Birding Around Denver

April 28, 2007

This morning we drove up to Genesee Mountain Park (Jefferson). Four male and one female Williamson's Sapsuckers were relocated. Two of the males were at the top near the flag pole; the rest were observed around the group picnic area.

We also found Pine Siskins, Red Crossbills, Hairy Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers, Mountain Chickadees, American Crows, Common Ravens, and Townsend's Solitaires.

Next we headed over to Wheat Ridge Greenbelt (Jefferson). The previously reported Northern Parula was not relocated. We did see 1 Green tailed Towhee, several White crowned Sparrows, and 9 Yellow rumped Warblers.

Rebecca Kosten and I birded several locations late Saturday afternoon.

Along the DIA Owl Loop (Adams) we found 9 Burrowing Owls at the location 3.4 miles east of Tower Road and 96th Avenue. Another 7+ Burrowing Owls were counted at the Powhaton Road and 128th avenue site.

Barr Lake was slow. We did see 5 Green tailed Towhee, 11 Downy Woodpeckers, 8 Yellow rumped Warblers, 1 Lincoln's Sparrow, and 1 Orange crowned Sparrow along a hike between mile marker 9.0 (visitor center footbridge) and mm 7.5 (boat ramp).

The Great Horned Owls nesting at mm 8.0 have two youngins now!

Our birding day ended at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). The road is still flooded where Cherry Creek crosses it; as a result there is no direct route from east to west side. Not much was found on the east side. On the west side, we did see 4 Marbled Godwits on the wooden poles around the southwest marina. A Willet and Killdeer walked the shoreline near the gull winged picnic tables. Four Great Egrets stood on the rocks below the dam (about 100 yards north of the southwest marina). We did not relocate the previously reported Townsend's and Orange-crowned Warblers along the Lake Loop.