Category: Bird Walks

Lagerman Agricultural Preserve Open Sky Loop, June 12–with Aron Smolley

Posted on June 12, 2021 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Grasslands are an iconic habitat of Colorado, although often overlooked since they lie in the shadow of the epic landscapes of Rocky Mountain National Park. However, grasslands and prairies account for a good percentage of Colorado natural areas. Sadly, in today’s day and age these crucial wildlife habitats are fragmented by roads and development, grazed by free-range cattle, and converted into farmland. Grassland birds happen to be one of the most imperiled groups of birds in the United States, having declined by around 40% since the 1960’s. Nevertheless, our native Colorado grassland birds seem to adapt well to the ever-changing landscapes, and Lagerman Agricultural Preserve provides rich habitat for an abundance of birds which is why we chose this location for the June 12^th bird walk.

Great Horned Owl. Photo by Aron Smolley.

We had the largest group we’ve had in a while, after making a last-minute decision to allow the entire wait list to join. The first stretch of the Open Sky Loop is relatively uneventful, although we did get some nice views of western meadowlarks as well as a slow-motion Cooper’s Hawk flyover. There are little pockets of cottonwood trees and agricultural ditches along the trail, creating more diversity of habitat and we were lucky enough to find a Common Yellowthroat singing in one of the trees.

Further up the trail, by the ag pond, we stopped for a while and scoped out the surrounding area. Swainson’s Hawks and Red-tailed Hawks soared overhead, and both Eastern and Western Kingbirds chased insects from prominent fencepost perches. This provided an excellent opportunity to compare these species side-by-side, as well as generate some interesting discussion about bird behavior and adaptations. When Kingbirds catch insects in midair, this behavior is known as “hawking” and although it seems like a major acrobatic feat, to the bird it is as simple as opening the refrigerator door to us. This is because birds’ brains can interpret what they are seeing at a much higher-frame rate than we can, so they can react much quicker to the erratic flight pattern of an insect. We also enjoyed the thrill of watching one of the Kingbirds chasing other birds away from the area, and this territorial behavior is where they get their name.

Although our three target species (Bobolink, Dickcissel, and Blue Grosbeak) were nowhere to be found, we managed to get some soul-satisfying views of quite a few other species, including Cliff Swallows, American Goldfinch, and even a half-asleep roosting Great Horned Owl! Everyone got to view this majestic nocturnal raptor using the Novagrade phone adapter through the Zeiss Gavia spotting scope at 60x magnification. Other species of note were Osprey, American Kestrel, and Blue-winged Teal. For a hot day, and the trail being crowded with groups of bikers, I would say we didn’t do half bad.

1 Cooper’s Hawk

3 Swainson’s Hawks

2 Red-Tailed Hawks

Western Kingbird. Photo by Jamie Simo.

2 American Kestrels

1 Great-Horned Owl

1 Unidentified Raptor

Eastern Kingbird. Photo by Jamie Simo.

2 Western Kingbirds

2 Eastern Kingbirds

2 Blue-winged teal

1 Double-crested Cormorant

1 Great Blue Heron

1 Common Yellowthroat

X Mourning Dove

X Eurasian Collared Dove

X Black-billed Magpie

X Cliff Swallow

X European Starling

X Western Meadowlark

X Red-winged Blackbird

X Common Grackle

1 Great-Tailed Grackle

X American Goldfinch

Beaver Ranch, June 5, 2021 – with Chuck Aid

Posted on June 8, 2021 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Black-headed Grosbeak (c) Anne Craig

As Saturday’s participants will attest Beaver Ranch, which is operated and managed by a local non-profit in agreement with Jeffco Open Space, is an “interesting” place. It provides cabin rentals, camping sites, a disc golf course, and multiple ziplines, and occasionally weddings are held there. So, on a summer Saturday morning it’s pretty much guaranteed to be a bit of a zoo. However, if you get there early enough and know which paths to take, it has a nice diversity of habitats and birds.

