Local chapter of the National Audubon Society
While this time of year is always a bit slower, now that fall migration is winding down, this can be a great time to be a beginning birder – not so many leaves to hide the birds and most of the waterfowl are already in breeding plumage ready for next year’s breeding season.
Though it was a magnificently beautiful morning at Bear Creek Lake Park, we struggled to find birds – only two duck species and three sparrow species, and we missed such generally common birds as Downy Woodpecker and White-breasted Nuthatch.
For about thirty years the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies has been banding birds at Barr Lake in the fall at Chatfield State Park in the spring, both known as potentially great migratory bird stopovers.
We rushed through some identifications on which I think we should spend a bit more time, starting with the nonbreeding plumage of the three teal species.
Prewitt Reservoir with its extensive woodlands, marshes, ponds, prairies, and large reservoir is rightfully regarded as one of the premier places in northeast Colorado for catching fall migration.
Having hiked a ways up Lost Creek and having seen few birds, we turned around. However, once we were back within about a quarter of a mile of our cars, big things started to happen!