Today's Features

April is such a promising month. This year it has been an exceptional month, with very little snow and some truly summery weather. Many birds are streaming northward, and with the lake free of ice, waterfowl and shorebirds are arriving daily.

Sunday, April 20, brought a broad-tailed hummingbird back to our yard and six white-faced glossy ibis to Evergreen Lake. Tuesday, April 22, brought the first chipping sparrow returning to our feeder. Wednesday, April 23, brought white-crowned sparrows, yellow-headed blackbirds and yellow-rumped warbles stopping on their way north.

Last Wednesday was fairly warm and spring-like during the morning hours. However, as is so often the case, it foretold of snow to come.

The lake has been slowly opening. An ever-widening inlet and a delicate curve of open shallow water along the north shore and between the inlet and the Lake House have made every day seem more spring like, even though it refroze every night. For a few nights now, it hasn’t frozen, so the warm days accomplished a bit more melt. This was enough to tip the Rotary club barrel into the lake, which made many people happy.

Some time ago, I mentioned the Eurasian collared dove, Streptopelia decaocto, and said it was becoming more common in Colorado. This beautiful dove has only recently become a part of the Colorado avifauna.

Early spring is one of the best times to listen for owls. I have written in the past about some of our small owls but not for some time about the little screech owl. Screech owls are most commonly found along stream courses where they nest in old cavities in large cottonwoods and willows. They measure about 8 inches in height, which is only about the size of a robin, but, like all owls, they sit more upright and have fluffy feathers that make them appear larger.