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INSTITUTE FOR FIELD ORNITHOLOGY

2008 Bird Community Ecology Workshop Report

Instructors: Ted Floyd and Bill Schmoker • 6-10 June 2008 • San Luis Valley, Colorado

Overview
Our group of enthusiastic instructors, knowledgeable local experts, and energetic participants enjoyed a five-day immersion experience in Colorado's scenic San Luis Valley. The goal of our workshop was to sample broadly from the amazing diversity of habitats and bird communities in the San Luis Valley, constantly asking questions about the ecological patterns and processes at play in the valley. The weather during our visit was about as expected for early June in the San Luis Valley: several days of stiff breezes, but also some enchanting periods of calm; brilliant sunshine much of the time, but also light snow during one of our sojourns to the high country; subfreezing temperatures one morning, but mild afternoons every day. We saw wonderful birds—including several uncommon species—in the San Luis Valley, but, more to the point, we learned valuable lessons about the ecology and conservation of bird communities in one of the most stunning natural places in North America.

The view from the Medano-Zapata Ranch (Sangre de Cristo mountains in the background). Photo by © Bill Schmoker.

Day 1. June 6, 2008.
We assembled at the Medano-Zapata Ranch during the 5 o'clock hour on Friday afternoon, and got to know each other and our two co-instructors, Ted Floyd and Bill Schmoker. Ted is Editor of Birding magazine, and Bill is President of Colorado Field Ornithologists. Both Ted and Bill were major players in the recently published Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America: Ted wrote the text for the field guide, and Bill contributed dozens of photos.

Dinner was fantastic, as were all of our meals during the workshop. The kitchen crew of Lynne, Liz, and Mel went above and beyond the call of duty in their constant provisioning of some of the finest food in the history of field ornithology. In a related vein, Regin Fletcher and the staff at the Zapata Inn were gracious, courteous, and helpful hosts. No question about it, our lodging and dining experiences at the Medano-Zapata Ranch were superlative.

After dessert, we heard three short lectures. First, Ted provided an overview of the three-and-a-half days of field ornithology ahead of us. Next, Bill introduced us to the geology of the San Luis Valley—a location from which a sizeable chunk of all of North America's 14,000-foot peaks are within view. Last, we learned from Betsy Neely about the major plant communities of the San Luis Valley. Betsy is a Senior Conservation Planner with The Nature Conservancy in Colorado, and we were very fortunate to have her with us for two full days in the field.

The austere Piñon Hills are home to a sparse but fascinating breeding bird community. Photo by © Bill Schmoker.

Day 2. June 7, 2008.
As we were getting ready for our 5:30 breakfast at the Zapata Inn, we couldn't help but notice a few of the birds around the ranch headquarters: Yellow Warbler¹, House Wren², Cordilleran Flycatcher³, Barn Swallow⁴, Common Raven⁵, Brewer's Blackbird⁶, Western Tanager⁷, and Black-chinned Hummingbird⁸. Black-chinned Hummingbird is an uncommon summer resident in the San Luis Valley. And as we migrated from breakfast to our van, we saw a few more birds in the lush vegetation around the ranch headquarters: American Kestrel⁹, Warbling Vireo¹⁰, American Robin¹¹, Northern Flicker¹², and Broad-tailed Hummingbird¹³. We picked up Mountain Bluebird¹⁴ on the drive out of the ranch, and we got a roadside Burrowing Owl¹⁵ shortly thereafter.

Our destination was the Piñon Hills of southern Conejos County, and we had more than an hour of driving ahead of us. So we watched birds along the way. On the drive to and through the town of Alamosa we saw Swainson's Hawk¹⁶, Horned Lark¹⁷, Eurasian Collared-Dove¹⁸, White-faced Ibis¹⁹, Mourning Dove²⁰, Rock Pigeon²¹, European Starling²², House Sparrow²³, and Killdeer²⁴. Heading south from Alamosa, we saw Cliff Swallows²⁵, Yellow-headed Blackbirds²⁶, Black-billed Magpies²⁷, Western Meadowlarks²⁸, and Red-winged Blackbirds²⁹ along the highway. And proceeding south toward the town of La Jara, we saw a drake Common Merganser³⁰—unusual on the valley floor in the breeding season—at a roadside pond.

The beautiful Violet-green Swallow is common in diverse habitats throughout the San Luis Valley. Photo by © Bill Schmoker.

