Cherry Creek State Park, Today and Yesterday

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Ben S

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Apr 9, 2017, 9:01:22 PM4/9/17

to Colorado Birds

Yesterday, April 8, I visited Cherry Creek SP. Birds of note at the marina include a group of RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, HORNED GREBES, WESTERN GREBES,CLARKS GREBES, and CALIFORNIA GULL. Two CLARKS GREBES were at the marina. They were my first of the year. At the Cottonwood Creek Wetlands, there was the teal trifecta, a pair of BUFFLEHEAD, a SNOWY EGRET, and a BARN SWALLOW. The Bufflehead pair has been there every visit for the last month or so. Perhaps they will just breed here instead of going north. The Snowy Egret and Barn Swallow were both alone and my FOY.

Since I live close by, I also went today. At the Cottonwood Creek Wetlands, again there was the teal trifecta, the BUFFLEHEAD pair, a pair of RING-NECKED DUCKS, a GREAT BLUE HERON, the continuing SNOWY EGRET, a BLACK CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, a WILSONS SNIPE, TREE SWALLOWS, and BARN SWALLOWS. At the 12 mile area, there was a distant flock of swallows. I was able to make out several TREE SWALLOWS and an early CLIFF SWALLOW. On my way back, I was surprised to see a GREAT EGRET flying past the Cottonwood Creek Wetlands. It was too large to be the snowy. It had am all yellow bill and black legs. A FOY, and an Arapahoe county bird. Nice.

For these next birds I want to make it VERY clear I did not observe them. Other birders had submitted them on ebird. Franklin's Gulls and Yellow-headed Blackbirds had been reported. Someone reported a pair of Eastern Bluebirds collecting nest material at the "marsh area". I assume this is the Cottonwood Creek Wetlands. Once in May of 2015 or 2016, I observed a male Eastern Bluebird here. This report is completely possible. I will probably come back during the week to look for these three species. I have not checked the BBA. Would Eastern Bluebirds nesting in Arapahoe county be a first??