Field Trip Report, CHICO BASIN RANCH, MAY 2, 2009:  The weather wasn't great (temps in the 40's, low ceiling and misty rain all day) but the birding certainly was.  Birders (12 total) from Boulder, Colorado Springs and Pueblo braved the elements and were rewarded with 96 sightings. The day started at the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory banding station where we had close-up looks at 3 flycatcher species, 2 thrush species, House Wren, Plumbeous Vireo and Orange-crowned Warbler.  Our leader, John Drummond, and the RMBO personnel shared knowledge of the individual bird's plumage details, ID tips, and migration patterns. The Headquarter's area and pond and Rose Pond were very productive with many species of waterfowl and hundreds of swallows.  This amazing spot never disappoints!  The following list also includes some birds seen on Hanover Road.  Canada Goose Gadwall American Wigeon Blue-winged Teal Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Green-winged Teal Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Ruddy Duck Wild Turkey Scaled Quail Eared Grebe Western Grebe American White Pelican Double-crested Cormorant American Bittern Great Blue Heron Ibis sp Northern Harrier Swainson’s Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Sora American Coot Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Least Sandpiper Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson’s Phalarope Rock Pigeon Eurasian Collared-Dove Mourning Dove Great Horned Owl Burrowing Owl Ladder-backed Woodpecker Least Flycatcher Gray Flycatcher Dusky Flycatcher Say’s Phoebe	List continued... Western Kingbird Loggerhead Shrike Plumbeous Vireo Blue Jay Horned Lark Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Bank Swallow Cliff Swallow Barn Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Rock Wren House Wren Marsh Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Townsend’s Solitaire Swainson’s Thrush Hermit Thrush American Robin Curve-billed Thrasher European Starling Orange-crowned Warbler Virginia’s Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Townsend’s Warbler MacGillivray’s Warbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler Wilson’s Warbler Green-tailed Towhee Spotted Towhee Cassin’s Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Brewer’s Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Lark Sparrow Lark Bunting Song  Sparrow Lincoln’s Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Black-headed Grosbeak Red-winged Blackbird Western Meadowlark Yellow-headed Blackbird Brewer’s Blackbird Common Grackle Great-tailed Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird House Finch House Sparrow
APRIL 25, 4th Saturday Birdwalk at The Nature and Raptor Center, Pueblo: Cold and overcast skies could not keep 13 birders (including 6 CSU-Pueblo students) from the Riverwalk trip.  More migrants are coming in to the area with hundreds of swallows swooping everywhere the highlight for the day.   List of sightings - 42 species -follows:   Canada Goose Wood Duck Mallard Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Western Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Osprey Swainson's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel American Coot Killdeer Rock Pigeon Eurasian Collared-Dove Mourning Dove	Great Horned Owl Northern Flicker Black-billed Magpie American Crow Chihuahuan Raven Tree Swallow Violet-green Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow House Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet American robin European Starling Yellow-rumped Warbler     Audubon and Myrtle races White-crowned Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Common grackle Brown-headed Cowbird House Finch Pine Siskin House Sparrow
APRIL 11, Valco Ponds, Pueblo, Mark Yaeger, leader:  Twenty-five birders, including 13 CSU-Pueblo biology students, turned out for a morning of birding with Mark.  That's a great turn-out and they weren't disappointed with the sightings, either.  As expected this time of year, there was an interesting mix of winter, resident and migrant species (61 total) with American White Pelican, six swallow species and 3 Black Phoebes the highlights.  Canada Goose     X Wood Duck     X Gadwall     X American Wigeon     X Mallard     X Blue-winged Teal     X Cinnamon Teal     X Northern Shoveler     X Green-winged Teal     X Bufflehead     X Common Goldeneye     X Ruddy Duck     X Pied-billed Grebe     X American White Pelican     X Double-crested Cormorant     X Great Blue Heron     X Turkey Vulture     X Osprey     X Northern Harrier     X Sharp-shinned Hawk     X Red-tailed Hawk     X American Kestrel     X American Coot     X Killdeer     X Greater Yellowlegs     X Bonaparte's Gull     X Franklin's Gull     X Ring-billed Gull     X California Gull     X Eurasian Collared-Dove     X	Mourning Dove     X Great Horned Owl     X Belted Kingfisher     X Downy Woodpecker     X Northern Flicker     X Black Phoebe     3 Say's Phoebe     X Black-billed Magpie     X Common Raven     X Tree Swallow     X Violet-green Swallow     X Northern Rough-winged Swallow     X Bank Swallow     X Cliff Swallow     X Barn Swallow     X Black-capped Chickadee     X White-breasted Nuthatch     X Rock Wren     X Bewick's Wren     X American Robin     X European Starling     X Spotted Towhee     X Song Sparrow     X Lincoln's Sparrow     X White-crowned Sparrow     X Dark-eyed Junco     X Red-winged Blackbird     X Western Meadowlark     X Common Grackle     X House Finch     X American Goldfinch     X

MARCH 28, 4th Saturday Birdwalk at the Nature and Raptor Center, Pueblo:  Leader, Bill McGurn and 5 birders (3 CSU-P students and an Aiken Chapter member included) observed 33 species for the day.  Highlights included early migrants Western Bluebird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Say's Phoebe and Osprey

March 8th, Lathrop State Park: 15 birders tallied 40 species on AVAS's field trip to Lathrop State Park & vicinity, 3-8-09. It was a windy but ducky morning with 19 species of waterfowl seen. The pond by the motel near Lathrop produced a good assortment: 3 Greater Scaup were found in a mixed flock of Lesser Scaup, Redheads, & Canvasbacks.
 
Cinnamon Teal were spotted at several locations within the Park. While viewing them a few of us heard a Virginia Rail. A Prairie Falcon whizzed over Horseshoe Lake dam giving us great looks at its black axillaries. 3 large black billed Swans were seen early in the day at Lake Maria. The wind and distance made certain ID dicey, but they were probably Trumpeters. They could not be relocated later in the day.