December 10, 2009
Richard Stevens:
Rebecca Kosten and I went over to Barr Lake (Adams County) and the DIA Owl Loop this afternoon.
Barr Lake is 100 percent ice covered. All the waterfowl from just a few days ago are gone to somewhere else. At least six Great-tailed Grackles flew about the first house south of the Tree Nursery at 152nd Avenue and Picadilly Road.
Two Ferruginous Hawks were observed. One along Picadilly Road at 0.2 miles south of the entrance to Barr Lake. The other was at the Burrowing Owl/Prairie Dog Village (3.4 miles east of Tower Road and 96th Avenue). We also saw 2 Rough-legged Hawks along Picadilly Road between 128th and 152nd avenues. Four Red-tailed Hawks, 6 American Kestrels and 7 Northern Harriers rounded out our raptor count.
We watched thousands of Horned Larks fly back and forth at Trussville Road and 128th Avenue. No Snow Buntings, we did pick out at least one Lapland Longspur.
Lakecrest had to be scoped carefully; we found the Greater White-fronted Goose and one white Snow Goose among thousands of White-cheeked Geese. Most were much smaller than the Snow Goose and likely Cackling Geese.
At Emerald Strand Park another thousand or so White-cheeked Geese were around the ever shrinking open water hole. A blue phase Snow Goose was among them.
Green Valley Recreation Pond and Montbello Recreation Pond were frozen over and had less than several hundred White-cheeked Geese. Although, we watched hundreds of geese fly away from the Green Valley pond as we approached it.
I do not know about the mornings, but the best time to see the geese in the afternoon is between 2:00 and 3:30 pm. They mostly fly away around 4:00 pm for another feeding and many do not return until well after sunset.
Richard Stevens:
Rebecca Kosten and I went over to Barr Lake (Adams County) and the DIA Owl Loop this afternoon.
Barr Lake is 100 percent ice covered. All the waterfowl from just a few days ago are gone to somewhere else. At least six Great-tailed Grackles flew about the first house south of the Tree Nursery at 152nd Avenue and Picadilly Road.
Two Ferruginous Hawks were observed. One along Picadilly Road at 0.2 miles south of the entrance to Barr Lake. The other was at the Burrowing Owl/Prairie Dog Village (3.4 miles east of Tower Road and 96th Avenue). We also saw 2 Rough-legged Hawks along Picadilly Road between 128th and 152nd avenues. Four Red-tailed Hawks, 6 American Kestrels and 7 Northern Harriers rounded out our raptor count.
We watched thousands of Horned Larks fly back and forth at Trussville Road and 128th Avenue. No Snow Buntings, we did pick out at least one Lapland Longspur.
Lakecrest had to be scoped carefully; we found the Greater White-fronted Goose and one white Snow Goose among thousands of White-cheeked Geese. Most were much smaller than the Snow Goose and likely Cackling Geese.
At Emerald Strand Park another thousand or so White-cheeked Geese were around the ever shrinking open water hole. A blue phase Snow Goose was among them.
Green Valley Recreation Pond and Montbello Recreation Pond were frozen over and had less than several hundred White-cheeked Geese. Although, we watched hundreds of geese fly away from the Green Valley pond as we approached it.
I do not know about the mornings, but the best time to see the geese in the afternoon is between 2:00 and 3:30 pm. They mostly fly away around 4:00 pm for another feeding and many do not return until well after sunset.
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