Author: frbcadmin

Saturday, April 12, 2025 Bird Walk to Plaster Reservoir with Jamie Simo

Posted on April 15, 2025 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Saturday was a perfect day for a bird walk: warm and sunny with all the birds singing and trees blooming. Even better was that I was able to introduce people to a place they had never been before!

Plaster Reservoir is a hidden gem tucked away in a neighborhood in Broomfield, Colorado. This little lake bordering a golf course was formerly used for irrigation, but now functions primarily as storm water management and open space. With over 200 species of bird recorded there, it’s a birdwatcher’s paradise.

When I had scouted out for the walk there was only 1 pelican on the reservoir, but we were treated to 9 on Saturday. These enormous, white birds have wingspans of about 9 feet, making them one of the largest birds in North America. Right now, during breeding season, American White Pelicans of both sexes grow a bony protrusion on their beaks called a “caruncle.” They are the only pelican species that exhibits this and scientists don’t entirely know what it’s for. Because it only appears during the breeding season, the thought is that it is somehow involved in courtship.

There were still quite a few ducks on the reservoir, including Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked, Gadwall, and American Wigeon. We also saw a pair of Cinnamon Teal, named for the male’s deep red breeding plumage. We didn’t see very many shorebirds, however, which are also currently migrating to and through Colorado. The sole representative of that group was a Killdeer, a large member of the plover family that can be found in grasslands and parking lots as easily as on a mudflat.

Killdeer on golf course. Photo by David Belenky.

Finally, not a bird, but we had great looks at a little muskrat toodling through the water toward us. I’ve heard some people mistakenly identify a muskrat as a baby beaver, but while they’re both rodents, muskrats are more omnivorous than the vegetarian beaver. Muskrats, weighing on average 1.25 to 4.5 lbs are also much smaller than beavers, which average 24 to 66 pounds. Of course, muskrats also have a rounder “rat” tail while beavers have a paddle-shaped tail.

Thanks to everyone who came on the walk and I hope to see you on the trail next time!

Plaster Reservoir, Broomfield, Colorado, US
33 species (+2 other taxa)

Canada Goose 5
Cinnamon Teal 2
Northern Shoveler 4
Gadwall 35
American Wigeon 2
Mallard 4
Ring-necked Duck 5
Lesser Scaup 20
Bufflehead 9
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 6
Eurasian Collared-Dove 3
Mourning Dove 2
pigeon/dove sp. 2
American Coot 12
Killdeer 1
Ring-billed Gull 3
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Snowy Egret 1
American White Pelican 9
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 3
Say’s Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 5
Black-capped Chickadee 4
swallow sp. 2
European Starling 12
American Robin 6
House Sparrow 2
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 5
Song Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 50
Common Grackle 10

Saturday, March 8, 2025 Bird Walk to Walden Ponds with Carly Crow

Posted on March 12, 2025 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

Last Saturday, we had a beautiful morning bird walk at Walden Ponds. The day started off chilly with frost clinging to the trees and ground, but as the sun rose, the chill melted away giving way to a warm early spring day.

We were immediately greeted by the rowdy calls of Red-winged Blackbirds who were fighting to stake their territory claims in the cattails. Moving away from the water, we heard the first Song Sparrow songs of the season for nearly the whole group. This was an exciting moment as their song is a sure sign that spring is truly beginning to take hold in the Front Range.

Common Goldeneyes engaging in courtship display. Photo by Jamie Simo.

As we continued our walk, we admired a collection of dabbling and diving ducks spread throughout the ponds. When we reached one of the larger ponds in Walden, we found a great mix of Ring-necked ducks, Mallards, and both Cackling and Canada geese swimming and foraging. A highlight among this mixed raft was a small group of Common Goldeneye that were actively engaged in courtship displays and copulation. To continue to add to the theme of early spring this morning, we observed what could have been the first Great-blue herons inspecting nests in an old rookery across the pond. Witnessing the possible first return of herons to the rookery for their breeding season was an exciting moment for everyone.

