SE Colorado Birding

Birding and discussion: A conservation-oriented birding blog that emphasizes low-impact birding and sustainable birding practices together with the enjoyment of birds. Southeast Colorado offers a diversity of habitats which provide premiere birding opportunities. Save Sabal Palm

Thursday, September 07, 2006

More great birding in Canon City

This morning I birded the eastern section of the Canon City Riverwalk where I found a mixed flock of warblers. There were several Yellow Warblers and Wilson's-then I found a Northern Parula. Northern Parula is a vagrant in this area. I believe this bird was in Alternate I (or 1st year non-breeding) plumage. The bird had a yellow chest, grayish lores, 2 wing bars, white belly/undertail coverts/undertail feathers. The colors were muted and I didn't see any chestnut.

An apparently curious Gray Catbird worked its way up with foliage to check me out. Black-headed Grosbeak and Western Tanagers feasted on wild grape and other berry-like fruit in the area. And I was delighted that the mosquitos were light enough in this area to blow then away when I needed to stand still.

At my friend's farm I found an Olive-sided Flycather and a male Townsend's Warbler, both migrating through. I saw/heard two Black Phoebes there today. At the MacKenzie Ave bridge I found another Black Phoebe under the bridge.

The most interesting bird was an intriguing hawk. It was blackish, with a wide white band across tail and a small black terminal tail band-both on upperside of tail (I didn't see lower side). I only saw it perched from the rear then flying away 2X's. It was quite shy and it flew into the trees where I lost it. It was on the other side of the river and I couldn't access that area. I tried unsuccessfully to refind it by driving to another river access and rechecked first area later this evening without success. I have searched Wheeler's "Raptors", Sibley's and Birds of North America. A possibility might be a dark-morph Broad-winged Hawk, but listed as rare by Wheeler (though not sure if that would be less likely than other possibilities like early dark-phase Rough-winged or even Common Black-Hawk).
SeEtta

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