Deer Creek Canyon and Waterton Canyon, JeffCo 5/8

[David Suddjian]

A belated report... 

I went up Deer Creek Canyon early on 5/8 hoping for an early returning Ovenbird. I did not hear any, but I did have a decent cross-section of migrants, including my FOS Townsend's and MacGillivray's Warblers. I had Red Crossbills in two places. Some were the common Type 2 and some sounded like possible Type 4. Further down Deer Creek, Yellow Warblers, Plumbeous Vireos and Warbling Vireo had arrived at the junction with Buckhorn Road, where none were present in the preceding days. Pairs of Eastern Phoebes continued at the junctions with Valley Road and Buckhorn Road.

Massey Draw below my home (no public access) had a Gray Flycatcher and my first Bullock's Oriole and MacGillivray's Warbler near home.

I walked up Waterton Canyon trail to where it enters the canyon. A pair of Eastern Phoebes was along the Platte where there is a small dam and some cement structures, and one of the pair was building a nest in one of the structures. Migrant highlights were Northern Waterthrush and American Redstart. Other migrants included 1 Least Flycatcher, 1 Dusky Flycatcher, 1 Western Kingbird, 1 Plumbeous Vireo, 1 Warbling Vireo, 23 House Wrens, 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, 2 Gray Catbirds, 22 Yellow Warblers, 5 Yellow-breasted Chats, 1 Green-tailed Towhee, 3 Lazuli Buntings, and 1 Bullock's Oriole. 

David Suddjian

Ken Caryl Valley

Littleton, CO