Reynolds Park - Jefferson County

[JBreitsch - Denver]

I went out today with the express purpose of finding at least one bird to photograph so I could get the horrible reptile off of the first page of my Flickr site (I don't like snakes).  I had no place in mind when I left my house, and as has often been the case when that has happened this year, I ended up at Reynolds Park.  I guess I just like it there.

I hit several mixed flocks.  The biggest one held my attention for almost half an hour.  Among the species it contained were the following:

All three Colorado nuthatch species

More than half a dozen Brown Creepers

More Townsend's Warblers than creepers

Ruby-crowned Kinglets,

Mountain Chickadees

Western Tanagers

Several thrush species

and adult and young Chipping Sparrows

Throw in the swifts overhead, the juncos, wrens, flycatchers, and vireos (warbling), and it was a party.  I flushed a Dusky Grouse that I didn't get a picture of and then flushed another one that only made it as far as a tree right along the hiking path.  That one I did photograph.  This was all on the Eagle's View trail.  On my way to the bottom, when I'd gotten myself onto Raven's Roost Trail, I had a female Williamson's Sapsucker.

The temperature was 46 when I got out of my car and in the high 69 when I got back in a couple of hours later.  It was a good morning.

John Breitsch

Denver, Colorado

https://www.flickr.com/photos/breitschbirding/