It’s not every day in May that you wake up to piles of snow everywhere, but I was excited at the avian possibilities.
I began at Belmar Park, which yielded no rarities but several birds that I don’t see every day but always bring me joy: American Avocet, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Cinnamon Teal, and Snowy Egret. Much more bird action was to be found at Bear Creek Lake Park, one of my most enjoyable local spots of late (and worth the annual pass). Operating on the theory that birds were being pushed down from the foothills, I started at the swim beach at Soda Lakes. As anyone out today has observed, hundreds of swallowed formed a moving layer above the entire lake. I was quickly surprised by the frequent and active appearance of one of the most delightful pops of color we are graced with here: Mountain Bluebirds. They may fall in that category of being pushed by the storm; the at least 10 that I saw surpasses what I’ve seen before while not in the mountains. My first rarity according to the eBird filters was an American Pipit by the playground, the first of at least 8 I saw around the park. Based on the reports, this seems to be the most frequent “fallout” rarity being seen today. Generally, the birds were very active and fearless in their ventures to find food. Many birds were significantly more fluffed up than usual. Some seasonal residents like a colorful male Lazuli Bunting were fluffed and hunkered down on their perch, seeming particularly disgruntled without the summer weather they were promised. For some reason, all of the Western Wood-Peewees I saw were as low and close to the water as possible, with even the occasional tail dipped in. This seemed odd since I’m used to seeing them higher in the foliage. I’m sure some birds have experienced adverse effects from these conditions. I spotted a magpie carrying a dead bird in its beak, though I wasn’t able to tell the species. I stumbled upon a mallard with a lame foot, though it was probably not weather-related and he seemed to get by in the water. After Soda Lakes I stopped by Pelican Point and headed toward the Turkey Creek inlet, which is becoming a favorite spot. I was greeted by my overdue first-of-season Bullock’s Oriole, brilliantly colored and making his opinion of me known from the bushes. My other rarity for the day showed up here as well, a Willow Flycatcher. I have a lot to learn with flycatcher ID, but I was able to rule out a few common ones and Merlin Sound ID helped me solidify the match. Though this weather certainly feels disruptive to our spring and summer mentality, I find myself savoring the cold and mud before we inevitably find ourselves in another hot, dry summer. Our migratory birds are doing their best to survive, and I wish them well. It was quite striking to see some of our more colorful summer neighbors (Yellow Warblers, both bluebird species, the oriole) against the backdrop of the snow. Those with more capable camera setups may want to seize the opportunity for some unique contrast while the snow lasts. Thanks for reading, and happy birding! - Evan Wilder Littleton -- -- 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 For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/0547AA0F-F339-460D-8863-0354F782BEF0%40gmail.com.
