Midway through September, I was sitting at 387 species for my Colorado Big Year. I had already seen every common bird in Colorado except one: Western Screech-Owl. Because of this, the only way to add new species to my year list was finding or chasing rarities not normally found in the state. Over the next two and a half months of fall migration an exceptional number of rare birds appeared in Colorado and I attempted to see them all!
On September 18th a young Reddish Egret was found along the shore of Jackson Lake. Within two hours we made it to Jackson and watched the Egret feeding near several Snowy Egrets.While watching the Reddish Egret we spotted a Red Phalarope swimming in the water.A Nelson’s Sparrow was found at Pelican Point in Cherry Creek State Park on the 25th of September. In less than 25 minutes we arrived at the location and watched the Nelson’s Sparrow hopping on the ground several feet away from us. This bird represents only the 5th state record! We made the trek to the eastern border of the state on October 11th in search of Sprague’s Pipit in the town of Hale. These birds migrate through the area in small numbers and can only be seen for about three weeks in the fall. We saw several while we were there but I only managed a flyover picture. On October 15th a skulking Sedge Wren was seen in Broomfield. This species is very difficult to locate because they often creep along the ground under dense grass. We drove six hours to the town of Norwood in western Colorado on October 20th to chase the first state record Ruddy Ground Dove. We saw it several times during our four hour stakeout but never had good views. Finally at the end of the four hours the bird landed on the ground very close to us.I was able to relocate a female Black Scoter at Cherry Creek State Park on the 24th of October. These ocean ducks only show up in Colorado a few times a year.Later in the afternoon we went to Pueblo Reservoir to chase a Parasitic Jaeger that was seen early in the morning. Windy conditions made it difficult to locate the bird on the choppy water of the reservoir but we eventually got it. Thanks Brandon for helping me get on this bird!During a snow storm on October 26th a Purple Finch was reported at a private feeder in Broomfield. While observing the feeder we watched a flock of other finches before eventually spotting the Purple Finch. This bird can be distinguished from the similar Cassin’s Finch because of the short stubby bill and clean white under tail.After almost two weeks without a new bird and many failed chases November 8th seemed like it was shaping up to be another fruitless search. We spent 3 hours looking for a Bohemian Waxwing at Hudson Gardens. No Waxwing. Then a message popped up on my phone:Magnificent Frigatebird At Cherry Creek. We made it across town in 18 minutes flat to look for this tropical ocean bird! It didn’t look good when after scouring the reservoir for 15 minutes we couldn’t locate the Frigatebird. We finally spotted it flying high over the reservoir! It continued circling for 30-ish minutes before disappearing to the west, never to be seen again. Many birders were able to see this incredible bird that was only the 3rd state record. Wow, what a bird!!!After the thrill of seeing the Frigatebird we returned to Hudson Gardens and within 15 minutes we got the Bohemian Waxwing. On our way home from Lamar in southeastern Colorado on November 11th (more on that later) we made a detour to Loveland to get a Black-legged Kittiwake. After a little over an hour just before dark we finally got good looks at the bird. These gulls are rare inland, only showing up a few times a year in the state.So, the reason we were in Lamar on the 11th was this funny little bird called an American Woodcock that was in someone’s yard. It was first seen on the 10th so we made the drive to Lamar on the 11th. The bird was nowhere to be found and all hope seemed lost until one day later when the bird was relocated! We again made the three hour drive to Lamar on the 12th and once more the bird had disappeared! Luckily, within 15 minutes we found it and watched it forage in the lawn. Thanks Jill for letting us see this bird in your yard! After more than 2 weeks without anything new I finally had an opportunity to chase another bird! On the 21st of November a Bay-breasted Warbler catching insects over a concrete sewage pond was seen in Fountain. This is the latest fall record (on eBird) of this species in Colorado.
As fall migration began in early July a flood of shorebirds, songbirds, and hummingbirds started migrating through Colorado. In order to get the most new birds for my Big Year I attempted to find as many rare birds as possible. Not all the birds I needed were rarities, several of them were birds that only migrate through Colorado in the fall.
