Cherry Creek Reservoir After A Snowstorm

May 21, 2019

Richard Stevens:

High temperature today only reached 39 degrees.  Winds were 6-7 mph with gusts to 11 mph.

I popped over to Barr Lake (Adams) in the morning hoping to relocate one of the Gray-cheeked Thrushes I found last Friday (May 18).  None of Monday's birds was found either.  Last night's snowstorm did bring in many sparrows.

In the afternoon, I searched for the Chestnut-collared Longspurs found earlier by Loch Kilpatrick at the Cherry Creek State Park model airplane field.  They were not found also.

The majority bird(s) were Lark Buntings.  The count included 160 at the model airplane field, 50 at the Prairie Loop, 60 at the Mountain Loop and 40 at West Shades picnic area.  Additional small groups were scattered along Lake View Road (the main road between the east and west entrances).

Sparrows were in high numbers also.  In order of most number, there were Lark Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Brewer's Sparrows, eight Song Sparrows, six Clay-colored Sparrows, two Savannah Sparrows (one each East Shades picnic area & Lake Loop), two Lincoln's Sparrows (West Shades), one Harris's Sparrow (Prairie Loop), and one White-throated Sparrow (Prairie Loop).  The most difficult find was two White-crowned Sparrows along the shooting range entrance road.  Best find was two Cassin's Sparrows up the Butterfly Hill trail!

Misses included Field Sparrow and Sagebrush Sparrow.  I walked the 12-mile pond trail where a Sagebrush Sparrow was photographed on 4/11/2018 (not so recent witness photos link on Colorado Birding Society's website).

I relocated the Blackpoll Warbler found this morning by Terry Michaels at the east end of West Shades.  While trying to photograph a Yellow Warbler in a cottonwood, the Blackpoll Warbler was seen around two "West Shades" picnic tables east of the restrooms.

An Eastern Phoebe hung around the eastern boat ramp parking area.  I will try to add photos to the Colorado Birding Society's photo library tomorrow.

Finally, a Tennessee Warbler was spotted in the trees at the west end of East Shades.

The only non-Killdeer shorebirds found were a dozen of so Spotted Sandpipers.  Nine of them walked the shore west of West Shades.

A final search for the Chestnut-collared Longspurs at the model airplane field was not successful and I left.