Female Belted Kingfisher. Photo by Carly Crow.

As we made our way down the trail, a very vocal female Belted Kingfisher caught our attention. She perched beautifully in the morning light and gave us a front row seat to a successful hunt. Everyone enjoyed watching and photographing this exceptionally charismatic individual.

For our last stop, we searched for Walden Ponds’ frequently spotted Eastern Screech-Owl. Unfortunately, the owl eluded us that morning — perhaps tucked away for a mid-morning nap. But nature always finds a way to offer surprises, and as we headed back toward our cars, a small flock of Cedar Waxwings passed overhead, their sharp calls adding a final high note to an already wonderful morning.

Though our bird list for the day totaled only 25 species, our walk was packed with early spring behaviors of singing, courtship, and other subtle shifts marking the changing of the seasons. With the warming weather ahead, I hope everyone has the chance to step outside this week to soak in early spring, and maybe even witness a few seasonal wonders of their own.

You can view our full trip list here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S217268120

Saturday, February 8, 2025 Bird Walk to Waneka Lake/Greenlee Preserve with Jamie Simo

Posted on February 13, 2025 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

This past Saturday morning was blue-cold, but it was definitely worth getting out for the birds. More water was open at Waneka than during my scouting mission, but there were still few water birds around because of the Bald Eagle sitting on the ice busily plucking an unlucky goose. It wasn’t clear whether the goose had already been dead prior to its defeatherstration, but given that Bald Eagles will happily scavenge when given the opportunity, and the rampancy of avian flu in goose populations right now, it’s more than likely.

What was also pretty cool to watch were the Common Ravens coming within inches of the Bald Eagle, a mortal enemy, to take what they could get from the carcass. The Bald Eagle was unbothered, but that wasn’t the case for one American Crow that kept dive-bombing and chasing one of the ravens; ravens will definitely prey on smaller songbirds like crows despite being in the same family group (Corvidae).

White-throated Sparrow (third from left) surrounded by White-crowned Sparrows. Photo by Jamie Simo.

With few ducks and geese about, we spent most of our time looking at songbirds. Sparrows were particularly abundant and it was great to be able to compare White-crowned Sparrows to House Sparrows. At the Greenlee feeders we also were lucky to see the White-throated Sparrow that’s been hanging around and see the difference between it and the White-crowned. Both species are in the Zonotrichia genus, but White-throated Sparrows are mainly found in the east and along the west coast. More are being found along the Front Range every winter, however. While both species have head stripes, White-throated Sparrows have the eponymous white throat as well as yellow lores.

For a cloudy, bitterly cold morning, we had 24 species, which wasn’t bad at all!

Waneka Lake/Greenlee Preserve, Boulder, Colorado, US
24 species

Canada Goose 28
Green-winged Teal 1
Ring-necked Duck 1
Common Goldeneye 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
Ring-billed Gull 15
Bald Eagle 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Northern Flicker 5
Blue Jay 8
Black-billed Magpie 1
American Crow 3
Common Raven 5
Black-capped Chickadee 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
European Starling 15
American Robin 7
House Sparrow 6
House Finch 2
White-crowned Sparrow 12
White-throated Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
Spotted Towhee 6
Red-winged Blackbird 15

Saturday, January 11, 2025 to White Rocks Trail and North Teller Farms with Carly Crow

Posted on January 21, 2025 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

What better way to get through the winter months in Colorado than by taking a sunny birding walk with friends to share the experience? That’s exactly what we did this past Saturday at Teller Lake Ponds.

The Teller Lake Ponds are named after a Colorado senator who once owned a significant amount of farmland in the area. Today, the land is managed by Boulder County, offering miles of trails and plenty of nature to enjoy. Birding here is exceptional year-round.

Prairie dog in the snow. Photo by Jamie Simo.

