Yesterday I drove down to check out the La Junta area reservoirs. On my way I spotted a dark phase Harlan's Hawk, the first I have seen this season, and a pair of adult Bald Eagles.
Lake Holbrook is still totally dry as no rains recently (and they will not fill it with irrigation water until the Winter Water Storage program begins in November) Lake Cheraw--water is very low (not an irrigation reservoir, it gets much of it's water from rain and since it is a modified playa it retains it well) so birds are very distant from viewing locations. I couldn't make out any shorebirds but could easily have been there and far away. Some ducks though not as many as usually. There was a small flock of 7 Sandhill Cranes using it for a migration stop-over. Two of them laid down fully on the ground--I have viewed thousands of these cranes but don't recall ever seeing them lay down. Lake Henry--water low (at least it keeps the many motorized boats and ski-do's off so birds are not harrassed). No shorebirds, mostly white-headed gulls with at least one Franklins, few American Pelicans on distant north shore, some waterfowl including hundreds of Western Grebes. A flock of Sandhill Cranes flew near but changed direction and went to another reservoir. Lake Meredith-also water low. This is where the American White Pelicans are currently located in this area with at least 1,500 in smaller groups around the lake. Ordway Reservoir--very low water. No fishermen (unusual) and few birds--Belted Kingfisher, 1 duck, a few doves. Ordway Feedlot Lagoons--this summer they used heavy equipment to fill in the lagoons adjacent to the road and direct the runoff from the feedlots to lagoons they dug further from the road and no longer very visible. Though there are usually hundreds of gulls flying around the feedlots, yesterday I saw none (very unusual) I have uploaded photos of the Harlan's Hawk and cranes onto my Birds and Nature blog. <http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com> SeEtta Moss Canon City Blogging for Birds and Blooms magazine @ http://birdsandbloomsblog.com/author/seetta-moss/ Personal blog @ BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com<http://birdsandnature.blogspot.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 https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
