Vermont Pelagic Trip on Lake Champlain – 3 Statebirds, October 2013

For years I’ve salivated when reading posts about sightings of seabirds on Lake Champlain.  Most every Fall there are sightings of rarer gulls (Little, Black-headed, Sabine’s), all 3 Jaegers, Purple Sandpiper, Red Phalarope, Gannet, and sometimes even Eiders and alcids.  Although I’ve seen some of the more common seabirds on Lake Champlain (all 3 Scoters, Long-tailed Duck, Red-necked Grebe), and a couple of the rarer ones (Harlequin Duck and Black-tailed Gull), there are still many of these real rarities to hope for. 

The typical approach to see these birds is to position yourself on the VT shore line, set up your scope, and stare across the water into the teeth of a bitter northwest wind in hopes that something will pass by close enough to be able to identify.  But this fall some VT birders came up with a new idea – rent a boat and take it out on the lake in an attempt to get much closer to birds that may be migrating down the lake.  A pelagic trip in Vermont!  So when I heard about the planned trip I signed up right away with my fellow New England statelister Denny Abbott.  As the day approached the forecast for the day was for a stiff breeze out of the south.  Typically these migrants are only expected to move on a north or northwest wind, so it was unclear how successful we would be that day.  With about 20 optimistic birders on board, the boat departed at 7 AM with views of a beautiful sunrise.   

Soon after we left the dock we started to see a number of Common Loons migrating overhead – a sign of good things ahead.  A bit later a White-Winged Scoter flew by, then another group, and later a small flock of Surf Scoters.  Then came the first of several flocks of Brants.  We had flocks all day long - before that day I had seen just 1 Brant ever in Vermont.  But still no statebirds.  Then I noticed four small shorebirds flying south down the middle of the lake – they were very pale above and below and showed a considerable wingstripe.  Unfortunately we were on the eastern side of the lake at the time so didn’t get to see these birds too closely as they passed by.  But everyone agreed that they were Phalaropes, and very likely Red Phalaropes.  I checked the bar charts for Phalaropes in late October and Red is by far more likely than Red-necked – maybe even the only one.  So admittedly no one was 100% sure just based on the sighting, and one couldn’t be 100% sure just based on the date, but all of these features were highly suggestive of Red Phalarope.  So based on a preponderance of the evidence, I checked them off as Red Phalaropes and a new VT statebird.  That was my 11^th state for Red Phalarope, with many of those coming in the northeast, either on pelagic trips or as a rarity on-shore (see my statebird map below).

The next excitement came just a few minutes later when a birder yelled – I’ve got a young Little Gull!  The bird was flying south by itself, first passing right by the boat, and then landing on the water a short distance away.  The Captain was able to maneuver the boat to get close to it for all to see.  What an amazingly cooperative bird, and statebird #2.  VT is my 4^th New England state for this rare but regular gull.

Another highlight of the trip were the small number of Red-throated Loons we saw, mostly flying south alone.  I had only ever seen 1 Red-throated Loon before in VT, and it was a distant bird next to impossible to see very distantly bobbing in the waves on the lake.

And the last highlight came as we reached the northern end of the route.  I was scanning the water to the north and noticed a small flock of gulls (likely Ring-bills) a considerable distance away – far enough away that they were little more than white specs.  Then I noticed them start to wheel around in a small ball, almost as if they were being harassed.  And just then an all dark bird roughly the size of the gulls made a very rapid pass through the flock.  Over the next 30 seconds I saw it make 2 rapid passes through the gulls 2 more times.  It was a Jaeger!  At that distance I certailnly couldn’t tell which species it was, but based on larger size and dark plumage it was most likely a Pomarine or Parasitic.  But since I have no Jaegers for my VT list, I could add Jaeger, sp. as a new statebird for VT.  That gives me 258 for my VT list.

