Hi all, This past weekend my brother and I birded the Summit/Grand County reservoirs with mixed success. Below is a summary of each destination and its highlights, in case anyone is interested in making a similar trip:
*Dillon Reservoir:* Relatively devoid of waterfowl, although there were several good birds including an Iceland Gull at the Blue River Inlet, 2 juv. Snow Geese at the Soda Creek Inlet, and a late House Finch that tripped the filter. *Green Mountain Reservoir:* Only about 30 waterfowl on the reservoir; two Red-breasted Mergansers on the south side (scarce in Summit) were the most interesting. *Kremmling (town):* Rock Pigeons and House Sparrows were downright abundant. A tardy Common Grackle was a nice surprise at one of the feeders, as were two lingering Mountain Bluebirds at the Oxbow Lakes just W of town. *Wolford Mountain Reservoir:* Cold, windy, and generally bereft of birdlife. A California Gull (slightly late?) tripped the filter, as did a nice flock of eight Long-billed Dowitchers. A pair of Golden Eagles was a thrill to see. *Williams Fork Reservoir:* Two Common Loons and a late Greater Yellowlegs were the highlights. The quaint town of Parshall nearby had several productive feeders which included Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch and Cassin's Finch. *Lake Granby:* Waterfowl were concentrated in the NE corner near the residential community. A Cackling Goose and Snow Goose were nice surprises, as was a Long-billed Dowitcher. We decided to drive the precarious icy road down the SE corner of the lake, and were rewarded with two Tundra Swans and an apparent Trumpeter Swan. *Shadow Mountain Lake*: Immense waterfowl flocks numbering at least several thousand were strewn across the lake (mostly Gadwall, American Wigeon, and Canada Geese). We didn't have time to thoroughly scan it, but it seems like a great place for scoters or other rarities. Also four Horned Grebes. It was overall a very enjoyable trip in a rugged yet magnificent part of Colorado! Jack Bushong, Louisville, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/66ece35c-7b87-45df-8759-32dfc39eb1e7n%40googlegroups.com.
