Greetings All,
Not much negative data today. Spring finally sprung, at least in the quacky world of waterfowl. Today, Tim Smart and I wandered from Frederick to Tinmath to Ault and back down e. of Greeley, finding landing close to home at Union Res. MEXICAN DUCK: Dark male at the "Firestone Gravel Pits." This bird was in the pond across the street from where the December 2011 Tufted Duck was found, and at the same place where I found a Mexican Duck in May 2011. Indeed, it look like, and could well be, that same individual. Directions: From the intersection of 119 and I-25 go east about 0.6 miles and turn north on Weld Co Rd 11 (which then turns into WCR 9 3/4). The road goes past a gravel mining operation, past WCR 20 1/2, and then turns a corner, becoming WCR 24 3/4 (all these fractions are killing me!). The pond with the Mexi Duck lies e. of WCR 9.75 and s. of WCR 24.75. It's dark. You won't miss it if its there. It's hanging out with a small group of Mallards and does not appear paired up. MEW GULL: 1st winter bird seen along n. side of Union Reservoir. OTHER HIGHLIGHTS: 1 Snow Goose x Cackling Goose at Windsor Lake 2 Snow (Blue) Goose x Cackling Geese at Tinmath Reservoir (for all three birds, the head shape was much that of a Snow Goose, not Ross's, but the size was intermediate between Lesser Canada and Richardson's Cackling, which would be smaller-than-expected for a Lesser Canada x Snow Goose) 1 G White-fronted Goose at Windsor Lake 2 G White-fronted Geese at Loloff Reservoir 16 Taverner's Geese, flocked together, at Windsor Lake 1 female Barrow's Goldeneye at Fossil Creek Reservoir 18 Greater Scaup at Fossil Creek Reservoir 3 Thayer's Gulls at Union Reservoir plus - one passerine, a CHIPPING SPARROW was on private property near Ault. NUMBERS: Numbers of waterfowl were phenomenal, at times staggering. Some maxima: 870 Redhead in a pond not far from the Firestone Gravel Pits and 800 Redhead at Loloff Resevoir 200 Canvasback at Loloff Resevoir 2000 Mallards at Tinmath Reservoir 300+ Common Goldeneye at Fossil Creek Reservoir 300 scaup at Tinmath Reservoir 250 N Pintail at the Weld Co Rd 59 Pond about 20,000 Canada/Cackling Geese for the day with top counts of 6500 Cackling Geese at Tinmath and 3500 Lesser Canada Geese, there. Windsor Lake wasn't shabby, either, with 4500 Cackling and 1850 Lesser Canadas. DIETARY: The morning started with us watching a Great Horned Owl breakfast (or for the owl, perhaps. dine) upon a plump Eurasian Collared-Dove. We applauded the owl for its meal choice, and asked it for the recipe. However, it was too engrossed to answer. With Red-winged Blackbirds and Western Meadowlarks singing nearly everywhere, and the superabundance of waterfowl, it certainly felt like a most perfect spring day. Good Birding Steven Mlodinow Longmont, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