Tree Swallow (c) Anne Craig

For starters, Casto Creek which runs through the north side of the ranch transects a wide, open mountain meadow with occasional huge ponderosas along one side and dense stands of spruce, Douglas-fir, and aspen on the opposite side. Then, it has a wide swathe of tall willows running the whole way along the creek. The height and extensiveness of these willows is part of what makes Beaver Ranch exceptional with regard to the birds that can be seen there. For starters we saw a Wilson’s Warbler and a Lincoln Sparrow. These are the probably the two most common breeding passerines (songbirds) in willow shrublands of the montane, subalpine, and alpine ecosystems. Also in the willows were a Song Sparrow and a singing Black-headed Grosbeak – one of Colorado’s premier vocalists. Meanwhile, out in the meadow a pair of Tree Swallows were feeding their young at a bird box, and a Red-tailed Hawk, Say’s Phoebe and Barn Swallow were in the vicinity. Later in this same area we were treated to great looks of a Cooper’s Hawk flying just over our heads.

Red-naped Sapsucker male (c) Anne Craig

Leaving Casto Creek we followed a small tributary, not much more than a foot wide, into a narrow valley dominated in the bottom by huge blue spruce, with Douglas-fir on the north-facing slope and ponderosas on the south-facing slope. A major feature was the occasional patches of mature aspen, which can provide groceries and condo-style living for a wonderful variety of birds. Here we had nesting Violet-green Swallows and Northern Flickers bringing food into their cavity nests – the flickers being in a cavity that showed attempted depredation by a black bear with claw marks and bark torn away around the hole. It was here that we also got fantastic looks at both Williamson’s and Red-naped Sapsuckers. Finally, we had a pair of Evening Grosbeaks doing some nest building – views of these birds were world-class. Throughout our time in this little valley we were treated to the ongoing calling of Cordilleran Flycatchers and singing of House Wrens and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and, YES, we did get to see the ruby crown.

Evening Grosbeak (c) Anne Craig

What a glorious morning!

Chuck

Beaver Ranch, Jun 5, 2021
37 species

Broad-tailed Hummingbird 10
Turkey Vulture 2
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Williamson’s Sapsucker 2
Red-naped Sapsucker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 4
Cordilleran Flycatcher 6
Say’s Phoebe 1
Steller’s Jay (Interior) 7
Black-billed Magpie 1
Common Raven 4
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Mountain Chickadee 5
Tree Swallow 5
Violet-green Swallow 15
Barn Swallow 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 7
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 3
Pygmy Nuthatch 2
House Wren 6
American Robin 5
Evening Grosbeak 2
House Finch 4
Chipping Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Gray-headed) 4
Song Sparrow 5
Lincoln’s Sparrow 1
Red-winged Blackbird 3
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Common Grackle 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) 1
Wilson’s Warbler 1
Western Tanager 2
Black-headed Grosbeak 3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S89666116

Lagerman Reservoir, May 8

Posted on May 15, 2021 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Until 2020, I only thought of Lagerman Reservoir in Boulder County as a good place to stop for a bathroom break when driving the Boulder County Raptor Loop for winter raptors. Boy, was I wrong! Last year, Lagerman was featured in multiple rare bird alerts during spring and fall migration sparking my curiosity (and that of many other birders in the area). When Front Range Birding Company asked me to lead a bird walk there on International Migratory Bird Day, I jumped at the opportunity!

American Avocet. Photo by Sheridan Samano.

Our group convened at Lagerman’s north shore near the parking lot. We were quickly treated with up close views of American Avocets in striking breeding plumage. Avocets have long bluish-gray legs, a long recurved bill, and a black-and-white chevron pattern on their back and wings. The name Avocet comes from the Italian avosetta, which means ‘graceful bird’. Scything the water’s surface in search of aquatic invertebrates is the hallmark foraging method of Avocets.

Foraging near the Avocets were several Wilson’s Phalaropes, the largest and most terrestrial of the world’s three phalarope species. Phalaropes may best be known for their reversed sex-role mating system. Females are the larger and showier sex. They compete for the attention of males and sometimes mate with multiple individuals, a process called polyandry. Males provide parental care. Exceptions in nature are always a crowd pleaser so the phalaropes sparked interesting dialogue among the group.

Wilson’s Phalaropes (male and female). Photo by Sheridan Samano.

With Lagerman’s seasonal closure, a spotting scope works best for distant viewing on the water and along the southern shoreline. With scopes, we identified a variety of species from ducks to grebes and gulls to terns.

