Last month I went on my very first birding trip. No, I didn’t go to some exotic locale in South America. I went to CommonGround Golf Course!
During the May flooding at CommonGround, I spent time surveying the course from the top of the Westerly Creek Dam. On one of those trips, I happened to run into a guy on a bike who looked very much like a birder—the binoculars were a dead giveaway! I introduced myself and we struck up a friendly conversation.
From that initial conversation, Chuck and I became fast friends. Plans were made to bring a small group of birding enthusiasts to CommonGround to explore the wetlands west of the course. On Saturday, July 8th we met at 6:00 a.m., doused ourselves with insect repellent, and headed out.
I have played CommonGround Golf Course more times than I can count, but this was my maiden voyage to a part of the property that I have only appreciated from afar. I felt like a beginning golfer with my $50 binoculars playing in a group of experts with their customized “clubs”. (I had no idea how good, and expensive, a pair of binoculars can be!) I learned that over 170 different bird species have been identified in the “Westerly Wetlands” just a lob wedge from the golf course edge. I learned about the Denver Field Ornithologists, E-Bird, and the term “tape” which refers to playing bird calls to encourage bird sightings—a practice that is frowned upon by some bird purists. (I guess that might be the equivalent of using a Distance Measure Device with the Slope feature turned on!)
And then we heard it. To the experts, it was the unmistakable “upslurred whistle” of the illusive Sora—a widely distributed bird that is rarely seen due to its habitat in dense cattails and marshes. Hearing the Sora is not unusual—seeing one is rare. The conversation continued and we discussed ways in which this incredible nature preserve could be enhanced to make for better access to the birding community. We discussed how important it is to use urban laboratories such as CommonGround to educate and inform the community of the natural treasures that lie in their backyard and the urgency of preserving them. We discussed how we can add birding to our already developed golf in-school field trips to CommonGround as an enhancement to our STEM curriculum. In a nutshell, you could say that we found an abundance of “common ground.”
The morning was already a huge success—the only thing that might make it better would be a Sora-sighting. But surely that would not happen? That would be like making a hole-in-one on your first round of golf! As we started thinking about wrapping up the tour—George saw it! The Sora. Those of us who were looking in other directions assumed we would have to take George’s word for it as he pointed to an opening in the thick cattails where the bird had emerged with its chicken-like walk and distinctive yellow beak. We all trained our binoculars toward the spot George pointed to in the hopes that the bird would make another appearance.
It was our lucky day! The Sora came out of the dense marsh and gave us a show. George’s camera clicked away and we all watched in amazement as the Sora poked around the wetlands with its bright yellow bill nervously pecking for its morning meal. After about the length of a ball search the Sora disappeared back into the thicket. The experience was something I will never forget and provided a bond among the group that reminded me of the feeling when the last player in a foursome makes a long putt for birdie in a scramble! And yes, pun intended!
To see photos and the ebird checklist from this birding adventure,