I have a not-quite-annual tradition of conducting an informal winter bird count in a portion of my local birding circle. Yesterday, I went out around Greenwood Village, Cherry Hills Village, and Centennial in Arapahoe County, the northeast portion of that circle. Geoff Stacks joined me for several stops.
All told, I found 38 species, about par for the course. Highlights included…Eastern Screech Owls, with one morning sighting and another dusk sighting. Both were rather remarkable -- the bird in morning emerged from a cavity as I stood around and watched angry chickadees, the one in the evening flew to a low perch along the High Line Canal Trail as I walked by. That one let me sit and watch him or her for some time. Also along the Canal from about Three Ponds Park to Kent Denver: two Brown Creepers and a White-throated Sparrow. Twenty-nine Spotted Towhees – and probably far more had I exclusively surveyed for them. A Sharp-shinned Hawk. Lots of Raccoon eyeshine during owling. It was way too warm out. And yet there was very little open water. Not a whole lot of ducks. None of the uncommon geese. Relatively few robins and only one Cedar Waxwing. (Last year, this portion of Arapahoe County was one of the epicenters of Bohemians.) Very little fruit on Russian Olives and area junipers. Full details, with photos of the owls and one of the creepers, on my blog <https://lonesomewhippoorwill.com/2023/12/07/and-then-the-screech-owls/>. For what it's worth -- I took a break mid-day to finish an article I wrote for *The Conversation* about the American Ornithological Society's decision to change names. It was posted this morning, and you can read it here <https://theconversation.com/why-dozens-of-north-american-bird-species-are-getting-new-names-every-name-tells-a-story-217886>. (But please share any feedback directly with me, not to the group at large.) In it, I share a bit about my research into the Whip-poor-will's name, as well as some of my thoughts (as a sociologist, which I am, not an ornithologist, which I'm not) on the decision. - Jared Del Rosso Centennial, CO -- -- 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] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en * All posts should be signed with the poster's full name and city. Include bird species and location in the subject line when appropriate * Join Colorado Field Ornithologists https://cobirds.org/CFO/Membership/ --- 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/1c242775-aea7-42d1-9f60-d086975fba22n%40googlegroups.com.