After everyone had their fill of scope viewing, we walked to Lagerman’s east side. We listened to Western Meadowlarks singing in the fields, watched as a male American Kestrel precariously perched on a mullein stalk, and observed a Spotted Sandpiper with its bouncy-butt moving along the rocky shoreline.

In the agricultural field east of the reservoir, we found Vesper Sparrows and American Pipits. Sparrows are infamously tough to ID, but one Vesper perched in the open for several minutes affording everyone good looks at its diagnostic rufous wing patch. Vesper means evening. Vesper Sparrows are known to sing well into the twilight after most birds have stopped singing for the day.

For the morning’s grand finale, an adult Bald Eagle flew right over us with obvious prey in its talons. In real time, we weren’t sure what it was carrying but the consensus was that it was a duck. Upon closer examination of photos after our walk, a rabbit was revealed.

Even with gusty sustained winds, everyone agreed Lagerman delivered on quality sightings. The final tally of 41 species wasn’t too shabby either.

eBird Checklist – 41 Species

Species	Count
Canada Goose	11
Blue-winged Teal	4
Northern Shoveler	1
Gadwall	7
Mallard	1
Lesser Scaup	2
Bufflehead	3
Ruddy Duck	2
Eared Grebe	4
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)	1
American Avocet	8
Killdeer	3
Western Sandpiper	3
Long-billed Dowitcher	1
Wilson’s Phalarope	18
Spotted Sandpiper	1
Lesser Yellowlegs	1
Franklin’s Gull	20
Forster’s Tern	3
Double-crested Cormorant	4
American White Pelican	2
Great Blue Heron	1
White-faced Ibis	1
Turkey Vulture	1
Osprey	1
Bald Eagle	2
Red-tailed Hawk	1
American Kestrel	1
Western Kingbird	2
Black-billed Magpie	3
Common Raven	1
Tree Swallow	9
Violet-green Swallow	1
Barn Swallow	2
Cliff Swallow	11
American Pipit	3
Vesper Sparrow	2
Western Meadowlark	4
Red-winged Blackbird	7
Brown-headed Cowbird	1
Common Grackle	2

Front Range Birding Company’s blog readers get 10% off Best Birding Hikes – Colorado’s Front Range. Enter discount code FRBC at check out.

Sombrero Marsh, April 10th–with Morgan Sherwood

Posted on April 18, 2021 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

It was a beautiful morning of birdwatching and banding at Sombrero Marsh, in partnership with Thorne Nature Experience. We began by taking a short walk down to the bird blind that overlooks the marsh. In addition to the large flocks of Canada Geese, there were quite a few Green-Winged Teal, as well as Mallards and three Gadwalls. While we were watching, two Killdeer showed up on the shore and we enjoyed watching them walk on the beach.

Tree Swallow on nestbox. Photo by Janet Meyer.

As we headed toward Thorne’s education building, we saw two Say’s Phoebes, which was a first for some of our participants from the East coast. While walking back, we also saw a Western Meadowlark perched on a post and talked about its song. We arrived at Thorne’s educational building just as Oak Thorne was showing up to demonstrate bird banding for our group. He has been banding birds for nearly 70 years! He began when he was 13 years old, and his high school biology teacher introduced him to it. He founded the nature education center named for him in 1954 and it has been connecting kids to the outdoors ever since.

I started attending nature-themed summer camps with Thorne Nature Experience when I was eight years old and signed up for Oak’s Beginner Bird Banding camp as soon as I was 12 years old. I immediately fell in love with bird banding and have been doing it ever since. While we were waiting for Oak to catch birds in the traps set up near the building, we watched a small flock of Tree Swallows that were conveniently posing on top of some bird houses in front of the beautiful mountain landscape.

Oak Thorne showing off his bird banding feeder trap. Photo by Janet Meyer.

The traps were unusually quiet at first, which seemed mysterious until one of our participants spotted a Cooper’s Hawk in the area–that explained it! The hawk moved on and, soon enough, Oak caught a male Red-Winged Blackbird in one of his traps. The traps have seeds in them and most of the time, when he isn’t banding, they are normal bird feeders, and the birds are accustomed to freely moving in and out of them. When Oak is ready to band, he activates a control panel inside the Thorne building to close the feeder and trap the birds inside.

