Another Birding Day Around Denver

January 30, 2020

Richard Stevens:

Temperatures only reached 39 degrees today.  Winds were 12-13 mph with gusts at 4:00 of 29 mph along the DIA Owl loop.  It started snowing around 2:00 pm

I started my birding day scoping Aurora Reservoir (Arapahoe County).  Several thousand gulls stood around the shore, mostly at mile 2.5 and 4.0.  Two Lesser Black-backed Gulls were the only uncommon gulls picked out.

I was headed toward Richmil Ranch Open Space when a text message stated that the Northern Mockingbird was again spotted at Inspiration Point.  I missed it yesterday; however, it would have been a first Denver County Northern Mockingbird for me.  Plans changed and I headed west.

Yesterday, I wondered what the Mockingbird was eating that attracted it to this small park in the middle of Denver.  There are not many bugs flying about in January; there had to be a source of berries.  That was my focus today.

The north side of the point is rather bare.  Continuing to the south, I found the house with the white metal fence topped with white lanterns had a row of bushes full of berries along the fence.

The wait was less than 10 minutes before the Northern Mockingbird popped up onto the fence.  It disappeared into the large area of low firs before my camera was ready.  It took another 20-minute wait before the Northern Mockingbird jumped back up to the berry bushes; I have no idea what species the bushes were.

Photos of the Northern Mockingbird were posted on the Colorado Birding Society's photo library (recent favorite photos link).

coloradobirdingsociety.net 

I passed by Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Adams) on my drive home.  The Lesser Black-backed Gull was searching for food along the northeastern shore of the almost ice free Lake Ladora.

It started to snow as I drove the DIA Owl Loop several times.  In the past, Short-eared Owls have been observed hunting along 114th and West Cargo Road during a snowstorm.  None was seen today.