[cobirds] Report from Barr Lake

Hi

Currently there is a lot of water and shore bird activity at Barr Lake, although nothing that would qualify for the rare bird alert that I could see.

I started at 6:30 this morning, the great eastern sun was just rising and the light across the lake for birding couldn't have been better, crystal clear, no heat waves, just perfect. One could walk along the shore for close studies of Baird's Sandpipers, studying the plumage differences between the adult and juvenile. Incidentally the Baird's was one of the last sandpipers to be described for science in 1861 by Elliott Coues from an overlooked specimen from the Kennicott, Great Slave Lake collection. Spotted sandpipers with downy young were darting in and out of the smart weed, the chicks were teetering just like the parents do. One of the protruding sandbars was packed with White Pelicans, but off to one end was one pelican posed exactly like the stance Audubon chose for his dramatic painting, with its bill parallel to the ground, the expression of the eye creating this goofy-like facial expression. There were a variety of dabbling ducks as well as Ruddy Ducks still in breeding plumage. Forester's Terns were perched near a Great Egret. Many Barn and few Bank Swallows overhead, One arial Upland Sandpiper was calling while heading south. There was a slight difference in the assortment and abundance of birds from birding Barr Lake with Vic Zerbi on Friday to now, so migration is definitely on, every day will be different. Oh, by the way, bad luck, I missed the Royal Tern again.

Bob Righter
Denver, CO

Sent from my iPad

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