Winter Wren (El Paso)

[antejos]

COBirders,

I glimpsed and heard a Winter Wren at Fountain Creek Regional Park in the
area where I recently reported a pacificus type bird. This one I will
leave as Winter Wren. The area is best reached by parking in the far
north, Willow Springs, entrance to the park and then driving as far south
as possible to park in a large gravel car park. Walk south on the
regional trail until a waste water facility with yellow pipe fence is
viewable to the east. This is just north of the northernmost part of
Rice's Pond. The bird was seen briefly at the north end of the slough
that runs along the easternmost edge of Fountain Creek. There is a small
cattail marsh with dried grasses and tall tree willows and one Russian
olive with lots of hiding spots for small wrens in the area where I
saw/heard the bird. The area has a large open bench of Fountain Creek
walkable to the west.

Bill Maynard
Colorado Springs
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[William H Kaempfer]

Today was Loveland day, and it was really spectacular birding in the Carter Lake block. Along with Gary Matthews, Joyce and Connie Takamine and Alex Brown we racked up 59 species just in our block. I'm expecting Conne Kogler will post results for the whole circle before long.

There were many really nice birds in the Carter block. Because the water flowing through the area has the same warming energy as downslope winds, Carter Reservoir is entirely ice free (although largely bird free, too) We did a a pair of Common Loons on the water though, and at the end of the day we had five gull species coming in for a floating night roost on the water including Lesser (A) and Great (1st cycle) Black-backed Gull. South of the road leading west to Carter (CR 8) at the first turn to the left west of CR 23 is a new reservoir that doesn't show on any maps--Dry Creek Reservoir. This reservoir also has a lot of open water due to the same down flow factor. This year it featured a male winter Long-tailed Duck (when all of the waterfowl were not being tormented by Bald Eagle fly-bys). Perhaps the best bird of the day, though, was a Field Sparrow along CR 8 about 2 miles west of CR 23 in a spot where the valley narrows and the creek is on the north side of the road. The bird was holding through the day because Todd Deininger was able to re-find it in the afternoon.

Tomorrow is Crook for me, and I'm sure many more goodies.

Bill Kaempfer
Boulder