Following a week of hot, stormy weather, a cold front dipped across the Front Range overnight, bringing cool, cloudy conditions to the region this morning. Down along the South Platte, insectivores had once again gathered to feast on their prey above and along the fast moving waters of that relatively warm stream.
Dominating the scene were hundreds of violet-green swallow, forced down from the foothills to join their rough-winged, barn and cliff cousins; the latter have been nesting beneath the Bowles Avenue bridge since early May. Other insectivores along the river were Say's phoebes, cedar waxwings, American robins, red-winged blackbirds, Bullock's orioles, common yellowthroats and yellow warblers. By this late date in spring, mallards and a few common mergansers were the only waterfowl on the South Platte though double-crested cormorants have become increasingly common.
Once the intense Colorado sun breaks through the overcast, afternoon temperatures will rise to near sixty (F) and a steady recovery toward more seasonable conditions is forecast for the coming week. On the positive side, the cool air should stabilize the atmosphere for a few days, temporarily suppressing the development of severe afternoon and evening thunderstorms.
Dominating the scene were hundreds of violet-green swallow, forced down from the foothills to join their rough-winged, barn and cliff cousins; the latter have been nesting beneath the Bowles Avenue bridge since early May. Other insectivores along the river were Say's phoebes, cedar waxwings, American robins, red-winged blackbirds, Bullock's orioles, common yellowthroats and yellow warblers. By this late date in spring, mallards and a few common mergansers were the only waterfowl on the South Platte though double-crested cormorants have become increasingly common.
Once the intense Colorado sun breaks through the overcast, afternoon temperatures will rise to near sixty (F) and a steady recovery toward more seasonable conditions is forecast for the coming week. On the positive side, the cool air should stabilize the atmosphere for a few days, temporarily suppressing the development of severe afternoon and evening thunderstorms.
