Listing Through Life

callipepla (from kallos, beautiful, and peplos, a ceremonial robe) squamata (scaly)

Tuesday, April 30, 2002 — 4:36 pm

Pueblo County, Colorado — Lake Pueblo State Park

After watching the California Gulls and White-faced Ibis for a while, I walked along the shore of the lake. I soon came to a bluff of white rocks that rose about 50 feet above the Southshore Marina. I climbed up on the rocks and walked across the dry hard ground between the clumps of vegetation.

Two pheasant-like birds flushed from about 10-feet in front of me and flew about 50 feet to the bare rocks on the edge of the bluff. One of them disappeared over the edge. The other stopped in the shade of a small bush. As I got closer, it also walked down over the edge. I followed and didn’t see them anywhere at first. I soon spotted them about 60 feet off to my right rear, running over the rocks into the brush.

Later I saw several more. One was along the edge of the road near the Juniper Breaks picnic area. Another pair ran off into the shrubby field by the Northshore Marina. A third pair was walking along the dirt on the flats along the lake. All off them were moving away from me, but not in a panic. They walked quickly, fully upright, looking around with jerky motions of their heads.

They had buffy crests with white tips that stuck up to a point. Their backs were flat brown. Their sides and bellies were mottled brown and sandy white. It looked like they had gray scales on their breasts and hind necks.

larus (ravenous seabird) californicus (of California)

Tuesday, April 30, 2002 — 4:15 pm

Pueblo County, Colorado — Lake Pueblo State Park

There were 47 California Gulls below the visitor center. Most of them were standing on a sand bar about 15 feet off the shore of the lake not far above the dam. Others were standing in shallow water right next to the bar near a large flock of pink-breasted Franklin’s Gulls. A few were flying over the lake nearby and a few were swimming. Some of them were preening.

They were your basic gulls, white with a gray mantle and black wing tips. They were quite a bit larger than the Franklin’s Gulls. The bill was yellow with a red spot on the lower mandible near the tip and a thin black line across both mandibles. Their eyes were dark and their legs were yellow.

plegadis (scythe, sickle) chihi (pasture, grassy area)

Tuesday, April 30, 2002 — 4:15 pm

Pueblo County, Colorado — Lake Pueblo State Park

After I left Valco Ponds, I drove three miles up the road to Lake Pueblo State Park. The park was basically a large reservoir surrounded by desert. Stunted juniper trees grew on some of the bluffs above the lake, but most of the park was dead grass and rocks. There were some cottonwood trees and grubby brush along the river below the dam.

I stopped by the park office to ask for a bird list. There wasn’t one. I stepped out on the balcony and scanned the lake. There was a small sand bar about 15 feet from shore not far above the dam. It was covered with gulls, which I figured were probably California Gulls, a lifer for me. In the water next to the bar was a large maroon wading bird. It had to be an ibis, and based on range it had to be a White-faced, another lifer. I parked and walked down the slope to the lake. The water level was very low so there was a wide level area beneath the bluff. When I was within 50 yards, I stopped and scanned the flock. I walked forward about 10 yards and looked again. I kept repeating this until I was right up at the edge of the water. The birds never paid me the slightest attention.

As I got closer I saw four American Avocets standing in the shallow water next to the ibis. The bar and the shallow water around it were packed with California Gulls, Franklin Gulls and Forster’s Terns. For the half hour I was in the area, the ibis did very little. Most of the time it just stood there. It did take a few steps one way or the other and preened its back feathers a little bit. It was still there when I left.

It looked very similar to a Glossy Ibis, deep maroon with glossy green on its wings and tail. Its bill was gray, its eye was red and its facial skin was dull red. There was a thin white line surrounding the facial skin. Its legs were deep red.

vermivora (from vermis, worm, and vorare, to devour) virginiae (for Virginia Anderson, wife of Dr. William W. Anderson, an assistant surgeon, U.S. Army, who discovered the bird in 1858 in New Mexico)

Tuesday, April 30, 2002 — 2:21 pm

Pueblo, Colorado — Valco Ponds State Wildlife Area

I arrived at Valco Ponds State Wildlife Area west of Pueblo a few minutes after 2:00. This wasn’t a very impressive area. The Valco Cement Plant was to the immediate east and, in fact, owned the ponds themselves. A dirt path ran between the ponds and the Arkansas River. The banks of the river were lined with scrubby bushes with numerous paths made by fishermen.

As soon as I got out of the car, I met a local birder. I asked him what he’d seen, but he didn’t mention anything of interest. I headed toward the river down one of the paths through the trashy brushy area. Almost immediately I saw a male Audubon’s Warbler. Four American Pipits were walking on a gravel bar in the river. I heard something behind me and spotted two Chipping Sparrows under one of the bushes. As I watched them, I noticed another bird in the same bush.

It was a Virginia’s Warbler. It was foraging low about 15 feet from the river. I got one good look before it flew off to another bush and disappeared on the other side. I worked my way around the bush on one of the paths and soon found it again. It was moving through the branches about three feet off the ground. I got another good look before a nearby Yellow Warbler chased it off. The two disappeared through the bushes, and I didn’t see either one again.

It was a dull pale gray overall with a pale yellow blotch on the breast. Its rump was yellow-green and its undertail coverts were bright yellow. It had a bold white eye-ring. I was concentrating on the field marks and so didn’t have much chance to notice its behavior.