January 29, 2010
Bryan Ehlmann and I went over to Colorado Blvd and 88th Avenue to scout for ducks for the DFO Trip tomorrow.
In spite of nighttime lows in the middle 20 degrees, lakes are starting to open up. It was much easier to find the ducks when they were restricted to small pools of water in the snow and ice covered lakes.
The three Long-tailed Ducks were along the southern ice line at the Northern West Gravel Lakes.
We first checked East Gravel Lake and found no Long-tailed Ducks. East Gravel Lake did have three species of mergansers, a few Ruddy Ducks and a Redhead (along with the usually many Common Goldeneyes, American Coots, Pied-billed Grebes, etc).
A pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes was with many ducks on the South Platte River (north of the green/white tower). A first year male Barrow's Goldeneye was on Tani Reservoir. A first year Bald Eagle stood on the ice watching the many ducks and gulls at the southern end of Tani.
We walked north of 88th Avenue and found a Prairie Falcon watching the 88th Avenue Open Space Pond (a.k.a. Coley Gravel Pit).
At Picadilly Road and 152nd Avenue (Bromley Road), about 18 Great-tailed Grackles were at the first house south of the tree nursery (around 3:00 pm). At 5:05 pm, they had moved to the tall cottonwoods along 152nd, just east of the Nursery.
Under the "wolf moon" (first full moon of the new year when the moon is 31,300+ miles closer to earth than any other time of the year and larger and brighter), no Short-eared Owls were found when the DIA Owl Loop was driven after sunset.
Bryan Ehlmann and I went over to Colorado Blvd and 88th Avenue to scout for ducks for the DFO Trip tomorrow.
In spite of nighttime lows in the middle 20 degrees, lakes are starting to open up. It was much easier to find the ducks when they were restricted to small pools of water in the snow and ice covered lakes.
The three Long-tailed Ducks were along the southern ice line at the Northern West Gravel Lakes.
We first checked East Gravel Lake and found no Long-tailed Ducks. East Gravel Lake did have three species of mergansers, a few Ruddy Ducks and a Redhead (along with the usually many Common Goldeneyes, American Coots, Pied-billed Grebes, etc).
A pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes was with many ducks on the South Platte River (north of the green/white tower). A first year male Barrow's Goldeneye was on Tani Reservoir. A first year Bald Eagle stood on the ice watching the many ducks and gulls at the southern end of Tani.
We walked north of 88th Avenue and found a Prairie Falcon watching the 88th Avenue Open Space Pond (a.k.a. Coley Gravel Pit).
At Picadilly Road and 152nd Avenue (Bromley Road), about 18 Great-tailed Grackles were at the first house south of the tree nursery (around 3:00 pm). At 5:05 pm, they had moved to the tall cottonwoods along 152nd, just east of the Nursery.
Under the "wolf moon" (first full moon of the new year when the moon is 31,300+ miles closer to earth than any other time of the year and larger and brighter), no Short-eared Owls were found when the DIA Owl Loop was driven after sunset.
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