COLORADO & WYOMING 
Slope” denotes locations west of the Rockies. 
Due to reporting biases, all locations can be 
assumed to be in Colorado except that each 
Wyoming location is noted as such the first 
time it appears in the text. Because the great 
majority of rarities are seen by many ob- 
servers, only the observer(s) initially finding 
and identifying the bird are noted. Undocu- 
mented reports of Colorado B.R.C. (C.B.R.C.) 
review species (<www.cfo-link.org>) are sum- 
marized at the end of this report. 
GEESE THROUGH GULLS 
The only seasonal report of Snow Goose 
came from Morgan 20 Jun (T. Smart). A Buf- 
dehead was at low elevation for summer at 
Cheney Res., Mesa 17 Jun (JBn). A female 
Hooded Merganser with 3 ducklings con- 
firmed breeding for this very rare Colorado 
breeder in Jefferson 17 Jun (DF), the site 
from which last year’s breeding confirmation 
came. A Red-throated Loon just made it into 
the season at Brush Hollow Res., Fremont 1 
Jun (RM); as many as 10 Com- 
mon Loons were noted in Col- 
orado this summer. A Neotropic 
Cormorant was a nice find at 
John Martin Res., Bent 18-26 
Jun (BKP); the species is now 
nearly annual, though individu- 
als are rarely present for more 
than a week. The only Ameri- 
can Bittern found this season 
away from known breeding 
sites visited Turtle L., La Plata 
29 Jun QBy); the species is quite 
unexpected in sw. Colorado. A 
juv. Least Bittern accompanied 
single ads. of both sexes at Cot- 
tonwood Hollow Pond, Larimer 
20 Jul (N. Komar) for a very 
rare suggestion of local breed- 
ing in the state. Another Least 
Bittern was found at Fort Lyon 
S.W.A., Bent 25 Jul-i- (R. Hopper 
et ah). White egrets are, at best, uncommon 
on Colorado’s West Slope, so a Great Egret at 
Craig, Moffat 2 Jun (FL) and a Snowy Egret 
near Nucla, Montrose 2 Jul (CD, B. Wright) 
were both of interest. A calico Little Blue 
Heron graced Boulder 2 Jul (B. Zilly). A dark- 
morph Reddish Egret pranced at DeWeese 
Res., Custer 17-19 Jul (RM), accounting for 
the state’s 10th record of the species and pro- 
viding a new high-elevation record. The only 
Cattle Egrets away from the San Luis Valley 
(the state’s epicenter of breeding) were 3 at 
Red Lion S.W.A., Logan 12 Jul (j. Dunning, 
K. Mihm-Dunning). 
A Black Vulture visiting Castlewood 
Canyon, Douglas 2-17 Jul (K. Metz) was the 
cause of joy among Colorado birders, as it 
was the longest staying (and most chaseable) 
of the very small number of individuals found 
in the state to date. An ad. and a juv. Broad- 
winged Hawk were noted at last year’s locale 
of suspected breeding in Pueblo 30-31 Jul (D. 
Silverman); hopefully, this record was report- 
ed to the second Colorado Breeding Bird At- 
las. Two Sandhill Cranes were unseasonable 
26-27 Jul s. of Mancos, Montezuma (SM), 
though the species has been expanding its 
breeding range in Colorado recently. 
Recurvirostrids at least a bit out of place 
were American Avocets in Montezuma 6 Jun 
(3; D. Garrison), DeWeese Res. 17 Jun (one; 
RM), and Fremont 22 Jun (one; RM), plus a 
Black-necked Stilt in Boulder 13 Jun (DW). 
Upland Sandpiper staged its typical early 
southbound migration and was noted in 
places w. of normal in Colorado, particularly 
the singles over nighttime Boulder, one each 
30 Jul (TF), 20 Aug (TF), 24 Aug (T. 
Deininger), and 25 Aug (TF). The oddest re- 
port, however, was of a bird on the ground s. 
of Dolores 16 Jun (SM); the species is very 
rare on the West Slope, particularly so in the 
s., and this bird provided a Montezuma first. 
