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INSTITUTE FOR FIELD ORNITHOLOGY

2004 IFO Sparrows Workshop Report

Instructors: James Rising and David Beadle . June 12-16, 2004 . Fort Collins, Colorado

Northeastern Colorado is an important center of diversity for the New World Sparrows and an ideal venue for studying the natural history of this fascinating group of birds. Our group of twenty-six birders (including course participants, course instructors, and guest instructors) got to see an amazing variety of mid-continent habitats. And there were sparrows! Everything from dapper Lincoln's Sparrows uttering their tripartite songs in high-elevation bogs to striking McCown's Longspurs displaying high above the prairie. From Green-tailed Towhees prowling about the montane shrublands to Cassin's Sparrows singing sweetly in fallow fields out on the plains. We saw nearly 20 species of sparrows and well over 100 species of birds overall, and in the process we learned much about the ecology, evolution, and conservation of one of the most difficult yet most satisfying of North America taxa.

Saturday, 12 June 2004. The instructors and course participants assembled at our "home base" in Fort Collins, Colorado. Birding editor Ted Floyd kicked things off with a presentation on the basic biogeography of northeastern Colorado and on how large-scale biogeographic pattern provide a foundation for understanding sparrow diversity in the region. Next, James Rising, a zoology professor at the University of Toronto, gave an overview of sparrow nomenclature and taxonomy. After additional introductions and a question-and-answer session, we repaired to our rooms, in advance of a busy day out on the plains.

Sunday, 13 June 2004. Today's destination was the fabled Pawnee National Grassland of northern Weld County. At our very first stop, just a miles off the main highway, we were treated to the horizon-to-horizon spectacle of displaying McCown's Longspurs, skylarking Lark Buntings, and a few distant Brewer's Sparrows and Chestnut-collared Longspurs. Farther on, we would get superb looks at Brewer's Sparrow (an adult obligingly perched on a wire) and Chestnut-collared Longspur (a pair tending a nest). Meanwhile, we got good looks at the other characteristic species of the Pawnee, e.g., Ferruginous Hawk, Mountain Plover, and Burrowing Owl. We lunched at Crow Valley Campground, where we saw several singing Lark Sparrows as well as a rare and extra-seasonal Red-breasted Nuthatch. Evening activities included lectures by Ted Floyd and James Rising and the reading-of-the-checklist by David Beadle.

Monday, 14 June 2004. We may as well have been on a different planet today! We started out at 12,000+ feet, well above treeline in Rocky Mountain National Park, where we detoured for two of the specialty birds of the tundra: White-tailed Ptarmigan and Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, both of which were well seen. We also spent considerable time studying displaying Horned Larks and American Pipits, and we discussed in some detail the evolutionary convergences between these two species and the unrelated sparrow family. Next we drove down to a high-elevation willow meadow, where we were surrounded by singing Lincoln's Sparrows. The birds were highly cooperative, and we were able to make detailed study of their complex vocalizations. Next it was down to the EndoValley area of Rocky Mountain National Park, where we observed congeneric Lincoln's and Song Sparrows in the same tangle of vegetation, where Green-tailed Towhees growled from the underbrush, where Dark-eyed Juncos flitted about the clearings, and where a single unseen Fox Sparrow sang from a wet thicket. We had many, many other species in this area, including Red-naped and Williamson's Sapsuckers (crippling looks), Dusky and Cordilleran Flycatchers (both singing), and numerous warbler species (including Virginia's, MacGillivray's, and Wilson's). A roadside stop on the drive back to Fort Collins provided detailed study of a juvenile American Dipper. After a quick dinner, we visited a private home in Poudre Canyon. Spotted Towhees and Chipping Sparrows were all over the place, and some 25 other species of birds serenaded us in the early evening hours. A special treat was a stakeout Flammulated Owl that gave us great views at its aspen nest hole.

Tuesday, 15 June 2004. Today's pace was significantly different from the past two days'. Instead of focusing on major habitat types, we tracked down "specialty sparrows" that had been expertly scouted out by Rachel Hopper, a well-known Colorado birder. First, Rachel took us to an agricultural region of southern Weld County, and here we were treated to a field-full of singing Cassin's Sparrows. The viewing was difficult, but everybody eventually did get satisfactory looks at these subtly marked sparrows. The hearing was splendid, though! Everybody enjoyed leisurely study of the remarkable five-parted song of what is really one of the most lovely of all North American songsters. Next, Rachel took us to a rank weed field a little ways to the north, where she found a stakeout Grasshopper Sparrow for us. The bird sang persistently and then finally jumped up onto a thistle for detailed study by all. We wound down the morning farther north in Weld County, where we got great studies of Savannah and Vesper Sparrows (both singing continuously). For our lunch break, we stopped by some re-constructed wetlands in Fort Collins, where we saw such notables as Green Heron and Wood Duck. The day concluded with a special group dinner and a short recap of the day.

Wednesday, 16 June 2004. On this, our last day of the workshop, we returned to Estes Park, where we met Scott Roederer, author of Birding Rocky Mountain National Park, and Gary Matthews, who led us in the search for more sparrows. The morning was misty, overcast and cool, in contrast to our earlier experience at the park. We began by returning to EndoValley, where we sought better observations of Fox Sparrow. It took a lot of effort, but we did finally get good looks at one. Our next stop was a meadow with scattered sage, grass, conifers, and boulders, where we got outstanding looks at Chipping Sparrows, Green-tailed Towhees, and Brewer's Sparrows. The Brewer's Sparrows were especially interesting, as it is not known whether they pertain to the widespread lowland U.S. subspecies or to the more-geographically-restricted Canadian "Timberline" subspecies. A great non-sparrow sighting was that of a Northern Goshawk in flight. As we returned to Fort Collins, we detoured at Devil's Backbone for quick looks at the resident Spotted Towhees before bidding each other goodbye.

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