We heard from several of you that an exciting bird was discovered on our Sand Creek Greenway in Denver. Among those was Jason Bidgood, who wrote us:
“I found this bird while walking my dog along Sand Creek between Westerly Creek and Smith Road on Sunday September 8. I’m usually carrying my binoculars while out on our walks, looking for birds and other wildlife. I’ve been birding for a few years now and I know the resident birds and the expected migrants fairly well. When I saw this bird it wasn’t difficult to quickly come to the conclusion that this one was special.”
- The Groove-billed Ani has only been reported in Colorado five times previously.
- All previous sightings were reported many years ago, from 1975-82.
- The usual home for this bird is Mexico or Central America.
- Once word of this special “accidental” got out, our Greenway was visited by at least 200 birders, many out of state.
- The Ani was last seen on or about September 19th
Thanks to all of you who let us know about this special species, including George Ho (for his permission to use his photo), Jason Bidgood and others!