I finally tried for the Mississippi Kite(s) in Denver

2 September 2021
A couple Mississippi Kites have been reported off and on in north Denver since late July. There have been a couple clusters of locations where the bird(s) have been seen with a report every 2 or 3 days, or less frequent. I contemplated chasing them because a kite would be a huge pick up for the year. This was one of those trips that I waffled on. It could be a huge time sink, I don't know where birds are really hanging around, plus the fun prospect of a lot of wandering and getting lost in urban Denver, etc. However, I see a report late on the 1st and decide to pull the trigger and go for it the next day.

I let Mark Obmascik know about my hair brained idea since he lives in town and likes to bird by bike as well. Plus he knows the city very well. Mark said he'd be happy to join me and it was set. However, Mark had work commitments in the morning. I got to his street pretty early. I waffled on whether to just go for the kites (he said just go!) or wait for him for 30+ minutes. We hadn't met before and floundering around trying to find one another while I aimlessly wandered north Denver seemed like a bad idea. I also didn't have a ton of time to try to find the birds and get home, but I decided it was wise to wait for him. What a good decision that was.

Mark finished up work and we hit the road. I had a plan for trying to find the kites, but Mark had a different idea. Good thing I didn't argue. We rolled up to the last known location and I spot a kite before we even stop and start looking!

The kite is in the dead snag above my head! Thanks to Mark for the photo!

Digibin Kite!

What a blast this morning was. It was so great to meet Mark and a real joy to ride around town with him while chatting with about birds, jobs, and life. It's a good thing I used Strava to map my ride as I had no idea where I was half of the time! Ha! So many more stories from this morning for another time.

Totals:
Green Big Year species list: 251 (as of Sept 2)
Miles ridden: 1850 miles (as of August 30)
Elevation gain in 2021: ~78,000 ft
# 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: 27
# of Rock Wrens hopping around on my bike: 1
2021 Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year Species List

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

Thanks for reading!
Scott

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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

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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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