This bird was not banded and so the group got to see an up-close demo of banding and had the opportunity to hold the bird.

Male Red-winged Blackbird being banded. Photo by Janet Meyer.

One of the participants released it and we once again waited for more birds to come into the trap. While we waited, the Cooper’s Hawk from earlier flew over, as well as a Double-crested Cormorant. After a short while, Oak announced he had caught a whole flock of male Red-Winged Blackbirds. The group went around the back of the building to examine the traps and watch the process of removing birds. As we removed the birds one by one, it became clear that many of them had already been banded. This is quite common, since Oak bands at Sombrero Marsh frequently and even the recaptures provide useful data. For the birds that are already banded, Oak still records all of the information about them as sometimes we will catch a bird multiple years in a row and this provides valuable information about their lifespans. All of his data gets electronically submitted to a national database based in Laurel, Maryland.

There were a couple unbanded birds in this catch and participants got to use the special bird banding pliers and fit the small aluminum band on the bird’s leg before releasing them again.

Red-Winged Blackbirds are by far the most common birds Oak bands at the marsh, but in the summer he also gets Yellow-Headed Blackbirds, White-Crowned Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and the occasional Blue Jay or American Robin.

It was a great morning with lots of waterfowl, songbirds, and a bird banding demo with a master bird bander. We were lucky enough to have a photographer come and take lots of pictures of the whole process. A few are included in this post but you can see the whole gallery at this link. Big thank you to Janet Meyer for capturing these shots!

https://janetmeyerphotography.smugmug.com/Events/Bird-Walk-/

Bird Count:

2 Red-Tailed Hawks

20 Green-Winged Teals

3 Gadwalls

10 Mallards

2 Killdeer

2 Say’s Phoebe

8 Tree Swallows

1 Cooper’s Hawk

1 Cormorant

1 Western Meadowlark

25 Red-Winged Black Birds (10 banded and released)

26 Canada geese

Stearn’s Lake, April 2, 2021–with Sheridan Samano

Posted on April 13, 2021 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Early morning has the reputation for being the best time to go birding. It’s definitely a sweet spot for peak bird activity, but as the days get longer, you might find it convenient to bird later in the day.

On April 2, we met at Stearns Lake at 5:30 pm. Even before leaving the parking lot, we had the opportunity to pick out a lone white Snow Goose among a hundred or so Cackling Geese. Snow Geese have a ‘grin patch’ – a dark patch on the side of the beak that makes the beak look open or like the bird is grinning. It’s not always easy to see the ‘grin patch’, but the setting sun provided ideal lighting conditions to do just that.

Bald Eagle – Second or Third Year. Photo by Sheridan Samano.

It wasn’t long before a Bald Eagle flew over the lake scattering the large flock of geese. Since 2012, a pair of Bald Eagles has nested near Stearns Lake. For several years, their nest was in a large cottonwood tree east of Del Corso Park, a small park wedged between apartment complexes that can be seen to the west of Stearns Lake. Last year, the Bald Eagles moved to a nesting tree south of Stearns Lake. This year, they’re nesting just southwest of the lake, much closer to the trail that leads you along the lake’s south and east shore.

The Bald Eagle that scared off the flock of geese wasn’t one of the adults in the nesting pair. By plumage, it appeared to be a second or third year individual. We watched as it headed straight for the eagle nest tree after flushing the geese. It was then promptly chased off by the adult male. We watched as the young individual approached the nest tree multiple times before being chased off again and again.

As we worked our way along the lake’s south shore, we practiced our waterfowl identification (ID) skills. We spotted a lone Gadwall, several Mallards, a Bufflehead pair, two pairs of Ruddy Ducks, and a Horned Grebe. The cerulean blue bill of male Ruddy Ducks in breeding plumage always rank high on the “wow-index”. We also discussed the distinct profile of Ruddy Ducks in the water – small body, scoop-shaped bill, and stiff tail often cocked upward.

