[cobirds] Chatfield, Ken Caryl Valley area, mostly

May 4

Yesterday's low clouds and occasional light rain brought many swallows down low at Chatfield Reservoir and the South Platte corridor. Violet-green Swallow was far and away the most abundant, with a rough estimate of 2,000 in the park during the couple of hours I was there in the morning. Also less than 400 Tree Swallows, and much lower numbers of the other expected species. I noticed well defined movements of Violet-greens coming from the west to the lake, and flying down the Platte corridor, suggesting to me movements out of the mountains to feed around the reservoir, but maybe there is a more local explanation just involving migrants. 

Here is a sampling of numbers of some of the arriving migrants that breed in the South Platte riparian, from a walk of about 0.9 mile on the Jefferson County side, mostly upstream of Kingfisher Bridge: Least Flycatcher (4), Gray Catbird (7), American Redstart (1 male), Yellow Warbler (~38), Yellow-breasted Chat (12). Also noted there were Black-chinned Humingbird, Swainson's Thrush, Bullock's Oriole, and Lazuli Bunting. An Eastern Screech-Owl sitting at the entrance to a cottonwood cavity was a treat, and a few Western Kingbirds were here or there in the park. Eastern Phoebes continued at Plum Creek near the picnic area and at the South Platte at Kingfisher Bridge, and one was singing along Deer Creek near the bridge of the park's perimeter road. Three Grasshopper Sparrows were along the road to Plum Creek nature area and one was along the perimeter road on the west side of the park.

Waterbirds were few, but I did find American Avocet, Least Sandpiper, and Forster's Tern. Two or three Ospreys were in the park. 

At Deer Creek Canyon County Park (JeffCo) the Rattlesnake Gulch Trail had 2 Virginia's Warblers, 2 Black-headed Grosbeaks, several Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and a Golden Eagle.  The forested upper part of Massey Draw in Ken Caryl Ranch had a male Townsend's Warbler and some Plumbeous Vireos.

Over in Arapahoe County at Centennial Park there was a continuing Greater White-fronted Goose.

May 3

A dusk assemblage of feeding swallows over the north end of Prince Street north of downtown Littleton (ARA) included 4 Chimney Swifts. Back at Ken Caryl Valley Massey Draw had a Nashville Warbler and a fly over Broad-winged Hawk.

David Suddjian

Littleton, CO

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