NOTABLE BIRD NEWS.....

Link to Christmas Bird Count - Historical Data. ​The codes for our two are COGJ and COGM

Counting owls is always a hoot

By FRANK WITOWSKI, Jr. Special to the Sentinel Dec 21, 2021
Nic Korte spearheads the Western Screech-Owl Project on the Western Slope. Photo by Dale Shrull.
For Nic Korte, the Christmas Bird Count is an annual ritual.
​
Every year around the Grand Valley during the Christmas season, it’s time to count the number of western screeching owls. Korte, who works on the owl monitoring project for the Grand Valley Audubon Society, says the Christmas Bird Count has been ongoing in Mesa County since the 1950s, but it originally started 126 years ago.

“Back in the old days, everyone would go out in Europe after Christmas and would shoot everything,” Korte said. “The Christmas Count became an antidote at that time.”

On Sunday, Korte and a number of volunteers roamed the area counting western screeching owls. They concentrated on a 15-mile area from H to 24 roads. This assessment can provide data on bird population trends. Korte said the organization wants to keep these rare birds living in the Grand Valley.

The Grand Valley Audubon Society uses western screech owl nest boxes, similar to the natural cavity habitats owls live in, to provide the species a home.

Korte said the western screech owl nest boxes are made by volunteers to keep a high population of owls living in Mesa County and to give them new places to live, especially as natural habitats are lost.

“Even with that (owl boxes), the numbers have dropped probably,” Korte said. Because they are nocturnal, you will rarely hear an owl sing or communicate during the daytime.
An owl catches some sun in a box off F1/2 Rd. Photo by Dale Shrull.
Korte said about 200 owl boxes are spread around the Grand Valley. Using a makeshift adjustable camera pole, he peeks inside the boxes to confirm if an owl is inside.

The owl box was necessary to maintain a healthy habitat because so many large old cottonwood trees were eliminated over the years, Korte said.

In past years, the dedication of volunteers counting western screeching owls, along with the installation of owl boxes, have led to Mesa County leading the nation in the number of owls counted during the Christmas Bird Count.

This year’s owl count revealed approximately 70 owls in the area.
Korte visited many places, including the home of Redlands resident Margaret Schultz, during his search for western screech owls.

Schultz immediately responded to Korte that “It (owl) was in the box the other day.”

Schultz has lived in her Redlands home for 33 years and said having the owls “makes life interesting.” She said at one time, this area offered habitat to the most owls in the valley. She sees them frequently.
​
“I bring neighborhood children to watch. It’s just a gift. I don’t have to go far away to see wildlife,” Schultz said.

Korte said the organization started this owl monitoring project to study screeching owl patterns, but he also has enjoyed getting to know the area residents who provide a safe habitat for the rarer species of birds.

​Bird banding helps gather information on local habitat

By JAMES BURKY James.Burky@gjsentinel.com, Sep 28, 2021
  • Alicia Bachman with the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies participated as a bird bander last weekend at the James M. Robb Colorado River State Park-Connected Lakes Section. She is shown here with taxidermy bird specimens. Photography: Christopher Tomlinson/The Daily Sentinel. ​
A white crowned sparrow zoomed through the shrubbery at the Connected Lakes section at James M. Robb Colorado River State Park on Saturday, probably off to rest or grab some breakfast.

All of a sudden, that’s when it hit — a soft net that trapped the young sparrow. It was those dang humans and bird bander Alicia Bachman. This was the second time in days they had caught the little sparrow.

“Look at that; he’s already banded. Looks like we caught him Tuesday,” Bachman said, flipping through her catalog of birds. “That tells us that it’s hanging out here.”

Bachman is with the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies and was at Connected Lakes studying the local birds, with help from the Grand Valley Audubon Society, an organization dedicated to preserving birds and bird education.
By working together, they can better understand bird habits, educate the public and restore natural habitats.

Bachman has 11 other nets like the one that caught the sparrow spaced around the park. Birds will fly and fall into the nets unharmed.
Every 30 minutes, Bachman made her rounds and checked each net for birds.
Story continued... click here.

​Watch California Condors Take Flight for the First time!