Determination of the status of Long-billed 
Curlew as a breeder in Colorado away from 
the e. plains is hampered by the early arrival 
on their southward migration in the state of 
failed breeders and recently fledged young. 
The problem was experienced this summer 
with Jul records in Jackson, Moffat, and Sciti 
Miguel, including a juv. in the last-listed 
county. A Marhled Godwit 24 Jun at Hugo, 
Lincoln (H&UK) was probably a migrant, but 
the 4 in Jackson in mid-Jul were almost cer- 
tainly such. A Bonaparte’s Gull was quite late 
at Fruitgrowers Res., Mesa 11 Jun QBn). An 
ad. Laughing Gull was well appreciated at 
Adobe Creek Res., Bent 25 Jul (BKP et al.); the 
species is now annual in the state, particular- 
ly on the e. plains. An ad. Herring Gull at the 
L. Meredith feedlot, Crowley 26 Jul (ph. LS), 
was quite a surprise and nearly unprecedent- 
ed in the state at this season. 
TERNS THROUGH SWALLOWS 
A Least Tern was out of place in Arapahoe 12 
Jun (S. Latona), and a Black Tern was about 
on time as a fall migrant at Fruitgrowers Res. 
19 Jul (B. & C. Day). As is typical, reports of 
Caspian Tern were scattered, with this sum- 
mer’s three hailing from Delta, Douglas, and 
Crowley. White-winged Dove reports came to 
us from six Colorado counties, though none 
from the Arkansas R. valley, where the species 
has been breeding for a few years now. As the 
species is now quite uncommon along the 
Front Range edge, a juv. Burrowing Owl in 
Boulder 13 Jul (TF) was of some interest. A 
fledgling Northern Saw-whet 
Owl at Limon, Lincoln 11 Jun 
(H&UK) was out on the plains, 
where the species is thought not 
to breed; this belief may need 
some updating. 
Fifteen Black Swifts dropped 
down to low elevation at Zink’s 
Pond, La Plata 9 Jun (V Zerbi); 
the species is fairly rare, and/or 
seldom detected, in the county. 
Another was at a higher low ele- 
vation over Carbondale, Gaifield 
1 Jul (D. Filby). An ad. male Cal- 
liope Hummingbird was well e. 
of normal s. of Lamar, Prowers 
31 Jul (J. Stulp). Single Red- 
headed Woodpeckers were w. of 
normal at Fraser, Grand 4 Jun (T. 
Jones); Portland, Frctnont 7 Jun 
(S. Moss); Boulder 10 Jun (J. 
Dulberger, CN); and, the oddest 
of all, 19 Jun at Hayden, Routt (on the West 
Slope; N. Merrill, L. Williams, T. Litteral). A 
male Red-bellied Woodpecker in Pueblo 6 Jun 
(BKP) was both s. and w. of normal. 
An Olive-sided Flycatcher at Valeo Ponds 
S.WA., Pueblo 9 Jun (BKP) was late for such 
low elevation. Small populations of nesting 
Least Flycatchers are still present in w. Col- 
orado, with reports again coming from Gunni- 
son and Moffat during the period. A White- 
eyed Vireo, rare but regular in Colorado, was at 
Canon City, Fremont 2 Jun (RM). Three way- 
ward Yellow-throated Vireos ventured w. to the 
Rockies and paused to set up territories. One 
was discovered al Franktown, Douglas 5-29 
jun (U&HK), another was quite far w. at Black 
Accounting for Colorado's tenth record of Reddish Egret, this immature dark-morph bird also set 
a new state (and perhaps all-time?) high elevation record of 2338 meters above sea level at De- 
Weese Reservoir, Custer County 17-19 (here 17) July 2009. Photograph by Brandon K. Percival. 
VOLUME 63 (2009) 
NUMBER 4 
627 
