Denver Urban CBC - ducks in Denver

[Hugh Kingery]

     Urling & I surveyed the southern section of the South Platte on the Urban CBC today. A plethora of ducks!

    We counted 466 Shovelers, 225 Mallards, and, the best, 160 Buffleheads. 12 duck species. They included one striking male Barrow's Goldeneye, located just south of Florida Ave.

    One observation/question. Ducks packed the river from Florida south to Grant Frontier Park; north of Florida we saw only smaller groups. One section to the north had ice across it. So: why the difference?

    Could water quality of the river change there?

    Or does the water get colder than the ducks prefer?

Or does something else affect their preferences?

Hugh Kingery

[Charlie Chase]

Hey Hugh

Look to the area of the river with all the ducks and see if there is warm water/or other fluids entering just above that point.  There are numerous stormwater inflows into the Platte along that stretch.  I'll do more research and see what i can find.  

You see that in dramatic fashion at the Denver WasteWater Treatment plant near 64th and York.  

That said, as part of our count today, the Arsenal is mostly bone dry and or was frozen today except a couple of the creeks.  We found Common Snipe and Virginia's Rails in the ditch just west of Lower Derby as we have the last few years. A lone really cold Great Blue Heron flew into the marsh as we were leaving.

Cheers

Charlie

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[Charlie Chase]

Awesome!!  Forensic CBC's.

[Mitchell Bailey]

South Platte Renew (Littleton Englewood Wastewater Treatment Plant) discharges their treated effluent into the South Platte just upstream from the Grant Frontier Park. Like Metro Wastewater Plant and the Centennial Wastewater Treatment Plant, they provide warm water in the winter that can keep many kinds of birds happy. The Pine Warbler and Northern Parula that stayed below Chatfield Dam last winter come to mind.

Mitchell Bailey,

Los Angeles County

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