| Following is an account of the Introduction to Birding trip on Saturday, March 19. Many thanks to Brandon Percival, who posted the day's highlights to COBirds. The student turnout was not as expected, in part because yours truly wasn't careful to avoid Spring Break at the university when planning the trip. Something to remember next time! Thank you, Mark, for all you do to help AVAS in it's mission to attract and educate new birdwatchers. "The Arkansas Valley Audubon group led by Mark Yeager this morning, found two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in Pueblo City Park in Pueblo. A male and female, both first seen in trees near the building by the duck pond on the east side of the park, later there was one along the Frisbee golf course creek on the west side of the park in the junipers. I guess there could be three birds, though we saw two at the same time. The small flock of Pygmy Nuthatches that have been present all winter, were still around. We also saw a Black Phoebe along the Arkansas River, below Pueblo City Park, west of the footbridge. This is a different bird and area from the birds that have been at Valco Ponds recently." Ten birders participated - some new to birding; some old hands and familiar faces who joined to help the new birders. The weather was cool and the brisk early Spring wind made the outing less than ideal, but Mark reports lots of birds in the Park. |