We made it to the bottom of John James Canyon in the Piñon Hills a little before 8:00, got out our water bottles and sunscreen, listened to Vesper Sparrows³¹ and Lark Sparrows³², and admired a Ferruginous Hawk³³. Next, we walked toward a rock outcropping that was home to Say's Phoebe³⁴, Rock Wren³⁵, Violet-Green Swallow³⁶, and a mildly surprising Northern Mockingbird³⁷. Northern Mockingbird is considered to be uncommon in the San Luis Valley, but we would see at least 6 of them in and around the Piñon Hills this Saturday morning.

One of our goals for John James Canyon was to study the several sparrow species that breed here, so we set about looking for little brown jobs. We got into rockier habitat than where the Vesper and Sage Sparrows had been, and we found our first new sparrow: a Chipping Sparrow³⁸, of all things. It was in the wrong habitat for breeding, and no doubt a tardy migrant. Our next two sparrows were doozies: Sage Sparrow³⁹, an uncommon and local breeder in the valley; and Black-throated Sparrow⁴⁰, which occurs nowhere else in the valley but in the Piñon Hills. We got great looks at both, and would go onto see 4 of the latter and 8 of the former. And we were soon looking at several other species of sparrows: Spotted Towhees⁴¹ and Green-tailed Towhees⁴², which are common breeders on dry slopes in the valley; and an unexpected White-crowned Sparrow⁴³, like the Chipping Sparrow probably a late migrant.

This Black-throated Sparrow was one of four that we saw in the Piñon Hills. Photo by © Bill Schmoker.

We proceeded up the canyon, and the south wind really started to intensify. We saw a few Loggerhead Shrikes⁴⁴, and, during occasional respites from the wind, we detected snippets of thrasher song that we couldn't make out. But it got too windy, so we decided to retreat to the vans. It is certain that a few of us in our group will return to that canyon some day! With its southern exposure, intriguing upslope habitat, and proximity to New Mexico, John James Canyon surely offers future surprises. Back at the van, Bill caught a horned lizard, Ted almost stepped on a rattlesnake, and Betsy showed us how to identify rabbitbrush, greasewood, saltbush, blue grama, and other plants.

We ate our box lunches at the rickety Lobato Bridge over the Rio Grande, where the south wind was whipping at gale force. Here we found our only Spotted Sandpipers⁴⁵ and American Dippers⁴⁶ for the workshop, as well as our first Mallards⁴⁷ and Brown-headed Cowbirds⁴⁸. We also decided to scrap our original plan to spend the afternoon out in open desert habitat. It was just too windy, which fact was attested to by a huge plume of sand and salt a little ways to our west.

So we headed for sheltered riparian spots along the Conejos River, noting windswept Turkey Vultures⁴⁹ and Common Nighthawks⁵⁰ along the way. At an impressive cottonwood grove near the Highway 287 bridge over the Conejos River, we found Black-headed Grosbeak⁵¹, Lesser Goldfinch⁵², White-breasted Nuthatch⁵³, Song Sparrow⁵⁴, and Hairy Woodpecker⁵⁵. And a grove downstream near Sego Springs State Wildlife Area produced Northern Rough-winged Swallow⁵⁶, Western Wood-Pewee⁵⁷, Bullock's Oriole⁵⁸, and Red-tailed Hawk⁵⁹.

We departed via the birthplace of Jack "The Manassa Mauler" Dempsey, and thence to the hamlet of Romeo, where we saw a rare Chihuahuan Raven⁶⁰. Until recently, Chihuahuan Raven was assumed to be absent from the valley, but there were several reports in 2006, followed by solid sight records and even confirmed breeding in 2007. The Chihuahuan Raven situation in the San Luis Valley is still developing, and it was exciting for our group to play a role in documenting this species' apparent ongoing colonization of the valley.

We wound down our afternoon at Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, probably the best known birding hotspot in the San Luis Valley. Monte Vista is famous for hosting migrating Sandhill Cranes in the spring and fall, but our goal this afternoon was breeding birds. We got out of the van at the entrance station, where we saw Cinnamon Teals⁶¹ and Redheads⁶², as well as 10 Pine Siskins⁶³ out in the middle of an ag field—an odd sight. Then we began the auto tour, immediately picking up American Coot⁶⁴, Gadwall⁶⁵, Pied-billed Grebe⁶⁶, Tree Swallow⁶⁷, and Northern Shoveler⁶⁸. Soon—despite the winds—we found that we just had to get out of the van for a close-up and spectacular Prairie Falcon⁶⁹.

