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Well, it was another beautiful morning at Hudson Gardens, and nine of us were there to take it all in. While we only tallied 21 species (see list below) we had good activity and a number of entertaining moments.

Only a few male ducks exhibited any eclipse plumage, and for the most part they are looking pretty bright and beautiful and ready to go courting (in a few months). As you guys know, Mallards are here year round. So are Northern Shovelers, Gadwall, and Hooded Mergansers, thoiugh in relatively low numbers, and now is when those numbers start to go up due to migration and the fact that this is a popular wintering area for these species. Several of the diving ducks are only found here during the winter, and our single female Bufflehead (see photo) is a harbinger of more divers showing up soon, e.g. Canvasback, Greater Scaup, Common Goldeneye, and Red-breasted Merganser.

One more ducky note. When the first Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas came out in 1998 there were only two accepted breeding records for Hooded Merganser for the entire state. Since then, a few more records have emerged, but this is an interesting species to keep an eye out for this coming breeding season.

One interesting note from our walk is that we encountered a large flock of Red-winged Blackbirds that, as near as we could tell, consisted exclusively of male birds. We know that in the spring males arrive before females to begin setting up territories. Apparently, males return south in the fall after the females have already left.

One other highlight was getting really good looks at a variety of American Goldfinches in their winter plumage.

Good birding!

Chuck

Hudson Gardens, Oct 29, 2016

21 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  20

Gadwall (Anas strepera)  9

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  46

Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)  1

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  1

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)  2

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1

Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)  1

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  2

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  3

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  8

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  3

Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)  5

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  8

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  7

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  14

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  2

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  2

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  140

House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  18

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  13

Well, it seems as though a major part of fall migration has been completed for many species. Twelve of us covered a lot of ground at the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt this past Saturday, but we were only able to come up with 27 species (see list below). Absent from the area were Double-crested Cormorant, Snowy Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Cinnamon Teal, Spotted Sandpiper, Hummingbirds, Flycatchers, Swallows….. Well, you get the idea. These are species that have largely moved on south.

Of course, another aspect of fall migration is those birds that bred farther north, and that will retreat south to spend the winter here in Colorado. Many of these species just haven’t arrived yet in any numbers, but we can still be on the lookout for them, e.g. Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Rough-legged Hawk, Merlin, American Tree Sparrow, and the winter Juncos.

In the meantime we’ve got a bit of a hiatus, and this mild fall weather is keeping things a bit quieter for a while.

So what were Saturday’s highlights? We had a few Gadwall – these are early arrivals that will spend the winter here (photo courtesy of Bill Schmoker).

We had only one Robin, the majority seem to have moved on out. Perhaps the most interesting observation was of a begging Lesser Goldfinch, meaning that a pair are raising fledglings pretty late in the year.

So, 27 species isn’t like we got skunked, but we will hope for a bit better action on our upcoming walks.

Good birding!  Chuck Aid

Wheat Ridge Greenbelt, Oct 1, 2016

27 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  48

Gadwall (Anas strepera)  11

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  31

Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  6

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)  3

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  2

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  1

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  2

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  37

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon))  3

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  3

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  3

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  10

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  3

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  11

Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)  5

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  3

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  17

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  1

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)  1

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  16

House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  12

Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)  17

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  3

Eight of us explored the relatively quiet avian world at Hudson Gardens on Saturday. It was not until we had been out for a couple of hours that we saw any Passerines (perching birds), other than Blue Jays, and we ended up with a list of only 20 species. At this time of year there is a lot of migrant movement going on, but we were not lucky enough to pick up on much of it. We did get to see one lone female American Wigeon (all photos courtesy of Bill Schmoker),

a few Cedar Waxwings, and a couple of Barn Swallows

all of which were possibly migrating through, but we can’t say for sure. They might have been around all summer. An interesting observation was how variable the male Mallards are looking with some still in complete eclipse plumage and others well on their way to regaining their brilliant breeding plumage. We saw no sign of the family of Wood Ducks that were around at Hudson Gardens for much of the summer.

