Jefferson and Denver Counties 3/21

[David Suddjian]

This morning I had my first White-throated Swifts at Deer Creek where it passes through the hogbacks, with 3 over the Lyons Hogback, and 4 (maybe some of the same) over the Dakota Hogback. The latter area near the south end of the Cathy Johnson Trail also had 12 Mountain Bluebirds, 2 Western Bluebirds, 1 northbound Turkey Vulture and a Prairie Falcon.

I checked out the Chatfield Swim Beach and had two Tree Swallows but not a single waterbird was in sight while I was there, which I thought was interesting. 

Waterbirding was better at Hine Lake in Robert A. Easton Regional Park, where Greater Scaup continue in good numbers (40) among a moderate diversity of ducks. A little boy asked his mother the age old question, "Why did God make mosquitoes?" She did not have a good answer. Blue Heron Park had more waterfowl species, as well as both Western and Clark's grebes. And Marston Reservoir had even more ducks, of which I saw 17 species including all three teal and all three mergansers, with the total number of all ducks exceeding 700. Also present were Western, Horned, Eared and Pied-billed Grebes, 2 Double-crested Cormorants, and an imm. Bald Eagle. A decent gull flock included 3 Herring Gulls, 16 Californias, and 268 Ring-billeds. 17 Great Blue Herons stood on their nests. A Turkey Vulture tilted by.

Another Turkey Vulture went over my Ken-Caryl Valley home, in view at the same time as a displaying Cooper's Hawk, a passing Golden Eagle, and its mobbing Red-tailed Hawk. All of us reveled in the mid-70s temperatures.

David Suddjian

Littleton, CO