The second part to the amazing May 2017 birding experience I had in Salida, Colorado was Sands Lake State Wildlife Area. It consists of Sands Lake and a stretch of the Arkansas River – my husband and I spent about an hour walking the lovely trails and walkway along the river.
The lake has had a lot of effort put into it to be bird friendly. Two islands naturally create a safe atmosphere for waterbirds like pelicans, geese and ducks. And at least two nesting platforms have been put up, as well as a handful of (floating?) platforms scattered around the lake.
White pelican and ducks swimming in Sands Lake.
A Canada goose in one of the nesting platforms.
White pelican on a platform. Not sure what the story is behind the solar panel.
Mallard, resting and probably not enjoying my intrusion.
Could these be hybrid mallards/domesticated ducks?
Domesticated duck?
I have no idea what kind of duck this is and would love any ideas!
Common Goldeneye
One of the two islands with a raised nesting platform.
Fishing is a common pastime at Sands Lake.
American Dipper… the thrill of the day!
The most exciting sighting of the day was an American Dipper, a first for me. And I even managed to get a decent shot of it.
We also saw a yellow-rumped warbler, several yellow warblers, cedar waxwings, and tree swallows in areas along the river and lake. A memorable sighting was the pair of ospreys, one on a nest and the other perched on a light pole nearby. Below are the rest of the photos. Hope you get to visit Salida some day!
Male yellow warbler.
Walkways along the Arkansas River.
Yellow-rumped warbler in a very rigid pose.
It’s mate nearby.
You can barely see the head of an osprey sitting on the nest.
Yellow warbler.
More walkways.
Not sure what exactly this little guy is.
Tree swallow, way up there.
February 24, 2018 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: american dipper, arkansas river, avian, bird, bird watching, birding, canada goose, Colorado, domesticated duck, environment, forest, goldeneye, hybrid, hybridized duck, mallard, nature, osprey on nest, outdoors, pair of ospreys, photography, Salida, salida CO, sands lake, spring, state wildlife area, swa, travel, tree swallow, white pelican, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler | 3 Comments
The second part to the amazing May 2017 birding experience I had in Salida, Colorado was Sands Lake State Wildlife Area. It consists of Sands Lake and a stretch of the Arkansas River – my husband and I spent about an hour walking the lovely trails and walkway along the river.
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