The Horned Grebe offered another ID challenge. Both Horned and Eared Grebes had been reported in Boulder County recently. In poor light or from a distance, it can be challenging to tell the two species apart. Both are small and compact with black heads and showy head feathers. Neck color in breeding plumage differs between the two species, though. The Horned Grebe has a cinnamon neck and the Eared Grebe a black neck. Again, the setting sun

Killdeer. Photo by Sheridan Samano.

provided ideal lighting to see the cinnamon neck of this Horned Grebe through the spotting scope.

Other highlights of our walk included a pair of American Kestrels, our smallest and most common falcon “pair bonding”, a Great Blue Heron stalking prey in the lake’s shallows, and a Killdeer in beautiful Golden Hour lighting.

As the days continue to get longer in the coming weeks, consider taking an evening bird walk. It’s a wonderful way to end the day.

eBird Checklist – 20 Species

Snow Goose

Cackling Goose

Canada Goose

Gadwall

Mallard

Bufflehead

Ruddy Duck

Horned Grebe

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)

Killdeer

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

Red-tailed Hawk

American Kestrel

Black-billed Magpie

European Starling

American Robin

Western Meadowlark

Red-winged Blackbird

Great-tailed Grackle

Front Range Birding Company’s blog readers get 10% of Best Birding Hikes – Colorado’s Front Range. Enter discount code FRBC at check out.

Harriman Lake, April 3, 2021 – with Chuck Aid

Posted on April 7, 2021 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Say’s Phoebe (c) Bill Schmoker

It’s about a two-mile hike around Harriman Lake on a nice wide path. The size of the lake is small enough that it’s possible to scan it with binoculars and be able to pick out most of the waterfowl, thus, for the most part, negating the need for a spotting scope. Of course, a scope is a pretty nice accoutrement if you’re really wanting a great view of all the tiny details of a bird. Back in November when we were here the lake was as low as I’ve ever seen it with extensive mudflats. Now, five months later, it’s back to being full. Nice to have this brief respite from our horrific drought conditions. Hopefully, April and May will continue to bring a bit more moisture. One final note on the lake itself. For some reason it tends to always have a pretty good variety of waterfowl when other reservoirs in the area may not, so because of the generally good variety of birds and the size of the lake permitting fairly good views, I highly recommend it for our beginning birders.

American Coot (c) Bill Schmoker

The above being said, we did not have a great variety of waterfowl this past Saturday. Some of our wintering ducks have apparently already begun to wend their way northwards, and throughout the area we seem to be seeing less of many of them. In mid-winter we can commonly see 10-15 species of waterfowl at Harriman. On Saturday we had 9 species, so a bit below what we tend to expect. We did have a great view of three American Coots standing on a log. While Coots superficially can look like ducks they are in a completely separate order, the Gruiformes. Quick digression. It is helpful to pay a bit of attention to the taxonomy associated with birds, though this may be a bit more scientific than some of you want. Bear with me, and I’ll try and be brief. As we scroll down through the taxonomic levels, we see that birds are in the Kingdom Animalia, the Phylum Chordata (have a spinal cord), Subphyllum Vertebrata (have a backbone), and the Class Aves (all birds). Then within the Class Aves the next level is the Orders (there are about forty of them) that differentiate between the major groups of birds – Ostriches, Penguins, Hawks, etc. The fact that ducks are in the order Anseriformes, grebes are in the order Podicipediformes, and coots are in the order Gruiformes tells us right away that we’re looking at some critters that even though they may appear sort of similar in some ways have very different origins in their evolutionary history. So back to our American Coots standing on the log. This was cool for us because we got to see, when we looked closely, that not only do coots not have a spatulate-like bill which ducks have, but they don’t have webbed feet either – they have extremely long, lobed toes. They can do a bit of walking, but they’re not really equipped for a long hike.

Ruddy Duck (c) Bill Schmoker

Perhaps the real highlight of the waterbirds was a beautiful male Ruddy Duck in breeding plumage. Newly arrived migrants included Mourning Doves, Double-crested Cormorants, Say’s Phoebes, and Common Grackles. We also saw more Song Sparrows than were around a month or so back, so some of them are likely new arrivals. We had plentiful singing from these Song Sparrows, as we also did from some cooperative Western Meadowlarks, and that was a great treat. Finally, thanks to our sharp-eyed fifth grader, Anna Panaka, we got to see a high-flying Cooper’s Hawk heading north. These guys, which are one of our three accipiter species, are long-tailed hawks that get their groceries by flying fast and low through trees and bushes and don’t often fly very high – except in migration. So, not a for-sure migrant, but a likely one.

