Trip Report for Saturday April 16, 2011, Lake Minnequa
Report submitted by Mark Yaeger, Clif and Pearle Sandstrom-Smith
 
The day was cool but sunny and the wind was down for a change, making a very pleasant morning for birdwatching.  Some of the 20 participants were Judy Bean, Leon Bright, Mary and Richard Tucey, Margie Joy, Monica ?, Mark and Barb Yaeger, Harry Rurup, Clif and Pearle and at least 6 CSU-Pueblo ornithology students.  The group enjoyed a walk around this new park, stopping to scan the water and surrounding cattail marshes.
 
Sightings included:
Mourning Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove
House Finch
House Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
American Robin
European Starling
Common Grackle
Great-tailed Grackle
Western Meadowlark
Blue Jay
Pied-billed Grebe
Clark's Grebe
Western Grebe
Eared Grebe
American Coot
Franklin Gull
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Canada Goose
Mallard
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Gadwall
American Widgeon
Killdeer
American Crow
American Kestrel - mating pair
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Say's Phoebe
Northern Flicker
Barn Swallow
Turkey Vulture
Marsh Wren
Swainson's Hawk 

 

FIELD TRIP REPORT FOR NATURE CENTER BIRDWALK

Saturday, April 23, 2011 submitted by Leon Bright

On a chilly, gray morning fourteen people gathered at the Nature and Raptor Center of Pueblo to see if spring migration was in evidence yet. Among the group were a good number of CSU-P students enrolled in this semester’s ornithology class, three residents of Penrose and two from Pueblo West.

While few migrants were noted, 29 species presented themselves during the two-hour outing. Most interesting were a small flock of White-faced Ibises that flew over and an Osprey, just returned from northern South America. While the species count wasn’t very high, they did represent 18 of the 35 groups listed in AVAS’s Checklist of Pueblo Area Birds. Thanks to Mary and Richard Tucey and to Harry Rurup who helped neophytes spot and identify the following:

Wood Duck

Gadwall

Mallard

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

White-faced Ibis

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Red-tailed Hawk

Rock Pigeon

Eurasian Collared-Dove

Mourning Dove

Great Horned Owl

Northern Flicker

Violet-green Swallow

Cliff Swallow

Barn Swallow

White-breasted Nuthatch

Rock Wren

American Robin

European Starling

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Canyon Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

House Finch

House Sparrow