Morning Birding Species List | December 5, 2017

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Tuesday, December 5, 2017, 8:30AM – 11:30AM
Weather: clear and cold.
Location: Hallam Lake, and Hunter Creek Trail

Species Identified
Canada Goose Mallard Eurasian Collared-Dove Steller’s Jay Black-billed Magpie American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Mountain Chickadee White-breasted Nuthatch Red-creasted Nuthatch American Dipper House Finch

Comments: 

A sudden cold snap and small snowfall preceded today’s outing, giving us a truly wintery day. Birds were moderately active, with chickadees foraging and hiding food items, dippers feeding on trout eggs from recent spawning activitiy (brown and brook trout), king fishers fishing in Hallam Lake and adjacent channels, and Steller’s Jays active among the conifers. Mallards were observed doing their characteristic head-pumping, a ritualized behavior that is among their breeding behavior repertoire. Other special highlights were: discovering a new beaver lodge and large food cache in the Hallam Lake Preserve in a great location for observation with future groups, and a pine marten on the move along lower Hunter Creek. Join us for the Aspen Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, December 17th, and again in 2018 for Morning Birding on the first Tuesday of each month through April!

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide 

Photo by Dale Armstrong