The count for the trip included the following highlights –

    Brant - 676 (in 8 flocks)

    Snow Goose - 60

    Greater Scaup - 1

    Greater/Lesser Scaup - 4

    White-winged Scoter - 10

    Long-tailed Duck - 3

    Common Merganser - 18

    Red-breasted Merganser - 10

    Red-throated Loon - 6

    Common Loon - 81

    Horned Grebe - 1

    Red-necked Grebe - 2

    Double-crested Cormorant - 204

    Red Phalarope - 4

    Jaeger, sp. - 1

    Little Gull - 1

What a tremendous trip!  Though we were very lucky - the boat went out again the next day and the birders saw almost nothing of interest.  Maybe it was just one too many days of southerly winds for any good migrants on the lake.

The folks that organized this trip are considering doing it again in September next year - sign me up!

Lake Champlain looking North (NY on the Left, VT on the right)

Blue-footed Booby – Lifebird – Marin Co. California, October, 2013

I have business trips to the Bay Area in California almost every month.  But since I don’t typically have any spare time on these trips, I usually do not do any birding in the area.  One notable exception was 2 years ago when I added a day of vacation to chase after the Falcated Duck that was seen nearby every day for months except the day I was there (but that’s another story).  On this month’s trip it looked like I might have a couple free hours early one morning, so I brought by binoculars along to do some nearby dawn birding.  Since I had no particular targets in mind, I thought I’d just do a bit of research once I arrived and find a nearby birding hotspot to check out for a couple hours.

Early in my trip I started my research by checking the e-Bird rare bird alert for California.  I was hoping that there might be an eastern warbler nearby to chase after as a possible new CA statebird.  But way before I could scroll down to the warblers I noticed many reports of Blue-footed Boobys, including several very recent sightings.  I’m used to seeing reports of this species from the Salton Sea, but I was surprised that they were reported in so many different counties.  Since that would be a lifebird, I wondered if any could be close enough to try for.  I downloaded a map of the counties of CA, and checked all the counties listed in the e-Bird Booby sightings.  Sure enough there was a recent sighting of one in Marin County, just an hour away, at a place called Gull Rock.  Apparently it (or several birds!) have been there for weeks.  I didn’t realize that 2013 had been something of a record year for Blue-footed Boobys in CA, with over 100 seen so far.

Now I just needed to figure out the logistics of trying to see the bird.  Gull Rock was close enough that I could easily get there by dawn, look for the bird for a while, and still get back in plenty of time for work.  So that wasn’t an issue.  The problem was that the posts suggested the roosting spot was pretty far from the viewing locations – likely too far for binoculars.  If only I had researched this before leaving I would have brought my scope along.  What to do?  My spare time was the next morning so I had little time to come up with a plan.  I decided to see if I could find a local birder who might meet me there with a scope.  I went on the local listserve and found numerous posts of birders seeing this bird, some dating back several weeks.  I sent e-mails to many of these folks, and got responses from 5 or 6, with each giving good advice for finding the bird.  And 1 responded saying he could meet me there with a scope.  The only problem was that he was a professional guide.  I didn’t want to have to pay to see this bird, but this seemed to be my only option.  So I hired the guide and hoped that I would get a good return on my investment and get good looks at a lifebird. 

The next morning I met the guide and we arrived at Gull Rock a bit before dawn.  The rock was indeed quite distant, and covered with hundreds of Brandt’s and Pelagic Cormorants, along with a few Brown Pelicans and Heermann’s and Western Gulls.  As I started to scan the rock with my binocs I noticed a bird on the edge of the rock that was similar in size to the cormorants, but was sitting with a different profile – more horizontal than vertical.  And it wasn’t as dark as the cormorants too.  So I wondered if I had found the Booby.  Just then the guide mentioned he thought he had the Booby in his scope – when I looked through the scope it was the same bird I found and it was indeed the Blue-footed Booby.  The bird could have been a half mile away, so even in the scope at 50X it was tough to see.  But good enough to count as a lifer.

