An extended period of mild weather along the Front Range has finally taken a toll on the ice-covered lakes and open water is attracting waterfowl from the South Platte River where they have spent the winter. This local shift will soon be followed by an influx of migrants from the south.
Throughout this month, wintering ducks will be joined by horned and pied-billed grebes, common loons and the first wave of double-crested cormorants; American white pelicans, western grebes and summer ducks (such as cinnamon and blue-winged teal) usually arrive by April. Canada geese, abundant here in winter, decrease throughout March as many return to breeding grounds on the Northern Plains.
Periods of snow and chilly weather will persist through April (and possibly into May) but the parade of seasonal travelers will continue. Winter ducks and spring migrants often linger into April but, by the end of that month, permanent and summer residents will dominate the scene.
