Morning Birding at Hallam Lake Species List

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Wednesday, June 29, 2021 6:30am-9:30am
Weather: Mostly sunny
Location: Hallam Lake

Comments: 

 

Nestlings and fledglings were today’s theme, with so many young birds as part of our birding experience! We began with fledged black-capped chickadees on the trail up to the Red Brick Center where we set up the scope in a spot with great sight lines to the osprey nest. The chick was visible at first, but then nestled down into the nest and kept out of view. Both adult ospreys were attentive and active, and later we were able to see an adult catch a fish out of the lake. We saw and heard many yellow warblers, cedar waxwings, tree swallows, red-winged blackbirds, and house wrens around nesting sites and singing on territories. The three great blue heron chicks in the nest above the lake are looking crowded as they’ve grown to nearly adult size and look as if ready to fledge in the next week or so. We observed wing-fluttering (a begging behavior of fledglings) by chickadees and dippers. Another highlight was a female hummingbird chasing a squirrel – likely trying to prevent it from preying on the hummingbird’s eggs or nestlings. The outing ended with an outstanding view of an adult dipper foraging in the river and bringing food to a fledgling on the river rocks. It was fascinating to watch the young dipper testing out getting into the water and attempting to find food. Join us on Thursday for a birding hike through the burn area on Basalt Mountain where we will focus on wildfire ecology and birds!

Species List: 

Canada Goose
Mallard
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Great Blue Heron
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Western Wood-Pewee
American Crow
Black-billed Magpie
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
American Dipper
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Finch
Song Sparrow 
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Yellow Warbler

 

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide

Photo by Dale Armstrong