It was a cold, but clear morning when 9 intrepid birders set out for Peschel Open Space. Peschel is a hidden gem in the Weld County portion of Longmont near Sandstone Ranch. While the St. Vrain Greenway trail was heavily damaged by the devastating 2013 flood and parts of it only reopened earlier this year, the flood also created a lot of fantastic wetland habitat ideal for shorebirds and waterfowl.
Things started off on a high note with a female American Kestrel and only went up from there. At some points the sky was nearly black and the air filled with the honking of geese attracted to the river, ponds, and nearby agricultural property that Peschel has to offer. In and among the thousands of Canada/Cackling Geese, we saw a dozen Snow Geese, including several juveniles and even a “blue morph.”
Though Mallards were by far the most prevalent duck, there were also a scattering of American Wigeons, a few Green-winged Teal, and even 4 male Northern Pintails in their full glory.
In addition to American Kestrels, Red-tailed Hawks were especially prevalent. We saw 6 different Red-tails. Other raptor highlights were the resident pair of Bald Eagles that made their appearance as we were heading back to the parking lot, 2 Northern Harriers, a Great Horned Owl roosting low in a tree, and a soaring Prairie Falcon.
While songbirds were in short supply this time of year, we did see several sparrow species (Song, American Tree, and White-crowned) and heard from resident species such as the Marsh Wren, Northern Flicker, and Blue Jay. The piece de resistance, however, was the American Pipit we saw picking around in the river near the bridge leading to Sandstone Ranch.
In all, we saw a total of 35 species, pretty good for an early winter day!
Peschel Open Space, December 8, 2018
35 species
Snow Goose 12
Cackling/Canada Goose 2000
American Wigeon 22
Mallard 141
Northern Pintail 4
Green-winged Teal 3
Hooded Merganser 1
Ring-necked Pheasant 13
Eurasian Collared-Dove 11
Killdeer 5
Ring-billed Gull 3
American White Pelican 8
Great Blue Heron 3
Northern Harrier 2
Bald Eagle 3
Red-tailed Hawk 6
Great Horned Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 2
Northern Flicker 2
American Kestrel 2
Prairie Falcon 1
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 4
Horned Lark 1
Black-capped Chickadee 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Marsh Wren 1
European Starling 20
American Pipit 1
American Goldfinch 2
American Tree Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 9
Western Meadowlark 3
Red-winged Blackbird 3
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