Morning Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch 5/17/22

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Tuesday, May 17, 2022, 7am-10am
Weather: Mostly Sunny
Location: Hallam Lake

Spring fledglings were a delightful highlight today, including many families of Canada geese and mallards, and a wonderful viewing of an adult great horned owl with a fledgling resting in a large willow tree. We also observed active nest-building by pairs of Say’s phoebes, red-winged blackbirds, and magpies. The phoebes were carrying tufts of sheep’s wool to add to their mud cup nest on a light fixture. Other vigorous singing, posturing, drumming, and courtship behaviors were seen by red-winged blackbirds, tree swallows, downy woodpeckers, western kingbirds, and Lewis’s woodpeckers. The excitement of breeding season birding will continue to build as more migratory species arrive and begin nesting activities. Join us for our next birding outing!

Species List: 

Canada Goose
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Killdeer
Wilson’s Snipe
Turkey Vulture
Golden Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Great Horned Owl
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Red-naped Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Western Kingbird
Say’s Phoebe
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
House Wren
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Black-headed Grosbeak

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide

Featured photo: Gray Catbird