I've taken down all my feeders except the suet and thistle ones because large flocks of red winged blackbirds were taking over, chasing all the other birds away. However, I'm really enjoying the small flocks of Goldfinches. The males are in full breeding color now. Some other species visiting are Downy Woodpeckers, Flickers, Blue Jays, nuthatches, chickadees, and of course the Eur. Collared Doves. I haven't seen any Mourning Doves in years around here. One day a few weeks ago, I had what appeared to be a male Downey Woodpecker, looked pretty much like them, but almost twice as large. I couldn't identify what kind it was. The Pelicans showed up on the lake the day after Mead stocked it about two weeks ago, maybe three. Also lots of Canada Geese. Saw an Osprey fishing on Highland Lake two days ago. One thing that has really been absent this year around the lake are the Bald Eagles. Haven't seen a one and I usually see several in March and April. Nothing else really unusual, but then I haven't been outside a lot lately to look.
They are filling Highland Lake right now, so the water is rising pretty fast. Since the Town of Mead took over, the western shore hasn't been mowed or maintained, so it is going back to nature. The reservoir company has blocked off vehicle access to that part of the lake so only foot traffic is now allowed. Parts of the western shore, especially where the springs are, has never been tilled. Lots of trees and swampy in places. Makes me wonder if that won't attract more species of birds now. Highland Lake is now publicly owned by the Town of Mead (recreation and surface rights), so no longer private. At the Highlandlake Pioneer Cemetery there has been an injured, male red shafted flicker there since early last fall. It can't fly but a few feet off the ground, and then only for a short distance, but can run fast and climb trees even faster. I was out at the cemetery last week before the Easter storm and there he was. He made it through the winter. Pauli Smith Highlandlake/Mead in Weld County -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CY4PR07MB34626D8A6E6F053F439617EEDFD90%40CY4PR07MB3462.namprd07.prod.outlook.com.
