Morning Birding Species List | September 4, 2018

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Tuesday, September 4, 2018, 8AM – 11AM
Weather: Mostly sunny
Location: Hallam Lake and Difficult Creek Trail

Species Identified

Mallard Hummingbird species Red-tailed Hawk Belted Kingfisher Downy Woodpecker Red-naped Sapsucker Northern Flicker Olive-sided Flycatcher Western Wood-Pewee Flycatcher species Warbling Vireo Steller’s Jay Black-billed Magpie American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Mountain Chickadee White-breasted Nuthatch American Dipper American Robin Cedar Waxwing House Finch Pine Siskin Green-tailed Towhee Chipping Sparrow Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Wilson’s Warbler Yellow Warbler

Comments:

On this outing we enjoyed seeing classic fall patterns among birds as the first yellow leaves are turning and the peaks are dusted with new snow. Wilson’s Warblers were common in deciduous foliage, especially willows, in the montane elevations including Aspen and the surrounding valley floor landscape.  Shrublands and wildflower patches where foods are abundant were bustling with warblers, vireos, finches, and other songbirds that are fueling migratory journeys. Cedar Waxwings were gathered into large flocks. We were excited to see two American Dippers at the confluence of Hunter Creek and the Roaring Fork River, after not seeing many in the vicinity for most of the summer. At Difficult Trail, we were treated to watching an adult female Red-naped Sapsucker at very close range. It was oblivious to our group as it clung to the bark of a cottonwood only 6 feet away from us, eating every single ant that came within range. A juvenile and an adult male were foraging in the area, providing a chance for the group to see all of their distinctive field marks. The outing was capped off by a Green-tailed Towhee. Join us next Tuesday at Hallam Lake for more exciting fall birding!

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide 

 

Photo by Dale Armstrong