Song Sparrow (c) Bill Schmoker

Hope to see you next month!

Chuck

Harriman Lake Park, Apr 3, 2021

27 species

Canada Goose 7
Northern Shoveler 48
Gadwall 4
Mallard 14
Lesser Scaup 2
Ruddy Duck 2
Pied-billed Grebe 3
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove 3
Mourning Dove 5
American Coot 44
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 5
Say’s Phoebe 2
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 5
Common Raven 3
European Starling 6
American Robin 3
House Finch 12
Song Sparrow 11
Western Meadowlark 6
Red-winged Blackbird 36
Common Grackle 8

Hudson Gardens Bird Walk March 27, 2021

Posted on April 3, 2021 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Hudson Gardens Field Trip – Mar 27, 2021 8:00 starting time

Led by Patti Galli

Wow, what a great start this morning! The weather was beautiful – sunny skies with the early temperature hovering around 35 degrees and it just kept getting nicer as the morning went along. Spring is almost here, and with it the migratory birds not far behind. Our first birds were House Finches with their joyful chatter and the American Robin.

American Robin photo by Bill Schmoker

We spent some time looking at the American Robins, since this is one of our most familiar birds, with its lovely rusty-orange breast, uniform dark gray upper side, and dark head. Some in our group hadn’t noticed before its white markings around the eyes. The American Robin ( Turdus migratorius ) name is the affectionate diminutive of Robert. The name Robin is also associated with at least three particular favorites: Robin Hood, Robin Goodfellow, and Robin Redbreast.

Green-winged Teal photo by Bill Schmoker

We worked our way down to the South Platte river to see if any ducks are were still here. This time of year our wintering ducks start making their way north to their breeding grounds. Turns out there were still a few left to look at. The Gadwalls, American Wigeon, and Bufflehead ducks still gave us one more good glance. Our year round ducks of course such as the Mallards, Canada Geese, and one last fun surprise- the Green-winged Teal treated us as well!

The Green -winged Teal is our smallest duck. The male has a dark rufous head with green patch behind the eye, a white belly, and white bar on the side of the breast. The female has a rather dark, indistinctly marked faint eye ring and dark line across the check.

We finished up at the bird feeders, where we sat and watched Black-capped Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and hearing in the distance, the loud sounds of Red-winged Blackbirds.

Truly a wonderful morning!

eBird Report: Hudson Gardens, Arapahoe, Colorado, US

Mar 27, 2021 8:00 AM – 10:50 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Led trip for Front Range Birding Comp/Hudson Gardens . Cool 32* start , no wind , sunny , beautiful morning
22 speciesCanada Goose 15
Gadwall 11
American Wigeon 8
Mallard 20
Green-winged Teal 2
Bufflehead 7
Ring-billed Gull 5
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Say’s Phoebe 2
Blue Jay 2     heard
Black-billed Magpie 2
American Crow 5
Black-capped Chickadee 10
Bushtit 9
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2     heard
European Starling 6
American Robin 10
House Finch 11
Dark-eyed Junco 3
Song Sparrow 1     heard
Red-winged Blackbird 25View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S84222379

Hudson Gardens Feb 27, 2021

Posted on March 25, 2021 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Leader Patti Galli, nine participants. Sunny, clear and 24 degrees at 8:00 starting time.

It turned out to be another beautiful Colorado morning. The temperature was indeed wonderful and we spotted a total of 23 species.We saw several common visitors in and around the area. Most of our group really considered themselves asbeginners, but they all turned out to be good spotters.

We made our way to the South Platte river and saw many of our winter visitors. They were beautiful! We got a real kick out of the Canada Geese. We laughed as this behemoth bird made a cracking, crunching sound as they walked on the ice. This bird is an incredible flyer and a great survivor as well! The Canada Goose (not Canadian) was once esteemed as “ the noblest of our waterfowl,” and bred mostly in Canada and in Alaska. It used to migrate until man interfered with this pattern – they are now found almost everywhere and are often considered a messy nuisance. However, the Canada Goose didn’t expand its range on its own; it had human help. Beginning in the 1950’s it was introduced throughout the country to ensure there would be plenty to hunt- so there you have (some of) it!

