Hudson Gardens Bird Walk March 27, 2021

April 3, 2021

Hudson Gardens Field Trip – Mar 27, 2021 8:00 starting time

Led by Patti Galli

Wow, what a great start this morning! The weather was beautiful – sunny skies with the early temperature hovering around 35 degrees and it just kept getting nicer as the morning went along. Spring is almost here, and with it the migratory birds not far behind. Our first birds were House Finches with their joyful chatter and the American Robin.

American Robin photo by Bill Schmoker

We spent some time looking at the American Robins, since this is one of our most familiar birds, with its lovely rusty-orange breast, uniform dark gray upper side, and dark head.  Some in our group hadn’t noticed before its white markings around the eyes. The American Robin ( Turdus migratorius ) name is the affectionate diminutive of Robert. The name Robin is also associated with at least three particular favorites: Robin Hood, Robin Goodfellow, and Robin Redbreast.

Green-winged Teal photo by Bill Schmoker

We worked our way down to the South Platte river to see if any ducks are were still here. This time of year our wintering ducks start making their way north to their breeding grounds. Turns out there were still a few left to look at. The Gadwalls, American Wigeon, and Bufflehead ducks still gave us one more good glance.  Our year round ducks of course such as the Mallards, Canada Geese, and one last fun surprise- the Green-winged Teal treated us as well!  

The Green -winged Teal is our smallest duck.  The male has a dark rufous head with green patch behind the eye, a white belly, and white bar on the side of the breast. The female has a rather dark, indistinctly marked faint eye ring and dark line across the check.

 

We finished up at the bird feeders, where we sat and watched Black-capped Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and hearing in the distance, the loud sounds of Red-winged Blackbirds.

Truly a wonderful morning!

eBird Report: Hudson Gardens, Arapahoe, Colorado, US
Mar 27, 2021 8:00 AM – 10:50 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Led trip for Front Range Birding Comp/Hudson Gardens . Cool 32* start , no wind , sunny , beautiful morning
22 speciesCanada Goose  15
Gadwall  11
American Wigeon  8
Mallard  20
Green-winged Teal  2
Bufflehead  7
Ring-billed Gull  5
Belted Kingfisher  1
Downy Woodpecker  2
Say’s Phoebe  2
Blue Jay  2     heard
Black-billed Magpie  2
American Crow  5
Black-capped Chickadee  10
Bushtit  9
Red-breasted Nuthatch  2     heard
European Starling  6
American Robin  10
House Finch  11
Dark-eyed Junco  3
Song Sparrow  1     heard
Red-winged Blackbird  25View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S84222379

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