Tunnel Drive area of Canon City

There have been reports of a Golden-crowned Sparrow, a rare species here, being seen the Tunnel Drive area on the far west end of Canon City. There was a Golden-crowned Sparrow in the same location last year and I saw it then by the parking area. I didn't have much opportunity to look for it or for the Rufous-crowned Sparrows that are resident there as a city employee who knows who I am stopped me to complain about birders accessing the trail which is closed for repairs. I did however find the Ladder-backed Woodpecker in this poor quality pic (the bird was almost a 100 feet away and had an overcast sky behind it). The black & white barring over its upperparts, plus the black facial stripes that are field marks can be seen in the pic when it's enlarged and I believe there is red on it's forehead designating it as a male. Ladder-backed Woodpeckers are rarely seen here, usually not every year and usually only one in a year's time. This species has been found in two other areas of this county, Fremont County, are at best uncommon. They can be found in other parts of southeast Colorado more often (such as Cottonwood Canyon in far SE Colorado).

At the Tunnel Drive area I heard a Rock Wren, a species not found in many parts of Colorado in winter but there is at least one bird most winters at this location. I saw 2 American Dippers in the nearby Arkansas River and Canon Towhees, a species common in this location. I was surprised to see a Northern Harrier working up and down the area (it was working up the mountain which is fairly rugged and no real fields west of here for some miles). This seemed strange to me as there aren't really any large expanses of fields anywhere in this area. It did scatter a few birds when it dipped down toward a rocky slope where they were. SeEtta

Handsome Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Here is another specialty found in SE Colorado, though they are rare to uncommon depending on the location. They occur near Canon City on the west and southwest edges of town, but only very infrequently. Again, I found this beauty at the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. This pic can be double-clicked to enlarge it for a super up-close and personal view (it's toenails and little nasal feathers can be seen).

Ladder-backed Woodpeckers are a southwest U.S. specialty of the mesquite and cactus habitat, though they also use deciduous trees like this male (with red on forehead and forecrown). In the locations around Canon City and other parts of SE Colorado where they are found have cactus, predominately tree cholla in most locations. They are distinctive with their barred black and white upperparts as well as their black eyeline and malar stripe. SeEtta