Posted Friday, April 9, 2004

04/07 — Diane Penttila of Ouray National Wildlife Refuge conducted a General Water Bird Survey and reported the following conditions and birds present: flooded the shallow impoundment's off the Auto Tour Route and there is water remaining in Leota Bottom and Johnson Bottom from last year, but we are worried that we will not get sufficient spring flooding to flood Sheppard Bottom and recharge the other areas. The following birds were seen within the survey route:

• Canada Geese, 41
• Mallard, 95
• Gadwall, 248
• Northern Shoveler, 179
• American Wigeon, 22
• Northern Pintail, 201
• Green-winged Teal, 706
• Cinnamon Teal, 80
• Blue-winged Teal, 1
• Common Merganser, 25
• Bufflehead, 6
• Ring-necked Duck, 138
• Scaup, 79
• Redhead, 94
• Ruddy Duck, 13
• American Coot, 854
• Pied-billed Grebe, 11
• Western Grebe, 4
• Clark's Grebe, 2
• Great Blue Heron, 91
• Double Crested Cormorant, 118
• American White Pelican, 18
• Sandhill Crane, 1
• Killdeer, 8
• American Avocet, 16
• Black-necked Stilt, 6
• Northern Harrier, 4
• American Kestrel, 4
• Red-tailed Hawk, 3
• Great horned Owl, 1
• Ring-billed Gull, 38
• Bonaparte's Gull, 4