Listing Through Life

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.

falco (hawk) mexicanus (of Mexico)

Monday, April 29, 2002 — 12:08 pm

Colorado Springs, Colorado — Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods is the chief tourist attraction of Colorado Springs (along with Pikes Peak) and was also billed as a good place to bird. I got to the park at 11:30 and walked around.

The rocks are impressive. Some are split into layers like a loaf of bread with sky visible between the slices. Others have holes into and through them. Odd outcroppings jut out everywhere. Rock climbers were working their way up or rappelling their way down several of the rocks, which did nothing for the view in my opinion. Pikes Peak provided a stunning backdrop to the south, but Colorado Springs sprawl is encroaching on the gardens all around.

I saw tons of Rock Doves and White-throated Swifts flying around, but the bird I was looking for was a Prairie Falcon, which nests on the rocks every year. I walked around Cathedral Spires and past South Gateway Rock, then along the east side of North Gateway Rock. Two Mule Deer were eating leaves at the base of White Rock. I kept looking up and found my bird about 20 minutes after I’d started walking.

A large bird that was obviously a falcon was gliding over the top of the rock. It circled around, then dipped down the face and disappeared onto a ledge. Moments later I saw another one, or the same one a second time. It was gliding out from the face of the rock. After about 10 seconds, it landed on another ledge about a quarter of the way down from the top.

I didn’t see anything more of it for about 10 minutes, but I wanted one more good look. I walked into the parking lot north of the rock. I spotted it stooping down from over the top of the rock to a small ledge where it landed. This time I could see it well, although it was a long way up above me. It stood on its tiny perch, its head almost touching the overhang. It looked around and, on one or two occasions, preened its inside wing lazily. It was still there when I left. I felt guilty walking away from such a cool bird, but I had to get back to the motel. I’d been in Colorado for almost 48 hours and hadn’t yet done anything remotely work related.

The Prairie Falcon was a flat medium brown on the back and white with brown streaks on the breast. It had long sideburns extending down from its brown cap. While it was soaring overhead, I saw the dark armpit marks that extend down the wing. Its wings were pointed falcon-like, but not as pointed as the wings of Peregrine Falcons.

poecile (titmouse) gambeli (given by Robert Ridgway for William Gambel, 19th-century pioneering California ornithologist)

Monday, April 29, 2002 — 9:04 am

Teller County, Colorado — Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

After seeing the Williamson’s Sapsuckers, I continued on the Boulder Creek Trail. It wound through a pine woods and up and over a ridge to a large meadow down which Boulder Creek ran. In the woods on the ridge, I stopped to watch a flock of Steller’s Jays. Off to my left, I heard a chickadee whistling. I waited for it to come closer. After a few minutes, I heard it giving its chickadee call. It didn’t seem to be moving very fast.

I decided to leave the trail. I walked through the grove about 40 yards. I soon saw it as it flew to a leafless aspen then to a nearby pine. It perched on a branch looking around, then jumped on a needle cluster for a moment before flitting off through the woods. Later I saw a second one in the woods along a frozen creek.

It sounded and looked much like a Black-capped Chickadee. It was grayer, with less white in the wings and no rufous on the flanks. Its black cap was split by a bold white line above the eye. The first one was rather scruffy looking, the second one was clean and sharp.

sphyrapicus (from sphyra, a hammer, and picus, a woodpecker) thyroideus (from thyreos, a shield, and eidos, resembling)

Monday, April 29, 2002 — 8:54 am

Teller County, Colorado — Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

The Boulder Creek Trail was listed on the park brochure as good for wildlife because it went past several ponds. It turned out that the brochure was outdated. In an effort to return the park to its original appearance, the park service recently removed the dams. There were no ponds. There were a lot of woods and meadows, however, and two lifers. The start of the trail ran along the edge of a large meadow. To the south was an open grove of pines. As I walked along, I saw a boldly patterned black and white bird fly over the trail up ahead. I was unable to follow it, but I suspected it might be a Williamson’s Sapsucker. This was a bit discouraging because, as usual, I began pondering the worst-case scenario and figured I wouldn’t see another one.

Not to worry. About five minutes later a woodpecker flew right past me and landed in plain view on the trunk of a pine approximately 50 feet up ahead. It was a female Williamson’s, and it was in no hurry to get out of my view. I watched it for a minute or two, then heard a loud “squalck” behind me. I turned in time to see a male flying at head height right up the path toward me. It landed in a second pine about 20 feet away. After a minute, it flew to the tree where the female was foraging. The two climbed around for a little while, then flew off together, calling and chasing, into the woods.

Five minutes later I saw them, or another pair, in the woods on a ridge. They were also calling and chasing from tree to tree, paying no attention to me. The male flew down to the ground briefly. I saw a third pair later (or the same pair a third time) further to the west and further back in the woods.

This was my favorite lifer of the trip, somewhat to my surprise. The female was interesting looking with her pale brown head, yellow belly and black and white barring pretty much everywhere else. The male was an extremely pretty bird. He was black overall with the usual sapsucker white stripe down his side. He also had two white lines on his head. His chin was a deep, vibrant red and his belly was bold yellow. When he flew, the white patches on his wings and rump contrasted with his black back and wings and flashed in the sunlight.

The setting, the solitude and the beauty of the bird combined to make this a great moment. This is why I’m a birder.