Canada Geese photo by Bill Schmoker

The challenge is almost often ducks, such as the American Wigeon. We saw a perfect adult male in breeding plumage, with its green patch leading back from the eye, white forehead, brownish breast and flanks, white belly, black undertail and uppertail coverts, and a green speculum bordered with black.

American Wigeon Photo by Bill Schmoker

What is a covert feather? A covert feather on a bird is a set of feathers, which as the name implies, covers other feathers. They help to smooth airflow overthe wings and tail. It’s one of the many things to help ID a bird. And a speculum? The speculum is a patch, often distinctly colored, on the secondary wing feathers of some birds.

Red- Brested Nuthatch photo by Bill Schmoker

We spent some time too looking at Buffleheads, Ringed-necked duck, Gadwalls, and the Common Goldeneye. We ended our lovely walk with the sounds and sights of Black-capped Chickadees, House Finches and two adorable Red – breasted Nuthatches, which was a favorite as well! We’re looking forward to spring as we’ll welcome our spring migrates, but it’s nice to enjoy our year-round birds as well, for there is no such thing as a common bird!

Hudson Gardens, Arapahoe, Colorado, US
Feb 27, 2021 8:00 AM – 10:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.4 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Leader myself, Patti Galli , and 8 participants. Sunny start , no wind 24*
22 species (+1 other taxa)Canada Goose 100
Gadwall 5
American Wigeon 3
Mallard 4
Ring-necked Duck 3
Bufflehead 8
Common Goldeneye 7
Ring-billed Gull 5
Accipiter sp. 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 2
Black-billed Magpie 1
American Crow 4
Black-capped Chickadee 5
Bushtit 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
European Starling 7
American Robin 2
House Finch 12
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Song Sparrow 1
Red-winged Blackbird 2View this checklist online at https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Fchecklist%2FS82440316&data=04%7C01%7C%7C562834325d3f40ccd92d08d8dd17aa40%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637502441000545620%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=WqZJlYwv4Y3iQzAa8UMLxKf4CBOAH8FucZ%2BPEyYwMo0%3D&reserved=0

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Hudson Gardens Bird Walk January 30, 2021

Posted on March 21, 2021 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Hudson Gardens Field Trip – Jan 30, 2021 , 8:00am start time

Led by Patti Galli

Our Saturday morning at Hudson Gardens was sunny and beautiful. As sometimes typical for January birding in Colorado, it was also a quiet start. The birds must still have been sleeping! That was ok though, we enjoyed slowly walking the grounds exploring and making our way to the South Platte River to see who may be in the water. We found the river loaded with Canada geese, Mallards (beautiful healthy looking males), Gadwalls, and gorgeous Buffleheads.

Bufflehead (c) Bill Schmoker

In addition, a muskrat was spotted. We crossed to the other side of the river and were greeted by dozens of Black-capped Chickadees and the happy sounds of American Robins. It was still way too early for Spring, but our feathered friends seemed to be getting ready.

The fun find of the day was a large flock of Bushtits. The Bushtit was formerly classified in the family Paridae along with chickadees and titmice, which it resembles in behavior. Later, Bushtits were reclassified into their own species. The name of its genus- Psaltriparus – is a combination of the Greek word psaltria, an ancient stringed instrument played with a bow or a plectrum; and the Latin word parus (a titmouse). They were so named for the birds’ high-pitched calls that resembles the notes of a psaltery. So next time you hear the name, I bet you don’t giggle as much!!

Brown Creeper (c) Bill Schmoker

female Bushtit (c) Bill Schmoker

Our final sighting was a Brown Creeper! We logged a total of 21 species, not bad! It was a great morning enjoyed by all!

