BOGS Delta Ponds
Sept. 9, 2021

Bird list for BOGS walk at south Delta Ponds area,
(W and NW of Valley River Center),
Sept 9, 2021; 8am. - 11am. (Summer start time.)
Weather: Hazy sun. 62 to 70 degrees.
Leaders: Dan Gleason and Priscilla Sokolowski.

LOCATION: Delta Ponds beginning at (Maurie Jacobs) bike/pedestrian bridge near Valley River Center and along the elevated bike path along the ponds.

Directions: Park at the bike/pedestrian bridge across the river, in the very large parking lot WSW of Valley River Center.

Covid:
MASKS REQUIRED!
SOCIAL DISTANCING:
1. Please make a continuous conscious effort to stand 6ft from others especially when talking to each other.
2. We suggest that the group separate down to groups of 2 or 3 and walk some distance behind those in front of you.
Two-way radios will be available so information can be relayed to others when especially interesting or uncommon birds are seen or heard." Per Doris and Priscilla's 09-07-21 e-mail.

Where we walked today:
From the the bike bridge, in the south Delta Ponds area, W of Valley River Center: We walked NW from the bridge, following the path, passing connected small ponds on the left and a narrow canal on the right, then a huge SW pond on the left, to a huge "N" pond on the right. Then we returned the same way.

Bird list

Most common birds:
Canada geese (almost 90).

Other:
Turtle: Red-eared slider;
Nutria;
Mink

HIGHLIGHTS

• Seeing 12 Cedar waxwings. Hearing and seeing White-breasted nuthatches (1 heard, 1 seen.)
• Seeing 2 red-winged blackbirds, 1 starling, 1 scrub jay, "sharing" the same "raptor tree" (a snaggy half-dead tree on L (W) side of the path before you get to the huge SW pond on L.). This same tree occasionally will have a raptor sitting in it.
• Seeing 6 Long-billed dowitchers, 1 Yellowlegs and 2 killdeer, all near each other on a couple of gravel bars in the huge SW pond.
• Seeing a male Wood duck not in eclipse plumage; while all the other duck species were in eclipse.
• Seeing almost 90 Canada geese fly over, in small noisy groups, and seeing 15 then 13 land in the huge SW pond.
• Seeing a great blue heron in the huge SW pond catch a flattish oval fish, approx. 5 or 6 inches long, shining silver with orangeish bits in sun (probably a Bluegill). The blue heron juggled it for approx. 2 or 3 minutes, then swallowed it.
• Seeing a Green heron in the huge "N" pond catch a small fish, then go to the bank to eat it.
• Seeing 2 Black phoebes in the huge "N" pond.
• Hearing that 23 beavers were seen in these ponds a few evenings ago. Currently they are showing up at approx. 7pm.
• Seeing 3 nutria, including 1 nutria sleeping on the beaver lodge, in the huge "N" pond. Apparently the nutria and beaver "time-share" the lodge, per one birder's observations.
• Seeing 7 young barn swallows flying.
• Seeing 4 Anna's hummingbirds.
• Seeing 3 Red-eared slider turtles, 2 of which were babies (not native), but no Western pond turtles (native).
• Seeing a mink running along the far (SW) bank of the huge SW pond. Watching its unmistakable undulating run, and its almost black coat.
• Seeing a cormorant on a log in water and a nutria near it. Later that nutria swam up to the cormorant, and the cormorant leaned down and put its wings down, put its head down, and poked its head at the nutria, which then swam away.

Unofficial names of the connected ponds in these comments: There are some smaller ponds, a huge SW pond, and a huge north ("N") pond with a beaver lodge out in the water. These are all in the south Delta Ponds area, W and NW of Valley River Center, not in the north Delta Ponds off Goodpasture Island Rd. near Boulders housing development.