Gone West

The first day of the CFO convention was great, if a bit more wet than anyone would have hoped. Our day started with a good sized group, getting good looks at the Black-throated Sparrow (above) and Lark Sparrow (below).


By then the rain started to get serious, and our group thinned due to muddy roads. A somewhat smaller group pressed on, and got good looks at the Burrowing Owl, and Sandhill Crane below.


Unfortunately the rain that kept us company all morning also caused a fogging issue with my camera, and I missed getting shots of my lifer Long-eared Owls on their nest.


The group contracted again, but six of us pressed on through the heaviest rain, getting to unsuccessfully scan a flock of close to 200 White-faced Ibis for any stray Glossies, (still a great sight). Eventually the weather began to break, just as we were guided to a nice hotspot for Sage Sparrows, (below) and Sage Thrashers (picture not posted - see fogging issue above). Both were great looks at life birds for me.


Life birds aren't the only highlights though, many birds were willing to give us close looks, like this Brewer's Sparrow.


Many thanks to my carpoolers, Nick and Matt, and our awesome west slope guide Kim who braved the weather with us and showed us some great sites.

Hopefully the weather is a bit more cooperative and the birding continues at the same great pace.

2011 Count: 184
Lifetime: 273

Misguided Sparrow, Miscolored Robin

At the beginning of the week unsettled weather was turning up unexpected migrants in all sorts of locations. Tuesday I decided to try for a rarity in Boulder that had been seen for a couple of days in a row. The Black-throated Sparrow was worth the rushed drive to see and photograph. In a family that features brown, stripes and eye-rings as major identification points the Black-throated Sparrow is a welcome standout.


This bird was ground foraging, alternating his time between groups of Vespers, Chipping, and White-crowned Sparrows. In an area with heavy foot traffic there were many occasions when the bird mix was reset, but this bird was a reliable return to the same area every few minutes.

I headed off after seeing the sparrow to see if I could also refind a reported Gray Flycatcher. I didn't find it, but did see this partially leucistic American Robin.


This bird seemed to show the pigments for orange, but all the dark colors had been replaced by white.


One last shot of the Sparrow, great looking bird! These little guys are normally found in southern Arizona, New Mexico and California, and extend northward in Utah and Nevada. They are not normally found this far north east of the Rockies. I wonder if this bird's navigation system will tell it that it needs to head west or south, not north with the other groups of migrants? I hope it finds a summer home that will support it.



2011 Count: 113
Lifetime: 254