Tag: Front Range Birding Company

Saturday, November 11, 2023 Bird Walk to Rabbit Mountain with Jamie Simo

Posted on November 14, 2023 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Ancestral home of the Arapahoe, the Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain is roughly 5,000 acres of grassland and foothills habitat. It boasts some of the most spectacular views of the Front Range and is home to a multitude of species.

Our walk on Saturday was rather quiet, but we did see a few good birds and the landscape and weather were beautiful. Despite mostly occurring in the western and southwestern portion of Colorado, a small population of Pinyon Jays can be found at Rabbit Mountain. Though the Pinyons were elusive for us, we did see a couple of their relative the Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay right in the parking lot. Woodhouses’s Scrub-Jays differ from Pinyon Jays in having longer tails and grey as well as blue on their bodies. Pinyon Jays also have longer, sharper bills than the Scrub-Jays.

Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay. Photo by Jamie Simo

A little farther down the trail we saw another great bird, a Prairie Falcon. Rabbit Mountain is an ideal habitat for Prairie Falcons, which nest on rocky cliff faces and feed on small mammals and grassland birds like meadowlarks. Unlike Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons are brown and white rather than mostly grey with less of a helmeted look than their more famous relative. As they soar above you, look for their distinctive dark axillaries or “armpits.”

We also saw a Ferruginous Hawk surveying the prairie dog town. This large hawk’s diet is mostly made up of prairie dogs and they can often be found on the ground in the middle of one of the rodent’s colonies, which is precisely where we found it.

Finally, we had a Clark’s Nutcracker in the pines at the beginning of the Eagle Wind Trail. These cool corvids cache thousands of pine seeds a year and is considered a keystone species for its role in the spread of whitebark pine.

Rabbit Mountain, Boulder, Colorado, US
13 species (+1 other taxa)

Accipiter sp. 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Ferruginous Hawk 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Prairie Falcon 1
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay 2
Black-billed Magpie 6
Clark’s Nutcracker 1
House Finch 7
American Tree Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed Junco 8
White-crowned Sparrow 5
Spotted Towhee 1

SATURDAY, OCT. 7 2023 BIRD WALK TO LOUVIERS & DUPONT PARK WITH DAVID SUDDJIAN

Posted on November 5, 2023 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

The quiet little town of Louviers sits off the busy corridor of Highway 85 in Douglas County, marked from afar by an impressive stand of tall pines and other trees, on a hillside along the autumn gold cottonwoods of Plum Creek. The town came to be in 1906 as a company town to support the new DuPont Dynamite Works built adjacent to the town. Now the dynamite plant is gone and the former company town is an historic point of interest that offers a lovely stroll and fun birding, too. DuPont Park Open Space neighbors the town and has trails through the riparian forest and through the grounds of the former dynamite plant, now “returning to nature.”

Our Front Range Birding Company walk enjoyed October’s mix of migrants and resident birds. Hot spots of bird action stopped us here and there as we made our way through the town. Right away our attention was captured by a party of migrant Western Bluebirds that had stopped in to forage. Flocks of migrant White-crowned Sparrows were occupying thickets and gardens, filling the air with a chorus of song and calls. White-crowned Sparrows differ from many of our fall migrants in that they love to sing when they pass through our area. Both adult and juvenile sparrows sing, tossing out lovely trills and song phrases. This is a time when young birds learn and practice their songs.

As we watched one sparrow flock we spotted a chunky, streaky bird with a large bill feeding by itself on a gravel alleyway. Surprise: a juvenile Red Crossbill! Not red at all but streaky and drab. But photos reveal areas of yellow-gold feathers molting in, showing it to be a young female crossbill. And what a bill! It was odd to see just one crossbill by itself. I had seen a lot of crossbills in town in prior weeks, so perhaps this lonely bird was left behind! Later we heard it call as it flew and could identify it as the Type 4 Red Crossbill – the Douglas-fir Red Crossbill — a form that is infrequently found in Colorado.

