It is May in Colorado so that means that it is time for the annual Pike's Peak Birding & Nature Festival hosted at Fountain Creek Nature Center. As we get ready for the festival many birders and leaders are out scouting their areas to see what birds are migrating through the area. On Wednesday the 9th, I was down at Chico Basin Ranch birding while Rise" was assisting at the bird banding station. As I was birding at the HQ pond I was told by Daniel Flemming about a Black-throated Blue warbler at Rose's pond. As I got to my car to zip down there I ran into Mel Goff and we both went to the pond to see if we could find it. We were told where it was but could not find it so we walked the entire bank with no luck. After returning to our start point Mel spotted some Cinnamon Teal and we enjoyed watching them. As Mel brought down his binos he noticed a warbler right in front of him and said, "John I think the bird is right here". We both got on it but it looked like a Black and White warbler to me. I guess I should have checked my books before looking for it and I was sure Daniel had said it was a Black-throated Blue warbler so I was sure this was a different bird. I even got pictures of it but reviewing my photos without glasses as I do in the field, I never noticed the yellow face spots. Silly me. Later on, back at the banding station, I got my glasses out and reviewed the photos and saw that my initial ID was wrong and it was in fact the Black-throated Gray warbler. Score one for photos and glasses. Here are some of the photos I got of this pretty little bird.
I also found my fist Vireo of the year at the banding station. It was a beautiful Plumbeous Vireo high in the tree tops as they usually are.
Being at the banding station is educational as well as a great opportunity to get close up looks at many of the local and migrating birds passing though. Here are a few of those birds.
And we can't leave out this blond beauty that was hanging around the station.
