Date: 12/23/24 4:04 pm From: Gordon Warrick via groups.io <prubinus...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Cottonmill Lake
I hope that is an easy promise to keep. Always nice to hear of Kearney and Cottonmill; so many good memories there.
On Monday, December 23, 2024, 04:42:10 PM CST, Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> wrote:
Nebraska birders,
December 23, I went to Cottonmill Park near Kearney to look for the Brant. There were not many geese present when I arrived, a little before 10:00am. I drove slowly and stopped a few times to look at the geese. Then I walked a bit. As I walked, I saw two large flocks of geese fly in and land on the water, mostly at the north end of the lake. I looked and looked more and looked again just to make sure, but I couldn’t find the Brant. I did see one Greater White-fronted Goose, one Snow Goose (blue morph), about fifty Cackling Geese, at least 300 Canada Geese, about eight Mallards and two Song Sparrows. I decided to leave when a guy began to put a small boat on the lake.
Early afternoon, I stopped in the Kearney cemetery to visit my late husband, Lanny. While I was there, I heard a Golden-crowned Kinglet. I got a quick glimpse of a Brown Creeper. I also heard an unfamiliar raptor. I tracked it down, and saw an adult Cooper’s Hawk. I listened to the hawk calls on my phone to confirm.