We look for more exciting birding this coming Saturday, Oct 1, at the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt. I hope to see some of you then!

Good birding!

Chuck

Front Range Birding Company

20 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  12

American Wigeon (Anas americana)  1

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  40

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  1

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  25

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  2

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  7

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  1

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  6

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  2

Common Raven (Corvus corax)  1

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  2

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  3

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  3

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  4

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  1

House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  1

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  2

Twenty-six of us got out to Barr Lake on September 3, and ended up tallying 38 species (see list below). The highlights were a MacGillivray’s Warbler seen in the hand at the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies banding Station and a Solitary Sandpiper in the Farmers’ Canal.

Photos courtesy of Bill Schmoker.

Good Birding!

Chuck Aid and Chip Clouse

Barr Lake 9.3.16

38 Species

14 Mallard

30 Western Grebe

30 Western/Clark’s Grebe

80 Double-crested Cormorant

150 American White Pelican

36 Great Blue Heron

20 Snowy Egret

6 American Avocet

14 Killdeer

13 Baird’s Sandpiper

1 Solitary Sandpiper

3 Franklin’s Gull

35 Ring-billed Gull

2 Osprey

1 Swainson’s Hawk

1 Red-tailed Hawk

2 Eurasian Collared-Dove

2 Mourning Dove

3 Downy Woodpecker

1 Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)

1 Western Wood-Pewee

2 Western Kingbird

1 Eastern Kingbird

2 Black-billed Magpie

1 Blue Jay

3 Barn Swallow

6 Black-capped Chickadee

2 House Wren

1 MacGillivray’s Warbler

1 Yellow Warbler

3 Wilson’s Warbler

1 Blue Grosbeak

1 Western Meadowlark

1 Song Sparrow

1 Lincoln’s Sparrow

1 Western Tanager

6 American Goldfinch

5 American Goldfinch

20 House Sparrow

Eighteen of us enjoyed perfect weather at Hudson Gardens this past Saturday, as well as enjoying some interesting bird activity. There were still juvenile Wood Ducks at the wetlands, although their number has diminished from five to three – all males. The male Mallards are still in eclipse plumage, with no evidence yet of their breeding plumage reemerging.

We saw an individual Blue-winged Teal, which I have tentatively identified as a male in eclipse plumage. This is based on: 1) the almost black coloring of the bill (as opposed to slate-gray), 2) the absence of obvious eye-arcs (which females tend to have), 3) the drab coloration on the flanks (feathers on female flanks are edged in a light beige – almost white), and 4) the faint white facial crescent tending to extend above the eye-line. However, this is a really tough call to make, and perhaps more information than you wanted, right? For those of you that got a good look at this bird please give me your input.

In the photos below the male is the second one.

We had great looks at Cedar Waxings, which were so numerous that we had to duck at times. Note the difference between adults and juveniles.  Photos courtesy of Bill Schmoker.

Finally, the highlight of the day was getting to watch a Cooper’s Hawk dismember a smaller representative of the Class Aves; after which it went into digestion cycle, and just sat on the same branch for the next hour or so.

Hope to see you on another Front Range Birding Company walk soon!!

Best, Chuck

Hudson Gardens, Aug 27, 2016

28 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  18

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  3

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  17

Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)  1

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)  5

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)  1

Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)  1

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  2

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  5

Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus)  4

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  2

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  7

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  1

Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus)  7

Plumbeous Vireo (Vireo plumbeus)  1

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  2

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  1

Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)  2

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  8

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  2

House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)  1

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  2

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  38

Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  4

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  2

House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  27

Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)  2

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  6

Fifteen of us braved the perfect weather on Saturday morning, and made the brief drive from The Front Range Birding Company over to the Denver Botanic gardens at Chatfield without mishap. The morning was perfect, and we ended up recording 42 species (see list below).

