Dunlin- McLellen Reservoir in Douglas Cnty

[Gregg Goodrich]

This afternoon I found a Dunlin feeding with a Killdeer on the far SE corner of McLellen Reservoir. Unfortunately you can not get close to the shoreline from the High Line Canal Trail, so a scope is necessary. Here are some distant digiscope photos in the checklist below. Plus a digiscope video on the next link. 

The long bill, slightly smaller size  than the Killdeer,  gray back and collar,  and lack of facial markings leads me to think it is a Dunlin.  

eBird Checklist – High Line Canal Trail--McLellen Reservoir periphery, Colorado – Tue Jan 24, 2017 – 8 species http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33917044

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByETq77Zd-xeRXRNVUhYbHF6Q1U

Here is a google map link to the trailhead. Go north on the High Line Canal, underneath County Line Road and to a spot where you can see the small amount of open water on the far SE corner of McLellen Reservoir  which is still in Douglas County.

https://goo.gl/maps/oSxd49ceSLG2 High Line Canal Trail Parking Lot

Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

Gregg Goodrich 

Highlands Ranch CO

[Joey Kellner]

Very cool!  This is most likely the same bird initially found on the Denver CBC by Ed Holub and his grandson Thomas (also as McLellen Reservoir) on December 17th. 

With the lake almost freezing over several weeks back, I'm curious where it has spent it's time when the cold hit.

Nice job Gregg for relocating this bird!

Joey.

Joey Kellner
Littleton, Colorado

[Adam Vesely]

Dunlin is still present at 11:00 AM in same general area as Gregg described yesterday. With a few killdeer.

Adam Vesely
Thornton, CO

[Thomas Holub]

Looked for the Dunlin this morning around 8 with no luck, but the bird was found in the same area as of 4:15 this afternoon, in which it then flew a bit farther up the shoreline where trees were obstructing. I assume it is moving around the area quite a bit (knowing that the CBC sighting occurred on the bridge of County Line Road on the opposite shore). Interesting to know this could be the same bird we found on the Denver CBC.
Good Luck!

Thomas Holub, Littleton, CO