So many Common Nighthawks have been moving through or spending a few days feeding in the Centennial / Greenwood Village area (Arapahoe). I've been able to stand under flocks of 8-10 as they feed relatively low (though not ground level). Other birders are reporting similar things.
I've also seen a bird perched on top of a local shopping center. I didn't have my camera and upon my return with it, the bird was gone. Interestingly, the bird was rather alert -- looking around -- rather than in the more familiar, day time napping position. Perhaps owing to all the ravens and magpies in the area? - Jared On Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at 4:07:32 PM UTC-6 [email protected] wrote: > This summer, some local birders and I attempted to document non-migratory > nighthawks in west Centennial (Arapahoe County). Why? Because. (Because I > heart this bird, because eBird doesn't contain many late-June through > mid-July reports of the bird in west Centennial, because this bird's > population means so much about the health of our world and the things we > line our building tops with.) > > Migratory sightings in late-May and June abounded, but on June 15 > sightings got quiet. To be sure, none of us were systematically surveying > for the birds, but we went over a month with a nighthawk sighting. On July > 22, another local birder and I separately observed a trio of birds in the > area. Happily, they weren't flying southward and they were small enough in > number to be a family unit. (Nighthawks have up to two eggs, tops, I've > read.) They were heading west when I saw them. But who knows from where > they came or to where they went. > > A week later, and we're already amid southward migration for this bird. > (Already? Yes, it appears so.) I've had solitary, southward fliers over my > home twice in the last week. On Sunday, I spotted a flock of 30+ birds > actively feeding over Orchard Rd, between University Ave and Broadway. This > isn't the biggest flock I've seen, but it's the biggest Denver-metro area > flock I've seen. And it's the first flock I've had the good fortune of > standing beneath while they fed over homes, rather than simply passed > above. I was with my dogs and wife, so the viewing time was short, but it > was a special thing. The birds seemed to be making these long passes over > the neighborhood we were in. From a distance, you might have taken them as > gulls riding a thermal, but their paths weren't nearly so neat or thermal > shaped. This was well before dusk, around 7:15, I think. I wish I could > have stayed until they disappeared. Next time... > > - 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/7815af41-a304-4d99-bbd3-49ccb0d5ddcen%40googlegroups.com.
