Sunday, October 20, 2013

Pleasant Birding Day Around Denver

October 19, 2013

Richard Stevens:

This afternoon, Rebecca Kosten and I enjoyed the fabulous Colorado fall day with a birding trip around Denver.  Winds were mild; high temperature was around 60 degrees.

We stopped at Rocky Mountain Lake (Denver County) and found the immature/female Surf Scoter in about two minutes!  I believe it was a first county sighting for both of us.

Next, we continued to Lakewood where we found Knudsen getting his mail.  He had not seen the Lewis's Woodpecker since last Wednesday (10/16).  It saved us the time of waiting for a bird that surely was not going to show.

Our final stop was Chatfield Reservoir (Jefferson/Douglas Counties).  We scoped the lake from the top of the dam (my preferred vantage point).  The Pomarine Jaeger flew around several times.

To our surprise, a Red-necked Grebe was in the middle of a raft of Western Grebes!   This could possibly be the same bird that Jacob Washburn found at Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe) last Monday (10/14).

We could not pick out a Sabine's Gull or Bonaparte's Gull.  A previously reported Common Loon was not found either.

A drive down Deer Creek Canyon Road did not find any Northern Pygmy-Owls are traditional locations.

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