Just downstream from South Platte Park, where the river has not been "restored" (channelized for fish), the South Platte flows through braided channels, broken by sandbars and marshes. This morning, I wandered along 1.5 miles of that attractive ecosystem and was rewarded with a fine diversity of wildlife.
Among the birds were three seasonal firsts: a black-crowned night heron, three snowy egrets and a dozen or more cliff swallows. Other avian highlights included a large number of blue-winged and cinnamon teal, two American avocets, a couple Say's phoebes, several great blue herons and the usual mix of raptors. A coyote hunted along the opposite bank and a muskrat plied a calm stretch of the river.
This morning's walk was both a pleasant change from my usual birding route (within the Park) and a nostalgic return to the "old South Platte." The wildlife seemed to share my preference for a more natural ecosystem, however hemmed in it might be by human development. See Restoring the South Platte.
Among the birds were three seasonal firsts: a black-crowned night heron, three snowy egrets and a dozen or more cliff swallows. Other avian highlights included a large number of blue-winged and cinnamon teal, two American avocets, a couple Say's phoebes, several great blue herons and the usual mix of raptors. A coyote hunted along the opposite bank and a muskrat plied a calm stretch of the river.
This morning's walk was both a pleasant change from my usual birding route (within the Park) and a nostalgic return to the "old South Platte." The wildlife seemed to share my preference for a more natural ecosystem, however hemmed in it might be by human development. See Restoring the South Platte.