We had several highlights from our walk this Saturday. We kicked off the morning by watching prairie dogs warm up in the sun, keeping an eye out for any birds in the field. At this time of year, these little rodents have a thick layer of fat and fur, making them appear almost round when they’re above their holes. It’s always a joy to watch the prairie dogs go about their daily routines.

After checking out the colony for sunning raptors or meadowlarks, we made our way north to Boulder Creek. Despite the wind, there was plenty of bird activity to appreciate! We had excellent views of two raptor species: a Red-tailed Hawk and, even more exciting, a Ferruginous Hawk flying overhead. In addition to the birds of prey, we sifted through a flock of Canada Geese and found a trio of Cackling Geese nestled within the group.

Male Hooded Merganser. Photo by Jamie Simo.

Heatherwood Lake had a small patch of open water, where a few Hooded Mergansers and many more Canada Geese were gathered. Across the pond, we spotted a bald eagle nest, where two adult eagles visited during our walk. It’s incredibly exciting to witness the start of the eagle’s breeding season.

Once we reached Boulder Creek, we encountered a mix of diving and dabbling ducks, including Common Goldeneye, Gadwall, Mallard, and a trio of Green-winged Teal. On our walk back, the wind calmed, and we were able to spot a few passerine species, including American Robins, American Goldfinches, and a surprising Brewer’s Blackbird. It was a beautiful walk, and we’re already looking forward to our next outing. The link to our eBird list can be found here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S208882905

Sunday, December 15, 2024 Bird Walk to Sandstone Ranch

Posted on December 17, 2024 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

On a beautiful, but windy, Sunday morning, we convened at Sandstone Ranch in Longmont. Sandstone Ranch is named for the sandstone cliffs in the area which formed when Colorado was part of an inland sea. The ranch itself was owned by the Coffin family back in the 1860’s. The original house, which still stands, is currently in use as the park’s visitor center.

Non-breeding American Goldfinch. Photo by Jamie Simo.

Wind is some of the worst weather for birding because it tends to suppress the movement of smaller birds but, happily, around the windbreak of the cliffs we did see some White-crowned Sparrows, an American Goldfinch, and a Northern Flicker. A common misconception is that American Goldfinches migrate because in the winter they’re less visible, being more of a drab olive-brown color rather than yellow. However, they’re resident birds here along the Front Range. Listen for their squeaky little chirps or their “potato chip” flight calls.

Kiting female American Kestrel. Photo by Matt Eagen.

We had several raptors on our walk, including three Red-tailed Hawks, a Northern Harrier, and a very obliging female American Kestrel. Kestrels, our smallest falcon, are one of the few raptors known to hover, meaning they will rapidly flap their wings to remain in place in the air. Hummingbirds also do this as will Belted Kingfishers. However, this particular kestrel wasn’t hovering, but kiting, which is using the wind to stay aloft rather than flapping.

Snow Goose flock. Photo by Matt Robinson.

Finally, we had some great waterfowl. While the majority of ducks we saw were Mallards, we did see both a pair of American Wigeon and Wood Ducks. We also had several thousand Cackling and Canada Geese, a couple of Ross’s Geese, and a good number of Snow Geese in the agricultural fields next to the Peschel Open Space, another natural area adjacent to Sandstone Ranch. Snow Geese are named for their, often, snowy-white plumage, but Snow Geese can also come in a “blue” color phase, where the majority of their feathers are a slatey-grey or “blue” color. Because of the warming of the arctic, Snow Geese are increasing in number rather than declining like many other bird species.

Because of the wind we only saw 18 species, but it was a beautiful day and great company. Hopefully you can join us next time!

Sandstone Ranch (Weld Co.), Weld, Colorado, US
Checklist Comments: Also included Peschel.
18 species

Snow Goose 10
Ross’s Goose 2
Cackling Goose 2000
Canada Goose 100
Wood Duck 2 Pair. Seen last Sunday as well.
American Wigeon 2
Mallard 215
Northern Harrier 1
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Belted Kingfisher 1
Northern Flicker 2
Blue Jay 2
American Robin 1
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 2
White-crowned Sparrow 4
Song Sparrow 1
Red-winged Blackbird 105

Sunday, November 10, 2024 Bird Walk to Lagerman Reservoir

Posted on November 12, 2024 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

We had to push off our usual second Saturday bird walk by a day due to our first snow storm of the season, but I’m so glad we did! It was a perfect bluebird day with sunny skies and a ton of amazing birds!

