Hello birders,
I tracked down many of the continuing rarities in Boulder County today while bolstering my year list.
I started at Legion Park, overlooking the Valmont Reservoir complex. The AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN continues (it can fly). There were 4 TUNDRA SWANS in Valmont itself. A new arrival was a COMMON LOON. Pretty odd bird in Jan, but I think there are a few loons down in Pueblo these days.
Over at the Teller Farms/White Rocks Trail area, I found the continuing GOLDEN-CROWNED and HARRIS'S SPARROW (1), as well as 10 BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS at the feedlot. The flock of Zonotrichias was in the bushes in front of the abandoned white farmhouse across the street from the trailhead off Valmont. They don't seem to hang out in the juniper wind-break anymore, but spend time in the weeds along the trail west of the parking lot, in the draw by the crosswalk, or in the shrubs around the old farmstead.
I walked up to a little north of the White Rocks bridge over Boulder Creek. There were 5 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS in the pasture north of the creek. Ted Floyd's oddball female MALLARD X ?? was in the creek. She's not a pure Mallard, as Ted explained, but what exactly she is is still up in the air. Mostly Mallard, but the bill is distinctly American Black Duck-like. The bill is olive-yellow with the black restricted to the nail, like an eclipse male Mallard or AMBD. I didn't get a look at the speculum. The tail color and body plumage were all typical for a Mallard.
Cruising down Hwy 287, I spotted the ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK reported by Jack Harlan yesterday. It was a bit further north, on the east side of the road across from Dawson Rd.
I stopped by Thomas Reservoir (119th) to see if there were any loitering gulls. There were not, but there were about 1200 CACKLING GEESE, 200 CANADA GEESE, and 1 immature ROSS'S GOOSE.
Down at Sterns Lake, I enjoyed the large flock of GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES as well as the ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK who was hunting over the fields north of the lake. Lots of raptors in the area, including a couple of FERRUGINOUS HAWKS, BALD EAGLES, and a really nice female PRAIRIE MERLIN.
It didn't take me long to find the NORTHERN CARDINAL in the usual spot along the Goat Trail at the end of Hawthorn Dr in Boulder. I didn't actually see him today, but he was chipping away and I could hear him scratching in the dense shrubs in the gully downhill from the trail. Lots of juncos of all the various types foraging in the area (thanks seed fairies!)
I ended the day stationed on Ute Butte overlooking the Valmont Reservoirs. A NORTHERN SHRIKE zipped by near the offices. The TUNDRA SWAN count bumped up to 12. This was one of the best evenings I've experienced out there, with very little wind, warm (relatively) temps and perfectly clear atmosphere. The gulls cooperated nicely, flying out of Leggitt at the last minute and flying straight to me, so all the birds in the area congregated in a single massive flock (at least 8,000 gulls) at my feet. Nothing terribly rare, though, that I could pick out. 3 LESSER BLACK-BACKEDS (1 ad, 1 2nd w, 1 1st w), 1 CALIFORNIA GULL, a handfull of THAYER'S GULLS, and good numbers of HERRING GULLS. The adult Glaucous was MIA, although it's been pretty regular lately.
Cheers,
Christian Nunes
Boulder, CO
pajaroboy@hotmail.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christian_nunes/
I tracked down many of the continuing rarities in Boulder County today while bolstering my year list.
I started at Legion Park, overlooking the Valmont Reservoir complex. The AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN continues (it can fly). There were 4 TUNDRA SWANS in Valmont itself. A new arrival was a COMMON LOON. Pretty odd bird in Jan, but I think there are a few loons down in Pueblo these days.
Over at the Teller Farms/White Rocks Trail area, I found the continuing GOLDEN-CROWNED and HARRIS'S SPARROW (1), as well as 10 BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS at the feedlot. The flock of Zonotrichias was in the bushes in front of the abandoned white farmhouse across the street from the trailhead off Valmont. They don't seem to hang out in the juniper wind-break anymore, but spend time in the weeds along the trail west of the parking lot, in the draw by the crosswalk, or in the shrubs around the old farmstead.
I walked up to a little north of the White Rocks bridge over Boulder Creek. There were 5 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS in the pasture north of the creek. Ted Floyd's oddball female MALLARD X ?? was in the creek. She's not a pure Mallard, as Ted explained, but what exactly she is is still up in the air. Mostly Mallard, but the bill is distinctly American Black Duck-like. The bill is olive-yellow with the black restricted to the nail, like an eclipse male Mallard or AMBD. I didn't get a look at the speculum. The tail color and body plumage were all typical for a Mallard.
Cruising down Hwy 287, I spotted the ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK reported by Jack Harlan yesterday. It was a bit further north, on the east side of the road across from Dawson Rd.
I stopped by Thomas Reservoir (119th) to see if there were any loitering gulls. There were not, but there were about 1200 CACKLING GEESE, 200 CANADA GEESE, and 1 immature ROSS'S GOOSE.
Down at Sterns Lake, I enjoyed the large flock of GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES as well as the ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK who was hunting over the fields north of the lake. Lots of raptors in the area, including a couple of FERRUGINOUS HAWKS, BALD EAGLES, and a really nice female PRAIRIE MERLIN.
It didn't take me long to find the NORTHERN CARDINAL in the usual spot along the Goat Trail at the end of Hawthorn Dr in Boulder. I didn't actually see him today, but he was chipping away and I could hear him scratching in the dense shrubs in the gully downhill from the trail. Lots of juncos of all the various types foraging in the area (thanks seed fairies!)
I ended the day stationed on Ute Butte overlooking the Valmont Reservoirs. A NORTHERN SHRIKE zipped by near the offices. The TUNDRA SWAN count bumped up to 12. This was one of the best evenings I've experienced out there, with very little wind, warm (relatively) temps and perfectly clear atmosphere. The gulls cooperated nicely, flying out of Leggitt at the last minute and flying straight to me, so all the birds in the area congregated in a single massive flock (at least 8,000 gulls) at my feet. Nothing terribly rare, though, that I could pick out. 3 LESSER BLACK-BACKEDS (1 ad, 1 2nd w, 1 1st w), 1 CALIFORNIA GULL, a handfull of THAYER'S GULLS, and good numbers of HERRING GULLS. The adult Glaucous was MIA, although it's been pretty regular lately.
Cheers,
Christian Nunes
Boulder, CO
pajaroboy@hotmail.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christian_nunes/
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