Colorado & Wyoming 
Lawrence S. Semo 
Tony Leukering 
Bill Schmoker 
C ompared with 114 years of records 
available from NOAAs National Cli- 
matic Data Center, most statewide 
monthly average temperature and precipita- 
tion rankings were near normal throughout 
the period. However, November rated much 
above normal in temperature for both Col- 
orado (the eighth warmest on record) and 
Wyoming (the hfth warmest). The only other 
standout rankings came in August, with 
much-above-normal precipitation for Col- 
orado (the eleventh wettest) and above-nor- 
mal temperature for Wyoming. Drought is a 
perennial concern in the Region, but neither 
state had areas ranked above moderate 
drought this period according to the U. S. De- 
partment of Agriculture’s Drought Monitor. 
Driest were southwestern Wyoming and far 
southeastern Colorado, at moderate drought 
severity. Much of the remaining Eastern 
Plains of Colorado, along with the northwest- 
ern portion of the state, were abnormally dry. 
Southern and northwestern Wyoming were 
also abnormally dry, along with a strip bor- 
dering Nebraska. 
While the shorebirding action was decid- 
edly slow, larids had a banner showing in Col- 
orado, including a candidate Slaty-backed 
Gull and Colorado’s hrst Sooty Tern. A single 
alcid in the Region is enough for a banner 
year in that category, too. Colorado’s seventh 
Ancient Murrelet continued the unbroken 
streak of one-day murrelet wonders in the 
state, much to the disappointment of birders 
seeking the bird the following day. In the 
passerine highlight department, Wyoming 
tallied several second state records (Gray- 
cheeked Thrush, Pine Warbler), while Col- 
orado was visited by two potential thirds: 
Henslow’s Sparrow and Nelson’s Sharp-tailed 
Sparrow. 
122 
Abbreviations: C.B.R.C. (Colorado B.R.C.); 
Cherry Creek (Cherry Creek Res., Arapahoe)', 
Chico (Chico Basin Ranch, Pueblo/El Paso)', 
Crow Valley (Crow Valley Campground, 
Pawnee N.G., Weld). “West Slope” denotes lo- 
cations w. of the Rockies. Due to reporting bi- 
ases, all locations can be assumed to be in 
Colorado except that each Wyoming location 
is noted as such the/irst time it appears in the 
text. Because most rarities are seen by multi- 
ple observers, only the observer(s) initially 
finding and identifying the bird are noted. 
WATERFOWL THROUGH PELICANS 
The only Greater White-fronted Geese report- 
ed from the West Slope, where uncommon, 
were at Delta, Delta 15 Oct (2 birds; AR). Two 
Snow Geese at Jumbo Res., Logan 24 Aug-1 
Sep (BK) were either very early fall migrants 
or overlooked summering birds. An ad. Ross’s 
Goose was locally rare at Flat Creek, Teton, 
WY 26 Nov (K. Johnson). The first of the fall 
hordes of Cackling Geese were 12 at Standley 
L., Jefferson 4 Oct (LSS); one present at Nor- 
wood, San Miguel 9 Nov (CD, BW) was on the 
West Slope, where fairly rare (or under-re- 
ported). There has been a recent spate of 
Mute Swans of un- 
known provenance in 
Colorado, with reports 
this fall being of one at 
Barr L., Adams 9 Nov 
(S. Deitemeyer) and 2 
at Greeley, Weld Tl Nov 
(G. Lefko), with the lat- 
ter report being more 
likely of a former cap- 
tive. The recent upsurge 
of native swan reports 
in Colorado has caused 
the C.B.R.C. to remove 
both species from the 
state’s review list, and 
this fall’s reports offer 
support for that deci- 
sion: four reports (total- 
ing 8 individuals) of 
Trumpeter Swan and an 
unprecedented 20 re- 
ports of some 105 Tun- 
dra Swans, including a 
potential record state 
maximum of 28 (half of 
these juvs.) at Browns 
Park N.W.R., Moffat 8 
Nov (CD). A whopping 
400 Tundra Swans 
graced Rollins Res., 
Uinta, WY 28 Oct (SP), 
including a neck-col- 
lared ad. male that had 
been banded from a molting flock in the 
Noatak R. delta, AK. 
A molting male Eurasian Wigeon was a 
nice find at Offeld Res., Moffat 25 Oct (ph. 
AS); and 1840 American Wigeons at L. Cata- 
mount, Routt 15 Nov (T. Molton) made a 
goodly number. This fall saw another good 
scoter flight in Colorado, though with lower 
overall numbers than in fall 2007: 20 Surfs 
(10 reports from nine counties), 7 White- 
wingeds (six reports, six counties), and 12 
Blacks (nine reports, eight counties). A fe- 
male-plumaged Black Scoter was a rare find at 
Gray Reef Res., Natrona, WY 27 Oct (R. Tay- 
lor), as was an ad. female Long-tailed Duck at 
Ray L. marsh, Fremont, WY 27 Nov (E. Crane, 
J. Downham, Del Nelson); there were eight 
Colorado reports of the latter species. The 
only slightly-out-of-place Barrow’s Gold- 
eneyes were 2 males at Lathrop S.P., Hueifano 
26 Nov (RM). For the 2nd year in a row, a 
Common Merganser was well out on the 
plains at Jumbo Res. in early fall, this time on 
2 Aug (TRL). A Red-throated Loon at 
Sweitzer Res., Delta 26 Oct-26 Nov (TJBn) 
provided for one of very few West Slope 
records. Ten reports (of 14 individuals) of Pa- 
Showing characteristics of a first-cycle Slaty-backed Gull, this bird also illustrated the diffi- 
culties in identifying young large Larus gulls. After inhabiting Sixmile Reservoir, Boulder 
County, Colorado 27-28 (here 28) November 2008, it proceeded to Macintosh Reservoir in 
Boulder County and Cherry Creek Reservoir in Arapahoe County, and probably also Pueblo 
Reservoir in Pueblo County. Photographs by Bill Schmoker. 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
