Hello, Birders.
Some odds and ends:
1. Yesterday afternoon, Sunday, Feb. 17, Hannah and Andrew and I stopped by Panama Reservoir, far-eastern Boulder County. The ice is breaking up, and there are thousands of piscivorous birds there. Conditions were atrocious, with strong wings and blowing dust, and the birds were far away. Still, we saw thousands of gulls, including at least 150 Herring, or Herring-sized, Gulls. Also at least 7 Bald Eagles, 1,000+ ducks including 100+ Common Mergansers and 1 Red-breasted Merganser, gazillions of geese, a few Great Blue Herons, several harriers and Redtails, and, singing sweetly above the howling winds, the first singing meadowlark we'd heard this year.
2. Off Oxford Road, north-northeast of the Rez, 2 yaks.
3. Back on Friday, 2/15, at Greenlee Preserve, an apparent columbarius (nominate, "Taiga") Merlin. This bird has been in the general vicinity for about a month. It's a neat bird, notably darker and bolder than our usual wintering richardsoni ("Prairie") Merlins. I can't exactly recommend going specifically to search for the bird, as it certainly makes the rounds, and usually isn't there. But, if you're in the general vicinity of Lafayette, do be on the lookout for this interesting bird.
Ted Floyd
tedfloyd57@hotmail.com
Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado
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