Our walk continued with many lovely views of fall color, chances to compare resident birds like Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, and to enjoy our quiet walk through the big trees of DuPont Park. It is good to be out birding in the fall.

SATURDAY, NOV. 4, 2023 BIRD WALK TO SOUTH PLATTE PARK WITH DAVID SUDDJIAN

Posted on November 5, 2023 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

South Platte Park

November 4, 2023

Led by David Suddjian

The Denver region is a “ducky” place as fall deepens into winter and waterfowl come south to make their home in our rivers and lakes. The South Platte corridor and nearby reservoirs and lakes are a key area for migrant ducks. We can see a great variety of ducks in winter, when 20 different species are present in the area, and some places have good numbers, too.

South Platte Park is a “ducky” park in Littleton. Our visit on November 4 enjoyed partly cloudy skies and mild temperatures – a beautiful fall day. There are large lakes, a reservoir, and the river. Here is our South Platte Park trip report. We were happy to see 10 different species, including a rather uncommon Long-tailed Duck at Eaglewatch Lake. Our ten species were evenly split between ducks that forage at the surface and those that dive under the water.

The grouping of “dabbling ducks” vs. “diving ducks” is a familiar one, and it reflects an important basic difference among our ducks, both in their natural history and the taxonomic relationships among species. Our dabblers on the field trip were Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard and Green-winged Teal. Our divers were Lesser Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser and Ruddy Duck.

We see dabblers “tipping up” to reach down into the water after food, or feeding at the surface, or along a shallow muddy margin, and sometimes up on grassy areas and in fields. We see divers diving under the water — propelled by feet and wings — to find fish, shellfish and other invertebrates in the water column and at the bottom.

Dabblers often use their bills to sift water, mud and aquatic vegetation to extract small bits of food, and they even eat vegetation. Divers catch prey in their bill, whether sessile or mobile, and bring it to the surface to prepare it for swallowing. Crayfish, which are abundant in our waters, are a popular food for some of our divers.

Dabbers are often seen walking on land, and they can take flight directly upward into the air. Divers have legs set farther back. They are seldom seen on land and cannot walk well. Most Divers must run and patter over the water to take flight.

Dabblers and divers are incredibly beautiful, bringing us joy as we identify and watch them here in the winter. Look for other opportunities to enjoy our winter ducks on upcoming Front Range Birding Co. trips. Learn more about ID of our winter ducks with David’s video BIRD BOMBS: Better Duck.

Long-tailed Duck tagging along with a Bufflehead. © Anne Craig

Saturday October 14, 2023 Bird Walk to Lagerman Reservoir with Jamie Simo

Posted on October 18, 2023 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

On a perfect Saturday morning (we even had an eclipse to enjoy!) we set out on a leisurely walk around Lagerman Reservoir to see what birds we could see. Lagerman is usually busy all year, but particularly shines in fall and winter when waterfowl and raptors are the highlights. Right away we spotted a juvenile light-morph Ferruginous Hawk that had staked a claim on a power pole overlooking the nearby prairie dog colony.

Ferruginous Hawks, named for the rusty or “ferrous” (iron) color of the feathers on their legs and backs, are our largest hawk and primarily feed on prairie dogs. Juvenile light-morphs are less rusty than their adult counterparts with more spotting on their underparts.

We were also treated to several other raptors out hunting, including a couple of adult Bald Eagles, an American Kestrel, and a Northern Harrier. The Northern Harrier is the only bird of its genus, Circus, in North America. They breed and hunt in grasslands and marshes where they use their disc-shaped faces to locate rodents. The disc shape helps funnel sound to their ears, a characteristic they share with owls, though they aren’t closely-related.