Hudson Gardens, Arapahoe, Colorado, US
Jan 30, 2021 7:45 AM – 10:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: I lead trip in behave of FRBC for Hudson Gardens, nice morning , no wind , about 37*
21 species

Canada Goose 35
Gadwall 4
Mallard 15
Bufflehead 5
Ring-billed Gull 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 3
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay 1
Black-billed Magpie 8
American Crow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 15
Bushtit 14
Brown Creeper 1
European Starling 1
American Robin 2
House Sparrow 10
House Finch 11
Dark-eyed Junco 3
Song Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 3

View this checklist online at https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Fchecklist%2FS80147440&data=04%7C01%7C%7Ccb4538d85e974d05d93508d8d144dc7a%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637489440966542333%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=pqTwh%2BdoBoVv699KArj%2BPgkol2bslaMijcOS4tfpunI%3D&reserved=0

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Wheat Ridge Greenbelt, March 6 – with Chuck Aid

Posted on March 8, 2021 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Red-breasted Merganser (c) Bill Schmoker

What a great morning, and great crew of folks! Wow! We saw so many cool birds today it’s hard to know where to start. However, we’ll begin with the waterfowl. Based on what we saw on Saturday it appears that some of our ducks (and Cackling Geese) may have already begun moving north out of our area. This, however, is probably not the case as April tends to be the peak of waterfowl migration. We’ll just have to keep an eye out and see how things progress. Certainly, the high point of the ducks was getting to see four male Red-breasted Mergansers – one of my favorites. The island on Tabor Lake is starting to get its spring influx of Double-crested Cormorants, and we recorded almost thirty, complete with their doofy double-crests sticking out on either side of their heads.

Sharp-shinned Hawk adult (c) Bill Schmoker

With regard to the raptors, we had some good ones, starting with an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk. This smallest of our accipiters was initially observed perched in a tree where we could make out its orange breast, but the tail was hidden. Then we got to watch it dive rapidly down amongst a small group of squawking American Robins that were totally thrown off their game. Sharp-shins are dramatically sexually dimorphic, the male being the smallest hawk in North America weighing 3-4 ounces and the female weighing 5-8 ounces. A male Sharpie, which I believe our bird was based on its apparent size, has a wingspread of about 20-22 inches and is about 9-10 inches long. An American Robin, therefore, is only slightly smaller than a Sharpie, the biggest difference being that a Sharpie has longer wings than a robin which can make it appear bigger.

Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk (c) Bill Schmoker

We also got a brief look at a Merlin, our second largest falcon, zipping past us with its characteristic direct, powerful, fast flight. Our smallest falcons are American Kestrels, which, in contrast to Merlins, have a buoyant and wandering flight style. Finally, the last bird of the day (seen from the parking lot as I was leaving) was a Harlan’s Hawk. This is one of the many subspecies of Red-tailed Hawk. As with the other subspecies there are both light and dark morphs, but while for most of the subspecies, like our generic western Red-tails, the light morph is the dominant look, for Harlan’s almost 90% of them are of the dark morph variety. Overall, what you see is a very dark bodied hawk with dark underwing coverts, the flight feathers are a light gray with black tips causing the back edge of the wing to have a black border. Then, the tail is light gray with a smudgy darker gray terminal band.

At one point we ran into a pair of Brown Creepers, one of which was singing. It’s a delightful little song, and really pretty unique once you become aware of it.

Cedar Waxwing (c) Bill Schmoker

Finally, among our many highlights, perhaps the best of the day was getting to watch a flock of beautiful adult Cedar Waxwings sallying out and feeding on insects directly above Clear Creek. They are gorgeous birds and we got great views.

Good birding! Chuck

Wheat Ridge Greenbelt. Mar 6, 2021
37 species (+2 other taxa)

Canada Goose 76
Cackling/Canada Goose 6
Northern Shoveler 102
Gadwall 82
Mallard 50
Green-winged Teal 36
Redhead 1
Ring-necked Duck 4
Lesser Scaup 4
Bufflehead 4
Common Goldeneye 8
Hooded Merganser 22
Red-breasted Merganser 4
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
Mourning Dove 2
American Coot 44
Ring-billed Gull 34
Double-crested Cormorant 28
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk (Harlan’s) 1
Downy Woodpecker 4
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 14
American Kestrel 1
Merlin 1
Black-billed Magpie 3
American Crow 3
Black-capped Chickadee 32
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Brown Creeper 2
American Robin 12
Cedar Waxwing 13
House Finch 18
Song Sparrow 3
Spotted Towhee 3
Red-winged Blackbird 70

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