The Last Bird Count

Total Birds Identified – 169

During our one-year Birding Odyssey we criss-crossed back and forth across the beautiful San Luis Valley – from the arid Valley floor to pinon-juniper habitats to higher mountainous areas. We drove across highways, county roads and U.S. Forest Service trails. We hiked countless trails in all kinds of weather. We even mucked through a flooded cow pasture wearing knee-high irrigation boots. We tromped through the snow, we swatted mosquitoes during the summer and we caught our breath as we crested mountainsides covered with golden aspen. We got up at the crack of dawn and we stayed out on the trail until the sun dropped behind the San Juan Mountains. We returned to favorite birding areas many times during the year and we explored areas we had never before visited. By the time our one-year Odyssey was completed on December 31, 2012 we had recorded 169 species of birds. Some we had seen before, others were new birds on our life list and a few are considered rare sightings in the Valley.

Below is our San Luis Valley Birding Odyssey list.  When we saw a particular species only once or twice we noted the location.  That doesn’t mean it is an unusual bird for the Valley, just that we had only one opportunity during the year to observe and record it. The highlight of our Birding Odyssey was on July 19, 2012 when we identified and photographed a black phoebe perched on a willow along the Rio Grande . Each and every bird we saw, however, brought us joy and excitement and even a little regret that we are unable to join these exquisite creatures in flight.

Greater White-fronted Goose – Home Lake

Snow Goose

Ross’ Goose – Alamosa Riverwood Pond

Cackling Goose

Canada Goose

Gadwall

American Widgeon

Mallard

Blue-winged Teal

Cinnamon Teal

Northern Shoveler

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Canvasback

Redhead

Ring-necked Duck

Lesser Scaup

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Ruddy Duck

Dusky Grouse – Rock Creek

Pied-billed Grebe

Eared Grebe – Smith Reservoir, Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge

Western Grebe

Clark’s Grebe

American White Pelican

Double-crested Cormorant – Home Lake

American Bittern

Great Blue Heron

Snowy Egret

Black-crowned Night Heron

White-faced Ibis

Turkey Vulture

Osprey – Big Meadow Reservoir, Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Cooper’s Hawk – John James Canyon

Swainson’s Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Ferruginous Hawk – Alamosa County Road 104

Rough-legged Hawk

Golden Eagle

American Kestrel

Merlin - Alamosa

Peregrine Falcon

Prairie Falcon

Sora - LaSauses

American Coot

Sandhill Crane

Snowy Plover – Blanca Wetlands

Killdeer

Black-necked Stilt – Johnson Lake at Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area

American Avocet

Spotted Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs

Willet – Home Lake

Lesser Yellowlegs

Western Sandpiper

Baird’s Sandpiper – Alamosa Ranch

Long-billed Dowitcher – flooded farm field east of Splashland, Home Lake

Wilson’s Snipe

Wilson’s Phalarope

Franklin’s Gull

Bonaparte’s Gull

Ring-billed Gull

California Gull

Black Tern – Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge

Forster’s Tern – Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area

Rock Pigeon

Eurasian Collared Dove

White-winged Dove – Medano-Zapata Ranch

Mourning Dove

Great Horned Owl

Burrowing Owl – Colorado Highway 15 south of Monte Vista

Common Nighthawk

Black Swift – Zapata Falls

White-throated Swift – South River Road

Black-chinned Hummingbird – Underwood feeder

Calliope Hummingbird – Underwood feeder

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Lewis’ Woodpecker – Keen’s Grove in Rio Grande County

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

American Three-Toed Woodpecker – Big Meadow Reservoir

Northern Flicker

Western Wood Pewee

Willow Flycatcher – Conejos River near LaSauses

Cordilleran Flycatcher – trail to Zapata Lake

Black Phoebe – Rio Grande State Wildlife Area

Say’s Phoebe – San Luis Lakes, Fort Garland

Western Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird – Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge

Loggerhead Shrike

Plumbeous Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Steller’s Jay

Western Scrub Jay

Pinyon Jay

Clark’s Nutcracker

Black-billed Magpie

American Crow

Common Raven

Horned Lark

Tree Swallow

Violet-green Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Bank Swallow

Cliff Swallow

Barn Swallow

Black-capped Chickadee

Mountain Chickadee

Bushtit – Zapata Lake Trail

Red-breasted Nuthatch – Great Sand Dunes National Park

White-breasted Nuthatch

Rock Wren – John James Canyon

House Wren

Marsh Wren

Ruby-crowned Kinglet – Big Meadow Reservoir

Western Bluebird

Mountain Bluebird

Townsend’s Solitaire

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

Northern Mockingbird

Sage Thrasher – San Luis Lakes

European Starling

American Pipit

Cedar Waxwing – Rio Grande River near Adams State University

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Common Yellowthroat – LaSauses

