PERMFILE122428 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Parkdale Project • 6 • Reclamation Permit The American kestrel is a cavity nester, and abandoned woodpecker holes, magpie nests, and crevices in rock outcrop are used as nest sites. A variety of open and wooded habitats aze occupied by the American kestrel, although it avoids densely forested habitats. Woodpecker holes or magpie nests in cottonwood trees along Tallahassee Creek or in pinon and juniper trees in the permit area represent suitable nest sites for American kestrel. Nesting habitat for Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, and long-eared owl within the permit area is restricted to stands of pinon/juniper. Pifion and juniper trees within and near proposed disturbance areas were searched for possible stick nests of these species, but none were located. Upland Gamebirds Mourning dove and wild turkey are only upland gamebird species likely to occur within the permit area. Mourning doves are summer residents and would be present in the permit area spring through fall. Mourning doves prefer habitats near water and are most likely to be present in riparian areas and other habitats adjacent to Tallahassee Creek. Wild turkey is a fairly common resident in foothills and mesa of southern Colorado. They are common along the Arkansas River valley in the vicinity of the permit area (Andrews and Righter 1992). Preferred habitat is typically ponderosa pine forest with an understory of Gambel oak, although they also can be found in lowland riparian, foothill shrubiand (mountain mahogany), pinon-juniper woodlands, and agricultural habitats (Andrews and Righter 1992). Wild turkey are known to occur in the vicinity (Finch, pers. comm. 1997), and these birds may occasionally wander through the permit area. Other Avifauna A variety of songbirds inhabit foothill shrubland and pinon/juniper habitats in southern Colorado. Some occur as year-long residents, but the majority are present only as summer residents and they migrate south for the winter months. Many of these summer residents are neotropical migrants which winter in Central and South America. Year-long residents observed during field surveys included northern flicker, hairy woodpecker, pinyon jay, scrub jay, Clark's nutcracker, black-billed magpie, red-breasted nuthatch, rock wren, Bewick's wren, mountain chickadee, Townsend's solitaire, mountain bluebird, American robin, western meadowlark, and house finch. Because of the timing of the survey, few migrants or summer residents were recorded. Early arrivals noted during the survey were broad-tailed hummingbird, yellow-romped warbler, chipping sparrow, and red-winged blackbird. Other representative summer residents likely to occur in the permit area include blue-gray gnatcatcher, solitary vireo, black- throated gray warbler, lazuli bunting, and vesper sparrow.