To get better looks we went to another location that, with a short walk, we would be able to get much closer to Gull Rock.  We eventually refound the bird from this vantage point, but it was mostly obscured by cormorants.  I got brief views of the bird in the scope including stretching its wings and even flying off the rock to feed on the ocean.  Much more satisfying views than at the first location.

Gull Rock in the distance - from the "closer" viewing spot

Another highlight of this spot was the numerous passerines in the brush on the coastal hillside, punctuated by numerous calling Wrentits, including one that we saw very close.  That’s the first Wrentit I’ve seen in many years.  Other birds included Bewick’s Wrens, White-crowned Sparrows, and Spotted Towhees.  A very birdy spot!

The Blue-footed Booby was ABA lifebird number 737, Lower 48 lifebird number 715, and CA statebird number 357.  And although a bit of planning on my part would have avoided the need to hire a guide (and a scope!), I did indeed get a good return on my investment.  After all, I’ve spent more to get a lifebird in the past, and spent more to chase after a lifebird that I’ve missed.

Palm Warbler and Gray-cheeked Thrush, Central Park, NY, October 2013

The family is in the midst of the college search process for my daughter, and she has picked a number of possible universities in New York City.  So over the Columbus Day weekend we planned a trip to Manhattan to visit several of them.  And with no schools to tour on Sunday, that would give us some free time to visit some of the local attractions.  I had never been to Central Park, but of course had heard a lot about the birding potential in this urban oasis.  So with everyone likely to sleep in that day, I decided to plan an early morning trip to the park to try for some New York statebirds.  I’ve got a pretty good list for NY (264), but still have a number of fairly easy birds to target that had been seen recently in Central Park (per e-Bird) including Palm and Pine Warblers, White-eyed Vireo, and Gray-cheeked Thrush.

Now I needed to figure out where to go in the park.  Central Park is very large, and I would only have chance to bird a very small portion in one morning.  With some research on the web I found a bit of information about possible birding spots, and there were indeed many spots mentioned.  Though I couldn’t find any good site guides for birding the park (maybe I just wasn’t looking in the right places).  I also found that there are regular birdwalks in the park on Sundays, but they charge $10 to participate.  I’ve never been fond of paying to participate in a birdwalk that is in a publicly accessible spot, so I decided to go it alone.  I would have a taxi drop me off near the middle of the park and I’d wander around from there looking for good habitat.

After a short taxi ride I arrived at 79^th and 5^th Avenue at dawn and began to walk to the west.  Most of the immediate area consisted of manicured lawns and isolated trees, though there was some patches of brush here and there.  Not surprisingly the brush contained the most birds (mostly White-throated and Song Sparrows) and the lawns had quite a number of Robins.  But I needed to find better habitat.  A bit to the west I noticed a more extensive brushy area so I headed there and found some very good habitat.  Highlights were a skulking Winter Wren and a berry-laden bush with a couple Hermit Thrushes.  I turned the corner and found even better habitat in a place which was called the Maintenance Field.  Notable birds here were flocks of 50+ sparrows of 5 species (including 2 Fields), Blue-headed Vireo, more Hermit Thrushes with a couple Swainson’s, a very late “Traill’s” Flycatcher, and a late flyover flock of Chimney Swifts.  In one berry bush I got a brief glimpse of a Catharus thrush that could have been a Gray-cheeked.  But it disappeared in the bush not to be seen again.  Here I ran into a birder who was most helpful and he advised me to head into The Ramble which is an extensive area that is more natural with significant undergrowth and mature deciduous trees, along with some streams and ponds. 

At my first stop in The Ramble I ran into more of the same – sparrows, a couple Sapsuckers, and more Hermit Thrushes.  Then I saw a flash of yellow fly by and it turned out to be a Palm Warbler – a new NY statebird.  As shown in my statebird map below, I’ve seen this species in most of its normal range though still need it in WV.

 Other warblers that morning were numerous Yellow-rumps, a Yellowthroat, a late Black-throated Blue, and a very late Ovenbird.  And along with 3 Blue-headed Vireos that was a pretty good mix of late warblers and vireos.

