer So, who’s still on track with their 2013 New Year’s resolutions? I am! I resolved to use eBird this year—all the time, complete lists, no excuses. And I’m still on track. Although eBird is pretty easy to use, it does require some effort, yet using eBird keeps me better organized as a record keeper, on track and current. And using eBird has an enormous payoff beyond just tracking one’s own list. I now use it all the time to see what’s showing up in Colorado and elsewhere, and what’s on the lists of others. I use it for planning my trips, looking at historical records and so forth. As an example of some things I’ve learned using eBird informa- tion, the other day (once I had made my goal of 300 species observed for Colorado during 2013) I used eBird to compare Colorado Birding activity to the rest of the country. I discovered just how much birding goes on in our state. Of the 50 states, Colorado ranks 6th for number of species recorded and verified by eBird so far for 2013, ranking be- hind only Texas, California, Florida, Arizona and New Mexico. As of mid-August there were 11 birders who had managed the 300 year-list level in our state, which ranked third in the country behind bird- ing behemoths Texas and California. My conclusion? Colorado has amazing bird variety and that variety keeps some pretty outstanding birders busy. With all those birds and birders, do we also have a state birding organization that delivers? I certainly think so, and this edition of Colorado Birds will make clear some of the things that the CFO is doing to make birding in Colorado even better. First is Colorado Birds itself, the CFO’s quarterly journal. With this issue we welcome Peter Burke as our new editor after seven plus years of excellent work by previous editor, Nathan Pieplow. In July I thanked Nathan for his outstanding efforts toward putting the state of birds and birding in Colorado in print. To get to know Peter better, you may want to visit Ted Floyd’s blog on the CFO website (http://www.cfobirds.org/busi- ness/index.php#Last%20Chance%20-%20First) or see Ted Floyd’s Conversations on page 232. In addition, the CFO has invested in significant changes to its Colorado Birds Records Committee site. An entirely new records submission process took effect in late August that makes submitting a formal record of a rare sighting much easier. Doug Faulkner, chair of the CBRC, explains these changes on page 248. Finally, the major event that defines CFO every year is its con- 228 Colorado Birds October 2013 Vol. 47 No. 4 vention. At the 2013 con- vention in Cortez, we an- nounced our plans to host the 2014 convention in Sterling—as far from Cor- tez as we could get! I’d like to confirm this and pass on the additional news that the CFO Board has decid- ed to take the plunge and have the 2014 convention August 28-31. An August convention in North- east Colorado gives CFO members the best possible opportunity to explore the spectacular post-breeding shorebird migration that comes across the high plains. With extensive mudflats exposed after summer water draw-downs at the five large reservoirs An example of the many tools available to birders along the South Platte through eBird. (Jumbo, North Sterling, Prewitt, Jackson and Riverside—yes we hope to include trips there, too) thou- sands of shorebirds, including some rarities, often show up. In August 2013, I led a CFO field trip to the Sterling area, so check my trip report on page 246 for a preview of what to expect at the August 2014 convention. I’m also proud to announce that our featured speaker will be none other than Jon L. Dunn! One of the preeminent field ornithologists of his time, Jon has been Chief Consultant on the National Geographic Field Guide since the first publishing in 1983. His Field Guide to Warblers of North America (Peterson se- ries, 1997 and co-authored with Kimball Garrett) is perhaps the finest and most complete work on that subject. Finally, Jon collaborated with our own John Vanderpoel to create The Advanced Birding Video Series that includes Humming- birds of North America, The Large Gulls of North America and The Small Gulls of North America. So mark your calendars and join us next fall in Sterling! Bill Kaempfer, [email protected] Colorado Birds October 2013 Vol. 47 No. 4 229 CFO BOARD MEETING MINUTES 10 August 2013 Mountain Research Station, Boulder County, CO Larry Modesitt President Bill Kaempfer called the August quarterly meeting to order at 11:30 A.M. (after a CFO Board bird walk on Niwot Ridge where we saw a family of Dusky Grouse and a Say’s Phoebe at 11,500’, among other expected species). Other officers present were Vice President Christian Nunes, Secretary Larry Modesitt, and Treasurer Tom Wilberding. Directors Jim Beatty, Peter Burke, Christy Carello, Lisa Edwards, Mike Henwood, Brenda Linfield, Joe Roller and Ted Floyd were present. Director Doug Faulkner sent his regrets. New board members Mike Henwood, Christy Carello, and Peter Burke were greeted and welcomed by all. Secretary’s Report—Larry Mode- in Colorado Birds in such a way as to sitt. Directors approved the minutes be of broad interest to birders in Colo- of the 13 April 2013 board meeting rado. He also affirmed the importance and the 18 May Annual Meeting, of balancing scientific contributions with minor corrections. and more “popular” content like the “The Hungry Birder” and CFO mem- Treasurer’s Report—Tom Wil- ber profiles. With Bill Kaempfer’s berding’s report was approved. suggestion, Peter is forming, and will oversee, an editorial board consisting Membership Report—Lisa Ed- of Christy Carello (science), Doug wards reported 499 subscriptions for Faulkner (CBRC), Mike Henwood the April issue. Membership is in- (News from the Field), Christian creasing slightly. Nunes (Photo Editor) and Bill. 2. Planning for the 2014 CFO Items of Business from the Presi- Convention. We thoroughly re- dent—Bill Kaempfer viewed comments and survey results 1. Introduction of new editor of regarding timing of a fall convention, Colorado Birds.