One of the groups watching tree swallows foraging over the North Fork of the Gunnison
Jane McGarry and Dennis Garrison gave presentations today at Paonia River Park on how to find birds. The event was part of the Earth Day celebration sponsored by the North Fork River Improvement Association www.nfria.org . About twenty children and a mixed bag of teenagers and adults listened to a variety of talks, including the birding talk, a presentation on how to identify tracks and scat, a Leave No Trace talk, and a riparian demonstration put on by NRCS.
Cedar Keshet of NFRIA, with help from some BCAS folks, put together a handout of birds likely to be found at the park, which Dennis (wearing his Forest Service hat) laminated so they can be reused. The birds, however, did not read the handout, and the ones which showed up at the park today were not the ones that were picked for the handout, with the exception of a mallard and a magpie.
Other birds seen during the talks and brief walks included:
tree swallows (many)
red-winged blackbirds
ravens
crows
a falcon (prairie or peregrine, not close enough to identify)
a golden eagle
a turkey vulture
a red-naped sapsucker
Birding was tough, with a gravel pit next door, a highway across the river, and the North Fork in full runoff mode. All the kids had fun, though, which is all that matters.
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