April 23, 2019
Richard Stevens:
High temperature in Aurora Reservoir was 65 degrees. Winds were 8-9 mph with gusts to 13 mph.
Around 4:00 pm, I returned to Cherry Creek Reservoir (Arapahoe) to stretch my legs.
The walk from the Dixon Grove parking area to Augie's Pond did not find any Rusty Blackbirds. I have missed them on my last four attempts and most likely will not try again. Most likely, they have departed.
I scoped the lake searching for the reported Black Scoter and/or the Long-tailed Duck, which has been around for a week now. Neither bird was found.
A strange duck kept my attention for quite a while. From a far distance, it appeared similar to a Black Scoter. When it swam closer, I could see it was a Ruddy Duck. Photos posted on the CoBus website "recent witness photos" link
coloradobirdingsociety.net
No shorebirds were off Pelican Point. Two unidentified shorebirds walked the mud flats at the extreme southeastern corner of the Lake.
I decided to bushwhack to the corner by way of the Prairie Loop. Both birds turned out to be adult Lesser Yellowlegs.
A lone cormorant stood on a log. I spent a good 30 minutes before being able to identify it as a Neotropic Cormorant. Facial pattern (dark lores and pointed border) was distinctive of Neotropic. It also showed a long tail on a bird that was quite small.
As far as I knew, the Robert A. Easton Regional Park Neotropic Cormorant had not been reported for two days. Later I heard it was reported the day before and two days after my Neotropic Cormorant sighting.
I know cormorants have been known to fly 70 miles a day for food. Whether this bird was the Robert A. Easton Regional Park bird, I cannot determine.
No comments:
Post a Comment