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An unexpectedly great morning that ended with an American Bittern!

4 May 2021

Please consider a pledge or donation to support the Joe Roller Memorial Research Grant! Click the link (scroll to the bottom). All funds support bird research in Colorado. We are getting closer to raising $30,000 to support the next generation of ornithologists (once I get to 250 species). Thank you!
https://cobirds.org/CFO/Grants/

What a day today turned out to be. I had planned to visit Chatfield State Park (again) for shorebirds/terns and Platte Canyon Reservoir to look for a Palm Warbler that was found the previous day. Joey Kellner had scouted a couple spots at Chatfield before I even left the house and said he'd meet me at Platte Canyon and we'd look for the Palm. 

I met Joey just about on time and we had a great hour or so walking the Highline Canal at Platte Canyon Reservoir. I got a few expected Green Big Year birds, like Black-chinned Hummingbird, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, and Virginia's Warbler. A pair of Eastern Phoebe are setting up to nest here and both birds of this pair look like pure Eastern's, in contrast to the pair that nested here last year, which were both black x eastern hybrids.

We were about to give up on the Palm Warbler when I hear chips notes that had me curious. It was the Palm Warbler! Not the rarest bird here, as several show up every spring and fall, but certainly a nice bird to check off the list early. This is one worth chasing down.

We decide to meet at the sand spit at Chatfield for shorebirds and terns. There's no easy/fast/direct way to get there by car or bike from our location. Joey offers to take my heavy backpack so I can ride lighter, and he heads off for a little walk to his car and I start riding. Amazingly, I beat Joey there by 2 minutes. He must have stopped to bird for a while, maybe took a nap, and gotten breakfast too! Just kidding. Timing worked out well, but I might tease him a little about this for a while.

We walk out the sand spit after visiting with other birders. Almost immediately Joey calls out "BLACK TERN"! Black Tern wasn't even on my radar for today. I was hoping for a Forster's Tern or two. The Black Tern landed on a small log WAY across the reservoir and stayed put for a while. Black Terns are not super rare in spring, but this is early for one. There were no reports last spring, so this was a nice score. I had planned to make more trips to Chatfield in fall looking for Black Terns, so I was very pleased. After we get a good look at the tern through Joey's scope and I snag a couple poor digiscoped photos (below), I scan with binocs and find a Forster's Tern! Total success on the morning by getting all my target birds and then some!  

                                        
                                                Black Tern (WAY OUT THERE)

I head for home and make one more stop at a favorite place of mine at the park. I scanned the reservoir and didn't find much of note, other than another Forster's Tern. I walked past a small marshy spot and an AMERICAN BITTERN flushed! Luckily the bird perched up on the cattails for several minutes. Unfortunately Joey wasn't able to come over and see the bird. I don't think the bird was seen again. 

American Bitterns likely occur annually, but are not found in the Denver area frequently. One was at a state park about 17 miles east of my house the previous week, but I never got a chance to chase. This is a "code 5" on my list and huge green year bird and quite a nice surprise. This was also only my second Am. Bittern in the state. I really enjoy being out birding by bike and sometimes finding my own rarities. Spring has been good.

American Bittern!

Green Big Year species list: 181 (as of May 4)
Miles ridden: 888 miles (as of May 4)
# 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: 14
2021 Joe Roller Memorial Green Big Year Species List

Marina Sand Spit (which as of this writing, 10 May, is completely underwater)



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