We have been very fortunate to live where we do this summer. Moisture has been abundant. Wildflowers pop out in superbloom after superbloom. The murky, smoke-filled skies that have plagued us in past years have been sparse so far. The numbers of birds continued to make a comeback from a low count two years ago.
The Indian Peaks Bird Count ran its 42nd breeding bird count during June and the first two weeks of July. A dedicated group of skilled volunteers hike and/or drive roads and trails within a specific area counting birds they see and hear. There are normally 35-45 participants - nine of them have been involved since the count started in 1982. This year approximately 160 hours were spent in the field covering 232 miles of road and trail. The counts are sponsored by the Boulder County Nature Association (bcna.org).
The count is structured like a traditional Christmas Bird Count, with a 7.5 mile radius count circle that spans from just below Castle Rock in Boulder Canyon, to just over the Continental Divide, north to above Ward and south to below Rollinsville. Habitat life zones are dominated by upper montane, subalpine and alpine.
A total of 4,950 birds were counted, up from last year’s 4,555 but below the 40-year average of 5,150. Some of the most common (followed by number seen and general habitat) were Broadtailed Hummingbird (405; almost all habitats), American Robin (368; almost all habitats), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (328; dense, closed-canopy forests), Grayheaded Junco (320; forest openings and edges), Mountain Chickadee (262; all forests), Lincoln’s Sparrow (209; willow shrub wetlands and riparian areas); Yellow-rumped Warbler (200; mostly closed-canopy forests), Warbling Vireo (157; aspen groves and willow shrub wetlands), and White-crowned Sparrow (148; willow shrub wetlands, mostly in the subalpine, and krummholz at treeline).
This year 107 species were seen. Some of the more unusual species observed were Common Poorwill, giving their “poor-will” call while flying over the woodlands of Sugarloaf Road at dusk, and Gray Catbird, giving its varied song from the willows on Mud Lake Open Space. Other rare sightings were Red-headed Woodpecker and Juniper Titmouse, both in the Sugarloaf Road area, a lone Swainson’s Hawk near Ward, and a Say’s Phoebe on the Arapaho Ranch.
Making a good showing this year were Clark’s Nutcrackers - 117 were observed, which was an all-time high (previous high was 114; 50 were observed last year). They are one of the more charismatic birds of the Nederland area. They are slightly larger than a Steller’s Jay, with a smoky gray head, neck, and body, black with white-tipped wings, and black-centered tail with white edges. Often flying in flocks, they are generally heard before seen, making grating calls of kraaa, kraaa.
Pine seeds are their primary food, particularly those of limber pine and piñon pine in southern Colorado. They nest early and by the time most of our birders were in the field in mid-June nutcrackers were seen in post-breeding family groups, often on ridgelines with limber pine trees. It is likely there were caches of pine seeds on these ridgelines - nutcrackers collect seeds in the fall, cache them by burying in the ground, then return in the spring and summer to feed on the seeds, having an uncanny ability to find the seeds again. If you want to see nutcrackers at your feeder, putting out peanuts often brings them in.
Canada Goose has now become our most common nesting waterfowl. They were rarely found on the count until around 2003. They now outnumber Mallards. Ring-necked Duck and Green-winged Teal have been harder to find on the count over the past 15 years. One possible explanation for their decline is that our location is on the southern edge of both species’ continental distribution. Climate change appears to be causing many avian species to shift their distribution north, so they start disappearing along their southern edge.
A number of species that were rarely found on the count in the early years are now a regular and growing part of the local avian community. Some are associated with water - Canada Goose, Great Blue Heron, Common Merganser, Double-crested Cormorant, Osprey, and Bald Eagle. We are getting the spill-over from their population increases down on the plains - the many bodies of water associated with agricultural and urban areas.
A number of species that are more common at lower elevations in the foothills and lower montane are also becoming more common on the count - this is what I call “upward mobility.” Turkey Vultures appear to be increasing throughout the United States and are increasing in the count circle. Wild Turkeys were first seen in 2000 on the Breeding Count and are now a regular part of the local avifauna, though still in low numbers. Cliff Swallows are finding human structures to their liking for their colonies - Nederland and Rollinsville are their primary haunts. House Finch numbers are also congregated in the urban centers of Nederland and Rollinsville, while some are present in the Sugarloaf area. Yellow Warbler, Say’s Phoebe, Pygmy Nuthatch, Black-headed Grosbeak, MacGillivray’s Warbler and Green-tailed Towhee all appear to be moving up in elevation.
I want to thank the following people for participating in the Indian Peaks Bird Count: Bev Baker, Maureen Blackford, Alex Brown, Diane Brown, Gillian Brown, Neil Brown, George Coffee, Patricia Cullen, Todd Deininger, Mike Figgs, Hannah Floyd, Ted Floyd, Fern Ford, Janet George, Audrey Godell, Dave Hallock, Paula Hansley, Jim Holitza, Steve Jones, Bill Kaempfer, Kathryn Kay, Elena Klaver, Nan Lederer, Greg Massey, Holden Maxfield, Lisa McCoy, Merle Miller, Timo Mitzen, Naseem Munshi, Carol Newman-Holitza, Chris Petrizzo, Mark Pscheid, Jeannie Reynolds, Matt Reynolds, Peter Ruprecht, Eileen Rutherford, Kevin Rutherford, Susan Spaulding, Cara Stiles, Lucy Stroock, Mike Tupper, John Vanderpoel, Maribel Williams, and Jeff Yegian.
