Thursday, May 29, 2014

Back In Denver, Some Great Bird Sightings

May 26, 2014

Richard Stevens: Email sent to "cobirders" listserve:

Hello cobirders;

Bryan and Sue Ehlmann, Rebecca Kosten and I spent the last eight days searching for owls in Larimer & Jackson County.  

Today we returned to Denver by way of Jefferson and Arapahoe Counties and found a few interesting birds.  First we stopped at Welchester Tree Park, Jefferson County and watched the Blue-winged Warbler.   It was only the sixth Jefferson County Record (or will be when accepted by the Colorado Bird Records Board).

 A quick hello at a friend's home near Wheat Ridge Greenbelt's Prospect Park added a male Northern Cardinal to our day list.

Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Adams County) had few birds.  A Baltimore Oriole was around the Rod & Gun Club bird blind.  Two Baird's Sandpipers were at the Havana Ponds mudflats (dam broke, ponds flooded field to the north).

As we drove to the south end of Cherry Creek Reservoir off Jordan Road to search for the Prairie Warbler reported a few days ago, we passed Picadilly Road and 6th Avenue.  I notice a woodpecker on the telephone pole at the southeast corner; its green color caught my eye.  It was a Lewis's Woodpecker!  I can only find two other Arapahoe County records of Lewis's Woodpeckers:
9/10/1967  Cherry Creek Reservoir Van Remson
8/21/2009 Byers,  Ted Floyd.

It was a first county sighting for all of us!

At East Caley Road, east of Jordan, we hiked the cement bike path north to the footbridge and beyond.  A Red-eyed Vireo was on the west side of Cherry Creek (at 40 yards north of the footbridge).  Continuing east over the bridge, a Tennessee Warbler was in the tall willows south of the bench underneath the Cottonwoods, 80 yards from footbridge.

A pair of Lazuli Buntings (beautiful colors) was 20 yards west of the fire hydrant (another 100 yards east of the the above bench).  I caught a reddish color bird farther east.  A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was found in the cottonwood trees south of the hydrant.

The male Black-chinned Hummingbird is still hanging around just east of the Cherry Creek Reservoir ranger's office.

Continued Good Birding!

Directions to birding spots on CoBus website:
http://coloradobirdingsociety.net16.net

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