I was beginning to despair of seeing the Common Grackle numbers that others reported here a few weeks ago. But over the past week, we've had hundreds of Common Grackles in the west Centennial area. A flock of about 250 flew over my yard on the 25th -- headed, more or less, to deKoevend Park. (Another Centennial birder a bit east of me reported about 250 on the 23rd.) Around dusk on Monday (9/26), Chris Rurik, Rebecca Laroche, and I finished up a "Big Enough" Day of birding at deKoevend, where we had at least two dozen -- and possibly more -- of these birds noisily filling the trees along the High Line Canal on the west side of the park.
Farther north up the west side of the park, we met twenty or so Turkey Vultures. A few perched in the trees on the trail, while others glided low over us to the east. A non-birder in a yard near the park asked us about the birds and whether they'd hunt his small dog. We assured him they wouldn't. Sunday evening (9/25), my wife told me about vultures perched along the High Line in this same general area, so I wonder if a few have been roosting there lately. And these birds have been passing over my yard (across University Ave from deKoevend) fairly regularly. This past weekend, I had about 40 pass over on Saturday and another dozen on Sunday.
Other highlights from Monday in west Arapahoe Co. (with a brief stop in Denver County).
- We started the day at Marjorie Perry Nature Preserve, where we had Wilson's, Orange-Crowned, and Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, a catbird, and a few noisy Cooper's. Among the mallards, we had two Gadwalls and a single Blue-winged Teal. The east edge of the preserve was fairly quiet -- no flocks of waxwing, no sparrows, no warblers. But we did have an empid., which we believe to be a Least Flycatcher.
- We then headed to Willow Spring, where we had several sparrow species (the two towhees, Savannah, White-crowned, Vesper, and Song), several hummers we couldn't pin down, a Western Tanager, a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
- At Cherry Knolls Pond, there were two American Wigeons and three Wood Ducks among the mallards.
- Chris and I swung by McLellan Reservoir. The water was empty, but we had a late Swainson's Thrush in the conifer at the edge of the playing fields. We then visited Marston in Denver County. There was a pair of Lesser Goldfinches at Isthmus Park. Chris scoped the reservoir from there, spotting a Common Loon on the water.
- Back in Arapahoe, we met Rebecca at Ketring Park in Littletoon. Chris id'd a Norther Pintail among a trio of mallards. We also had a Pied-billed Grebe and two coots in the lake. We added Cedar Waxwings and House Sparrows (which had somehow evaded us until around 4 p.m.) here as well.
- Jared Del Rosso
Centennial, CO
-- Farther north up the west side of the park, we met twenty or so Turkey Vultures. A few perched in the trees on the trail, while others glided low over us to the east. A non-birder in a yard near the park asked us about the birds and whether they'd hunt his small dog. We assured him they wouldn't. Sunday evening (9/25), my wife told me about vultures perched along the High Line in this same general area, so I wonder if a few have been roosting there lately. And these birds have been passing over my yard (across University Ave from deKoevend) fairly regularly. This past weekend, I had about 40 pass over on Saturday and another dozen on Sunday.
Other highlights from Monday in west Arapahoe Co. (with a brief stop in Denver County).
- We started the day at Marjorie Perry Nature Preserve, where we had Wilson's, Orange-Crowned, and Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, a catbird, and a few noisy Cooper's. Among the mallards, we had two Gadwalls and a single Blue-winged Teal. The east edge of the preserve was fairly quiet -- no flocks of waxwing, no sparrows, no warblers. But we did have an empid., which we believe to be a Least Flycatcher.
- We then headed to Willow Spring, where we had several sparrow species (the two towhees, Savannah, White-crowned, Vesper, and Song), several hummers we couldn't pin down, a Western Tanager, a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
- At Cherry Knolls Pond, there were two American Wigeons and three Wood Ducks among the mallards.
- Chris and I swung by McLellan Reservoir. The water was empty, but we had a late Swainson's Thrush in the conifer at the edge of the playing fields. We then visited Marston in Denver County. There was a pair of Lesser Goldfinches at Isthmus Park. Chris scoped the reservoir from there, spotting a Common Loon on the water.
- Back in Arapahoe, we met Rebecca at Ketring Park in Littletoon. Chris id'd a Norther Pintail among a trio of mallards. We also had a Pied-billed Grebe and two coots in the lake. We added Cedar Waxwings and House Sparrows (which had somehow evaded us until around 4 p.m.) here as well.
- Jared Del Rosso
Centennial, CO
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