Morning Birding Species List | May 2, 2017

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Tuesday, May 2, 2017, 6:30AM – 9:30AM
Weather: overcast
Location: Hallam Lake and Sunnyside Trail

Species Identified
Canada Goose Mallard Cooper’s Hawk American Coot Eurasian Collared-Dove Broad-tailed Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Steller’s Jay Black-billed Magpie American Crow Violet-green Swallow Black-capped Chickadee		Mountain Chickadee Brown Creeper Ruby-crowned Kinglet Townsend’s Solitaire American Robin Yellow Warbler (pictured above) Spotted Towhee Song Sparrow Fox Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Pine Siskin American Goldfinch Evening Grosbeak

Comments:

After a spell of spring snow and overcast, chilly weather, a break in precipitation brought out many birds at Hallam Lake, but activity was still a bit subdued in the mountain shrubland habitat along Sunnyside Trail. With foliage just beginning to pop out on trees and shrubs, visibility of birds was excellent. The dawn chorus has additional singers every morning with more individuals and more species arriving to stay or pause en route to breeding grounds further away. Highlights today include many great looks at Ruby-crowned Kinglets, possibly the first Yellow Warbler at Hallam Lake, a pair of Brown Creepers, and the satisfaction of finding a Fox Sparrow singing at close range but blending in very well with its surroundings. A Cooper’s Hawk allowed us an excellent study, with mobbing Magpies and Steller’s Jay providing size comparisons. A pair of Canada Geese were resting prominently on top of a rock outcrop at Gold Butte.

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide 

 

Photo by Dale Armstrong