South Platte Res., South Platte Park, South Valley Park (ARA, DOU, JEF)

[David Suddjian]

A sunrise stop at South Platte Reservoir (Arapahoe) this morning (Jan 19) had 3 Long-tailed Ducks (1 male, 2 females), presumably all continuing. Among other species noted were were 2 Barrow's Goldeneyes, 8 Ruddy Ducks, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Eared Grebe, 1 fly by Merlin, 1 1st cycle Thayer's Gull, and 1 1st cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull. Pretty much all of the southeast portion of the reservoir is open water.

At South Platte Park (ARA), Blackrock Lake had 16 Greater Scaup, and four more Greaters were on the adjacent portion of the river. This reach of the river also had a Wilson's Snipe and a Black-crowned Night-Heron. An Am. Dipper flew downstream from Douglas Co into Arapahoe, pausing briefly at the rapid/waterfall immediately below C470, and then moving on downstream. A Mourning Dove along the effluent stream that enters the Platte near C470 (Douglas) was the first I'd seen in the area in a couple months, and tan-striped White-throated Sparrow was with a large flock of Am. Tree Sparrows and House Finches there. 

An adult male Peregrine Falcon made a dashing impression as it flew south over South Valley Park, Jefferson Co.

Yesterday (Jan 18) I had a lone Evening Grosbeak fly over my Ken Caryl Valley home.

David Suddjian

Littleton, CO