April 21, 2012
About 30 minutes before sunrise, I visited Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County). My first stop was the southwest marina. No black headed gulls stood on the logs around the marina. Several Bonaparte's Gulls and a black headed Gull with no white in its wingtips flew below the dam and not far from the marina. It certainly appeared to be an adult Laughing Gull.
Next, I circled the Cottonwood wetlands in search of yesterday's reported Tricolored Heron. Two White-faced Ibis and a male Yellow-headed Blackbird were the highlights.
I worked my way south to the new Belleview wetlands (south of the Cottonwood Creek wetlands). A Cattle Egret was at the northeast corner. No Tricolored Heron was found. The three species of teal were represented in about equal numbers.
Next, I searched at the bird platform area of the Prairie Loop. A Black-crowned Night-Heron was along the creek. A Long-eared Owl was west of the platform. It would have gone undetected except that it called.
After abandoning a search for the Tricolored Heron, I drove to Pleasant Valley (Weld) to bird at a new friend's ranch (one of the bonuses of the Roggen Snowy Owl searches). The Black-and-white Warbler and Long-eared Owls were still around. At a nearby ranch, yesterday's Northern Parula was not relocated.
In the late afternoon, I returned to Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). Repeating the morning's searches, I never found the Tricolored Heron. A Virginia Rail came out of the cattails at the southern side of the Cottonwood Creek wetlands.
The two White-faced Ibis appeared to move to the Belleview wetlands. I walked from the wetlands to the Peoria Pond (about 1.3 miles south) and back. A Great Blue Heron was the only heron found. A Swainson's Hawk stood on one of the telephone poles along Peoria Avenue.
At sunset, I drove over to the southwest marina. Not one Gull stood on the logs bordering the marina. They appeared to be hunting for food over the lake.
At the Lake Loop, I found 6+ Bonaparte's Gulls, 7+ Franklin's Gulls and the Laughing Gull. I was able to watch it for 20 minutes before dark. It had an extensive black hood, no white in its wingtips (unlike the Bonaparte's and Franklin's Gulls).
The day was a fantastic Colorado Spring day! Weather and birding were superb!
About 30 minutes before sunrise, I visited Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe County). My first stop was the southwest marina. No black headed gulls stood on the logs around the marina. Several Bonaparte's Gulls and a black headed Gull with no white in its wingtips flew below the dam and not far from the marina. It certainly appeared to be an adult Laughing Gull.
Next, I circled the Cottonwood wetlands in search of yesterday's reported Tricolored Heron. Two White-faced Ibis and a male Yellow-headed Blackbird were the highlights.
I worked my way south to the new Belleview wetlands (south of the Cottonwood Creek wetlands). A Cattle Egret was at the northeast corner. No Tricolored Heron was found. The three species of teal were represented in about equal numbers.
Next, I searched at the bird platform area of the Prairie Loop. A Black-crowned Night-Heron was along the creek. A Long-eared Owl was west of the platform. It would have gone undetected except that it called.
After abandoning a search for the Tricolored Heron, I drove to Pleasant Valley (Weld) to bird at a new friend's ranch (one of the bonuses of the Roggen Snowy Owl searches). The Black-and-white Warbler and Long-eared Owls were still around. At a nearby ranch, yesterday's Northern Parula was not relocated.
In the late afternoon, I returned to Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe). Repeating the morning's searches, I never found the Tricolored Heron. A Virginia Rail came out of the cattails at the southern side of the Cottonwood Creek wetlands.
The two White-faced Ibis appeared to move to the Belleview wetlands. I walked from the wetlands to the Peoria Pond (about 1.3 miles south) and back. A Great Blue Heron was the only heron found. A Swainson's Hawk stood on one of the telephone poles along Peoria Avenue.
At sunset, I drove over to the southwest marina. Not one Gull stood on the logs bordering the marina. They appeared to be hunting for food over the lake.
At the Lake Loop, I found 6+ Bonaparte's Gulls, 7+ Franklin's Gulls and the Laughing Gull. I was able to watch it for 20 minutes before dark. It had an extensive black hood, no white in its wingtips (unlike the Bonaparte's and Franklin's Gulls).
The day was a fantastic Colorado Spring day! Weather and birding were superb!
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