October 9, 2016
Richard Stevens:
Rebecca Kosten and I celebrated
the fantastic fall day filled with birding.
Temperatures reached the middle 70s; winds were calm in the afternoon.
Our first stop was South
Platte Park Reservoir (Jefferson/Arapahoe Counties) where the Surf Scoter was
quickly found swimming off the south side.
We went over to Chatfield
Reservoir (Jefferson/Douglas) to look for shorebirds. No uncommon shorebirds were found off the
southeast marina sand spit or the Platte
River delta. One Sabine's Gull was observed flying north
of the heron rookery.
On the drive home, we
stopped at Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Adams).
Nothing uncommon was found. The
previously reported Common Loon was not seen.
The American White Pelican count has risen to 96 birds on Lake Ladora. Few passerines flew around the Bison
enclosure.
To be different at Barr Lake
(from our trips to the Visitor's Center side) we walked to the western end off Buckley Road. Water levels were low, no shore or
shorebirds.
Great-tailed Grackles and
one Yellow-headed Blackbird were in the cattail marsh off 144th avenue (north side of the town of Barr).
We hiked several hundred
yards west of the northern end of the dam.
One Pectoral Sandpiper was among 62 Killdeer. Four Baird's Sandpipers, a dozen Franklin's Gulls and many
Ring-billed Gulls were also counted there.
From the Visitor's Center
side of Barr Lake we hiked several hundred yards
south of the Niedrach trail. Another
four Pectoral Sandpipers were scattered among 51 Killdeer.
A walk to the banding
station found few passerines. One Barn
Owl was north of the banding station.
We drove the DIA Owl Loop
about an hour before sunset. No
Short-eared Owls appeared tonight. One
Burrowing Owl continues at Third Creek and West Cargo Road (the old prairie dog town
3.4 miles east of 96th avenue
and Tower Road).
I had just washed the car,
so we did not drive down the gravel Gun
Club Road to check on the Burrowing Owls down
there. Yesterday, two Burrowing Owls
were still there.
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