We lingered quite some time with the falcon, in the process seeing the following: American Avocet⁷⁰, Green-winged Teal⁷¹, Wilson's Phalarope⁷², Marsh Wren⁷³, Ruddy Duck⁷⁴, Eared Grebe⁷⁵, and Savannah Sparrow⁷⁶. At one point, the Prairie Falcon plunged at a passing Northern Harrier⁷⁷, who returned the favor by hurtling after the falcon and even appearing to attempt to strike it with an airborne prey item. Walking back to the van, we noticed a drake Lesser Scaup⁷⁸, uncommon in the valley but probably a scarce breeder. As we left the refuge in a maelstrom of sand, salt, and dust, we saw several Black-crowned Night-Herons⁷⁹ and heard a Sora⁸⁰.

After dinner and dessert at the Medano-Zapata Ranch, we heard two lectures. First, Ted talked about avian range expansions; second, Betsy talked about the complex conservation partnerships at work in the San Luis Valley. We wrapped up with the day's checklist, during which time an unidentified accipiter⁸¹ streaked past the window, perhaps en route to its nest or evening roost.

Brad Weinmeister (rear left) tells workshop participants about conservation strategies for the Gunnison Sage-Grouse. Photo by © Bill Schmoker.

Day 3. June 8, 2008.
Breakfast was early this morning—early enough for one of the participants to hear a Common Poorwill⁸² on her way to the dining hall. We were on the road at 6:00, today heading pretty much due north. On the drive out, we saw our first Sage Thrasher⁸³. We got to the town of Villa Grove at 7:00, where we were met by Brad Weinmeister, Terrestrial Biologist with the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Brad led us to the high sagebrush country of the northern San Luis Valley, nearly 9,000 feet above sea level—and cold and windy, to boot. Brad talked to us about the Division's ambitious plan to conserve the Gunnison Sage-Grouse by means of population translocations, and then he accompanied us for a stroll in the sagelands. An American Goldfinch⁸⁴ flew over, and so did our only Common Grackle⁸⁵ for the workshop. Meanwhile, there were sagebrush-obligate Brewer's Sparrows⁸⁶ all around us, and a Wilson's Snipe⁸⁷ sang in a wet meadow a little ways to the north. And we finally saw a Western Kingbird⁸⁸.

Then we trained our scopes on a distant hillside and saw a lone Gunnison Sage-Grouse⁸⁹, a definite highlight for several of the workshop participants. Gunnison Sage-Grouse evidently occurred in the San Luis Valley at some point in the past, but the current inhabitants are all transplants and their descendants. The Division began stocking the valley with Gunnison Sage-Grouse in the early 1970s, and thorough monitoring of the transplanted population continues to this day.

Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area was great for ducks, grebes, bitterns, egrets, pelicans, and other aquatic birds, as well as a good diversity of passerines. Photo by © Bill Schmoker.

After a few hours with Brad, we headed south through the town of Saguache and then to Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area. We saw a Western Grebe⁹⁰ as we pulled into Russell Lakes, and then we saw several interesting birds in the parking area: 3 fledgling Great Horned Owls⁹¹ and a watchful adult; our first and only House Finch⁹² for the workshop; an out-of-place Plumbeous Vireo⁹³ that was probably a late migrant; and a locally uncommon Ash-throated Flycatcher⁹⁴.

Then we walked a short distance along the nature trail, where we found Common Yellowthroat⁹⁵, Virginia Rail⁹⁶, and Clark's Grebe⁹⁷. Rounding the bend on the nature trail, we were pleased to see 3 American Bitterns⁹⁸, 3 Snowy Egrets⁹⁹, and 3 American White Pelicans¹⁰⁰, plus 2 distant gulls¹⁰¹. Marsh Wrens, Savannah Sparrows, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds were ubiquitous, and we got crippling looks at a Sage Thrasher. We still had a lot of ground to cover during the day, so we returned to the parking area for our box lunches. Our stop at Russell Lakes had been essentially a glorified lunch break, but we found more than 50 species there.

Next on our agenda was the Saguache County high country, pretty much due west of Russell Lakes. It was raining lightly as we passed through a striking formation called Hell's Gate. We saw White-throated Swifts¹⁰² as we passed, and then we made it to a campground at the pine-spruce transition zone. The campground offered a good sampling of the mid-elevation avifauna of the central Rockies: Steller's Jay¹⁰³, Ruby-crowned Kinglet¹⁰⁴, MacGillivray's Warbler¹⁰⁵, Townsend's Solitaire¹⁰⁶, and Cassin's Finch¹⁰⁷. We also got a foretaste of the birdlife of the high mountains: a Clark's Nutcracker¹⁰⁸ sailing overhead and 2 singing Lincoln's Sparrows¹⁰⁹.

