Friday, 27 August 2021

Re: [cobirds] Digest for cobirds@googlegroups.com - 9 updates in 7 topics

I don't think it is right to characterize the Mallard as a vegan, or even a vegetarian. They eat a good deal of animal matter, especially in the nesting season, and are generalists. I've pasted a summary from the Birds of the World account below

Diet and Foraging
Feeding
Main Foods Taken
Omnivorous and opportunistic, generalist feeder. During breeding season  , eats mostly animal foods, including insects such as midge larvae (Chironomidae) and other Diptera, dragonflies (Odonata), and caddisfly (Trichoptera) larvae, aquatic invertebrates such as snails and freshwater shrimp, and terrestrial earthworms. Outside of breeding season, diet predominately seeds from moist-soil plants, acorns (Quercus spp.), aquatic vegetation, and cereal crops (especially corn, rice, barley [Hordeum sp.], and wheat [Triticum sp.]). Agricultural foods usually dominate diet 
during autumn migration and often during winter, depending on the relative availability of natural versus agricultural foods. In winter, urban Mallards often rely entirely on human-provided food, such as bread or seeds.

David Suddjian
Littleton, CO

On Fri, Aug 27, 2021 at 11:33 AM Nancy Stocker <nancy@prairiewildlife.net> wrote:
Mallards are apparently usually vegans, but a bit like some human vegans.  Faced with extreme decisions--survival or perhaps the offering of a chocolate chip cookie that contains a tiny amount of egg, some human vegans will remain true to their ideals, but others will choose to eat the morsel at hand.  Back when winter was extremely cold for long spells (1980s), I photographed mallards eating a dead fish in Denver's Washington Park.  Much more recently, I photographed a mallard stealing pieces of a crayfish from a muskrat who had laid out its meal on a rock in the middle of the South Platte River.  Survival was clearly the goal of the ducks in Washington Park.  I believe tastiness was the reason for the mallard stole from the muskrat.

Nancy Stocker
Denver, City and County

On 8/27/21 2:20 AM, cobirds@googlegroups.com wrote:
Diana Beatty <otowi33.33@gmail.com>: Aug 26 05:19PM -0600

Colorado Field Ornithologists Speaker Series Presents:
 
*Ornitherapy: for your mind, body, and soul*
Saturday September 4th 7pm
 
Watching birds:not only fun, but good for you!
Watching birds can bring you more than enjoyment.
Come learn why birds are heart healthy! We'll delve into our connections to
birds, how to practice Ornitherapy for optimal benefits, and learn about
the latest research into the power of nature for overall well-being.
 
Register now:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkceyppzIpH9AkLKi6_POo1tdCt23cQNsG
 
 
Diana Beatty
on behalf of CFO Board of Directors
El Paso County
Meredith McBurney <Meredith.McBurney@birdconservancy.org>: Aug 26 04:07PM -0700

Another moderately paced morning. Our second adult male Blue Grosbeak, but
otherwise lots of HY birds. 22 new birds today:
 
Mourning Dove 1
Western Wood Pewee 1
Willow Flycatcher 1
House Wren 2 new, 1 banded 2020
Yellow Warbler 4
Wilson's Warbler 9
Chipping Sparrow 1
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Blue Grosbeak 1
 
We will be open 6 days a week, weather permitting through October 23.
Closed Mondays. Click here
<https://birdconservancy.doubleknot.com/event/calendar/4525> to register to
visit - we are offering one-hour slots (up to 12 visitors at a time);
7:30-8:30 most weekdays, and 8-9, 9-10, and 10-11 on weekends. We look
forward to seeing many of you during the season!
 
Meredith McBurney
Bander, Barr Lake Station
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
Dave Hyde <pink-beam@hotmail.com>: Aug 26 04:29PM

Thank you all for your identification of this bird as an Eastern bluebird. But this is not any E. bluebird! It is Yard Bird #100 for my location. I was hoping to make it to 100 species here before we moved to Longmont in August. We're now moved, I have 100 species in just under 5 years here, and I've enjoyed the house near Storm Mountain in Larimer Cty as one of the best places I've lived to spot birds. Now I'll see what pops up at our new home near Lake McIntosh in Longmont! I've already seen a duck! Happy Birding to us all – Dave Hyde/Longmont, CO
 
Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows
 
From: Nicholas Komar<mailto:quetzal65@comcast.net>
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2021 2:35 PM
To: Dave Hyde<mailto:pink-beam@hotmail.com>
Cc: Colorado Birders<mailto:cobirds@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [cobirds] Bluebird ientification
 
Dave,
 
Orange throat = Eastern bluebird. Rare but regular breeders in Larimer county foothills.
 
