Morning Birding Species List | January 3, 2017

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Tuesday, January 3, 2017, 8AM – 11AM
Weather: cloudy
Location: Hallam Lake and Red Butte Cemetery

Species Identified
Mallard Ring-necked Duck Belted Kingfisher Hairy Woodpecker Steller’s Jay Black-billed Magpie American Crow		Black-capped Chickadee Mountain Chickadee White-breasted Nuthatch American Dipper Song Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco House Finch (pictured above)

Comments:
Fresh snow and colder weather brought more birds to feeders today for easy viewing, and birds foraging for wild food were active. With fewer species and lower abundance in winter, it is the perfect time to focus on fine details and behavior studies: we zeroed in on field marks for Ring-necked Ducks and four forms of Dark-eyed Junco, as well as the Dippers’ song and foraging behavior when they catch small fish. Always a treasure hunt, birding in winter has rich rewards as birds become more conspicuous against a mostly gray-scale background and in the absence of deciduous foliage. Next session will be a waterfowl study at Hallam Lake and Snowmass Sanitation ponds, where we expect to see six or more duck species in our scopes. Ducks wear their beautiful breeding plumage in winter and overwintering migratory species add diversity. We will learn the various waterfowl groups, how to use color pattern and shape, and other strategies that will help you ID any waterfowl, whether locally or elsewhere. Join us on February 7th, 8AM – 11AM, registration and more information here. 

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide