[cobirds] Boyd Lake State Park details (ARCTIC TERNS, Larimer County)

Cobirders,

if you want the bird list and related description, skip the next paragraph. I was feeling literary :-).

I visited Boyd Lake State Park near Loveland late this afternoon. Water was high, boaters and jet skiers abounded, and birds seemed non-existent in the heat of the afternoon. After about a half hour of the birding doldrums, I was about to leave but decided to check out the north parking lot, where I had seen exposed shoreline earlier this summer. Approaching the lot, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye in the line of trees that line the property border here, west of the parking lot. After parking, I walked along those trees and discovered a nice flock of migrating land birds, including 4 species of warblers and a FOS Green-tailed Towhee. As I returned to my car, the view of the lake provided some jet-skiing action and various types of boats, but seemed devoid of birds. Again I was about to leave when a flash of white caught my eye - TERNS! I walked to the water's edge to view the two terns better and was pleased to discover they were Common Terns, a species I rarely see in Larimer County (although this spring was a notable exception as quite a few were around, especially at Boyd Lake). From the water's edge I could see the marshy north end of the lake and realized that there were many waterbirds there, north of the line of buoys keeping boats out of the shallows. I went to retrieve my telescope and camera and when I returned, I discovered the terns were multiplying. Two became four, four became eight, and eventually (90 min later) I ended with a count of 16. Perhaps there were more!

 

The list:

Forster's Tern - 7

Common Tern - 2

Arctic Tern - 4

Unidentified Tern - 3

The full list is here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19834955.

 

A comment about the Arctic Terns: I spent a good twenty minutes studying one actively feeding tern that was noticeably smaller than the Forster's, very pale (like the Forster's), short necked, with partial black cap and pale gray carpal bar. I eventually convinced myself that it was an Arctic. Eventually, after sunset, there were 4 of these flying around, with a style reminiscent of Bonaparte's Gull (in part, due to the short neck effect). If you asked me if seeing a flock of Arctic Terns in Colorado was possible, I would have said, "No", until tonight. I still don't believe it and plan on returning at daybreak to document this with better views, photographs, etc. I hope others will as well (let me know if you get a photo).

 

If you plan to visit Boyd Lake, there is a map of the location attached to the ebird link above. I suggest viewing from the east side in the morning, or west side (fee area) in the afternoon for best lighting. Terns were feeding off the north lot, but I suspect the roost is in the emergent vegetation at the southeast end. The roost area can be scoped from a public road on the east side. Sometimes neighbors will invite birders onto private property for better viewing. Otherwise, please do not trespass on private property.

 

If you are interested in joining forces for a couple hours in the morning or evening, email me privately.

Nick Komar
Fort Collins CO