Cherry Creek State Park

Freezing our fingers off looking at the lake.

The adult Bald Eagle that flew over us and it tried to take the fish from the immature 

Today's high was forecasted at 20 degrees Fahrenheit, but that didn't keep 11 hardy birders from enjoying the morning. It was a cold breezy four hours but we managed to see 18 species! and a sleeping raccoon. The highpoint was when a big long-necked white bird flew over us. a Swan! We could not determine the species in the brief time we saw it, but it was quite the lovely sight. Birds don't  have to be identified to be enjoyed. Several Bald Eagles were flying around the lake as well giving everyone a good chance to observe some interesting social behavior between and adult and an immature. The adult was chasing the immature in hopes of taking its fish.
Swan Species (fly over) 1
Canada Goose 34+
Mallard 1
Lesser Scaup 5

Hooded Merganser 2
Bald Eagle 4 (3 adults one juvenile)
Red-tailed Hawk 1
-Harlan's Hawk 1
American Kestrel
American Coot 1
Killdeer 3
Gull Species 200+
-Herring Gull
-Ring-billed Gull
-California Gull
Northern Flicker 8
Black-billed Magpie 2
Black-capped Chickadee 1
American Tree Sparrow 1

Red-winged Blackbird 1

-Megan Miller

South Platte Park

Male and a female American Wigeon

Yesterday morning after class I went over to South Platte Park to look for some winter ducks. I managed to find 31 species total. The Common Mergansers, gulls, Cackling and Canada Geese where all found on Cooley Lake.

1 Snow Goose

Male American Wigeon

10 Cackling Geese
300 Canada Geese
15 Gadwall
100 American Wigeon
15 Mallard
25 Northern Shoveler
2 Northern Pintail
20 Redhead
15 Ring-necked Duck
10 Buffleheads
4 Common Goldeneye
10 Hooded Mergansers
50 Common Mergansers
2 Pied-billed Grebes
2 Western Grebes
1 Bald Eagle
3 Red-tailed hawk
1 Unidentified dark morph raptor.
20 American Coot
10 Ring-billed Gulls
4 Belted Kingfisher
5 Northern Flicker
6 Black-billed Magpies
10 American Crows
4 Black-capped Chickadees
10 European Starlings
4 American Tree Sparrows
5 Song Sparrow
5 Red-winged Blackbirds
4 House Finches

-Megan

My Backyard 1/17/12

This morning I was putting out some Perfect Patio seed blend on my deck railing and under our picnic table for the little Juncos after our snow last night andto my delight on my suet cage was a beautiful Hairy Woodpecker! He continued to eat his breakfast as I went along my morning business of filling the feeders, putting out fresh water and feeding the squirrels. I watched him from the kitchen window as the Juncos, Goldfinches, and House Finches flew in to eat the seed I had put out for them. After he was done, he flew up into the tree and wiped his bill clean of the insect suet he had enjoyed. He hopped higher up up the tree and out of sight so I didn't
get to see him fly away, but it certainly was a nice start to my day.