Maybe the best highlight of the morning was the thrushes.  In addition to many Robins I had an estimated 15 Hermits and 2 Swainson’s Thrushes feeding in the numerous berry bushes in the area.  And at one spot I found a very late Wood Thrush foraging on the ground.  But the best sighting was at a small spring with adjacent berry bushes.  I had run into a novice birder at this spot and was helping him identify the Hermit Thrushes feeding there.  And just then another thrush flew in and posed very cooperatively at the top of the bush – a Gray-cheeked; a second new statebird.  I haven’t seen too many Gray-cheeks – and my statebird map shows that I still need this uncommon migrant in many eastern states.

In my 4 hours birding I ended up with 50 species in this very birdy area, and only had a few Starlings, House Sparrows, and Rock Pigeons.  Birding really slowed down quite a bit after about 10 as more people filled the park so I’m glad I got there early.  I spent almost the entire time in The Ramble, and still only birded less than half of that area.  There will likely be more college trips to NYC so maybe there will be more opportunities to fill gaps in my NY statelist.  And many more areas in Central Park to explore. 

View of "The Lake" looking west

 

Cimarron National Grasslands, Kansas, September 2013

Over the last several years I’ve made a couple trips into Kansas and successfully reached the ABA reporting threshold there, though by just 1 bird.  While birding in the northwest portion of KS in March 2011, I coordinated with local birders who told me about regular breeding birds in the western edge of the state which were more typical of western states rather than eastern ones.  I had never birded western KS in summer, so all those western species would be new for my KS list.  As a result, since 2011 I’ve thought about a short summer birding trip there which would likely put me well over the ABA threshold in KS. 

I had similar plans about going to the OK panhandle for the first time to add many western species to my OK list.  So when a summer 2013 trip to Denver came up, I started to make preliminary plans to add some vacation days and bird both the OK panhandle and western KS.  Although that trip got cancelled, I did enough research to find out that to maximize my bird species I really needed to be in the far western end of the OK panhandle called the Black Mesa area, and the southwestern corner on KS near Elkhart.  And birding these areas in fall migration could get me not only most of the local breeders, but also some migrants both from the west and the east.  Luckily another trip to Denver came up in September, which could be perfect timing.  So with the help of some excellent birders in both states, I planned a trip which would not only get me to the reportable limit in OK, but hopefully well over the threshold in both OK and KS.  To reach my target of 15 over the thresholds in each state I needed 18 in OK and 14 in KS.

[This blog post is for the KS part of my trip – Days 3, 4, and 5.  The previous post was for the OK part of my trip – Days 1, 2, and 3.]

Day 3 – Afternoon in Elkhart

I left the OK panhandle after 2 excellent days of birding, and arrived in Elkhart at about 2 PM on Day 3.  Two excellent KS birders, Ted Cable and Mike Rader, were going to be joining me for the next two days, and were due into town in just an hour.  In the meantime I headed over to western Elkhart to the Giddens’ house where a set of backyard feeders were well-known for attracting various western hummingbirds.  Just as I arrived in the alley behind the house I noticed a White-winged Dove on the overhead wires (KS statebird #1).  A few minutes later, the homeowners noticed me and invited me into their yard.  As I walked in they said they had had 3 flycatchers and 2 warblers there all day.  As I waited for the flycatchers to appear, a female-plumaged Black-chinned Hummingbird visited the feeder (#2).  A couple minutes later the first flycatcher flew in, and within the next 30 minutes not 2 but 3 others were also flitting around the small yard.  Amazingly they were 1 each of 4 Empidonax species –

• Yellowish below, tear-drop shaped yellow eye-ring, a bit of a crest – a Cordilleran
• Yellowish sides, white chest and throat, white eyering, large head, short wings – a Dusky
• Like the Dusky but longer winged and lots of wing and tail flicking – a Hammond’s (#3)
• No eyering, no yellow below, brownish above, with tawny wingbars – a Willow

This was the beginning of an amazing Empidonax weekend!