Nick Komar
Fort Collins CO
 
 
 
On Aug 25, 2021, at 1:34 PM, Dave Hyde <pink-beam@hotmail.com> wrote:

Hello CObirders,
The attached photos show a bluebird (3 photos) and a typical Western bluebird at my location near Storm Mountain in Larimer Cty. on June 3, 2021. Can anyone advise me as to identification: Western or Eastern bluebird?
Pleasant birding to you all – Dave Hyde/nr Storm Mtn. Larimer Cty. CO
 
Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows
 
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Scott <pygmyowl@frii.com>: Aug 26 04:52PM -0600

Eastern
 
On 8/25/2021 1:33 PM, Dave Hyde wrote:
 
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Jared Del Rosso <jared.delrosso@gmail.com>: Aug 26 01:30PM -0700

An update: last night (8/25), about 20 Common Nighthawks flew southeast
(more east than south) over my house (just north of Arapahoe and
University) in Centennial (Arapahoe). It didn't seem like a migratory
flight; they were lowish and sort of feeding. But who knows. A few
potential destinations, nearby, are southeast: Holly Park, Willow Spring
Open Space, and the Big Dry Creek.
 
Looking forward to autumn, but not to saying goodbye, for another half
year, to these birds.
 
- Jared Del Rosso
Centennial, CO
 
On Thursday, August 19, 2021 at 10:44:34 AM UTC-6 Jared Del Rosso wrote:
 
Jared Del Rosso <jared.delrosso@gmail.com>: Aug 26 01:27PM -0700

Driving around Centennial today (County Line and Arapahoe roads, east of
University in Arapahoe County), I'll say that wherever there was one magpie
there were a dozen. On power lines, picking through yards alongside
flickers, in parking lots. Just lots and lots of magpies.
 
- Jared Del Rosso
Centennial, CO
 
On Wednesday, August 25, 2021 at 5:01:07 PM UTC-6 preston...@gmail.com
wrote:
 
"rjpa...@gmail.com" <rjpautsch@gmail.com>: Aug 26 12:11PM -0700

In the shallow bay at the end of the Boulder West trailhead yesterday, our
Boulder Bird Club group observed something very strange. A mother
Pied-billed Grebe was actively hunting and feeding what looked like small
crayfish to her three young (they still had head stripes). They were being
followed by a lone Mallard, which would aggressively pursue a young grebe
after it had been given the crawfish by its mother until it was able to
snatch the crawfish from the young grebe's mouth. The grebes would dive
and thus lose the Mallard for a moment, but as soon as it popped up, the
Mallard was after it again. This happened three times within 15 minutes.
I thought Mallards were vegetarians!
Peter Ruprecht <pruprecht@gmail.com>: Aug 26 01:32PM -0600

What a fascinating observation. Per
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/lifehistory , Mallards eat a
good deal of animal matter, mainly invertebrates, during the summer. In my
experience, it's rare to see them eat any critter that's bigger than a
half-inch or so. However, a couple years ago I watched in amazement as a
drake used its bill to dispatch a medium-sized bullfrog and then struggled
for several minutes to swallow it.
 
Peter Ruprecht
Superior
 
On Thu, Aug 26, 2021 at 1:11 PM rjpa...@gmail.com <rjpautsch@gmail.com>
wrote:
 
Robert Righter <rorighter@earthlink.net>: Aug 26 12:06PM -0600

Hi
 
We just had a female Calliope Hummingbird come to our flowering pots on our back porch. Quite aggressive. Came right up to my nose and began buzzing around the face looking me in the eyes. Luckily, I survived.
 
Bob Righter
Denver, CO
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