​The Peregrine Fund and Bureau of Land Management at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument are hosting a celebration on National Public Lands Day, Saturday, September 25 at 12:30 p.m. MDT (1:30 MST, northern-Arizona Condor Time) by releasing captive-bred California Condors to take their first flights in the wild. The event will be held in-person at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument for anyone interested in travelling to the area, and it will also be live streamed via The Peregrine Fund’s YouTube Channel.
​

CPW is monitoring for sick, dying birds seen in other regions of the United States but not currently here in Colorado

Picture
​​FORT COLLINS, Colo. - With reports of sick and dying birds in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is on the lookout for any signs of similar concerns in Colorado.  

So far, no cases compatible with this “mystery disease” have been confirmed in the state of Colorado. The syndrome observed in other states is characterized by swollen eyes, blindness and signs of neurologic impairment. The birds most commonly affected have been young blue jays, grackles, European starlings and American robins. The cause of this disease remains unknown. 

Please contact your nearest Colorado Parks and Wildlife office if you observe birds with swollen eyes, birds that appear sick or act abnormal, or if you observe three or more dead birds in one location within a two week period.
Contact:  Jason Clay – Northeast Region Public Information Officer
303-2917234 / jason.clay@state.co.us    @CPW_NE
​In Colorado, house finches can be infected by bacteria (Mycoplasma gallisepticum) that cause swollen, crusty eyes, but this finch conjunctivitis disease has not been seen in other species. Finch conjunctivitis and other bird diseases are often spread at bird feeders. 

Remember to clean bird feeders and bird baths regularly by removing all debris, cleaning with a 10 percent bleach solution, rinsing with water and allowing them to air dry completely before refilling. Please take down feeders if you notice sick or dying birds.  

CPW does not recommend bird feeders be used at all from mid-March through Thanksgiving if you live in bear country.

Above photo: Sick birds with finch conjunctivitis have swollen, red, watery, and/or crusty eyes. Birds may recover from this disease, although severe cases can be fatal. Finches are most commonly affected. The Mycoplasma gallisepticum bacteria is spread by contact between birds and is usually spread in crowded groups.

Birds Aflutter Over Sighting of Roadrunner 

Expert Likely Passing Through: Dave Price knew exactly what he was looking at when he saw a greater roadrunner in the area of Bangs Canyon a few weeks ago.

The roadrunner was hundreds of miles away from its normal range, but Price identified it by its blonde legs, shaggy crest, long tail and long bill. It had already caused a stir among the Grand Valley’s birding community.

“I heard there might be one around, so I went looking,” Price, a member of the Grand Valley Audubon Society said.

CPW Area Wildlife Manager Kirk Oldham said Thursday roadrunners are among the close to 400 species of birds that have been spotted in Mesa County at one time or another, but the roadrunner’s typical range, at least when it comes to Colorado, is limited to the southeast part of the state.

According to the Audubon Society, roadrunners prefer deserts and open country with scattered brush, particularly in  Sonoran Desert and Texas brushlands.

Roadrunners prefer arid and semi-arid climates, Oldham said.
“You can laugh because we’re pretty darn arid right now,” he said.

One remarkable thing about a roadrunner appearing this far north is it’s unlikely it flew all the way here.
The speedy bird can run up to 15 miles an hour, according to the Audubon Society, and fly only when necessary.

“It’s not uncommon, we get a few birds each year that are outside their normal range,” Price said. “Birds move around.”

Price said reasons for birds moving around outside their normal range could include weather, migration and young birds seeking new territory. Storms, fires and droughts can also move birds around, he said.

“We’re not all that surprised when we have similar habitats for species,” Oldham said. “Wildlife disperses wide and far.”

Those who go searching for birds should take care not to get too close or otherwise disturb the birds.

This particular roadrunner is likely no longer in the area, Price said. Oldham believes the recently-sighted roadrunner was just passing through the area, and not putting down roots.

​“We have no reason to believe they would start to establish here,” he said.
Meddlesome coyotes in Mesa County will just have to find something else to chase.

- by Sam Klomhaus, The Daily Sentinel, July 17, 2021