ACES Morning Birding at Hallam Lake 05/06/25

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Tuesday, May 6, 2025, 7:00-10:00am
Weather: Cold & Overcast
Location: Hallam Lake, Aspen, CO

This outing started with a hairy woodpecker over the parking lot, where we heard its squeaky calls and saw its head in profile to note the proportions that distinguish it from a downy woodpecker. We went to the Rio Grande Trail bridge at the Roaring Fork River to see the dipper nest, which was in place on a crosspiece, but missed seeing any adult dippers. At Hallam Lake, an osprey flew in with a wiggling fish and proceeded to eat it while we enjoyed watching the bird through the scope. Overhead, we focused on ruby-crowned kinglets and evening grosbeaks in the cottonwood canopy; and over the lake, we watched herons bringing nesting material to their nests and a belted kingfisher hunting over the water. A couple of ruby-crowned kinglets interacted with a third kinglet in a willow thicket at close range; as the third one flew in, the two males flared their red crown feathers, showing off this mostly-hidden feature which is used for visual communication. We were wowed by the bright color of red and their aggressive flights within the willow as they attempted to chase out and dominate over one versus the other. Today’s mini lesson focused on a board book called “Birding for Babies,” a board book using birds for the basis of learning “opposites” words, and a great way to introduce birds at a young age. Join us next on May 27th at Rock Bottom Ranch!

Species List:

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide