Chatfield SP and a bit from Ken Caryl Valley 9/23

[David Suddjian]

There seemed to be a noted increase in dabbling ducks at Chatfield this morning, with many flocks flying around in the first hour or so after sunrise with bumps in numbers of Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler and Nor. Pintail in particular. Also up were numbers of Blue Jays, a species that I (in my admittedly limited history of just under 2 years) have only sporadically found in the park. But today I had Blue Jays at most areas I checked, with a total of about 20-24 individuals tallied. This included 11 flying past the Marina parking lot as a high count. Small trees along the north side of the parking lot had an adult Red-naped Saspucker, which I think is also uncommon for the park. Two Common Terns were, for a time, amid loafing Forster's at the sand spit. 

A juvenile Sabine's Gull, presumably a continuing bird, sat on the water well north of the old herony overlook. A Horned Grebe was out there, too. A Merlin flew south past the Swim Beach area.

A Cassin's Vireo was at Massey Draw beside my home in Ken Caryl Valley.

David Suddjian

Littleton, CO