We got back into the van and continued to Moon Pass, at an elevation of 10,500 feet. As we filed out of the van, we were greeted by Dark-eyed Juncos¹¹⁰, Yellow-rumped Warblers¹¹¹, Mountain Chickadees¹¹², and...lightly falling snow! It felt like late winter up here, and, phenologically speaking, it pretty much was. We walked an old logging road, where we found several flocks of Red Crossbills¹¹³, a calling Pine Grosbeak¹¹⁴, a singing Hammond's Flycatcher¹¹⁵, a fussbudget Red-breasted Nuthatch¹¹⁶, and a passing Williamson's Sapsucker¹¹⁷.

We wanted to stay forever in this bewitching place, but we had a long drive back to the ranch, and we were on our way. Returning to the van, we got a fantastic study of a Red Crossbill atop a tall spruce. The bird was an adult male, and we determined that it belonged to the "Type 5" population class. We saw it perched, we saw it give a short display flight, we heard it call, and we heard it sing. A few participants also got to see a pair of Williamson's Sapsuckers, and we all stopped briefly to listen to a distant Hermit Thrush¹¹⁸.

The drive down provided us with two Wilson's Warblers¹¹⁹ along a stream, and then something special. We saw an adult Golden Eagle¹²⁰, a longtime "nemesis bird" for one of the workshop participants. This bird was no distant speck, as eagles often are. The eagle soared in front of Hell's Gate, where it was strafed by fearless White-throated Swifts. It was soon accompanied by a conspecific, and other swifts then joined in the fray. We watched until the birds disappeared into Hell's Gate, and then we drove back to the ranch.

Dinner was excellent, as usual, and dessert was followed by classroom instruction, as usual. Ted started off with a lecture on geographic variation in birds, and Bill followed with a lecture on the remarkable array of programs and publications offered by Colorado Field Ornithologists and its partners. We wrapped up with the day's checklist (88 species), as usual, and went to bed.

Day 4. June 9, 2008.
Four of us started out really early on Monday. We assembled outside the Zapata Inn at 3:30, walked out the entrance road, and listened for owls and nightjars. The conditions seemed perfect: no wind and an awesome, starry sky. The birds were rather quiet, though. We did hear a few Great Horned Owls and Common Nighthawks, and we saw, but did not see, an unforthcoming Western Screech-Owl¹²¹. We heard a distant hooter that might have been a Flammulated Owl, but we weren't sure. With no moon, the night-singing passerines were disinclined to vocalize, and all we could come up with was 1 Sage Thrasher.

It was downright cold at daybreak. In fact, we would later learn that the temperature had dipped down into the upper 20s that morning The birding was a little slow in the mixed broadleaf-pine woods around the ranch, but we did enjoy good studies of 4 Dusky Flycatchers¹²², 5 Cordilleran Flycatchers, 8 Mountain Bluebirds, and 3 Brewer's Sparrows. The Sage Thrasher was still carrying on, and we saw a Black-chinned Hummingbird—perhaps the same individual as on Saturday morning. And after literally hundreds of ravens in the valley, we finally saw an American Crow¹²³.

Fred Bunch (rear left) tells the group about Medano Creek. Workshop participants received extensive in-the-field instruction from local experts. Photo by © Bill Schmoker.

We returned to the inn for breakfast, and then headed over to nearby Great Sand Dunes National Park, seeing our first Western Scrub-Jay¹²⁴ on the way out. We were met at 9:00 by Fred Bunch, Chief of Resources with the National Park Service. Fred enthralled us with a lecture on reversing dunes, bimodal winds, and the mesmerizing surge-flow of Medano Creek. At one point, Ted interrupted Fred with a "bird emergency"—the sighting of a pair of Willow Flycatchers¹²⁵ behind Fred. Based on plumage, behavior, date, location, habitat, and microhabitat, the birds appeared to be of the endangered subspecies extimus, also known as the "Southwestern" Willow Flycatcher. The status in Colorado of extimus is controversial, but recent evidence increasingly points to the presence of the taxon in the San Luis Valley. As with our sighting of the Chihuahuan Raven back on Saturday, we were pleased to have contributed in some way to the ornithological record in Colorado.

Fred continued his spellbinding lecture, the Willow Flycatchers remained on what appeared to be territory, and Medano Creek kept on surging and flowing. After Fred's talk, our group met with Peter Friederici, a reporter from Arizona who was doing research for an article on the birds and birders of the San Luis Valley. Peter accompanied us to the head of the Mosca Trail, where we saw a Downy Woodpecker¹²⁶ and a Red-naped Sapsucker¹²⁷. The birding looked to be great here, but it was time to get back to the ranch for lunch: bison burgers, a valley specialty. Paul Robertson, San Luis Valley Project Director with The Nature Conservancy, spoke to our group about recent and anticipated land acquisitions in the valley, and then we were on our way again.

