Kermes Light: Backyard Adventure!

Late last week Kai and I made an exciting discovery. For our morning walk one day, I decided to walk to the Barnum Recreation Center and time how long it took us to get there. We had not gone this way yet because it involves crossing very noisy, polluted Federal Ave. Nevertheless, the intrigue of nearby attractions compelled me to make the journey. And wow what is it worth it!
After crossing Federal we went north onto Grove and in a few blocks found ourselves overlooking a creek feeding a marshy pond all nestled right behind the Barnum Rec Center! My imagination began to run wild. The creek comes from the west at a nice trickling pace and I immediately began to imagine boat races with Kai from first, boats as represented by leaves, sticks, or blades of grass, and then growing up to build our own boats to take down to the waters to race.
After my mind settled back into the present and I looked once again toward the pond, I could see three large white birds resting in the middle of the pond. "Swans?" I thought. But after watching them further, they did not have the grace of a swan in movement or in build. Kai and I hurried closer and when I was close enough to recognize them my jaw dropped in awe: "Pelicans!" Three American White Pelicans! As Kai and I circled the pond it turned out there was another group of 5 on the other side of two small grassy islands on the north side of the pond. I was and still am completely stunned. Though I knew that Pelicans came through Colorado, I had no idea that some would actually roost in Denver. After all, migration season is over so what other reason do they have to be here? Furthermore, I was astonished to see them chowing down on what seemed like loads of fish. My pessimistic view of Denver ecology was beginning to take a brighter turn.
This being my first time seeing American White Pelicans, I was fascinated by their behavior. Never did the pelicans stray from their respective group. The threesome and the fivesome would swim altogether, nearly shoulder to shoulder and then would dive their great long necks with massive triangular heads down into the water near simultaneously. Then as each of them caught their fish they would raise back up with beaks open, shaking the fish down from their beaks' flopping jowls (throat sacs I guess is what they are called) down into their throats. Apparently, as I confirmed with my Sibley Field Guide to Birds, they hunt cooperatively, chasing fish to one another.
As exciting as the pelicans were, they were not the only exciting presence at the pond. Aside from the usual suspects of Red-winged Blackbirds, Canada Geese, Green-Winged Teals, crows, cowbirds, and swallows, were Snowy Egrets, sandpipers, Double crested Cormorants, and one little fellow I could not identify. It had a similar body structure to a sandpiper, but considerably bigger with a white underbelly, black chevron-like markings on its back and wings, and a gorgeous cinnamon neck and head. Lastly, both its legs and bill were incredibly long with the bill being slightly upturned. This little guy liked to wander through the mud poking in its bill here and there in search of something to eat. This little mystery was the American Avocet.
Since that first exciting morning, I've been back a few times with Kai or Linda or both and all our new favorite characters (and yesterday we even saw a couple Killdeer) are always there, except the pelicans seem to be a bit more particular about when they come out. This morning Kai and went again and I actually had my camera this time to snap some shots. Here are a few of the best we got.