Male Northern Harrier. Photo by Jamie Simo

In addition to raptors, we had an abundance of waterfowl on Saturday. Of particular note were several Eared Grebes, the only grebe species we encountered. In winter, Eared Grebes are mostly varying shades of grey, retaining only the red eyes from their spectacular breeding plumage. They often are easily confused with Horned Grebes, with several minor differences. While Horned Grebes have bright white cheeks, Eared Grebes’ cheeks are a dusky color that doesn’t stand out from the color of their faces or necks. A good mnemonic to remember this characteristic is Eared=smeared. Also, while Horned Grebes’ heads are squarish, Eared Grebes have somewhat lumpy heads with a peak toward the front of the head.

Non-breeding Eared Grebe. Photo by Jamie Simo

We were also treated to great looks at many ducks including, but not limited to, Northern Pintail, Redhead, Canvasback, and American Wigeon. A very successful walk!

Lagerman Agricultural Preserve–Lagerman Reservoir, Boulder, Colorado, US
36 species

Canada Goose 26
Northern Shoveler 7
Gadwall 2
American Wigeon 15
Mallard 12
Northern Pintail 6
Green-winged Teal 8
Canvasback 5
Redhead 20
Ring-necked Duck 4
Bufflehead 5
Ruddy Duck 50
Eared Grebe 6
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 13
American Coot 80
Killdeer 10
Least Sandpiper 1
Wilson’s Snipe 2
Ring-billed Gull 6
American White Pelican 2
Northern Harrier 1
Bald Eagle 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Ferruginous Hawk 1
Northern Flicker 2
American Kestrel 2
Say’s Phoebe 1
Black-billed Magpie 1
American Crow 2
European Starling 50
American Robin 1
American Pipit 12
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Western Meadowlark 12
Red-winged Blackbird 10
Brewer’s Blackbird 8

September 9, 2023 Bird Walk to Old St. Vrain Road With Jamie Simo

Posted on September 13, 2023 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Old St. Vrain Road in Lyons is a beautiful, scenic place for a leisurely bird walk. Because it’s flat and all paved, it’s perfect for those with mobility challenges, and, as a migrant trap, it can offer up some unexpected avian delights. Our small group met at the Heil Valley Ranch Picture Rock Trail parking lot since parking is limited on Old St. Vrain Road and, as a residential area, we wanted to be respectful to the residents.

August and early September can be challenging for birders because the birds are largely quiet, more focused on bulking up for migration than establishing or maintaining territory and mates. Still, we had some great birds, including a lively little Canyon Wren that hopped up one of the canyon walls and let us admire for a few minutes. Canyon Wrens are one of the prettiest wrens with their cinnamon color and black and white speckling on head and back. Their falling song evokes the image of a stone tumbling down the canyon.

We were flummoxed by several quickly-darting yellow-colored birds before we finally were able to get good looks at a Wilson’s Warbler with his little black toupee like Moe from The Three Stooges. Wilson’s Warblers breed at higher altitude, typically in streamside willow carrs. Females and immatures lack this black cap, but share the overall green-yellow color.

Another mysterious yellow bird we saw was a female Western Tanager who was enjoying the array of berries growing along the creek. Unlike male Western Tanagers, which are unmistakable, females could be confused for a goldfinch. However, Western Tanager females are bigger and lankier than either our Lesser or American Goldfinches with a thicker, longer bill and two pale wing bars on a darker wing.

Western Tanager Female. Photo by Jamie Simo

Other species of note were Gray Catbirds, several Wild Turkeys (almost guaranteed here), White-throated Swifts, a singing (but unseen) Plumbeous Vireo, and a lone Osprey at the end of our walk. A quiet day, but always a good one on Old St. Vrain Road!

