Field Trip - Atlas Blockbuster

July 16‒19 – Blockbuster on the Uncompahgre Plateau, Region 7

Coen Dexter will lead this weekend-long blockbuster in the Starvation Point and Moore Mesa priority blocks, located near Columbine Pass and Campground on the Uncompahgre Plateau.  These blocks are between 8,000 and 10,000 feet in elevation and are mostly on U.S. Forest Service land.  Participants should be able to find Flammulated Owl, Williamson's Sapsucker, Grace's Warbler, and many, many more species.  Twenty years ago, atlasers reported nearly 70 species in the Starvation priority block, the highest species total of any block on the plateau.

Anyone who wants to learn about COBBAII or wants to do some birding on the plateau is invited to participate in some or the entire weekend.  Pick which days you want to come─one, two, three, or all four.  We are tentatively planning a campfire and barbeque Friday night.  Over a beer or glass of wine, we can share some tales dating back to the first atlas.  This will be a great opportunity to pay tribute to those atlasers who contributed so much during COBBAI.

Contact Coen Dexter for details — coenbrenda@yahoo.com.

Cheryl Day

Atlas in Aspens

Breeding Birds in the Aspens

Thanks to Dennis for another good post. This is also an opportunity
to remind all of us that trips like his are good sources of info for the
Breeding Bird Atlas. You do not have to be the official owner of the
block in question, or any block, to contribute to the atlas. I think
you just need to register at the atlas website at
http://bird.atlasing.org/Atlas/CO/Main . It is not considered
poaching to add a few cool birds to someone else's block.

We finally went up to my Spruce Mountain block, which sounds like
one of the places Dennis was just at, today. As usual, the pure aspens
in our area are just about the best birding you can find anywhere. We
had a new Purple Martin location, but, like Dennis said, there were a
few old martin sites with few or no martins. We also heard Willow
flycatchers in two blocks, and had Red tailed and Swainson's hawks,
Wilson's and Mac warblers, and huge numbers of Robins, Yellow warblers,
VG swallows and House wrens. As always, anyone is welcome to add
Swainson's thrush or Fox sparrow-two of today's targets- to my block.

BD

Purple martins are back in the hills

I have been eyeing several known martin locations during my travels and have noticed they have been mostly absent from the usual haunts.  Today, however, I found a male and two females at a single cavity in the middle of an aspen stand, much annoyed at my presence.
 
A good loop drive for martins is from Paonia north on the Stevens Gulch road, then east to 133 along the Buzzard Divide road, then back to Paonia along the highway.  Lots of other things to see along there as well, from tree and violet-green swallows to house wrens to hawks to blue herons.
 
Dennis Garrison

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There are baby grebes at Fruitgrowers!

Take your spotting scope.  Still a wide variety of birds to be seen, from clouds of swallows to a raft of pelicans.  The bald eagles down below Delta appear to have produced at least one chick, as well.

Dennis Garrison

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