[cobirds] 50 Years at Waterton

Thought the group might like to see a comparative set of lists from the Waterton area (Jefferson & Douglas Cos) recorded 50 years apart, to the day, on Denver Field Ornithologists (DFO) field trips.  We met early Saturday morning (29 Apr.'23) to recreate my very first birding trip which was led by Hugh Kingery on April 29^th, 1973 – Hugh joined us for the first part of our walk which made for a very special day.

 

First things first, we found a few good birds including a nice male BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER at the Audubon Nature Center and four (4) EASTERN PHEOBEs in three different spots.  We also had GREAT HORNED OWLs on nest with a couple of very cute downy owlets, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDs and TREE SWALLOWs jockeying for position at nest boxes, and a very bright male WILSON'S WARBLER.  Here are our eBird lists for the day if interested:

 

Waterton Upstream from Bridge: eBird Checklist - 29 Apr 2023 - Waterton Canyon--from Waterton Rd to overhead pipes - 40 species (+2 other taxa)

Platte Canyon Reservoir/Highline Canal: eBird Checklist - 29 Apr 2023 - Platte Canyon Reservoir - 36 species (+2 other taxa)

Waterton Downstream from Bridge: eBird Checklist - 29 Apr 2023 - Chatfield SP--Audubon Center & Trails - 30 species (+1 other taxa)

 

Now the comparison.  I kind of expected to see a dramatic shift in species and numbers (don't know why), but aside from the Eastern Pheobes graduating from super rare to now being regular, most everything else was within expected daily variability.  We had a few species which have been doing better since the early '70s thanks to conservation measures, namely Wood Duck, Osprey, and Bald Eagle, but also the cormorants, pelicans, ravens, and particularly "Rufous-sided" Towhees are now much more numerous.  We had several species with notably fewer individuals than 50 years ago including Mourning Doves, both Downys and flickers, as well as magpies (we got skunked!), starlings (yeah), and grackles, though in these cases don't think the two data points make a solid trend.  To see the species and their numbers for yourself, just scroll down.

 

If you have any questions or comments about the days both current and past trudging around Waterton, please let me know.  Here's to the next 50 years (yeah right).

 

Good Birding,

Doug

Denver

 

PS – Remember when looking at the 1973 list, Chatfield didn't exist yet, so some of the stuff would be from range land and gravel pits that would eventually be flooded by the lake – dam was almost finished though.

 

Waterton - DFO Trips  5 Decades Apart
Date:	4/29/2023		4/29/1973
Effort Data
Start Time:	6:30am		6:00am
Total Hours:	8.0		7.5
Observers:	9		14
Miles Walked:	9.0
Weather:	Clear, initially breezy, ~40-75˚F		Cloudy. Cool. Windy.
Species (2023 taxonomy)
Canada Goose	6		2
Wood Duck	4
Blue-winged Teal	1
Northern Shoveler	6
Gadwall	31		4
American Wigeon	4
Mallard	15		11
Ring-necked Duck			1
Lesser Scaup	2		2
Bufflehead	4		1
Common Merganser	6
Ruddy Duck	7
Ring-necked Pheasant			1
Horned Grebe	3
Eared Grebe	2
Western Grebe	5
Rock Pigeon			2
Mourning Dove	11		59
White-throated Swift	6
Broad-tailed Hummingbird	4		1
Killdeer	2		2
Marbled Godwit			53
Solitary Sandpiper	1
Ring-billed Gull	1
Double-crested Cormorant	6
American White Pelican	8
Great Blue Heron	1		19
Turkey Vulture	5		2
Osprey	1
Golden Eagle			2
Northern Harrier (aka "Marsh Hawk")			2
Sharp-shinned Hawk			4
Cooper's Hawk	2
Bald Eagle	1
Broad-winged Hawk			1
Red-tailed Hawk	5		2
Great Horned Owl	3		3
Belted Kingfisher	2		6
Downy Woodpecker	2		11
Northern Flicker - "Red-shafted"	2		10
American Kestrel (aka "Sparrow Hawk")	5		9
Eastern Phoebe	4		1
Say's Phoebe	7		2
Stellar's Jay			1
Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay	7		1
Black-billed Magpie			16
American Crow	3		6
Common Raven	14
Black-capped Chickadee	12		12
Horned Lark			1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	1
Tree Swallow	7		4
Violet-green Swallow	9		19
Barn Swallow	6		8
Cliff Swallow			4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	6		2
Red-breasted Nuthatch			3
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
House Wren	6		2
European Starling	6		45
Mountain Bluebird	4
Townsend's Solitaire	2		5
American Robin	21		190
House Finch	7		2
Lesser Goldfinch	1
American Goldfinch	9
Chipping Sparrow	3
Dark-eyed Junco                  - "Oregon"	3		7
- "Grey-headed"	2		1
White-crowned Sparrow	27		1
Song Sparrow	3		10
Spotted Towhee (aka "Rufous-sided")	29		8
Western Meadowlark	10		42
Red-winged Blackbird	11		14
Brown-headed Cowbird	3		6
Common Grackle			14
Orange-crowned Warbler			2
Yellow-rumped Warbler      - "Myrtle"	22		6
- "Audubon's"	27		62
- "Myrtle X Audubon's"	1
Black-throated Gray Warbler	1
Wilson's Warbler	1
TOTAL SPECIES	64		53
TOTAL INDIVIDUALS	440		707