Tuesday Birding at Hallam Lake 7/11/23

This was an extraordinary morning with lots of exciting nesting birds! We started with a session at the Hallam Lake Osprey nest and discovered that there are two chicks! A parent flew in with a fish while we watched, and we could hear begging calls as the nestlings reached up to receive food. Spotted Sandpiper chicks were our next highlight, as they foraged in the new wetlands and streams between the upper and main ponds. Next, as we approached a viewing spot for the Heron nests, two chicks took flight, leaving one sibling in their nest. We discussed the possibility of this being the first flight for those two Heron chicks, and upon researching later, learned that fledgling Herons sometimes return to the nest over a period of a couple weeks after their first flight to be fed by their parents. It was a thrill to see these young Herons starting to venture out of the nest! In Jenny Adair Park, we turned around due to a bull moose foraging in the willows by our trail, and moved to view him safely from the Rio Grande Trail. At the Roaring Fork River, we missed seeing dippers, but got to see their nest that was used earlier this season. Over the river, we saw Tree Swallows nesting in a cavity about two feet above another cavity that pygmy nuthatches were using. We were able to watch these birds come and go from their nesting cavities in the scope. The session ended with a Western Flycatcher foraging at close range for great views of its hawking behavior and field marks. Join us tomorrow for a birding field trip to ACES’ Riverdance property in Castle Creek!