My statebird map for Hammond’s Flycatcher is inserted below.  I’ve now seen it in most states where it is a regular breeder and migrant, and now KS on the eastern edge of its migration range.

A little later the other birders arrived and we spent the next hour or so watching the Empids at quite close distance.  At one point I had the Cordilleran, Dusky, and Hammond’s perched on a clothesline in the same binoc field!  What a great comparison.  The next excitement was when a second hummingbird flew in and perched on a twig – it was a smaller bird with a shorter straight bill – a Calliope Hummingbird (#4).  Mike described it as a cotton ball with a toothpick sticking out of it.  The two warblers turned out to be a Nashville and a Wilson’s.  We probably spent 2 full hours watching the amazing variety of birds very cooperatively moving around the small backyard.  What a start!

We started to think that if the migrants were this good in the limited habitat of this small backyard, they could be great at the cemetery and adjacent shelterbelt which is well-known as an amazing migrant magnet.  So we headed over there, but were surprised that there were few migrants at the cemetery, and even less in the shelterbelt.  Though we did flush a Barn Owl that is regular in the shelterbelt (#5), along with 22 Black-crowned Night Herons.  It was now starting to rain, so we decided to head to the adjacent wastewater treatment lagoons – another well-known hot spot.  As we neared the lagoons we drove past  a small group of trees at the perimeter of the lagoons which had a number of migrants including several Bullock’s Orioles (#6) and Western Tanagers (#7), along with the common Wilson’s and Yellow Warblers, and a flock of mostly immature Spizella sparrows.  Next we drove up on the dikes and despite the wind and rain we easily picked out several Spotted Sandpipers that flushed in front of us (#8), followed by a small flock of Wilson’s Phalaropes swimming in the water, a couple hundred very skittish dabblers, and a flock of 8 Black Terns (#9).  My statebird map for Black Tern is inserted below – although this species is seen across the country I still have some gaps to fill in the Midwest and Northwest and CT.

At this point we were at the western edge of a big rain storm, so rather than trying to bird in the rain, we headed west along SR51 to investigate farmfields to try for Mountain Plovers and Long-billed Curlews.  Although we struck out on the shorebirds, we noticed two ravens in the distance – but which species were they?  Both are quite rare in the area and not necessarily easy to identify.  As we got close to them one gave a low “croak”, which along with the larger size, confirmed them as Common Ravens (#10).  My statebird map for this species pretty well matches its range in the west, upper Midwest, and the Northeast down the spine of the Appalachians.  Plus now into KS.

Just to the north was a cell tower with a number of Western Kingbirds on the fence, and our first Say’s Phoebe (#11).  We then turned west and were now almost to the CO stateline when I noticed a raptor on a telephone pole.  As we got closer to it we realized it was an Osprey out here in the middle of the dry prairie and farmer’s fields.  Now the only question was whether it was in KS or CO.  The GPS confirmed that it was a few feet east of the stateline so it was a KS statebird (#12). 

A few minutes later we found a homestead with a shelterbelt that was full of birds - more Empids, pewees, orioles, and the common warblers.  And around the corner we found a large Spizella flock that included at least one adult Brewer’s Sparrow (#13). 

Our last stop of the day was at the Tunnerville Work Station.  This is another location that is well-known as a migrant trap because of its numerous shelterbelt trees.  Unfortunately, many of these trees have died in the recent drought and have been cut down.  So although there weren’t many migrants, we did find a nice male Black-and-White Warbler along with two Audubon’s Warblers, some more Empids, and a Curve-billed Thrasher in a brush pile at the edge of the station.  The thrasher was my 14^th new statebird – I met my target in just the first half day of birding in KS.

Day 4 – Revisiting the Elkhart Hotspots

We stepped out of our hotel rooms at dawn and found quite a number of migrants right outside the hotel.  So again we expected the cemetery and shelterbelt would be hopping and made that our first stop.  But just like yesterday, there were very few birds there.  Though we did have quite a number of pewees to study – the darker ones likely Westerns and the lighter ones could have been Eastern, but it was tough to say for sure.  A quick stop at the treatment ponds yielded nothing new from yesterday.  Next we headed back to the alleys of western Elkhart, and although there were a fair number of birds there, they were similar to the day before.  Again we ran into more Empids and a few warblers with new birds including a Great Horned Owl calling from a small backyard, and a Swainson’s Thrush. 

Next we headed out to Middle Spring in the Cimarron National Grassland.  This is a green oasis of brush and trees surrounded by the dry prairie that can be a nice migrant trap.  There were a fair number of migrants in the brush, including Wilson’s, Yellow, and Orange-crowned Warblers.  New species were one each of two eastern migrants that are pretty unusual for southwest KS - a female-plumaged Black-throated Green Warbler (#15) and a Blue-headed Vireo (#16).  I’ve seen Blue-headed throughout most of its regular range except for a couple southeastern states.

And of course there were a number of Empids – almost as many Empids as warblers.  Another notable bird was a Barn Owl that we flushed out of the trees which made several passes over the prairie before resettling back in the woods.

We then continued to the west to Point of Rocks which was a prominent landmark in the 1800’s for the travelers on the Santa Fe Trail.  Looking down today from the top of the point, you can still see the tracks used by those wagon wheels even after all those years.  Pretty awesome.   

As are the views of the cottonwoods in the Cimarron River valley as far as you can.  Although the river is typically dry, some small pools remained after the big late summer rains that occurred in the area this year.

As for birds at this site, we had numerous Rock Wrens which were the key target (#17).  We also had calling Red-headed Woodpeckers from the cottonwoods below, and a few Red-tailed Hawks soaring over the riparian habitat.

The planned next stop was at a homestead and windbreak off to the northwest of Point of Rocks where Scaled Quail are reasonably reliable – or at least as reliable as this skulking bird can be.  The problem was getting there.  It was at least 10 miles away on dirt roads.  And although the roads were mostly in good shape, low areas were wet with deep mud and very slippery from the recent rains.  We eventually got there, though we had to maneuver through some deep mud and passed an 18-wheeler that had slid off the road.  We arrived at the homestead and began to walk through the short grass.  And within just a few seconds a flock of 18 Scaled Quail flushed a short distance away (#18).  A bit later we found another pair, along with more flycatchers.  Unfortunately I missed Scaled Quail while in OK – otherwise I would have seen this species in all their regular states (see my statebird map below).

We were now reasonably close to SR51 so we decided to head farther north and try again for plovers and curlews.  It took some more white-knuckle driving through even worse muddy roads, but we eventually got to paved roads and starting birding again.  A few minutes later we found more ravens at about the same spot as the day before.  When we pulled over to check them out, we heard a shorebird flying overhead – we finally spotted it and it was a very late Long-billed Curlew (#19).  And the ravens turned out to be 4 Commons.  I still need the curlew in a number of its regular states farther west.

Next we headed to the grassland campground area, and although we didn’t have anything new there, there were lots of birds.  The woods were full of flocks of Spizella sparrows, Bullock’s and Orchard Orioles, and Blue Grosbeaks, a few of the common warblers, a Red-headed Woodpecker, and of course some more flycatchers.

A bit farther south we went to a spot where a pair of Ladder-backed Woodpeckers were seen this spring.  And sure enough – we found one in the same general area (#20).  We also had a nice male Baltimore Oriole, along with 3 female plumaged orioles that went unidentified.

A short distance to the south we made a quick stop at the Tunnerville Work Station.  Although birding there was once again pretty slow, we did see two distant ravens to the south which again appeared to be big enough to be Commons.  That made a total of 6 that day and 2 the day before – a high total for a locally rare bird.