Lagerman Reservoir is always great for waterfowl and raptors in the fall and winter and it provided the perfect venue for trying out some of our spotting scopes, namely Swarovski’s ATS 65 and Opticron’s new MM4 77. Both scopes provide crystal clear viewing of distant birds. In fact, they were instrumental in determining that the raptor we saw perched out on a fencepost was a Ferruginous Hawk rather than a Red-tailed Hawk. What told us it was the larger Ferruginous Hawk rather than the more common Red-tail, even from far away? The extensive white on the bird’s chest and belly, unbroken by any dark speckling or “belly band,” pale feathers on the head rather than a solid brown head, and a flash of rusty color on the shoulder.

Another special bird of the day was a juvenile Golden Eagle. We could tell the bird was a juvenile Golden Eagle and not a young Bald Eagle by the neat, white patches on the underside of its wings and the way it soared with its wings in a slight V (dihedral). Juvenile Bald Eagles are a messy mix of white and dark brown and soar with their wings flat. While Golden Eagles tend to nest on cliffs or bluffs, they can be found in open country when not breeding, especially in the winter.

For ducks we had quite a few, with the most common being Green-winged Teal, Ruddy Ducks, and Northern Pintails. We even had a late shorebird: a Long-billed Dowitcher, a medium-sized shorebird that passes through Colorado in the spring on its way to breed in the arctic and then back through again in the fall to winter in the southern US and Mexico. Their feeding behavior, which is sometimes described as like a sewing machine, allows them to probe into mud and sand with their long bills in search of invertebrates and mollusks.

With 30 species for the morning, the walk was a great success! We hope you can join us on a future walk!

Lagerman Agricultural Preserve–Lagerman Reservoir, Boulder, Colorado, US
Nov 10, 2024 9:00 AM – 11:50 AM
30 species

Cackling Goose 70
Canada Goose 20
Northern Shoveler 2
American Wigeon 8
Mallard 10
Northern Pintail 25
Green-winged Teal 35
Redhead 15
Ring-necked Duck 4
Lesser Scaup 5
Bufflehead 8
Ruddy Duck 40
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 1
American Coot 50
Killdeer 6
Long-billed Dowitcher 1
Ring-billed Gull 4
Eared Grebe 2
Golden Eagle 1
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Ferruginous Hawk 1
American Kestrel 1
Prairie Falcon 1
American Crow 1
Horned Lark 4
European Starling 30
American Pipit 1
American Goldfinch 1
Western Meadowlark 1
Red-winged Blackbird 5

Saturday, October 12, 2024 Bird Walk to Mud Lake with Wild Bear Nature Center

Posted on October 15, 2024 by frbcadmin - Bird Walks, Blog

This past Saturday was October Big Day, the fall counterpart to Global Big Day where people around the world unite to share their love of our avian friends. In celebration of the day, Front Range Birding teamed up with Wild Bear Nature Center for a bird walk around their new nature center site up at Mud Lake Open Space!

Wild Bear Nature Center is Boulder County’s only year-round nature center. Currently located in Nederland in the Caribou shopping center, Wild Bear’s new location, which is currently under construction, sits on 5 acres of land and boasts access to 16 miles of nature trails. It’s designed from the ground up to include state of the art sustainable building practices like bird-friendly glass to prevent collisions and a net-zero energy footprint through the use of solar power.

Wild Bear staff generously provided coffee and donuts for the event and gave us a look at the construction site, though we weren’t able to enter the fence due to safety concerns (you can schedule a special hard hat tour through their website though if you’re interested in a more in-depth tour). After taking a look at the new center, we split up into groups to bird.

