I checked Grandview Cemetery between 10 and noon. No crossbills detected. Noteworthy were: adult Bald Eagle soaring its way over to Sheldon Lake in City Park to check for dead waterfowl; Red-tailed Hawk perched in an elm within the cemetery (not normal); Fox Squirrel eating green ash buds (not common); many Fox Squirrels eating American elm buds as fast as they could nibble them (as evidence, check the twig litter on the snow at the entrance); a Downy Woodpecker extracting twig beetles from a broken, hanging spruce branch.
I attempted to go back in the afternoon but the wind and blowing snow made things pretty miserable, so I bailed. Along the Poudre River in the Springer Natural Area (ne of Mulberry and Lemay), I finally found an Eastern Screech-Owl (gray, of course) at home in a rotten pruning scar on a large Plains Cottonwood along the bike trail. Joe Mammoser has told me he's seen one at this location off and on for the past couple years but heretofore I've always struck out. Amazingly, I took a picture from about 50 yards away, while the wind was blowing, and the owl opened one eye at the sound of the shutter. Further south along the river, at the "Feedlot Pond" on Sharp Point just south of Prospect (Prospect Ponds Natural Area), a fairly large assemblage of waterfowl is keeping a hole open. At 3pm there were: Canada Goose, Cackling Goose, Mallard, what I think is a Mallard X Black Duck (1m), Common Merganser (few), American Wigeon (several), Northern Pintail (1 pair), Common Goldeneye (1m), American Coot (few), assorted farm geese (including a couple white ones and a Graylag type). Dave Leatherman Fort Collins -- Colorado Field Ornithologists: http://www.cfo-link.org/ Colorado County Birding: http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.as/group/cobirds?hl=en