Old Saint Vrain Rd, Boulder, Colorado, US
31 species (+1 other taxa)

Wild Turkey 4
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 9
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
Mourning Dove 1
White-throated Swift 6
Broad-tailed Hummingbird 3
Osprey 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
American Kestrel 1
Plumbeous Vireo 1
Steller’s Jay (Interior) 1
Blue Jay 6
American Crow 1
Black-capped Chickadee 6
Barn Swallow 1
swallow sp. 5
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Canyon Wren 1
European Starling 1
Gray Catbird 3
American Robin 1
Cedar Waxwing 1
House Finch 8
Red Crossbill 1
Lesser Goldfinch 5
Song Sparrow 1
Spotted Towhee 2
Yellow Warbler 1
Wilson’s Warbler 1
Western Tanager 2

August 12, 2023 Bird Walk to Lagerman Reservoir Open Sky Loop with Jamie Simo

Posted on August 18, 2023 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

As it says on the tin, the Lagerman Reservoir Open Sky Loop is almost completely open and without shade so it was a blessing that the morning of our walk was cloudy and relatively cool for August. It’s still a long walk though, and my hat’s off to those doughty birders who stuck it out with me.

August is a challenging time to bird as birds are generally no longer singing and migration hasn’t really hit its peak yet. Still, we had some great birds, including a female Lark Bunting almost as soon as we started our walk. Colorado’s state bird, the Lark Bunting is a large, grassland sparrow. While the male in breeding plumage is unmistakable, being mostly black with a prominent white wing patch, the female and juvenile are more subtle with brown streaking. They do have a particularly chunky bill for a sparrow, almost more like a finch, but the creamy wing patch is a dead giveaway and was what clued us in to the bird’s identity.

Female Lark Bunting. Photo by Jamie Simo

Buoyed by our first big find, we continued on and had some fantastic views of Say’s Phoebes, which appeared to be everywhere. Say’s Phoebes are a kind of flycatcher and, as is typical of phoebes, are known for bobbing their tails. A trip highlight was watching an adult Say’s Phoebe feed a juvenile. One way to tell a juvenile from an adult bird is the very visible fleshy “gape” around the base of the bill. When altricial birds are nestlings, a prominent gape allows their parents to locate where to put the food. On Say’s Phoebes this gape is an orangey-yellow color, which stands out against the dark beak and grey head feathers.

Juvenile Say’s Phoebe. Photo by Jamie Simo

Another highlight of the trip was seeing a Loggerhead Shrike. Although the bird never came close to us, we were able to scope it with the Swarovski ATS 65mm spotting scope, which allowed us to get great looks at it. Although shrikes are considered songbirds, they hunt and kill not only insects, but also rodents, lizards, and even other songbirds. To kill vertebrate prey, they use their hooked beaks to deliver a paralyzing bite to the back of the neck then shake their victim with enough force to break its neck. Because they lack talons like a raptor, they impale their kill on thorns or even barbed wire to help hold it steady to eat or even to cache it for later.

Some other cool sights we had were two Great Horned Owls in a barn, a Bald Eagle with prey, and a Sage Thrasher. In all, we had 41 species, which is incredible for August in the grassland. Hopefully you can join us on our next walk!

Lagerman Agricultural Preserve–Open Sky Loop, Boulder, Colorado, US
Aug 12, 2023 7:43 AM – 12:03 PM
7.07 mile(s)
41 species

Canada Goose 65
Mallard 11
Lesser Scaup 2
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove 9
Mourning Dove 1
Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1
Killdeer 2
Ring-billed Gull 1
Double-crested Cormorant 5
Great Blue Heron 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 1
Bald Eagle 2
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Great Horned Owl 3
Downy Woodpecker 1
American Kestrel 1
Western Wood-Pewee 2
Say’s Phoebe 11
Western Kingbird 1
Eastern Kingbird 3
Loggerhead Shrike 1
Blue Jay 1
Black-billed Magpie 4
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Tree Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 11
European Starling 38
Sage Thrasher 1
House Sparrow 3
House Finch 5
Lesser Goldfinch 3
American Goldfinch 3
Lark Bunting 1
Savannah Sparrow 2
Western Meadowlark 8
Red-winged Blackbird 32
Brewer’s Blackbird 1
Common Grackle 7
Blue Grosbeak 3

July 8, 2023 Bird Walk to Heil Valley Ranch’s Lichen Loop with Jamie Simo

Posted on July 11, 2023 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Unfortunately our guest bird walk leader wasn’t able to lead this month’s bird walk, but that just meant I had the pleasure instead! Heil Valley Ranch is one of the jewels of Boulder County’s open space program with over 100 bird species recorded there.

