Over the past few years, Beavers have further altered the open space. Building a dam within the dam, they've created a small pond. The pond, in turn, has attracted Snowy Egrets, Black-crowned Herons, Coots, dabbling ducks, and a stray Willet or two. Barn Swallows (and others) feed over it. Songbirds -- particularly Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, and House Finches -- are usually numerous in the scruff (willows, hemlock, plum, and others) along the Beaver dam.
But because Englewood Dam is built to control storm water runoff, the open space changed markedly during the early August rains. Water jumped the Willow Creek's meager banks, as well as the Beaver's dam. The rains submerged trails, plants, and habitats. I don't really know how high it got or how far it spread -- but wild roses and about-to-bloom Curlycup Gumweed were encased in mud, a foot or two up the plants, approx. 50-75 feet from the creek.
Visiting the dam after the rains was amazing. The space looked very much unlike Centennial.
But it left me wondering what happened to the Beavers, the Red-wings, the Common Yellowthroats, and the Coyotes that live in the areas covered by water. Presumably, the Coyotes trotted somewhere drier for a time. Presumably, the Beavers moved elsewhere, though I'm unsure of where elsewhere is when the water levels change so rapidly and substantially. And I guess many of the birds, who (hopefully) had finished nesting and had fledglings who were fully able to fly, dispersed.
I've been to the open space since the waters have retreated. At dusk, a week or so ago, it was quieter. No sign of the Beavers, no Coyote howls, far fewer Blackbirds. This morning, much of the same. The pond seems shallower, perhaps owing to some damage to the Beaver dam. But perhaps that's just my pessimism.
Barn Swallows, however, were numerous. As were Western Kingbirds. There seemed to be at least two families feeding around the open space and, especially, what remains of the beaver pond.
I didn't get a solid count of the Kingbirds, owing to how much they were moving around. There were at least 6, but perhaps as many as 10.
I had the good fortune to aim my binoculars at a Western Kingbird as it expelled a pellet. First time I've seen that.
An Eastern Kingbird and a Say's Phoebe were also hunting near the beaver dam. (I continue to wait for my first local Cassin's Kingbird. I expect that if I encounter one, it will be at Willow Spring Open Space.)
Farther up the creek, there were a few warblers in a narrow collection of trees off of Willow Creek. I got really, really poor looks -- but one struck me as not unlike a Nashville Warbler. (I didn't report it as such, given how poor my looks were.)
Other forms of life were just as remarkable. An impressive patch of purple asters was blooming at the Holly Street entrance. Bees were visiting. A single penstemon, along the base of the dam, had a few stray blooms. Heath aster is just beginning to bloom. Sand wasps were particularly active and numerous amid the defoliated rabbitbrush on the eastern edge of the open space. A few Palmer's Penstemons, in the same area, looked to have enjoyed the August rains. Perhaps they'll put on a display next year and reseed vigorously.
I don't know how the Beaver pond will continue to change and what that means for the birds who've come to rely on its wetness. I'm curious to watch and, given the extremes of Colorado's climate, just a bit anxious, too. (I'd already begun imagining visits from migrating Green Herons, Ibises, Avocets...)
Finally, an odd consequence of the flooding. The water moved huge amounts of sand, covering portions of the Willow Creek Trail (until the city or county cleaned it). The sand was particularly deep in an area where Bobcats live. You can imagine what a giant pile of sand looks like to any cat -- a massive litter box. And so, during one of my walks soon after the flood, I encountered far more Bobcat scat along the trail than I'd seen previously.
- Jared Del Rosso
Centennial, CO
-- Centennial, CO
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