Walking along the South Platte River early this morning, I encountered a relatively small number and variety of birds. Almost all were common, permanent residents of the Front Range urban corridor.
A rewarding exception was the presence of two Wilson's warblers, flitting about the riverside shrubs in search of insects. Very small and active, this species breeds and summers high in the mountains, often along alpine lakes near timberline. The pair that I observed this morning are likely on their way to Mexico for the colder months, though some migrate only to the Gulf Coast or to southernmost California.
On this cloudy, cool morning, they seemed to be in no hurry to head south, apparently finding plenty of sustenance in the shrubbery. I watched them from a bench for twenty minutes or so and then moved on to enjoy my own breakfast.
