Birders,
This is almost a negative update. John Martin Reservoir (Bent County) remained 50 percent open yesterday, but when the wind died down last night, the reservoir flash froze. There are still many small holes in the ice full of birds, but as of today, the reservoir is approximately 98 percent frozen. That’s what happens when the temperatures range between -11 degrees and 28 degrees for more than seven days, and snow blankets the ground preventing air to warm during daylight hours.
The closure to “protect” wintering waterfowl has shrunk this year. Historically, closures extended on both the north and south sides of the reservoir for 2 ¼ miles west from the dam. This year, they extend only about one mile. This means that it is possible for the public to access much more of the lake than in past years. The Overlook Picnic Shelter on the north side of the Reservoir is open to public viewing. From the Overlook today, I observed a male Long-tailed Duck, in a small patch of open water immediately to the southeast. There were still at least four Bonaparte’s Gulls, which typically depart when ice forms. Red-breasted Mergansers and Bufflehead, rare on our CBC, are still common, while Common Goldeneye and Common Mergansers have not yet arrived. There are lots of gulls, including Lesser Black-backed and Franklin’s (on an ice floe, no less) on 11/15.
As winter storage season for the reservoir has begun, water levels begin to rise, and the rise causes unstable ice conditions. Birds are forced to move on or relocate, but the mass of birds makes for an exciting experience in spite of uncertain conditions.
Duane Nelson
Las Animas, Bent County, CO
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