Snowy Egrets at City Park, Denver, Denver Co.

[HAT...@aol.com]

Hi Birders,

 

Snowy Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, and Double-crested Cormorants are nesting in colonies on the islands at Farrell Lake, the largest lake in City Park, and Duck Lake, on the southwest edge of the zoo.

 

The best show in the park was the Snowy Egret colony on the island in Farrell Lake.  And the best place to see all the birds was on the south side of the island where you're within 150-200 feet of the colonies.  From here you can easily see and photograph them nesting and foraging.  Most of the egret nests are below the cormorants,' and bracketed by the herons'.  Our count of the egrets was 13 in late May, and again yesterday.  Today there were 11.  A wildlife photographer we met while we were watching the birds told us that more are nesting on the far side of the island. 

 

For half an hour we watched the egret parents feeding the nestlings.  Parents winged in over the nest and cued their partner, already on it and tending the young, to fly off.  They then alit on the edge of their nests and billed regurgitated food into the mouths of their fluffy white young.  Afterwards, some of them cloaked their young into their wings and then settled them down into the nest, and others just seemed to sink over them and into a white heap.  Pretty fantastic.

 

The cormorants are also feeding young, but either the herons are more secretive about tending their young, or are still parents-in-waiting.

 

There is a large, noisy collection of cormorants on Duck Lake, and within it, a few herons and egrets. 

 

Hope you can see the egrets!

 

Frank and Nancy Hatch

 

 

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[HAT...@aol.com]

 

 

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From: HATCHFN
To: HATCHFN
Sent: 6/6/2009 3:01:22 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time
Subj: (no subject)

 

Hi Birders,

 

Yesterday and early this morning we checked Farrell Lake, the main lake in City Park, and Duck Lake, on the southwest edge of the Zoo, for Snowy Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Canada Geese, and Double-Crested Cormorants.

 

The best show in town is the Snowy Egret colony on the island in Farrell Lake.  And the best place to see all the birds is on south side of the island where you're within 150-200 feet of them.  From here you can easily photograph egrets nesting, foraging on the muddy shore, and sunning.  You'll find most of the egret nests below the cormorants', and bracketed by the herons'.  Our count of the egrets was 13 in late May, and again yesterday and today, but a wildlife photographer watching the birds with us this morning said that more are nesting within the thickly wooded small island. 

 

For half an hour we watched the egret parents circle and swoop down, then alight on the cusp of their stick nests and bill regurgitated food into the mouths of the nestlings craning their necks up to receive it.  Pretty fantastic.

 

The cormorants are also feeding their young, but the herons don't seem to be.

 

The island in Duck Lake hosts a large cormorant rookery, and much smaller ones of herons and egrets.  Other birds in the area were swallows, Black-capped Chickadee, Yellow Warbler, House Sparrow...

 

Frank and Nancy Hatch

Denver

 

 

 

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