Joe et al, I went over to Glenmere Park in Greeley (Weld) this morning with my friends Tom and Mary France and saw sort of what everybody else has been seeing: adults (2) and an undetermined number of yearlings (at most 3). I saw no birds that made me think they were produced on-site this year. Of interest are at least three nests inside the southwest part of the park and across the street (west backyard of 1634 Lakeside Drive) that could have been used by kites but are more likely refurbished Fox Squirrel nests used this spring/summer by American Crows.
Also there were Black-capped Chickadees (further indication of this species' on-going recovery from the West Nile setback?) and a Red-breasted Nuthatch (perhaps a local nester, maybe a disperser from the mountains, my bet would be the former). Not sure what to make of the Snow Goose hanging out with the tame Canada Geese. That heronry island is pretty amazing from a species diversity and total productivity standpoint. I think the storm last fall certainly opened it up for the better and probably made it less of the "slum" it was becoming. Lots of big dog-day cicadas (Tibicen dealbatus) and big darner dragonflies (mostly Blue-eyed Darner) overhead, both good food items for kites and other things. Greeley is about as far west as these cicadas occur and it will be interesting to see if a breeding colony prospers, and also if they spread even further north and west (Windsor, Ault, Fort Collins?). All in all, as it has been for many, many years, quite an urban park. The opportunities for evangelism about Nature to city folks are endless. Too bad the City of Greeley doesn't have much in the way of staff with appropriate job descriptions to carry out such work. Even a nice interpretive sign which allows ID of the various types and ages of waders on the island (and kites?) could be very effective, and maybe even lead to proper behavior involving litter and dog waste. Dave Leatherman Fort Collins -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
