Wheat Ridge Greenbelt, Mar 4, with Chuck Aid

March 5, 2017

Fourteen of us spent a productive morning at the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt, tallying 35 species (see list below). We had twelve species of ducks; the highlight being a male and female Red-breasted Merganser. Note that they both have shaggy crests and very thin bills. Also notice his white collar and her sort of muddy white chin and upper breast (this is in contrast to the clear bright, white patches that a female Common Merganser has).  Photos courtesy of Bill Schmoker.

 

The highlight of the day was a Sora heard calling, but not seen, in the cattail marsh. Evidently, a few Soras may hang out during the winter, but generally we don’t start hearing them until around the first of April. So, this was a bit of an early bird.

Sora (Photo courtesy of Bill Schmoker)

As we move into the next few months, the number of opportunities to get out birding are going to increase, so I hope to see some of you that haven’t made it for a while.

Good Birding!

Chuck Aid

 

Wheat Ridge Greenbelt, Mar 4, 2017

35 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  46

Gadwall (Anas strepera)  37

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  18

Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)  39

Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  17

Redhead (Aythya americana)  13

Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)  6

Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  6

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  8

Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)  11

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)  14

Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)  3

Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)  2

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)  24

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  4

Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)  1

Sora (Porzana carolina)  1     “Kerwee” call heard several times in cattail marsh.

American Coot (Fulica americana)  7

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  22

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon))  5

Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)  2

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  2

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  7

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  1

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  1

Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)  5

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  5

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  8

Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)  5

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  6

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  4

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  7

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  16

House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  2

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  2

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