North Star Morning Birding Species List

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Monday, July 20, 2020, 7:30 AM – 10:30AM
Weather: Mostly sunny
Location: North Star Nature Preserve

Species Identified:

Canada Goose
Mallard
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Wilson’s Snipe
Great Blue Heron
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-naped Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Downy Woodpecker
Western Wood-Pewee
Cordilleran Flycatcher
Warbling Vireo
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
American Dipper
Mountain Bluebird
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
Pine Siskin
House Finch
Lark Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
MacGillivray’s Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Western Tanager

Comments:

 

This outing was a special chance to bird and explore on the south side of the river at North Star Nature Preserve, the vast, wildlife-only portion of the preserve where human access is limited to guided field trips organized through a partnership between Pitkin County Open Space and ACES.  We began with yellow warblers, song sparrows, and a dipper along the river and a corridor of willows and cottonwoods.  We spotted a lark sparrow foraging on the bare ground of the two-track trail as we walked toward the foot of Aspen Mountain; this bird was likely dispersing and preparing for its upcoming migration.  In the alluvial fan aspen grove, we watched a family of Red-naped sapsuckers, tree swallows feeding nestlings at their nesting cavity and families of mountain bluebirds and house wrens.  We saw an interesting marsh bird, but it disappeared into the tall sedges before we were able to identify it.  We also watched as broad-tailed hummingbirds foraged among paintbrushes and other wildflowers.  Join us for the next North Star birding outing on August 27th!

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide

Photo by Dale Armstrong