I haven't had a chance to bird in earnest since late-June, but I've been delighted by the variety of yard & parking lot birds around Centennial (Arapahoe) & Highlands Ranch (Douglas). Recent highlights include...
*Centennial Yard Birds* *Regulars* - A pair of *Lesser Goldfinch* who are making daily visits to the sunflowers & catnip in my yard. I didn't see these birds nearly as often last summer, my first in Centennial. I think / hope the development of my flower garden between last year and this one has made a difference. The male occasionally sings; it seems like there may be some traces of flycatcher noises in that song, but I have a terrible ear. - A *Spotted Towhee *pair that seems to be arranging for a second brood (mating, halfheartedly examining nesting material). I believe they got one of their own out of their earlier nest, but lately they've been feeding a Brown-headed Cowbird. *Irregulars* - An adult male *Rufous Hummingbird*, which made infrequent visits to my feeders on July 15 & 17. - A flock of *Bushtit *(July 20), which made the only kind of visit Bushtit seem able to make -- a boisterous one, as they moved through the trees in my yard. This was the first (observed) visit of Bushtit to my yard since early-May. - An adult male *Western Tanager* (July 20), which arrived after the Bushtit left, foraging in my mangy elm trees. I was very surprised to see this bird today, but a cursory look at eBird shows several reports around west Arapahoe County this time of year. *Centennial & Highlands Ranch Parking Lot Birds* - A pair of *Brewer's Blackbirds* seemed, as of early-July, to be nesting at the Streets of Southglenn shopping center (Centennial [Arapahoe Co.]). During a walk around the shopping center earlier this month, I watched the male dive bomb a passerby, nearly sending the shopper to the sidewalk. - A pair of *Say's Phoebe*, which have been hanging around Peabody Elementary School (Centennial). I'm not sure that phoebes staked out a territory near this school last year, as I've been hearing distant phoebe calls from my yard far more often this year than last. (Then again, perhaps I just know the call better than I did last year.) - A pair of *Western Kingbirds* is aggressively defending a nest in the Target / Sprouts parking lot on the southern side of County Line Rd. (Highlands Ranch [Douglas Co.]). Along with the Streets of Southglenn lot, this is one of the "better" parking lots to bird in the area. Hawks are regulars, perhaps drawn to whatever the KFC draws to it. I've seen Bald Eagles around the lot as well. But I hadn't noticed the kingbirds until a trip there on Monday (July 17). There seemed to be a sound coming from the nest, so I think there may be young there now. As I left Target and headed to my car, I got to watch the kingbird pair drive off a magpie. I'm never seen a magpie flee anything as quickly as it did those two kingbirds. - Jared Del Rosso Centennial, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/44e84d47-c86e-49f8-aeca-76ab93c83713%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