We spent Monday afternoon with Jill Lucero, Wetlands Biologist with the Bureau of Land Management. Jill took us on a fantastic tour of the Blanca Wetlands, ranked as one of the most important breeding and stopover sites for aquatic bird species in the American West. Right away, Jill led us to a pond with 5 Snowy Plovers¹²⁸; the species breeds at only a few sites in Colorado. Then we commenced a driving tour of just a fraction of the wetlands. We saw an anticlimactic Canada Goose¹²⁹, at least 12 Blue-winged Teals¹³⁰, and an intriguing pair of Buffleheads¹³¹. Buffleheads have not been documented as breeders in Colorado except in the north-central part of the state, but we wondered if they could be nesting here in the vast marshes of the Blanca Wetlands of south-central Colorado. We saw a few Double-crested Cormorants¹³² and a locally uncommon Great-tailed Grackle¹³³, and we also saw ridiculous numbers of various previously encountered species: 40 Cinnamon Teals, 175 Redheads, 450 Ruddy Ducks, 650 American Coots, and at least 18 Marsh Wrens. Our stay at the Blanca Wetlands lasted under 3 hours, but we got the impression that one could easily spend 3 months out there. In fact, that's exactly what Jill does each summer!

After dinner at the Medano-Zapata Ranch, Ted gave a lecture on population change, geographic variation, and landscape-level distribution of the Willow Flycatcher. Then he and Bill turned the proceedings over to the participants, who engaged in a thoughtful discussion about the challenges facing the San Luis Valley in the years to come. Bill emceed the compilation of the checklist again (84 species today), and then we ended the day as we began it: with a search for owls and nightjars. A few participants heard a Northern Pygmy-Owl¹³⁴ at sundown, and we all heard Great Horned Owl and Common Nighthawk. A special treat was seeing the International Space Station docked with Space Shuttle Discovery. Bill said, "Now watch this," or something equivalent, and the white glare of the spacecrafts suddenly turned red as the two vessels entered the shadow of the earth. We got back to the ranch just shy of 19 hours after our day had begun.

At least 30 Black Swifts put on a marvelous display at Zapata Falls. Photo by © Bill Schmoker.

Day 5. June 10, 2008.
We were on the road at the decadently late hour of 5:15, and our destination was Zapata Falls, nestled into the lower slopes of the Sangre de Cristo range. We got to the trailhead by 5:35, and by 5:45 we saw them: 2 or 3 high-flying Black Swifts¹³⁵. Then 7 or 8 of them. Then 26 of them, all in view at once, actually below eye-level, with the sunrise-orange sand dunes in the background. The swifts were present for about 30 minutes, and then they began their mass ascension for a day of feeding on aerial ants in the stratosphere.

Small flocks of Bushtits roam the dry foothills of the San Luis Valley. Photo by © Bill Schmoker.

On the hike back down from Zapata Falls, we tarried with a delightful flock of Bushtits¹³⁶, we watched and listened to a small flock of high-flying Type 5 Red Crossbills, and we enjoyed a lovely chorus of Hermit Thrushes. We were back at the ranch in time for 8 o'clock breakfast, and we were on the road by 9 o'clock. On the way out, we were bid farewell by an unexpected Clark's Nutcracker in a tall narrowleaf cottonwood right out on the front lawn of the ranch headquarters. It was an appropriate sendoff: beautiful, wild, and enigmatic.

Acknowledgments
Many folks provided logistical assistance and ornithological expertise to this workshop. Co-instructors Ted Floyd and Bill Schmoker thank the following persons: Brad Weinmeister (Colorado Division of Wildlife), Fred Bunch (National Park Service), and Jill Lucero (Bureau of Land Management) for meeting us in the field and showing us the special habitats of the San Luis Valley; Paul Robertson (The Nature Conservancy) for taking time out of his busy schedule to talk with us; Betsy Neely (The Nature Conservancy) for botanical expertise in the field and two informative lectures and logistical assistance in the field and general good cheer and even copious amounts of beer and wine; Lori Fujimoto, Elissa La Voie, Carol Wallace, and Brenda Gibb (American Birding Association) for a million little details; John Rawinski, Virginia Simmons, Mark Peterson, Bill Maynard, and Chris Pague for tips on routes, access, and conditions; Lynne Taylor and her kitchen crew for a fantastic culinary experience; Regin Fletcher and the staff of the Zapata Inn for their hospitality and courteousness; and most of all the workshop participants for their enthusiasm, dedication, and companionship.

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