The first birds to start migrating in the fall each year are hummingbirds. This is a male Calliope Hummingbird, the smallest bird species in North America. They only show up in Colorado during fall migration.Another hummingbird that only appears in Colorado in the fall is the Rufous Hummingbird. This male Rufous was visiting the same feeder as the Calliope.The first rare bird of the fall showed up on the 25th of July. It was a Long-tailed Jaeger at Jackson Lake near Fort Morgan. Jaegers are normally oceangoing birds, so seeing one in Colorado is always a treat. Later in the day at Prewitt Reservoir we saw another migrant, a Black Tern molting into nonbreeding plumage. This was one of a flock of 36 Black Terns we saw that day.Amongst the thousands of shorebirds on the shore of Prewitt Reservoir we picked out a Black-bellied Plover in breeding plumage. The plover was surrounded by the smaller Baird’s Sandpipers and Killdeers.On August 16th we made the drive to Southeastern Colorado to look for a Cave Swallow that had been reported at the west end of John Martin Reservoir. In this picture it is the bird on the right. It was in a large flock of Bank and Cliff Swallows feeding over a distant mudflat. This was only the second record of this species in the state! Later the same day we had another rare bird in the town of Eads. It was an immature male Ruby-throated Hummingbird (on the right) at a private feeder.The first rare shorebird of the fall, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, was found at Jackson Lake on August 21st. It was reported in the morning and I chased it in the afternoon. After almost three hours of searching without any luck I finally spotted the bird just before sunset!The next rare shorebird, a Ruddy Turnstone, arrived just two days later again at Jackson Lake. I searched for the bird for 3 hours (until it was too dark to see) and was back early the next day hoping it was still around. It only took 45 minutes to find on my return trip, demonstrating the unpredictable nature of birding.On August 28th at Barr Lake I found a Cassin’s Vireo. These birds only migrate through Colorado in the fall. The next bird came one day later along the inlet canal of Prewitt Reservoir. A Black-throated Green-Warbler foraging in a flock of Wilson’s Warblers.One of the most striking warblers of the western mountains, the Townsend’s Warbler. Every year they migrate through Colorado as they go south. This was one of many I saw this fall. I photographed this Townsend’s Warbler on September 5th while looking for a Philadelphia Vireo at Barr Lake.30 minutes after I photographed the Townsend’s Warbler this Philadelphia Vireo popped up and foraged above us in the top of a tree. I had already missed Philadelphia Vireos three times this year so finally getting one was incredible. Storm birding is the best! On September 8th the first blizzard of the winter hit. It caused many migrating birds to land, rest and refuel. One of the rarest birds to show up was a Red Knot at Fossil Creek Reservoir in Fort Collins. It is the grayish blob in the middle of the picture. Because of the heavy snow and fog coming off the reservoir the pictures are less than ideal.A juvenile Sabine’s Gull on the shore of Jackson Lake. These ocean gulls move through Colorado in small numbers every year appearing on large reservoirs.On September 11th a juvenile Common Black Hawk was seen at Manitou Lake eating crayfish below the dam. I watched the bird catch and eat three crayfish while we were there later that day. This was the first Common Black Hawk seen in Colorado since 2015!The next day we got a Little Gull at Chatfield Reservoir with several Sabine’s Gulls. In this picture the Little Gull is the slightly smaller bird on the right with a Sabine’s to the left.The day after that we chased a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher in the town of Eads around the courthouse. I initially identified this flycatcher as the Yellow-bellied, but several months later after consulting other birders it was determined to be the much more common and similar Hammond’s Flycatcher. It’s always painful to lose a bird…While looking for the flycatcher I found a Blue-headed Vireo which paused in a tree for several seconds before flying over the courthouse. We never relocated it. The clean separation between the blue cheek and white throat make this a Blue-headed and not the more common Cassin’s Vireo.
