Monday, May 14, 2018

Cherry Creek Reservoir in the Afternoon

May 10, 2018

Richard Stevens:

Temperatures reached 88 degrees today.  Winds were 7-8 mph with gusts to 17 mph.  The high winds surely kept the birds hidden.

I drove through Cherry Creek State Park (Arapahoe) in the afternoon.  Two Bonaparte's Gulls flew off the Lake Loop.  The male Great-tailed Grackle was again at the Cottonwood Creek wetlands.  I did not see the female today; however, there is one around there.

I walked around the Wild Plum bushes at the south marina upper parking area and found a male Yellow Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler and two White-crowned Sparrows.  A Northern Parula spent a couple of weeks here in 2017.

Noticing a larger group of Wild Plum on the east side of Lake View Drive (main road), I walked over to see if a Northern Parula or any uncommon bird was around.  While no Parula was found, a Tennessee Warbler flew back and forth between the Plum bushes and Cottonwoods.

A male Broad-tailed Hummingbird was performing his mating flight at the ranger's office area.  No Black-chinned Hummingbirds have shown up yet this year.  Perhaps the male that has been coming for the past eight years has given up finding a mate or has passed away?

No Short-eared Owls or Long-eared Owls appeared this evening along the Gun Range entrance road.

No comments: