Sunday, April 2, 2017

An Hour At Cherry Creek Reservoir

April 2, 2017

Richard Stevens:

Stayed home most of Sunday preparing for another grouse trip.  Rebecca and I drove to dinner near Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe).  We were not going to stay as long as I did yesterday.

The sun shone brightly when we arrived at Cherry Creek Reservoir at 6:15 pm.  Clouds were rolling in from the west; we only had 15-20 minutes of direct sunlight left.

When we exited our SUV at the east boat ramp upper parking area, I though I heard a Fox Sparrow calling from the willows downhill.  Brushed it off as bad hearing, we circled the bushes southeast of the restroom (yesterday's location).

Sunday, many people walked up and down the path where I photographed the Fox Sparrow yesterday.  There never was a five minute lull in the foot traffic.

Finding no sparrow from 6:15 pm to 6:35 pm, we were about to leave.  A familiar bird song was coming from the hillside to the north. 

Just to make sure it was a Sage Thrasher we heard I climbed up the hill.  Not only one but two Sage Thrashers were singing from the tops of Rabbit Brush.

While trying to get a photo of either Sage Thrasher, a sparrow runs below and between two Rabbit Brushes.  I managed to get a witness photograph the Sagebrush Sparrow and Sage Thrasher!  The three birds stayed in the small area of Rabbit Brush as we left.

Perhaps it was a Sagebrush Sparrow that I observing flying around the model airplane field last Friday? 

Back at the bushes near the restroom, I circled it one last time before leaving.  The Fox Sparrow was perched on the east side of the small "grove".  Eventually he did fly down to the willows at a forty five degree angle southeast of said "grove" Perhaps I did hear him earlier?  Got a couple of witness shots, nothing was as good as yesterdays (posted on Colorado Birding Society's Photo Library).

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