On this raw April morning in the South Platte Valley, with a dusting of snow on the ground and the air temperature hovering near 30 degrees F, there was an excellent diversity of birdlife along the river. While the number and variety of ducks continues to decrease, the cold conditions had drawn flocks of insectivores to the relatively warm waters of the South Platte.
Red-winged blackbirds, American robins, European starlings and common grackles were most abundant, noisily scouring the banks and even hunting from rocks and logs that poke above the shallows. Joining them were killdeer, Say's phoebes and yellow-rumped warblers while squadrons of tree and violet-green swallows strafed the river's surface. Adding to the avian diversity were belted kingfishers, double-crested cormorants, black-billed magpies, northern flickers and a lone osprey, among other common species.
Novice birders tend to avoid excursions on foul weather days but such conditions often augment the activity of their quarry. This morning, the chilly air sent many regional birds to the relative warmth of the South Platte River and those of us who ventured down there were rewarded as well.
Red-winged blackbirds, American robins, European starlings and common grackles were most abundant, noisily scouring the banks and even hunting from rocks and logs that poke above the shallows. Joining them were killdeer, Say's phoebes and yellow-rumped warblers while squadrons of tree and violet-green swallows strafed the river's surface. Adding to the avian diversity were belted kingfishers, double-crested cormorants, black-billed magpies, northern flickers and a lone osprey, among other common species.
Novice birders tend to avoid excursions on foul weather days but such conditions often augment the activity of their quarry. This morning, the chilly air sent many regional birds to the relative warmth of the South Platte River and those of us who ventured down there were rewarded as well.