Our group met at the main parking area at 8am to walk the Lichen Loop. It’s been interesting charting the changes to Heil since the Cal-wood Fire roared through in fall of 2020. The Lichen Loop in particular was heavily impacted by the fire, its forest canopy replaced by grasses, native wildflowers, and invasive weeds. What trees remain are mostly charred skeletons, a striking counterpoint to the lush understory and the perfect backdrop for our colorful migrants.

Along the stream running parallel to the parking lot we heard the newly renamed Western Flycatcher, formally classified as the Cordilleran Flycatcher. It’ll be hard to think of it as anything other than the Cordilleran though because its high-pitched call sounds very much like it’s saying its name: “cordi!” We also heard the melodious song of the Lazuli Bunting, though we wouldn’t get a good view of one until about halfway through our walk when a beautiful male perched long enough for us all to get a good look at his azure back, white belly, and orange breast.

We were also privileged to get great looks at several male Blue Grosbeaks, a grass and shrubland bird that didn’t frequent the Lichen Loop prior to the Cal-wood Fire. Like its relatives, the Blue Grosbeak is named for its large, seed-cracking bill, which is a silvery grey color. A deeper blue than the Lazuli Bunting with chestnut wings, the Blue Grosbeak sounds a little like a scratchy American Robin when he sings, only with fewer pauses.

Another bird of note was the Lark Sparrow, a large sparrow with a beautiful red face pattern that makes me think of Southwestern Native American pottery. We also saw several Western Kingbirds with their contrasting grey backs and bright yellow bellies. Back in the parking lot we wrapped up our trip with a flock of 10 Wild Turkeys, a pair of Golden Eagles that perched in a tree on the hillside, and a gorgeous male Western Tanager. A perfect morning for birding!

Lichen Loop Trail, Boulder, Colorado, US
28 species

Wild Turkey 10
Mourning Dove 4
Broad-tailed Hummingbird 2
Turkey Vulture 2
Golden Eagle 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Western Wood-Pewee 5
Cordilleran Flycatcher 1
Western Kingbird 3
Eastern Kingbird 1
Steller’s Jay (Interior) 2
Black-billed Magpie 8
White-breasted Nuthatch (Interior West) 3
Rock Wren 1
House Wren 1
American Robin 1
Lesser Goldfinch 4
Chipping Sparrow 1
Lark Sparrow 1
Spotted Towhee 2
Western Meadowlark 4
Bullock’s Oriole 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Brewer’s Blackbird 8
Western Tanager 1
Blue Grosbeak 5
Lazuli Bunting 5

June 10, 2023 Bird Walk to Meyer’s Gulch with Jamie Simo

Posted on June 14, 2023 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Well, we finally made it to Walker Ranch after last month’s aborted attempt! The Meyer’s Gulch trail is one of the best places for foothills birding in Boulder County. It’s also spectacular in the spring with its wildflowers and butterflies.

This past Saturday the weather was warm and sunny, but not too hot. We couldn’t have asked for a better morning. Before we even left the parking lot we had some great birds, including a singing Green-tailed Towhee and a Pine Siskin. As we started off down the trail the number of singing Vesper Sparrows was incredible. Vesper Sparrows are a grassland bird with a prominent white eye-ring, streaked breast, and white outer tail feathers. If you can get a good view of one (which is entirely possible because they like to sing from an elevated perch), you may see the little reddish patch on their shoulder. Their song starts off with a couple of whistles followed by a trilling song.