Highlights were numerous, fast, and furious. We got to see a voracious Pied-billed Grebe subdue a crayfish and gulp it down. An adult and juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron gave us both profiles as they flew past us first this-a-way and then that-a-way. A Broad-tailed Hummingbird harassed an American Robin that couldn’t pay it any mind because it was busy harassing a Cooper’s Hawk. A Swainson’s Hawk dive-bombed another Swainson’s forcing it to drop the vole (gopher?) it was carrying. Juvenile Say’s Phoebes were our representative dull-colored, difficult birds to identify for the morning, but we had plenty of time to work it all out. A juvenile Western Kingbird was incredibly pale compared to the adults (photo courtesy of dwfurbanwildlife.com).

A massive flock of juvenile European Starlings gave me pause for a minute – so unlike the adults (photo courtesy of Bill Schmoker).

And a male ‘Black-backed’ race of the Lesser Goldfinch sent everyone scrambling for their field guides – supposedly more common farther east, but we get them around here with some regularity (photo courtesy of txtbbatamu.edu).

The bird show was a good one, and the Botanic Gardens is a good place to catch it!

Best regards, Chuck Aid

Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield, Aug 6, 2016

42 species

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  10

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  1

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)  1

Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)  2

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  1

Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)  1

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1

Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)  4

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  2

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  1

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon))  17

Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)  2

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  6

Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri)  1

Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus)  7

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  2

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  1

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  5

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  1

Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus)  6

Cordilleran Flycatcher (Empidonax occidentalis)  1

Say’s Phoebe (Sayornis saya)  2

Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis)  3

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  2

Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)  20

Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina)  2

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  7

Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)  3

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  6

House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)  9

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  33

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  40

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  2

Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  5

Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)  3

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  6

Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)  1

Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)  2

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  22

House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  28

Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)  13

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  9

Thirteen of us spent Saturday morning in and around Hudson Gardens.  In this period of post-breeding, things were a bit slow, and we only recorded 27 species (see list below).  However, we still managed to see a variety of interesting birds.  First of all, a month ago on the last Hudson Gardens walk we recorded a female Wood Duck with five little ducklings.  This time, while we did not see mom, we did once again see the five ducklings, which are close to adult size now, and a couple of them were starting to show the beginnings of the male’s spectacular plumage.  We also noted at least one juvenile Canada Goose.

Looking at Mallards we had to once again talk about eclipse plumage.  A reminder that eclipse plumage is when male ducks at the end of breeding season molt from their brilliant breeding plumage to a dull, cryptic plumage.  As the Birder’s Handbook says, “Their brilliance is dimmed – they go into ‘eclipse.’”  This all happens at the same time that the main flight feathers are moulting, and some ducks actually become flightless for a few weeks.  It makes good sense, if you are temporarily flightless, that it might be to your advantage to be more cryptically colored.  The duration of the eclipse plumage varies between species, lasting for some just a couple of weeks, and for others persisting into early winter.  With the next molt the brilliant male colors return.

One interesting thing to contemplate in all this eclipse plumage business is to think about the inherent advantages in remaining cryptically colored for a longer period of time versus regaining one’s brilliance more rapidly. To be camouflaged longer is to be less visible to predators; while to regain breeding plumage more rapidly is to have a “leg up” on impressing the females, but may be deleterious if you really can’t quite fly yet.

Here are an eclipse plumage male Mallard (http://www.photosbygregstrong.comand) and male Wood Duck (https://wickershamsconscience.wordpress.com). Note the bill color in both – a give away that you’re looking at males.

Another highlight of the morning was that we got to see a pair of juvenile Cooper’s Hawks hanging out in the cottonwood grove just downstream from Hudson Gardens. I believe that Cooper’s Hawks have been successful breeding in that same grove now for the last four years.

On a personal note, this has been a great year for Hummingbirds at my house. Lots of zipping around and high drama!

The next Front Range Birding Company bird walk is going to the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield this coming Saturday, Aug 6. Please call the store to register – 303-979-2473.

Good Birding!  Chuck

Hudson Gardens

Jul 30, 2016

27 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  35

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  5

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  18

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)  5

American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)  10

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1

Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)  2

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  2

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  1

Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  4

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2

Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus)  3

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  1

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  5

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  1

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  4

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  2

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  7

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  2

Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  1

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  1

Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)  1

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  1

Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  3

House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  25

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  12