Thursday, April 21, 2016

Marjorie Pearl Nature Preserve and Arapahoe County Reservoirs

April 20, 2016

Richard Stevens:

Temperatures reached 55 degrees today.  Anemometer readings were 8 mph, gusts to 12 mph.  We were cold most of the afternoon.

This afternoon Rebecca Kosten and I stopped by Marjorie Pearl Nature Preserve (Arapahoe County) to search for the Eastern Phoebe reported the last three days.

It was not found in the 3 hours we birded and photographed the Preserve.  We did find two Say's Phoebes hawking insects along the west side of the southern most pond.

Five American White Pelicans gobbled down many fish (minnows?) in the southern pond.  Difficult to believe any are left?

Twenty-two Yellow-rumped Warblers flew about the cottonwoods along the east side of the middle pond.  A Hermit Thrush and Common Yellowthroat were in deep green bushes along the eastern side of the northern pond.

We stopped at three Arapahoe County reservoirs on the trip home.  Nothing uncommon was found at Cherry Creek Reservoir.  No Bonaparte's Gulls were found among 62+ Franklin's Gulls flying around in the middle of the lake.  No Red-necked Grebes were among the 400+ Western Grebes now on the lake.

Two Osprey flew along the southwestern shore as we scoped the lake from the southwest boat ramp.

Quincy Reservoir was quite slow.  A few Western Grebes, American Coots and two Double-crested Cormorants were there.

Aurora Reservoir was a little more interesting.  Three alternate plumage Common Loons were scattered around the reservoir (two below the dam, one at the cove at mile 3.0 (southeastern corner).

California Gulls were the majority of the 300+ gulls swimming in the middle of the lake.

We started to get on the 470 Toll Road at East Jewell Road when two male Great-tailed Grackles flew over our car.  We followed them to the Storage Company at E. Jewell Road & South Rome Way where they landed.  I took a couple of photos and we drove the Toll Road to DIA.

Burrowing Owls were relocated at Third Creek & W. Cargo Road, Trussville Road & 114th avenue and along Picadilly between 120th & 128th avenues.  No Short-eared Owls were found this evening.

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