While checking on the closed Holcim Wetlands from the side of the county road last evening I spotted a TRICOLORED HERON fishing there. I was reluctant to post this rarity since Holcim Wetlands and their parking lot are closed indefinitely due to the breach of the bank by the high water in the river. But a non-birding friend told me they saw a couple of apparent birders looking at the wetlands with a spotting scope today and acting excited. So I want to make sure it is clear that any viewing of this rare bird will have to be done from the side of the county road that runs adjacent to the parking lot--and it will be a several hundred foot view so a spotting scope is pretty much required. I got one photo that shows the white belly, long neck including some view of the white foreneck that I have uploaded to my Birds and Nature blog <http://birdsandnature.blogspot.com/>. My camera outfit is the equivalent of around 900 mm that lets me get these long distance photos.
Be aware that Holcim Cement has a security staff and they take safety (and liability) quite seriously so trespassing would be considered a serious event. The river took out about 30 feet of bank which included a section of the trail as well as much of a small footbridge that used to go over the tailwater that returned the water further down a stream to the river. So Holcim Cement has closed the entire wetlands area and the parking lot indefinitely. I will work to see if some accommodation can be worked out to make the unsafe area off-bounds and allow entry to look for this TRICOLORED HERON (a species that has been at this location for a couple of past summers staying for a period of time so expect it will again) and the recently spotted Least Bittern, a species that has nested there several summers. In the meantime if someone just has to try for the TRICOLORED HERON, there is an area along CR120 near the parking lot entrance where vegetation has been trampled by trucks repairing the road. Please do not park in front of the locked parking lot gate as Holcim personnel may need to enter. And do be very careful as many trucks carrying rocks drive fast by here every day (with exception of Sundays when the number of trucks is reduced). SeEtta Moss Canon City http://BirdsAndNature.blogspot.com -- 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 cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAAUvckrNYwX-TPN6fehx5q2Qcr_rFYutrGkAA%3DSH60ZmOx3xUw%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
