Birding Around Denver

January 17, 2020

Richard Stevens:

Rebecca and I birded around metro Denver area today.  High temperature was 54 degrees.  Winds were quite strong at 16-17 mph with gusts to 31 mph.

We returned to Centennial (Arapahoe) for my fourth stakeout of the Carolina Wren.  Already missed 10 hours over three days I was going to give it three hours today.  

After we sat for two hours, the Carolina Wren flew to below the feeders in the backyard.  By the time I retrieved my camera, the wren had walked into a small depression in the yard.  As we waiting for the wren to pop back out, the forever present squirrel scared the bird away.  It did not return in the next hour and we left.

Our next stop was Rocky Mountain Arsenal (Adams).  The Lesser Black-backed Gull (photos on Colorado Birding Society's website) flew in from the direction of Havana Ponds.  When not on Lake Ladora, I would look at Havana Ponds if interested in seeing the Gull.

We continued east to the Town of Barr.  Only four of the resident flock of fifty Great-tailed Grackles were found today.  Winds of 20+ mph did not help the search.

At Barr Lake, we scoped the Lake from the boat ramp and found a Common Loon swimming in one of the few open water areas.  Less than a dozen gulls were seen.  Only seven Bald Eagles were counted.

No Short-eared Owls appeared this evening along the DIA Owl Loop (Adams/Denver).