April is bowing out with snow along the Colorado Front Range, not an unusual occurrence. Arriving last evening, the upslope storm left only an inch or two of snow across Metro Denver, coating the lawns and trees by daybreak.
Heading down to South Platte Park, I found that the wildlife was generally unfazed by the chilly air and wintry landscape. Exceptions were the large flocks of violet-green swallows that strafed the river or huddled in trees along the shores of Eaglewatch Lake; just back from the Tropics, I'm sure they were dismayed to find that the cold weather had stunned and grounded their prey. Other birds were as active as ever, perhaps even invigorated by the chill; an osprey tore apart a fish atop a power pole, a mixed flock of cormorants and mergansers dove for their morning meal and a host of songbirds (chickadees, yellow-rumped warbers, house wrens, woodpeckers) gleaned lethargic insects from the shrubs and trees. Even a pair of broad-tailed hummingbirds, seemingly out of place in the wintry landscape, chased one another through a lakeside woodland.
Thanks to the high April sun and despite the gray overcast, the snow was gone by noon and the look (if not the feel) of spring has returned. Alas, another round of light snow may fall tonight but a rapid warmup is expected by the weekend when summer-like conditions will envelop the urban corridor. Such is spring in Colorado.
Heading down to South Platte Park, I found that the wildlife was generally unfazed by the chilly air and wintry landscape. Exceptions were the large flocks of violet-green swallows that strafed the river or huddled in trees along the shores of Eaglewatch Lake; just back from the Tropics, I'm sure they were dismayed to find that the cold weather had stunned and grounded their prey. Other birds were as active as ever, perhaps even invigorated by the chill; an osprey tore apart a fish atop a power pole, a mixed flock of cormorants and mergansers dove for their morning meal and a host of songbirds (chickadees, yellow-rumped warbers, house wrens, woodpeckers) gleaned lethargic insects from the shrubs and trees. Even a pair of broad-tailed hummingbirds, seemingly out of place in the wintry landscape, chased one another through a lakeside woodland.
Thanks to the high April sun and despite the gray overcast, the snow was gone by noon and the look (if not the feel) of spring has returned. Alas, another round of light snow may fall tonight but a rapid warmup is expected by the weekend when summer-like conditions will envelop the urban corridor. Such is spring in Colorado.
