[cobirds] Western Scrub-Jay & others, Denver Botanic Gardens (Denver)

To keep this conversation going...scrub-jays seem to be all around Denver this fall. I've seen one at the Gardens on the 7th and 13th, and ebird is showing additional sightings around central and south Denver over the past week. The bird (or these birds) at the Gardens haven't acted much like scrub-jay. They've stuck to high in the trees and have seemed rather reluctant to show themselves. 

Also at the Gardens have been Lesser Goldfinch and a single Gray Catbird; both were firsts for me in Denver. I was especially delighted to spot the catbird on Sept. 6. I grew up in New York State where this bird can be found in heaps -- reports of 20-30 at one of the local hotspots is typical. I still recall, though dimly, my first encounter with one: At some point in my childhood, I encountered what I thought was a cat crying in a tree in the small cemetery adjacent to my parents' house. Turned out to be the bird instead... When back in NY this summer, I had the great luck of having one (and a blue-winged warbler!) respond to my niece (7 years old) and nephew (4) who I taught to pish. The kids couldn't believe it when the bird popped out of a small bush, stood in the road, and stared back at them.

Back in the Gardens: Hermit Thrush, Green-tailed Towhee, Rock Wren, and Wilson's Warbler have also been around. Spotted Towhee -- after being invisible there over the summer (or gone?) -- are back out making noise and kicking fallen leaves. But it's the hummingbird that are worth going for. There have been a few broad-tailed and a few black-chinned aggressively defending feeding sites on the western side of the Gardens. They're largely indifferent to us birders. I've watched one male broad-tailed preen not an arm's length away from me, close enough that I could see its tiny foot do its work. As it did, another hummer buzzed back and forth over me. Still others have fed at flowers at my ankles. 

- Jared Del Rosso

Denver, CO

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