It was now late afternoon and we met up with David Wiggins to bird with us for the rest of the trip.  We decided to head back to the streets of Elkhart and eventually made our way to the Giddens’ backyard for some restful birding.  More Empids and several hummingbirds were there to challenge our ID skills.  Finally we got good long looks at one hummer that we decided was a Ruby-throated – wings were not sickle shaped, and bill was short and straight. 

After a quick dinner we headed to Point of Rocks to wait for dusk and try for Poor-wills.  While we waited we were treated to a nice movement of Nighthawks all flying to the west, and a very nice sunset. 

Finally dusk had arrived, and we began to strain our ears to listen for Poor-wills over the noise of the ever-present wind.  Soon we all heard a barely audible bird to the west, and a second closer bird to the east calling in response to a little tape (#21).  A great way to end a great day of birding.  Like most nightbirds, I still need Poor-will in a number of states.

Day 5 – Morning in Elkhart and Return to Denver

By our last day we had developed a bit of a routine, starting at the cemetery, shelterbelt, and treatment plant.  A fair number of migrant warblers, flycatchers, and orioles at the cemetery were augmented by a very cooperative Plumbeous Vireo found by Ted (#22).  Then a quick spin around the treatment plant ponds yielded a flock of 75 Wilson’s Phalaropes with 2 Red-necked Phalaropes (#23), plus an Avocet, a Sanderling, 7 Leasts, and a Semi Sand.  Ted had stressed that the birds will turnover quickly at the treatment plant and he certainly was correct.  Another highlight of the visit was a flock of sparrows at the edge of the plant which included 3 late Cassin’s Sparrows.  A short walk around the shelterbelt yielded a Chat and a cooperative Black-headed Grosbeak (#24), but little else.  No one could understand why the shelterbelt was so slow for all 3 days.

Then we took one more spin through the Elkhart alleys.  Birding started pretty slowly until we noticed a hummingbird perched low on a bush.  It had considerable rufous on the sides and red in the tail – a Rufous Hummingbird (#25) - and not even at a feeder.  That was our fourth hummer species for the KS part of the trip.  The map of the states where I’ve seen Rufous is pretty spotty – I’m missing several of its regular western states, but I’ve seen it in 8 eastern states as a rarity and 3 Gulf Coast states as a wintering bird.

We weren’t quite done giving each other high fives when a raven flew low overhead which was quite small – a Chihuahuan Raven (#26). 

Then back to Middle Spring where we had a Northern Waterthrush, but otherwise more of the same.  Including a cooperative Dusky Flycatcher.  Again almost as many Empids as warblers.  The last stop in the area was Pont of Rocks, and although there were no new birds, it was great to have one more chance for those great views of the Cimarron River valley.  Afterwards we all parted ways and I thanked my KS birding friends for their excellent help birding the area.  Hopefully someday I can help them find their birding targets in New England.

But there was one last birding stop for me in KS – as I headed back to Denver I found a flooded field just west of the little town of Syracuse, KS that was full of birds.  In addition to more than 200 dabbling ducks there were 2 Black Terns, and 11 species of shorebirds.  Although there were new KS statebirds for me, 8 of the shorebirds were new for the trip.

Plus there was one birding stop in Colorado.  Just ½ mile west of the KS/CO stateline on US50 I found a roadside rest stop that was well irrigated and full of mature cottonwoods, though surrounded by dry prairie and farm fields.  A number of the migrants I had in KS would be new for my CO statelist so I hoped this little oasis might attract a few.  It only took me about 45 minutes to cover the rest stop thoroughly, but I had 17 species including 3 new birds for my CO list – a male Baltimore Oriole, a Dusky Flycatcher, and a flock of Clay-colored Sparrows.  And a flock of 12 Blue Grosbeaks was quite unexpected.

By the Numbers

With 26 new statebirds in KS that gives me 263 for my statelist and of course well over the ABA reportable threshold.  And my CO statelist is now at 275 after adding 3 new statebirds.  I had 115 species for the KS part of the trip, and a total of 144 species for the entire OK/KS trip.