Winging It - Underwater
One of the worlds most unusual songbird lives and nests right here along the creek. The American Dipper (Water Ouzel) swims underwater by using its strong wings and even walks underwater on the bottom of the stream bed!
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Why does the Dipper take the plunge? The Dipper finds hundreds of insects underwater, including its favorite foods—stonefly and mosquito larvae. Each summer the female and male Dipper use this ample supply of aquatic insects to feed their fast-growing young.
How can this songbird swim underwater? The Dipper has several adaptations for surviving in a watery habitat, including:
- A movable flap over the nostrils to keep out water,
- A large preen gland to provide oil for waterproofing feathers; the gland is 10 times larger than that of any other songbird!
Look for the amazing Dipper as it dips up and down while perching on a rock along South Cheyenne Creek.
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Rainbow Trout
Introduced from the West Coast to Colorado waters in the 1880's, the Rainbow Trout has become the angler's favorite. Annually, the Division of Wildlife stocks over 4 million Rainbow Trout throughout Colorado. The Rainbow has a rosy stripe down each side and black spots on its light body.
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Brook Trout
These trout are found only in cold, high elevation streams like South Cheyenne Creek. In the fall, Brook Trout spawn in the cold waters higher up in the canyon. In Spring, they make their way down Cheyenne Creek; swim over and down the Seven Falls, before coming to rest in these pools! Look for the hardy “Brookies” with white marks on the edges of their fins.
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Hummingbirds of Seven Falls
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A flash of color and a whir of wings are often our first clues of these tiny visitors.
Extremely well adapted, they migrate North to take advantage of nectar rich flowers and flowing streams. Although there are over 300 known species of hummingbirds, only 4 are known to migrate to this area. These include the Black-chinned, Calliope, Rufous, and our most common, the Broad-tailed.
Males of the above species display colorful plumage on their throats. Although these iridescent feathers sparkle in sunlight, they can appear black in shade. The male Rufous and Broad-tailed also have specially shaped wing tips that create the trill that announces their presence.
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Male Hummingbird
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The females are difficult to distinguish by species and are camouflaged to protect themselves and their nest. Broad-tailed are known to nest in this canyon. Their well-camouflaged nests are made of plant down, feathers, and other soft materials bound with spider web. The female will lay 2 white eggs about the size of coffee beans.
The nestlings are fed a mixture of insects and nectar. Because of their rapid metabolism, hummingbirds often have to eat half their body weight in nectar each day. This helps them to perform their amazing aerial stunts, including flying backward and hovering. Hovering gives them access to the tubular flowers with their long tongues. They are attracted to red and orange flowers because these are often rich in nectar. Although nectar gives them much needed energy, bugs are their source of minerals, vitamins, and proteins.
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Fun Fact
Hummingbird feeders can be used with tubular flowers and a water source to attract the birds to your yard. These feeders should contain a mixture of four parts water to one part granulated sugar. This water must be changed every 3 days because of spoilage. Do not use red food coloring.
As you leave Seven Falls, visit Starsmore Discovery Center, (located one mile north) for all your hummingbird questions.
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