Ovenbirds
One of the warblers that is an annual spring migrant on the Chico, Ovenbirds are necessarily dull in plumage because […]
One of the warblers that is an annual spring migrant on the Chico, Ovenbirds are necessarily dull in plumage because […]
This winter I reported up to 14 Long-eared Owls were roosting in the banding station woods. The need to keep […]
Hawk food for sure but the annual warning here to watch where you are stepping on warm days. I didn’t […]
warbA female Golden-winged Warbler was found on Sunday in the willows below the small headquarters pond. It was still there […]
The three species of phalaropes are shorebirds who forage mostly on the water’s surface where there is a midge hatch […]
One of the few warblers with chestnut coloration, Chestnut-sided Warbler is an eastern species so Monday’s birders were happy to […]
Many birders who come to Chico have never seen a swift fox here. But, driving in the shortgrass prairie 2-tracks […]
One of the prettiest birds seen in both spring and fall at Chico is the Black Tern. Terns are notorious […]
American Badger is a resident on the plains and Chico is no exception. Although their primary food source on the […]
Colorado’s State Bird, Lark Bunting. Males (here) and females are noticeably different in appearance. These sparrows, not buntings, are birds […]
The bird who sings his name all day long, Dickcissel, seems to me to be singing…”I’m so special” over and […]
All habitats have grasshoppers. Native grasslands have the most grasshopper species and they become food for all grassland birds. It […]
In February 2018, Colorado Parks and Wildlife captured and radio-collared five additional animals on the Chico as part of their ongoing study of pronghorn movement and behavior in southeastern Colorado.
Read this and the next two entries to see how Northern Shoveler (above photo) is a teal, very closely related to Blue-winged Teal and Cinnamon Teal.
Long-eared Owls, sometimes wintering on the Chico, are vole specialists. Although they nest and roost in dense habitats, they hunt in open areas.
The first “good” warbler of spring was a singing male Northern Parula in the headquarters willows.
Closely related to the common wintering White-crowned Sparrow, the largest sparrow in North America, Harris’s Sparrow, was feeding on the ground next to the Leather Shop, feeding with other Zonotrichia...
Unobserved by most humans, but not to birds who forage on the ground, tiger beetles are beginning to emerge from burrows.