Trip report: Arapaho NWR

Eight of us headed down to Arapaho NWR this past Saturday. Unfortunately the auto tour loop is currently closed due to flooding. But, we found some nice first-of-year birds and lifers for several in the group along the Wetland Nature Trail--Spotted Towhee, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Savannah Sparrow. Our full checklist is here.

We headed back towards Walden to check out the Walden Reservoir, which turned out to be full of birds. There were a couple hundred California Gulls, many of which were nesting on an island in the reservoir. Double-crested Cormorants and Great Blue Herons were also nesting on that island. We were treated to good views of a White-faced Ibis, Western Grebes, and a fly-by Snowy Egret. Our full list is here. We found additional duck species and Wilson's Phalaropes at a small pond adjacent to the Reservoir; list here.

Birding Walden Reservoir. Photo by Laurel Armstrong.