Hey, everybody. I hope we've all been enjoying the glorious overcast, yes? A solid week of it so far, with more to come. Anyhow, here are a few bird sightings from the past several days.
Greenlee/Waneka/Hecla ecological complex, Boulder County, Mon., Sept. 25. Quite birdy in the off-and-on drizzle and mist, with such goodies as 1 broad-tailed hummingbird, 1 dusky flycatcher, 4 red-breasted nuthatches, 1 house wren, 1 American pipit, 6 orange-crowned warblers, 2 Audubon warblers, 5 Wilson warblers, 4 Gambel white-crowned sparrows, 1 Lincoln sparrow, 3 western tanagers, 10 pine siskins, and 1 lesser goldfinch. An even 50 species total. Despite the overall gloominess, this guy, a wood duck at Greenlee Reservoir, was not to be denied:
Panamá Reservoir, Boulder County, Tues., Sept. 26. 25+ ruddy ducks, ~360 western grebes, 7 great egrets, 5 snowy egrets, 1 house wren, 1 orange-crowned warbler, 4 Gambel white-crowned sparrows, 1 Lincoln sparrow, and, most remarkable of all, a Woodhouse scrub-jay. Of course this is the year that scrub-jays and other foothills/montane species are spreading out onto the Plains--so the record makes sense in context. One other sighting from Panamá: on the drive in, a nice kettle of turkey vultures, 100+, doing the vismig thing. (Brit for visible migration.) I came in on the action a bit late, but still managed to obtain this documentation of part of the kettle:
Hiram Prince Reservoir No. 2, Boulder County, Tues., Sept. 26. ~700.5 Canada geese, 0.5 snow goose, 1 ruddy duck, 8 American white pelicans, 3 snowy egrets, 1 spotted sandpiper, 30 Franklin gulls, and 18 Gambel white-crowned sparrows. Here is the 0.5 snow goose:
Brunner Reservoir, Broomfield County, Wed., Sept. 27. So check this out: There were 3 individual ducks on the rez, representing 3 different species, and not a one of which I would have expected: greater scaup, lesser scaup, and canvasback. Also a stirring, stand-up-and-take-notice, put-your-right-hand-on-your-heart flyover by a couple of American white pelicans. And it is gratifying to note that someone out there in Broomfield has a birderly sense of humor:
Lake Park Open Space, Boulder County, Thurs., Sept. 28. The craziest thing was a substantial gathering of hummingbirds in a dense patch of shrubs off Via Appia. I'm sure it helped that two nearby residences had feeders; the shrubs themselves were hammered with tiny arthropods (food, Leatherman) and festooned with flowers, plus a little creek runs through the place. Anyhow, 10+ hummers, including two nice black-chinned hummingbirds, formerly rare in Boulder County. Also at the open space: 1 Cooper hawk, 5 bushtits, 3 red-breasted nuthatches, 1 house wren, 2 blue-gray gnatcatchers, 3 Audubon warblers, 3 Wilson warblers, 3 chipping sparrows, 3 Gambel white-crowned sparrows, 6 Lincoln sparrows, 1 green-tailed towhee, 3 western tanagers, and 2 pine siskins. Here is one of the Lake Park hummingbirds, this one a broad-tailed hummingbird:
Walden Ponds complex, Boulder County, Fri., Sept. 29. Imagine my surprise when I saw a tardy blue grosbeak; and then another, right next to it; and then a few seconds later, a lazuli bunting. A convention of Passerina buntings! Lots of other stuff out there, too, including 1 wood duck, 1 wild turkey, 13 snowy egrets, 1 unidentifiable Plegadis ibis, 1 turkey vulture, 1 messed-up-yet-perfect Cooper hawk, 1 bald eagle, 3 Wilson snipe, 1 greater yellowlegs, 1 brown creeper, 1 house wren, 2 American pipits, 25+ cheddar waxwings, 5 orange-crowned warblers, 3 common yellowthroats, 1 myrtle warbler, 3 Audubon warblers, 2 Wilson warblers, 1 pink-sided junco, 5 mountain white-crowned sparrows, 15 Gambel white-crowned sparrows, and 4 Lincoln sparrows. Here are a few photographic highlights from Walden:
Finally, I note that the amazing painted lady flight continues, despite all the overcast and precipitation. During the handful of times this week that the sun sort of peeked through, there were painted ladies galore. Like this one at the Cottonwood Marsh, Walden Ponds complex, parking lot on my way out this morning:
Ted Floyd
Lafayette, Boulder County
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