Chris Michelson

Special to the Star-Tribune

Although a look at the trees along the river and the face of the mountain shows a lot of color that was not there two weeks ago, fall is just about past as far as the birds are concerned. The current weather report suggests the possibility of snow soon so maybe winter is not too far away.

A walk in the riparian habitats along the North Platte River these days produces a bird list quite different from a couple of weeks ago. The most common warbler species is now the yellow-rumped warbler, it's numbers still good but lower than a week ago. Mixed with this species you may find an orange-crowned warbler or two and a few lingering Wilson's warblers. You will also encounter a reasonable number of ruby-crowned kinglets. This small warbler like species is moving out of the mountains now and is one of the later migrants.

Sparrows of several species are moving through the area now. The riparian habitat is holding good numbers of white-crowned sparrows. You will likely encounter birds with tan head stripes also. These are hatch year birds which are not yet in adult plumage. Also present is a small number of the similar white-throated sparrow. Look for the white throat patch divided into three sections by fine black feathering to identify this species. Chipping sparrows are still moving through the area and mixed with this species are still a few clay-colored sparrows. Savannah sparrows are being reported in more weedy areas. Most spotted towhees have departed but you might still find a late bird or two. Dark-eyed juncos, a sparrow-like bird, are starting to filter through the area. It's a species that is often found on the ground under your bird feeder.

Most waterfowl have not yet started to move through central Wyoming. When the weather turns bad, look for duck and goose numbers to rise rapidly. Good numbers of redheads are now present. A few northern shovelers and northern pintails are showing up too. Western grebes are moving through now and American coots are present in big numbers on most small ponds. Small numbers of many other duck species are being reported.

There have been a few unusual sightings in the last week.

* A short-billed dowitcher was reported from Soda Lake. This is a rare migrant in inland areas.

* One gray-cheeked thrush was reported along the Platte River Parkway about a mile east of Crossroads Park. This type of thrush nests in the far north and is quite secretive so it is not often reported.

* Two red-necked grebes were sighted this week. This species nests north of Wyoming and is only found in the state during migration.

* Two Baird's sparrows were also reported this week. Here in central Wyoming this species is not often recorded. It is much more common along the eastern border of the state.

Chris Michelson is a veteran bird watcher and board member of the Murie Audubon Society.