Birding Around Arapahoe County

November 25, 2018

Richard Stevens:

Not wanting to drive any farther than Cherry Creek Reservoir today, I birded several of the less visited birding locations in Arapahoe County.  The high temperature was a cold 39 degrees today.  Winds were 6-7 mph but they were calm in the late afternoon.

Only a few geese walked around Utah Park (Peoria and Jewell Avenues).  No Greater White-fronted Geese were here.

A walk around Crescent Park (southwest of Belleview Avenue and DTC Blvd) found no birds.  Winter Wrens have been reported in the Park the last two falls.

I hiked about a mile along the Goldsmith Gulch trail south of GM Wallace Park (Belleview Avenue).  A Swamp Sparrow popped out of the cattails approximately 200 yards south of the north end of the cattail field at Belleview.

No Long-eared Owls were found along the shooting range road in Cherry Creek State Park.  When I checked on the Rusty Blackbird at the swim beach pond the female was high in one of the cottonwoods on the south side of the pond.

The reason became clear when an adult Red-tailed Hawk was found perched in a low hanging limb on the north side.  The Rusty Blackbirds usually walked along the logs under this overhanging tree.  An unfortunate male Green-winged Teal took off and was caught by the Red-tailed Hawk!  Cool, they need to eat also.

There is no way to know what happed to the male, perhaps a raptor got it or maybe it just moved on without the female.  However, that does not seem likely.

I stood on the northern shore west of the swim beach until dark.  Hundreds of noisy White-cheeked Geese flew down from the north and landed in the swim beach bay.  Winds were now calm.  The sight and sound was quite enjoyable.

No swans flew in this evening.  As I have written before, four of the five times that I have observed Swans at Cherry Creek Reservoir, it was during the last hour or two of daylight.

It was a pleasant end to a nice afternoon of birding!