Mountain Gems

While walking the lakes near the summit of Loveland Pass on Sunday I had the great fortune to follow a trail through some willow habitat that was shared by a group of cooperative warblers. The immature female Wilson's Warbler above was just one of the many birds who watched me from the cover of the willows.

The young male displays more of the Wilson's tell-tale dark cap. This one shows the bit of olive around the edges, an indication that lead me to believe this wasn't an adult.

The warblers seemed to feel secure in their concentrated stronghold of branches, and would let me get quite close as I followed the trail along the lake before they moved on to their next perch. Gaps in the branches let us check out one another to our mutual satisfaction.

Wilson's Warblers weren't the only species enjoying the beautiful summer day in the tundra, MacGillivray's Warblers were also moving about in the vegetation.

I noticed that in this case they seemed to prefer perches on top of the willow thicket, making them easier to follow, but a bit more subject to harsh light. Even so, the segmented eye-ring is visible in the shot above.

Just to round out the previous post, here was one of the adult White-crowned Sparrows. As is usual above treeline, these birds were prolific. A great last stop on my trip, but not the last blog entry from that excursion by far. Stay tuned.....

Little help?

Here is one little bird that I had hoped to share, with its identity already confirmed; but once again I am stuck. If anyone has insights please let me know. The possibility is strong that I have missed something, but I will lay out my thoughts and pitfalls with the following pictures.

First off, this bird was seen foraging among wildflowers alongside one of the lakes on the Summit County side of Loveland Pass. I would put the elevation somewhere around 11,750 ft., but don't have that confirmed beyond association with the summit of the pass which is 11,990 ft.

The bird was just outside of some willow clumps, and was in close proximity to a handful of White-crowned Sparrows. It was quiet, or at least not vocalising loudly enough to overpower the wind and Pikas. Initially, I thought this was a White-crowned as well, just a young bird with a bunch of adults. As I began to double check though, some issues with that species began to arise.

First off, the bird is heavily streaked on the throat and underparts, which should be a solid light gray on a White-crowned; even a juvenile bird. Also, it seems that the dark crown-stripe drops down into the lores, (that area above and in front of the eye), too completely for an interior White-crowned. That pattern looks right for a Pacific, but again - the striping shouldn't be present.

To get myself a list for cross-checking I searched eBird records for some of the Tundra habitat Colorado Hotspots, and pulled a list of all the August results. The candidates I looked at more closely were; Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, Cassin's Finch, and Pine Siskin.

I believe I have eliminated each as a pure species for the following respective reasons. The Chipping Sparrow, coloring is wrong, and the presence of striping is not correct. For a young bird though, the head pattern was close. The Song Sparrow, didn't seem that likely, and on comparison this bird doesn't show the same pattern of breast streaking or a central breast spot. Its eye-line runs straight back, not curving down like that of a Song Sparrow. A Lincoln's Sparrow seems more likely for a hybridisation, with the buffy wash and more streaking, but this bird is lacking the neck pattern - specifically a strong malar stripe, central breast spot, and fine streak pattern for a pure Lincoln's. I looked closely at the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch mainly because I am still seeking one (unless one of my long range pictures from earlier in the trip turns up a hidden gem). Besides hope, there really wasn't much a Rosy could add to the process. The Cassin's Finch did have more concrete contributions, specifically the streaking on the neck and underparts, and a fairly plain face pattern below the eye. The strong eye-line and pattern on the back aren't right, however. Of course, when looking at streaky mountain birds the Pine Siskin has to come to mind. On this bird the bill shape, leg color, and lack of strong wing-bars make that species unlikely as well.

So, a 'pure' species of any kind still doesn't seem close, but again, I wouldn't be terribly shocked if I was missing something out there that fits. A hybrid of one or more of these species may be more likely, but I didn't find much documentation for some of the more likely pairs. Also, I had another bird that appeared to match this one, but at a greater distance, and with poorer light. It is possible that the same bird moved between two locations while I was shooting - or that the two birds were siblings, but that may make hybrid a less likely option.

I believe my best guess is some kind of Lincoln's Sparrow mix, but I haven't found clear indication about the malar stripe on a young bird of the species.

If anyone has an answer for me, please feel free to share. The tough birds are the ones where we learn the most, and I have been digging on this one quite a bit. Thanks for considering, and I will have more pictures from this spot shortly, it was a great stop.

Also, while searching online the past few evenings I have been unable to find a handy and reliable list of most species that can be found in the tundra area. The lists you find for Tundra habitat feature the handful of species that are common there, but unlikely in other habitats, such as White-tailed Ptarmagin, Brown-capped Rosy-Finches, and White-crowned Sparrow. Anyone know of a list where you could sanity check to confirm that the bird you thought was a Downy Woodpecker would be really unlikely up there. For instance I see Bluebirds with some regularity up at the Alpine Visitor Center in RMNP, but because they are much more common in lower parts of the list they show up in park lists, but are not associated with the Tundra habitat. If anyone has a list that they use, or just has built one up with more experience than I have and can point me to it I would appreciate it.

Up - Where the Air is Clear

Usually getting a view like this requires a wake-up sometime around 4, and hours of hiking to get to a place where you are at eye level with 13,000 ft. Fortunately for those of us in Colorado, and with good snow tires, Loveland Pass and Arapahoe Basin ski area offer glimpses to drivers, skiers and riders alike for nothing more than a car or chair ride.

These shots were taken from the top of the Lenawee Chair at Arapahoe Basin, looking back along the continental divide towards Loveland Pass. From the shots it is apparent that it was a clear day, but what is not apparent is just how nice it was 7000+ feet up from home. There was virtually no breeze, and the sun made it mild, even for June at that elevation. I have stood on that ridge hundreds of times over the past ten years or so, but I would be hard pressed to remember a nicer day up top.

Soft, (but not slushy snow), and sunshine aside - "The Legend" did not offer legendary birding. I heard plenty of Chickadees, (Mountain variety), and glimpsed a few darting between cars in the parking lot, but had nothing other than those, some Ravens, and a probable Gray Jay while on the mountain.

As that was the case it was good that I started my day just before sunrise and got a couple of species near the condo where I stayed. My first bird of the day was a Steller's Jay.

They are gorgeous, and for photography's sake are much more closely seen around picnic areas.

While on my early morning walk I also added Juncos, Chickadees (both types), and both Crows and Ravens. Finally on my way back to hit the slopes I saw this Downy Woodpecker. She had me checking closely with her plain black back. Yet another variation in those diverse Downys.

Blue Sky Day at Breckenridge

I think the Summit County Chamber of Commerce got together and decided to make me realize what I had been missing this winter.
I spent a beautiful, mild, calm day at Breckenridge. Anyone who has visited knows that even on the most mild of days the tops, if not all of Breckenridge's four peaks are assaulted by constant wind. Yesterday that wind was a mild breeze, which was nice at the tops of lift rides to keep everyone cool in the sunshine.
Birding was not my primary focus, as I was catching up with some old friends, and making sure I did not get ahead of myself and ski to aggressively on my first day back. I did get out for a walk in the morning before everyone was ready to leave, and enjoyed the activities of 40 or so Mountain Chickadees busy in the trees.





On the mountain I was more limited, both Ravens and Crows made their way through town and over the runs, but there wasn't much beyond that. Until that is we pulled into one of the lodges, Tenmile Station, at the end of the day. While on the deck I was treated to 6 Gray Jays who were working over the leftovers from many skiers' lunches.





The Gray Jay was a new species for me, so I had a phenomenal day all in all.


2009 Count: 61

Lifetime: 91