Oh, so sweet shorebirds

29 April 2021

Time is short, birds are a plenty. So just a quick post.

I decided to ride to Chatfield State Park and scope Plum Creek Delta for shorebirds. I wasn't chasing any birds, just going out to see what I could find. I chose wisely. The weather was perfect. The wind was calm. The birds showed up. I got lucky. I ended up seeing 11 species of shorebird at Plum Creek, 3 were birds I needed for the year (Western Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, and Semipalmated Plover, which is a favorite of mine). While I was standing there watching as birds were coming and going, 7 White-faced Ibis flew in. This was a big target for me as they show up regularly, but don't stick around. Later an 8th flew around over the woods to the south (upstream) and the 7 took off and disappeared down into the woods in the delta.
My eBird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S86649037

I slowly birded around Chatfield and didn't come up with much. I headed home but decided I felt good, so I went into Littleton proper and got the Clark's Grebe at Ketring Park (thanks to my friends for intel!). It was showing off to a Western Grebe. This is how confusing hybrids are made. Ha!

Plum Creek Delta

Loaner tripod. I figured out how to make it more stable (a Clif bar stuck under the mount!).

Semipalmated Plover

White-faced Ibis with Long-billed Dowitchers in the back

Myron Gerhard took this photo of me digiscoping the ibis. It looks like I was close to the birds, but I was not. I stayed pretty still and they didn't flush. They eventually flew off on their own.

Please consider a pledge or donation support the Joe Roller Memorial Research Grant! Click the link (scroll to the bottom). All funds support bird research in Colorado. Thank you!

https://cobirds.org/CFO/Grants/

Green Big Year species list: 171 (as of Apr 29)
Miles ridden: 836 miles (as of Apr 29)
# of rides with a frozen water bottle and broken shifter: 1
# of dropped water bottles at stop lights: 1
# of trips to Chatfield State Park: 13
2021 Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year Species List

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Introducing the 2021 Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year

Welcome to the 2021 Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year Blog! The Colorado birding community lost one of its pillars when Joe Roller passed away in November 2020. Joe was a fountain of birding lore and loved people as much as birds. Many considered him a beloved friend. To honor Joe's legacy, I've partnered with Colorado Field Ornithologists (CFO) and created the Joe Roller Memorial Grant to support bird research in Colorado. The grant will be initially funded by pledges raised through my 2021 Green Big Year, a green (carbon-free) birding initiative. I will be walking or riding my bike from my house in Littleton, Colorado to see as many species as possible in 2021. My 2020 green list is currently 244 species, but I am aiming for at least 250 bird species in 2021! I'll update this blog with adventures, birds, and photos throughout the year. We are taking per-species pledges and flat tax-deductible donations towards the Grant online at https://Cobirds.org/CFO/Grants . (Scr

The bird that topped the Colorado Green Big Year record

17 December 2021 On Tuesday, December 14th, Steve Barlow found a female Black-and-white Warbler at Wheat Ridge Greenbelt in well, Wheat Ridge. Of course I had three full days of meetings and calls and there was no way I could go for the bird until Friday the 17th. I saw regular reports of the bird in the same area, and a little to the west over those 3 days. It turns out there is a second Black-and-white, a boldly marked male, to the west of the female most of us were chasing. Anyway, I was hopeful it'd stick another day in spite of some chilly night time temperatures. I got up on Friday and it was about 16 degrees. I decided to wait until it was in the mid-20's before I headed out. As I'm hoping to get word about the bird being present, I get a text from none other than Thomas Heinrich with a message about the bird being there and "where are YOU?!" Thomas knew I was going for it on Friday morning, but he didn't tell me he was going to leave at 4:15 am on his

Big ride for big time green year birds.

First and foremost, thank you for all the pledges and donations! The total pledges so far have been astonishing! Between donations and pledges per species (assuming I hit 250 species), we are about 70% of the way to our $20,000 target! I think Joe would probably roll his eyes and tell a joke about the time we chased what would be his first Arapahoe county Brown Thrasher at Cherry Creek State Park. We saw the thrasher fly away and vanish and then Joe gave me slack for not getting him better looks! Please consider a tax-deductible donation or pledge per species (pledges do not need to be paid until the 2021 green year ends). The pledges and donations are motivating me to get out and get birds. I'm truly humbled. Thank you. This is going to be such a fun year! Click the link (scroll to the bottom) to pledge or donate! https://cobirds.org/CFO/Grants/ January 2021 overview (and then the birds!). I thought I'd start off with a little overview of my general strategy for this green

Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year

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