[cobirds] Missing Your Best Chance for Royalty?

Cobirders, 

 

For those of you who have dismissed the postings about the Royal Tern, you may be missing the chance of a lifetime. This monarch has been displaying his royal plumage and beak to several of us at Barr Lake off and on since the discovery July 29 by Steve Mlodinow. Since then, it has shown off its bright orange bill to many interested gawkers. Only the third time it has ventured into Colorado, this sovereign's normal United States flying is only along the eastern and California coastlines. Males and females can distinguish each other, fortunately, but we humans can't tell them apart without some, ahem, invasive procedures. What we can say is that it is an adult bird who has put away its breeding plumage for the season. That was not a difficult change of costume, as it basically consisted of switching to a lighter weight hat. Normally rare birds are the juveniles who haven't yet learned how to use their GPS devices, as birds' navigation systems are too complicated for us humans to figure out.

 

To pay homage to the visiting royalty, go to the Barr Lake Visitor Center parking lot. (Parks Pass required). Walk west across the bridge and into what you remembered to be the lake. This will be easy, as the reservoir is now half beach. Walk until your feet get wet. Start scanning sandbars and other landing zones. Or, you may be lucky enough to catch the tern fishing. Terns are the sleek members of the gull family. Note the pointed bill, wings and tail, which is forked. The royal is much more acrobatic than the slightly smaller ring-billed gulls with which it will associate on the beach. The exciting part is watching it plunge dive for its dinner, going headlong into the water. Royalty, you know, dislikes stooping to eat commoners' food, such as beach garbage.

 

Barr Lake, which also houses the headquarters of Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory at the northwest corner of the lake, has been a special place in Colorado to see birds. A total of 18 first state records have been seen there, but this is the first time Barr has welcomed royalty. So who knows, you might miss a tern and luck into something else.

 

Enjoy your visit.

 

Larry Modesitt

Chairman, Board of Directors

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory

 

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