December 10, 2016
Richard Stevens:
I was not planning on birding today. Gorgeous day with temperatures in the middle 50s; winds were 4-6 mph.
I have a relative staying close by Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe); it was only a four mile detour and of course, I found myself at the reservoir around 3:00 pm. It was a fortunate choice.
A check of the gulls at the southwest marina area and surrounding ice shelf found one adult Thayer's Gull, some Herring Gulls, a dozen or so California Gulls and many Ring-billed Gulls.
Most of the uncommon gulls were found yesterday at nearby Aurora Reservoir (about 8 miles to the east).
I thought to check the northeastern corner of the lake where the Rusty Blackbirds had been found for a week. However, they had not been reported since last Wednesday and they were not found by me today.
Three Killdeer walked below the picnic table along the northeast corner. A smaller shorebird accompanied them. It was the previously reported Dunlin.
I sat down on the wet sand and waited. The Dunlin walked within ten feet of me! My wet cold pants were well worth the price of observing a Dunlin so close! All my previous sightings were from 40-50 or more yards away.
Photos were put on the Colorado Birding Society's Photo Library:
http://coloradobirdingsociety.net
Several adult Bald Eagles circled overhead while I watched the Dunlin.
Richard Stevens:
I was not planning on birding today. Gorgeous day with temperatures in the middle 50s; winds were 4-6 mph.
I have a relative staying close by Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe); it was only a four mile detour and of course, I found myself at the reservoir around 3:00 pm. It was a fortunate choice.
A check of the gulls at the southwest marina area and surrounding ice shelf found one adult Thayer's Gull, some Herring Gulls, a dozen or so California Gulls and many Ring-billed Gulls.
Most of the uncommon gulls were found yesterday at nearby Aurora Reservoir (about 8 miles to the east).
I thought to check the northeastern corner of the lake where the Rusty Blackbirds had been found for a week. However, they had not been reported since last Wednesday and they were not found by me today.
Three Killdeer walked below the picnic table along the northeast corner. A smaller shorebird accompanied them. It was the previously reported Dunlin.
I sat down on the wet sand and waited. The Dunlin walked within ten feet of me! My wet cold pants were well worth the price of observing a Dunlin so close! All my previous sightings were from 40-50 or more yards away.
Photos were put on the Colorado Birding Society's Photo Library:
http://coloradobirdingsociety.net
Several adult Bald Eagles circled overhead while I watched the Dunlin.
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