On this morning's Waterfowl Count at South Platte Park, ducks were few and far between. Our group was assigned a section of the river south of the Nature Center and we probably encountered no more than 30 ducks on our walk along the east bank; buffleheads, common goldeneyes, mallards and lesser scaup were the primary representatives.
However, as we rounded a curve east of Redtail Lake, I caught site of a plump, gray bird, bobbing on a log near the bank and intermittently plunging into the adjacent rapids. It was an American dipper, common along mountain streams and in nearby canyons but far less common on the Colorado Piedmont. This winter, however, a small number have turned up along the river in and near South Platte Park.
Favoring clear, fast-flowing streams, dippers feed on a variety of aquatic invertebrates in addition to fish eggs and minnows. Their nest is placed beneath a rock ledge or man-made bridge, close enough to receive spray from waterfalls or rapids; twigs and moss are used to construct the dome-shaped structure. The winter visitors to South Platte Park will likely return to the foothills or mountains to nest but, if the river continues to run high, they might just stick around.
However, as we rounded a curve east of Redtail Lake, I caught site of a plump, gray bird, bobbing on a log near the bank and intermittently plunging into the adjacent rapids. It was an American dipper, common along mountain streams and in nearby canyons but far less common on the Colorado Piedmont. This winter, however, a small number have turned up along the river in and near South Platte Park.
Favoring clear, fast-flowing streams, dippers feed on a variety of aquatic invertebrates in addition to fish eggs and minnows. Their nest is placed beneath a rock ledge or man-made bridge, close enough to receive spray from waterfalls or rapids; twigs and moss are used to construct the dome-shaped structure. The winter visitors to South Platte Park will likely return to the foothills or mountains to nest but, if the river continues to run high, they might just stick around.
