Oh, so sweet shorebirds

29 April 2021

Time is short, birds are a plenty. So just a quick post.

I decided to ride to Chatfield State Park and scope Plum Creek Delta for shorebirds. I wasn't chasing any birds, just going out to see what I could find. I chose wisely. The weather was perfect. The wind was calm. The birds showed up. I got lucky. I ended up seeing 11 species of shorebird at Plum Creek, 3 were birds I needed for the year (Western Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, and Semipalmated Plover, which is a favorite of mine). While I was standing there watching as birds were coming and going, 7 White-faced Ibis flew in. This was a big target for me as they show up regularly, but don't stick around. Later an 8th flew around over the woods to the south (upstream) and the 7 took off and disappeared down into the woods in the delta.
My eBird list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S86649037

I slowly birded around Chatfield and didn't come up with much. I headed home but decided I felt good, so I went into Littleton proper and got the Clark's Grebe at Ketring Park (thanks to my friends for intel!). It was showing off to a Western Grebe. This is how confusing hybrids are made. Ha!

Plum Creek Delta

Loaner tripod. I figured out how to make it more stable (a Clif bar stuck under the mount!).

Semipalmated Plover

White-faced Ibis with Long-billed Dowitchers in the back

Myron Gerhard took this photo of me digiscoping the ibis. It looks like I was close to the birds, but I was not. I stayed pretty still and they didn't flush. They eventually flew off on their own.

Please consider a pledge or donation support the Joe Roller Memorial Research Grant! Click the link (scroll to the bottom). All funds support bird research in Colorado. Thank you!

https://cobirds.org/CFO/Grants/

Green Big Year species list: 171 (as of Apr 29)
Miles ridden: 836 miles (as of Apr 29)
# of rides with a frozen water bottle and broken shifter: 1
# of dropped water bottles at stop lights: 1
# of trips to Chatfield State Park: 13
2021 Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year Species List

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Tis the end of the Green Year

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Introducing the 2021 Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year

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I've been able to take advantage of dry roads and nice weather lately. I had a couple very successful adventures in the last week and picked up some green avian targets for the year. January 20, 2021 A Harris's Sparrow was frequenting a private residence in Littleton (JeffCo) and despite arriving in the early afternoon, to find no birds anywhere, a flock of White-crowned Sparrows showed up a few minutes later and the Harris's popped up! Talk about luck! I also had taken my camera (a first for a bike ride) and lucked out with a couple decent photos for the blog! A sharp looking Harris's Sparrow! Harris's Sparrow (Green year bird #75) With the grand luck on the Harris's Sparrow, I decided to swing by the ball fields at Kipling and 285 (still in Litteton) to see if there were any Snow Geese around. Not a goose to be found, so I kept going north to Bear Creek Greenbelt to look for either of Winter Wrens that had recently been found between S Estes St and S. Kipling ...

Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year

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