I took a walk late this afternoon starting at the Feedlot Pond just south of Prospect Road in Fort Collins (Larimer County) on the east side of Sharp Point Drive and walked roughly southeast thru the Prospect Ponds Natural Area ending at the Environmental Learning Center parking lot, all on the west side of the Poudre River.
Highlights: Winter Wren (2) - one was at the north end of the cottonwood grove with snowberry understory north of the Bike Trail straight north of the Water Treatment Plant where there has been wren activity since at least October 5, 2010, and the other was along the river just northeast of the outhouse building by the Northern CO Environmental Learning Center parking lot (where Joe Mammoser first found a bird, I believe in early January 2011). I saw and heard both of today's birds well. There have been reports of as many as 4! "Stub-tailed Wrens" (three seen together over a third of a mile from the ELC) along the river stretch connecting these two locations, and there has been strong suspicion at least one of them is Pacific. This latter suspicion has NOT been substantiated, however, to anyone's satisfaction, including by Nathan Pieplow's sound recorder and several big cameras. Greater Scaup (1 adult m) Feedlot Pond (the first pond south of Prospect on the east side of Sharp Point) Hybrid Goose (appears very similar to the Chen X Branta bird reported before Christmas as an Emperor Goose/Paradise Shelduck at North Poudre #3 north of town and finally straightened out by Nick Komar) Gadwall (1) first one I've seen this year, seem more scarce than usual in winter in the Fort Collins area Red-tailed Hawk (3, including 1 dark-phase adult and 1 dark Harlan's type) Cedar Waxwing (5+) flyovers The Feedlot Pond, in addition to the scaup, had a good assortment of waterfowl including both white-cheeked geese, American Wigeons, Northern Pintails, Mallards, Common Mergansers, Northern Shovelers, Common Goldeneyes, a few Green-winged Teal, and a few American Coots. No gulls, no Wood Ducks. [A few days ago I saw a hybrid Mallard X American Black Duck here.] There has been some turnover at this pond and it is worth monitoring (it has had Barrow's Goldeneye, Greater White-fronted Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, a hybrid teal with what appeared to be some % of Baikal in it, and the White-winged Scoter of a few years ago was very nearby (next pond south, presently frozen). On occasion Bald Eagles also like to give the waterfowl a death stare here.] Total of 35 spp. Dave Leatherman Fort Collins -- 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.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
