Saturday was a perfect day for a bird walk: warm and sunny with all the birds singing and trees blooming. Even better was that I was able to introduce people to a place they had never been before!
Plaster Reservoir is a hidden gem tucked away in a neighborhood in Broomfield, Colorado. This little lake bordering a golf course was formerly used for irrigation, but now functions primarily as storm water management and open space. With over 200 species of bird recorded there, it’s a birdwatcher’s paradise.
When I had scouted out for the walk there was only 1 pelican on the reservoir, but we were treated to 9 on Saturday. These enormous, white birds have wingspans of about 9 feet, making them one of the largest birds in North America. Right now, during breeding season, American White Pelicans of both sexes grow a bony protrusion on their beaks called a “caruncle.” They are the only pelican species that exhibits this and scientists don’t entirely know what it’s for. Because it only appears during the breeding season, the thought is that it is somehow involved in courtship.
There were still quite a few ducks on the reservoir, including Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked, Gadwall, and American Wigeon. We also saw a pair of Cinnamon Teal, named for the male’s deep red breeding plumage. We didn’t see very many shorebirds, however, which are also currently migrating to and through Colorado. The sole representative of that group was a Killdeer, a large member of the plover family that can be found in grasslands and parking lots as easily as on a mudflat.
Finally, not a bird, but we had great looks at a little muskrat toodling through the water toward us. I’ve heard some people mistakenly identify a muskrat as a baby beaver, but while they’re both rodents, muskrats are more omnivorous than the vegetarian beaver. Muskrats, weighing on average 1.25 to 4.5 lbs are also much smaller than beavers, which average 24 to 66 pounds. Of course, muskrats also have a rounder “rat” tail while beavers have a paddle-shaped tail.
Thanks to everyone who came on the walk and I hope to see you on the trail next time!
Plaster Reservoir, Broomfield, Colorado, US
33 species (+2 other taxa)
Canada Goose 5
Cinnamon Teal 2
Northern Shoveler 4
Gadwall 35
American Wigeon 2
Mallard 4
Ring-necked Duck 5
Lesser Scaup 20
Bufflehead 9
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 6
Eurasian Collared-Dove 3
Mourning Dove 2
pigeon/dove sp. 2
American Coot 12
Killdeer 1
Ring-billed Gull 3
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Snowy Egret 1
American White Pelican 9
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 3
Say’s Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 5
Black-capped Chickadee 4
swallow sp. 2
European Starling 12
American Robin 6
House Sparrow 2
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 5
Song Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 50
Common Grackle 10
