I stopped by Baseline Reservoir in Boulder this afternoon to see what might be hiding out there. I saw a Great Blue Heron and a Pelican wading in the shallows where the canal goes under Cherryvale. Looking out across the reservoir, I saw a few gulls, what looked like a couple of Western Grebes, and some odd-looking gulls sitting on the buoy balls in the middle of the res. I pulled out the scope, checked on the grebes, and one was a Western, and the other a Clark's. It was great having them side by side, as the Clark's had a much brighter yellow bill, and white all around the eye. I then turned to the "gulls" on the buoy balls, and it turns out they were Common Terns, not gulls at all. There were three of them as of about ten minutes ago - 3:00 pm - and they had been there for at least an hour or so. I observed a black cap on the head, extending to the back, brownish primaries, orange legs and and orange bills with a black tip. I am guessing that they are Common Terns rather than Forster's, but since this is the first time I have seen either one, I am not 100% positive on that ID. I tried to take some pictures, but my camera didn't get very good focus at that distance. I am posting one picture here, but as you can see, the detail is limited. I did manage to get the two grebes in the shot, though.
As a bonus, I saw several common mergeransers and a lark sparrow on the shore near the parking area as I was getting ready to leave.
Happy birding -
Jeff Parks
Boulder, CO
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