As we continued along the trail, we were stopped by the sight of a couple Western Bluebirds and got great looks at our most common and least shy flycatcher, the Western Wood-Pewee. Western Wood-Pewees almost always like to sit out in the open and they can be distinguished from other flycatchers by their relatively long wings, lack of eye-ring, and still tail (many flycatchers tail bob).

As mentioned previously, Walker Ranch is a great place for wildflowers. Some of the most notable were western wallflower, blue-mist penstemon, and locoweed (mistakenly identified by me on Saturday as a type of vetch). Broad-tailed Hummingbirds were abundant as they took advantage of the nectar and one even helpfully posed for several minutes so we could get a look at him and his gorgeous gorget.

Other species we saw on our walk were Chipping Sparrows, a Dark-eyed Junco, a Western Tanager, a lone male Red Crossbill, and several Plumbeous Vireos. Though remaining unseen, we also heard the songs of Macgillivray’s Warbler as well as Warbling Vireo.

Unfortunately we didn’t make it too far along the trail before having to turn around, but only because there was just so much to look at and listen to!

Walker Ranch–Meyers Gulch, Boulder, Colorado, US
29 species (+1 other taxa)

Broad-tailed Hummingbird 3
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Northern Flicker 2
Western Wood-Pewee 5
Cordilleran Flycatcher 3
Plumbeous Vireo 3
Warbling Vireo 3
Steller’s Jay 2
Black-billed Magpie 3
American Crow 4
Common Raven 2
Mountain Chickadee 3
Violet-green Swallow 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Pygmy Nuthatch 2
House Wren 7
Western Bluebird 2
American Robin 7
House Finch 1
Red Crossbill 1
Pine Siskin 1
Lesser Goldfinch 3
Chipping Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Gray-headed) 1
Vesper Sparrow 6
Green-tailed Towhee 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
MacGillivray’s Warbler 1
Western Tanager 1

May 13, 2013 Bird Walk to Chatauqua Park and Gregory Canyon with Jack Strobel

Posted on May 18, 2023 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Thank you to everyone who came to our trip on May 13th at Chautauqua Park! It was not the planned location, as we could not get to the Meyer’s Gulch Trail. Unfortunately, there was an accident on the mountain leading to the trail head and the rangers were asked to close the roads and even some of the hiking paths up the mountain. Thank you for everyone’s patience as we adjusted on the fly that morning. Luckily, the park was just down the road from where we were originally going to go.

Overall, I think the trip ended up being great! We had a total of 34 species seen and heard. I loved seeing some of my favorites return like the swallows and warblers. It is a shame we didn’t see the MacGillivray’s warbler. It eluded our gaze in the trees! However, we did hear 4 separate individuals which is still a lovely day. The star of the show was the Grey Catbird. It was singing some strange songs and making a lot of weird noises. It even fooled me into thinking it was a Yellow-breasted Chat at first!

We walked just over 2 miles with a good hike there at the end for those who stayed. We certainly got our workout in for the day! The morning was lovely and sunny as well with clouds just starting to roll in as we took off.

Male Black-headed Grosbeak. Photo by Jamie Simo.

I hope to make it back out to Meyer’s Gulch trail at some point here soon. Our trip turned out well, but I am still itching to get to Meyer’s Gulch. Keep an eye out! Maybe sometime soon we will have a trip available once again at the Gulch.

For those who joined the trip, thank you once again. For those of you we missed, we hope to see you next time.

Thank you again!

