[cobirds] Broad-winged Hawk + Yellow-throated Warbler (Arapahoe)

This morning, I took a short walk along the High Line Canal in Centennial and Greenwood Village (Arapahoe County). A vocalizing Broad-winged Hawk, chased off every perch by Black-billed Magpies and Blues Jays, was a happy encounter for me, though I suspect the hawk would have preferred the corvids leave it alone. (I've only previously seen Broad-winged Hawks fly over in Colorado.) The hawk was moving along the canal and surrounding neighborhoods, so I'm not sure it will continue at the trail. Also, I had first of season encounters with a Lazuli Bunting and Orange-crowned Warblers. The canal in this section intersects with a series of roads that all seem to have the same name, despite being non-continuous (Orchard...) -- or intersecting with the same road several times and in several places. So refer to my eBird checklist if you'd like more info on the location. 

I then went to Willow Spring Open Space to look at the beaver pond. I met a birder on my way down to the pond, so we looked together for the Yellow-throated Warbler, which continues in the pines at the Open Space's entrance. I've not had a good enough look at it to detect what might be drawing it to those pines -- nor have I yet seen a photo of the bird with insects. (But perhaps Dave Leatherman can hazard a guess? Aphids? Previous years, I've brushed up against the pines and been covered in them.)

The beaver pond at Willow Spring is relatively new. And for that reason, it's a marvel, a wonder, a miracle, and a gift, as it alters and enriches the open space. I saw one of the beavers amid it -- as well as a Canada Goose pair, a few mallards, and four Cinnamon Teals. I heard a Coot. If you look at the eBird list for Willow Spring Open Space, you'll see how many (relatively common) birds have appeared there over the last year -- small ducks, mainly, and Willets. We have beavers to thank for this -- as well as the tolerance of South Suburban Parks & Recreation and the people who manage the human-built dam (Englewood Dam) that frames the beaver dam. 

The pond was remarkably busy -- dozens of Yellow-rumped Warblers foraging over it (as well as in the weeds that are on the human-built dam), swallows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and Black-billed Magpies. A Loggerhead Shrike was nearby, using some of the same perches a Northern Shrike did this winter. A Savannah Sparrow was in the marsh near the pond. Other birders reported a flock of 50+ Cedar Waxwing farther up the east side of the open space, feeding in junipers. Fairly substantial, at least by Centennial standards, flocks of sparrows can be found throughout the open space, but they particularly favor the two sides of Englewood Dam. 

I await the arrival of Common Nighthawks -- and hope that, perhaps, larger flocks of them might forage over the dam.

Finally -- human runners and walkers stopped to inquire about the warbler and share their own sightings (Say's Phoebes, goldfinches, and hawks). It was a wonderful bit of cross-pollination of interests, hobbies, and encounters with birds. 

- Jared Del Rosso

Centennial, CO

--
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en
* All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate
* Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/aca94a7e-9fd0-4e1a-8773-f51823591cd2n%40googlegroups.com.