Wilson’s Warbler

Western Tanager

Green-tailed Towhee – Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge

Spotted Towhee

American Tree Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Brewer’s Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow – Costilla County

Lark Sparrow – Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge

Black-throated Sparrow – John James Canyon

Sage Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow – Cumbres Pass area

Song Sparrow

Lincoln Sparrow – Cumbres Pass area

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Black-headed Grosbeak

Blue Grosbreak – Pike’s Stockade

Lazuli Bunting – Pike’s Stockade

Red-winged Blackbird

Western Meadowlark

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Brewer’s Blackbird

Common Grackle

Great-tailed Grackle

Bullock’s Oriole – Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge

Brown-headed Cowbird - Alamosa

Pine Grosbeak – Summitville Road

Cassin’s Finch

House Finch

Pine Siskin

Lesser Goldfinch – Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow

Fields Notes 8.12.12

On our last good field trip we headed south on Rio Grande County Road 3 towards the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge. About halfway down we stopped to observe a juvenile Swainson’s hawk in the middle of the road. Being concerned about its safety Brian got out of the truck to try to shoo it off the road. He thought better of this when he heard its mother screeching from a nearby power pole. Diane envisioned the mother hawk swooping down and digging its talons into Brian’s back. We did manage to move the funny young hawk closer to the side of the road where it would be out of danger.

We moved across to the wooded pull-out at the south end of the refuge off County Road 8. This has always been a hot birding spot for us. We were pleased to spot a green-tailed towhee poking around in the leaves on the forest floor. We also saw some lark sparrows and juvenile red-winged blackbirds with their much darker parents.

Our ultimate destination this trip was the Rock Creek area west of the Monte Vista refuge. As we climbed in elevation we saw numerous small birds flitting along the roadside which we believed to be horned larks. Some little birds darted quickly into the brown-colored brush and camouflaged themselves before we could I.D. them.

Soon we were in the foothills and mountain zones. We saw pine siskins in the evergreens and as we maneuvered a curve in the road we were surprised to see a blue (dusky) grouse standing on the gravel road. It flew into a tree and joined another grouse.

After a hike in the rain we explored a willow-covered creek where we saw several Wilson’s warblers, American goldfinches and dark-eyed juncos.

As we drove out of the Rock Creek area, we decided that even if we hadn’t seen any birds we still would have enjoyed the spectacular views as we cleared the canyon and looked out over the Valley. It was a wonderful trip. We saw a northern shrike and several American kestrels hovering over their hunting grounds once we reached the Valley floor.

Before going home we drove the auto loop at the Monte Vista refuge where we saw a lone coyote stalking waterbirds. We didn’t wait around to see if it had any hunting success.

Field Notes 7.7.12

Earth Team Deployed.

After starting our SLV Birdwatching Odyssey we have come in contact with others with this shared interest.  One acquaintance asked us to become members of the Natural Resources Conservation Service Earth Team. The Earth Team is a project that recruits volunteer birdwatchers to do regular bird counts on agricultural land managed under the NRCS wetland reserve program. We have been assigned 140 acres of pasture  and wetlands near the village of Lasauses.

Under clouds and rain we headed down to the area with our niece Christa. We had a little trouble finding  the pasture but some locals recognized  three lost souls, seeing us in a field with a map and  pointing in three different directions. They directed us to some stock pens back up the road.

The field is filled with grass and cattail sloughs. Trees line the road and fences. The  San Luis Hills rise to the west above oxbows of the Rio Grande.

The field  and open water had a nice compliment of red-winged blackbirds. Tree swallows flew overhead or sat in trees with their fledglings.  We also saw violet-green swallows.  An  American goldfinch flew up into the trees and a Wilson’s snipe winnowed above us. Eurasian collared doves crossed the rainy  sky.

It is such a beautiful place and we are thrilled to be part of  this environmental study.

On the way back home we stopped at Pike’s Stockade hoping to see the yellow-billed cuckoo but it remained elusive.  We were elated, however, to see a blue grosbeak and a Lazuli bunting.

Also, you may remember that the last time we were birdwatching near Pike’s Stockade  we found a lost calf and returned it to some nearby cattle.  We were pleased as we drove by the same pasture when one little calf broke from its mother, ran to the fence and looked at our truck.  We know that this is the calf we saved or at least we want to think it so.