Date: 7/5/25 7:55 pm From: Ted Floyd <tedfloyd73...> Subject: [cobirds] summer doldrums (not) at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Adams Co., July 5
Hey, all.
With Jeff Percell, I spent a decent chunk of today, Sat., July 5, at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife, Adams Co. As we were driving in along Gateway Rd. through the Prairie Gateway Open Space, just after the commencement of civil dawn, a few *common nighthawks* were still displaying and a family of *great horned owls* were still hunting. Also, the first of the day's many *cassin sparrows* and *brewer sparrows* were kicking into song.
Our first stop on the refuge proper was the Big Bluestem Loop Trail, where we saw and heard an insane 21 *sage thrashers,* including multiple family groups with dependent young. At one point, we had 12 thrashers in view all at once. We even saw two fighting on Jeff's car. Cassin and brewer sparrows galore here, too.
Upper Derby Woods had an early *greater yellowlegs,* an indeterminate warbling-vireo (both eastern and western seem to occur here in the summer), a pair of *orchard orioles, *and at least 11 *Bullock orioles.* We tallied 42 Bullocks for the visit, with that tally surely including, in part, a recent influx of molt-migrants.
The stay-in-your-car part of the wildlife drive gave us the bulk of the 19 *grasshopper sparrows* we detected at The Arsenal today, as well as at least 20* lark buntings. *Also four singing *dickcissels* and a calling *rock wren.*
Rattlesnake Hill had a family of *burrowing owls,* including a youngster wearing a band.
Jeff had to bail around lunchtime for a baseball game, but I carried on toward Havana Ponds, where two *bobolinks* were something of a surprise; however, Hannah Floyd and I had two back in late May of this year in the exact same pasture, so perhaps they bred locally? Havana Ponds also had recently fledged *American avocets,* 13 loafing *redheads,* a *yellow-breasted chat,* and two* lazuli buntings. *And a beautiful six-lined racerunner, *Aspidoscelis sexlineatus*.
Over at Lower Derby, there was a *wood duck.*
And on the drive back to Lafayette, I snuck across the Denver city line to Fairfax Liquors and its marvelous *Mississippi kites.*
95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) at the liquor store; 79 bird species for the refuge & environs.
Ted Floyd Lafayette, Boulder Co.
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