Jack Strobel

Gregory Canyon, Boulder, Colorado, US

34 species

Mallard 1

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 2

Mourning Dove 3

Broad-tailed Hummingbird 16

Turkey Vulture 6

Downy Woodpecker 1

Hairy Woodpecker 1

Northern Flicker 10

Cordilleran Flycatcher 2

Say’s Phoebe 1

Steller’s Jay 2

Blue Jay 5

Black-billed Magpie 21

American Crow 5

Black-capped Chickadee 4

Tree Swallow 3

Violet-green Swallow 3

Cliff Swallow 1

Bushtit 4

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1

Red-breasted Nuthatch 1

White-breasted Nuthatch 1

House Wren 2

European Starling 4

Gray Catbird 1

American Robin 15

American Goldfinch 1

Dark-eyed Junco 1

Spotted Towhee 29

Common Grackle 7

MacGillivray’s Warbler 4

Yellow Warbler 6

Yellow-rumped Warbler 0

Wilson’s Warbler 1

Black-headed Grosbeak 1

April 8, 2023 Bird Walk to Sawhill Ponds with Patrick Morgan

Posted on April 10, 2023 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

The bird walk on Saturday, April 8, at Sawhill Ponds was a great one! The weather was a perfect 60 degrees with minimal wind, which was quite the change from the snowstorm earlier this week. With the ponds thawed out and migration beginning to get underway, 10 birders joined the walk and were excited to see what they could find.

It didn’t take long for us to find some of our first target birds for the day. A pair of Ospreys that nest at the park were flying around the parking lot. One of them ended up catching a fish, which they proceeded to eat on top of one of the utility poles. As we watched, an adult Bald Eagle swooped in quickly to attempt to steal the fish! The Osprey was able to get away, while we marvelled at the aerial battle taking place.

All throughout the walk, we could hear Red-winged Blackbirds and Song Sparrows singing to establish their territories amongst the cattails. Only male Red-winged Blackbirds were spotted, so the females were either hidden amongst the cattails creating their nests or haven’t quite started migrating back yet. A pair of Killdeer were seen flying overhead, while the sounds of drumming woodpeckers, such as Northern Flickers, Downy Woodpecker, and Hairy Woodpecker, could be heard throughout our walk.

Waterfowl were plentiful throughout the various ponds, with Green-winged Teals, Gadwalls, and Ring-necked Ducks being the most common. Hooded Mergansers, Northern Shovelers, American Wigeons, and Mallards were also seen, while a pair of Blue-winged Teals were a joy to see. The ubiquitous Canada Goose was also seen throughout the park, with one particular bird having already established a nest on an island in one of the ponds.

The smaller songbirds were also very active. We enjoyed seeing American Goldfinches in their bright yellow, breeding plumages, while the Black-capped Chickadees were very active throughout the area. One flock of chickadees seemed to be following us around, and their calls and active habits were a joy to watch. We were also able to spot an uncommon bird for the area. While we watched for birds along Boulder Creek, one of our birders spotted a small passerine hopping around on the bank. We determined it was a Lincoln’s Sparrow by their finely streaked buffy breasts feathers and slender bill. Lincoln’s Sparrow typically are only passing through the area on their way to higher elevations to breed.

As we finished our walk, we spied a Northern Flicker poking their head out of a cavity nest. Northern Flickers often have to contend with the invasive European Starling for nesting space and are usually bested by the latter, so it was nice to see that this one was claiming this cavity as their own. At the end, we finally spied a Belted Kingfisher perched high up on the power line, which was a nice end to the walk. All in all, a great day to kickoff the spring birding!

Taxa Reported: 35

32 Canada Goose

2 Blue-winged Teal

8 Northern Shoveler

20 Gadwall

2 American Wigeon

8 Mallard

16 Green-winged Teal

10 Ring-necked Duck

2 Hooded Merganser

9 Rock Pigeon

2 Mourning Dove

2 American Coot

2 Killdeer

2 Greater Yellowlegs

7 Double-crested Cormorant

3 Great Blue Heron

2 Osprey

1 Bald Eagle

1 Red-tailed Hawk

1 Belted Kingfisher

4 Downy Woodpecker

1 Hairy Woodpecker

4 Northern Flicker

2 Blue Jay

5 American Crow

10 Black-capped Chickadee

1 White-breasted Nuthatch

6 European Starling

18 American Robin

9 American Goldfinch

4 Song Sparrow

1 Lincoln’s Sparrow

1 Spotted Towhee

36 Red-winged Blackbird

2 Common Grackle

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