I'm on call for work this weekend, so I couldn't get out to do any long birding trips. Just walking about a mile from my house, I was able to experience a typical, common spring morning in Colorado. Along a new trail (more on that below), I was able to see the following among 30 species: A croaking Great-blue Heron. A curious Say's Phoebe that followed me around for about 5 minutes. A nesting Swainson's Hawk. Nesting Mallard pair. Common Yellowthroats and Yellow Warblers. Noisy Blue Jays and Northern Flickers. A House Wren going in and out of a nest hole in a tree. A calling Western Wood-pewee. And then there were the highlights - An adult Pied-billed Grebe feeding her young, and then calling them to her when they got too spread out. An American Coot alternately feeding her young (at least 4 of them) and chasing away a muskrat from the nest area. Another coot carrying nesting material to / and then sitting on a nest. It seems that in a little while that pond will have even more little redheaded coot babies that look as if they're on fire. A few picture links here. More on my photostream: Baby Pied-billed Grebe http://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/8998545654/lightbox/ American Coots http://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/8998540214/lightbox/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/8998537912/lightbox/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/8997351663/lightbox/ Frog http://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/8997312577/lightbox/ First Creek Trail: This is a new trail built as an amenity for the Fairway Villas adult community on the north end of Green Valley Ranch. It is a very short little trail just to the west of the 16th and 17th holes of the golf course. It is east of Dunkirk St, just below 54th. It is a wide, sidewalk type path that does a loop that can't be but a quarter mile total. There are small ponds and a little wooded area. Map: http://goo.gl/maps/3F1qz For a non birding day, this wasn't too bad. Add in the turtles, frogs, and muskrat, and it was a pleasant way to spend a little time. John Breitsch Denver, Colorado http://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/
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