Around noon today, May 24, Steve and I were walking on the cement trail beside the recently re-worked Cottonwood Creek pond east of the road on the west side of Cherry Creek State Park. We got good looks with binoculars at an unusual, medium-sized wading bird which was walking slowly along the edge of the pond nearest to the trail periodically poking its long bill into the mud. Looking through the possibilities in Sibley, we agree that it looked most like a Willet, albeit an adult in “non-breeding plumage.” Black, or maybe dark grey, bill and legs (bill estimated at six inches, legs ten inches)—overall light grey feathers, lighter underneath, and with very faint brownish tinge on the side—small black area centered at the point of the tail—overall smooth look—no sound heard and it did not take flight. I hope someone else gets a chance to see this bird and to help us identify it.
Jean Stevenson
Aurora CO
Arapahoe County
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