Saturday, April 27 was an absolutely delightful day of birding. The weather was slightly chilly and a little cloudy, but neither the birds nor the people seemed to mind at all. Our group included a child celebrating a 13thbirthday, and we were all happy to be a part of the celebration.
Cedar Waxwing (c) Bill Schmoker
April is an exciting but tricky time of year for birding. Migration is underway so there is a lot of anticipation to see various species return, but it can take a minute to recognize the sights or sounds of a bird not seen since fall. We’re not re-learning how to ride a bike; we just haven’t seen one for awhile.
The quantity of birds seen at Hudson Gardens was impressive. The birds were out and often in plain sight. We saw mostly common birds, but got some really good looks at American Goldfinches in all their spring glory, as well as an exciting glimpse of beautiful Cedar Waxwings.
Yellow-headed Blackbird (c) Bill Schmoker
Due to construction, the connection from Hudson Gardens to the Mary Carter Greenway along the South Platte River was closed. Since many participants were really excited to look for birds along the river, we made our way to Carson Nature Center and walked a little more. We were richly rewarded with long looks at a male Belted Kingfisher, a Common Merganser flying upstream and then floating down, a soaring Red-tailed Hawk, and last but certainly not least, a Yellow-headed Blackbird.
During our adventure, we also spotted a muskrat, painted turtle, a frog, and numerous rabbits.
The species list is below, in two forms. First, the complete list from the entire hike. Second, a list of what we saw at Hudson Gardens, and a list of what we saw along the Platte.
Great day of birding!
Jennifer O’Keefe
Complete List
American Goldfinch 3
Common Grackle 15
Canada Goose 10
Red-winged Blackbird 70
Mourning Dove 5
American Robin 31
Mallard 7
Swallow spp. 30
Black-capped Chickadee 3
House Wren 2
Cedar Waxwing 7
Western Meadowlark 2
House Finch 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Bushtit 3
American Crow 4
Violet-green Swallows 150
Tree Swallows 150
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Black-billed Magpie 2
Yellow-headed Blackbird 2
Belted Kingfisher 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Common Merganser 1
House Sparrow 2
Hudson Gardens
American Goldfinch 3
Common Grackle 15
Canada Goose 10
Red-winged Blackbird 45
Mourning Dove 5
American Robin 18
Mallard 7
Swallow spp. 30
Black-capped Chickadee 3
House Wren 2
Cedar Waxwing 7
Western Meadowlark 2
House Finch 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Bushtit 3
American Crow 4
South Platte Trail
Violet-green Swallows 150
Tree Swallows 150
American Robin 13
Red-winged Blackbird 25
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Black-billed Magpie 2
Yellow-headed Blackbird 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Common Merganser 1
House Sparrow 2
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