Friday, December 3, 2010

Windy Day at Cherry Creek Reservoir

December 3, 2010

Richard Stevens:

Again, I avoided counting the thousands of geese at Lakecrest and went over to Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County). Temperatures reached 70 degrees today. Unfortunately, the high temperatures were due to 23 mph winds with gusts to 47 mph.

The adult Mew Gull was again at the swim beach with several hundred Ring-billed Gulls and 51 California Gulls. The variations in size and mantle color of both species are quite a bit. Several California Gulls almost looked dark enough to be a Lesser Black-backed Gull (however, not quite so).

An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was standing with hundreds of gulls on the southeastern sand spit. The Dunlin of 11/28 were not found. I have not heard a report since then.

A friend in Deer Creek Canyon (Jefferson) called to say they had an owl just outside of the living room window. I hurried over to find a Northern Pygmy-Owl watching my friend's bird feeders.

On the way home, a drive through Chatfield Reservoir (Jefferson/Douglas) did not find any uncommon birds.

I swung by Castlewood Canyon Road and State Park as a way to avoid the traffic of metro Denver. Not one bluebird was out exposing itself to the high winds.

No Short-eared Owls were found along the DIA Owl Loop as I passed through to get home.

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