Greetings - Yesterday (Friday) morning I ventured up to the Platte River in Adams County for a brief walk before heading to work. I parked at 78th Ave/Steele Street and headed north to the now-famous turquoise and white tank where I along with another birder relocated the four Barrow's Goldeneyes (3 males, 1 female). I walked all the way down to I-76, but was unable to locate the Rusty Blackbirds that had been in the area previously. The other birds seen were all of the expected variety (lots of ducks).
Today (Saturday), Jeff and I revisited the Platte; parking just north of I-270. First we headed south where we quickly found the eight Rusty Blackbirds between I-270 and the outflow from the "effluent plant". They were quite cooperative and flew into a nearby tree where we could see both the light colored eyes and the extensive oxidation which contributes to their name. We then wandered north to 78th Avenue. The river was packed with the more common waterfowl. Of note was at least one Greater Scaup who spent some time with a couple of his "lesser" cousins allowing for good comparisons of size and structure, a couple of Ruddy Ducks, five Double-crested Cormorants, a couple of Killdeer. At least one adult and one juvenal Bald Eagle as well as a Rough-legged Hawk cruised by. A beautiful January day to be out and about. Good birding, Kathy Mihm Dunning Denver -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
