“Birdies” and “eagles” have special meanings to birdwatchers and golfers. Local birders have been coming to the CommonGround Golf Course (CGGC) and the CommonGround (Westerly) Wetlands since July 2023. It resulted from a chance encounter between Ed Mate, CGA Executive Director, and Charles Thornton-Kolbe, an avid birder. Since that chance encounter, nineteen birding events have taken place. Each birding event has had between four and ten birding enthusiasts.
Birders with their binoculars, spotting scopes, and cameras meet in the parking lot and take golf carts to various locations. Several ponds, stands of trees, and a creek along the southern border of the golf course offer ideal habitats for birds and wildlife.
From the 5th green, a panoramic view of the wetlands, bathed in the morning sun, offers a glimpse of roosting or feeding birds. The birders then drive to the northwest corner of the golf course and walk the wetlands and its grassland perimeter to see what birds are present and record them.
Dry conditions have allowed birders to walk onto the mudflats to see the shorebirds up close during the fall migration (photo). So far, 113 individual bird species have been identified, including hawks, falcons, sandpipers, phalaropes, ducks, warblers, and songbirds. The number of birders has grown from a handful to 39 as of September 17, 2024 on a list kept by George Ho, who organizes these events with Joe McCleary, Ed Mate, and Mitch Savage of CGGC. What a unique opportunity to enjoy this jewel of a wildlife ecosystem amidst the urban surroundings of Aurora and Denver.
Birding events at CommonGround will continue on weekends during the fall and winter months of 2024 and into 2025. Individuals who have an interest in participating in future birding events at CommonGround should contact Joe McCleary, jmccleary@coloradogolf.org.