Fall starts a quiet time for foothills birding, so we didn’t see many birds on our trek. The most abundant birds were Common Ravens, Pygmy Nuthatches and chickadees, both Black-capped and Mountain.

One of the easiest ways to tell a Mountain Chickadee from a Black-capped Chickadee is by the Mountain’s white “supercilium” or eyebrow. To me, this eyebrow makes the Mountain look somewhat angry. The Black-capped has a full black cap with no white above the eye. Less noticeable, the Black-capped Chickadee tends to have buffier flanks while the Mountain is more grey overall. Their calls are also different, though this can be hard to hear. The Mountain’s chicka-dee-dee call is raspier, almost like it has a sore throat.

Black-capped Chickadee. Photo by Jamie Simo

Although not a bird, we’re equal opportunity when it comes to nature here at FRBC and the highlight of the trip was definitely the muskrat we saw in Mud Lake. Often mistaken for beavers, muskrats are much smaller (up to around a foot long versus up to 3 feet long, and 2-4 pounds versus an average of 40 or so pounds). While beavers have a flat, paddle-shaped tail, muskrat tails are long, thin, and slightly vertically flattened. Beavers are strictly herbivorous, meaning they only eat plants such as leaves, shoots, and the inner bark of trees. Muskrats, however, are omnivorous so, in addition to aquatic plants, they’ll also eat crayfish, frogs, and small fish. There aren’t any fish in Mud Lake, so perhaps they’re chowing down on tiger salamanders and chorus frogs.

American beaver. Photo by Dona Hilkey. https://flic.kr/p/w4CUW7

While we only had 8 species for the morning, the good company was more than worth it. We look forward to partnering more with Wild Bear’s staff!

Mud Lake Open Space, Boulder, Colorado, US
8 species

Steller’s Jay 1
Black-billed Magpie 1
American Crow 1
Common Raven 4
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Mountain Chickadee 3
Pygmy Nuthatch 4
Dark-eyed Junco 1

Reefs to Rockies North Park Wildlife Weekend with Front Range Birding Company

Posted on August 9, 2024 by frbcadmin - Blog

Summer in the high country of Colorado means cool and crisp mornings, warm and sunny afternoons, and baby birds galore. Oh, and moose. Our early August Reefs to Rockies trip to North Park provided all those things and more.

The three-day adventure began just west of Denver on a Friday morning, when guides Chip Clouse and Kyle Carlsen and a group of intrepid travelers climbed into a custom safari van dubbed the Roaming Bison and headed straight to the mountains. A stop in the tiny town of Empire gave us our first taste of Rocky Mountain birding, with gems like calliope and rufous hummingbirds, Steller’s jay, western tanager, and black-headed grosbeak, followed by Canada jay, Clark’s nutcracker, and Townsend’s solitaire at Berthoud Pass.

Reservoirs near Granby produced staggering numbers of ospreys, as well as a decent sampling of ducks and other water birds like American white pelicans. By early afternoon and after a delicious lunch and an obligatory stop for some Palisade peaches, we had reached the town of Walden in North Park, an intermountain glacial basin and our playground for the next two days.

Almost immediately we were welcomed by a cow moose and her calf standing at the edge of a meadow at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge. We raised the pop-top of the van and spent the next few hours soaking in the landscape in true safari style. We had close views of multiple greater sage-grouse, several family groups of Swainson’s hawks, sage thrashers, mountain bluebirds, Brewer’s sparrows, lark sparrows, lark buntings, vesper sparrows… shall we go on? Mammalian highlights included the range-limited white-tailed prairie dog, Wyoming ground squirrel, and American pronghorn. So many pronghorns.

During our time at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge we used multiple citizen science apps – eBird, Merlin, iNat, and Seek – as part of a volunteer project focused on environmental education through wildlife observation.

Evening brought nighthawks and dinner, and the next morning we returned to exploring and enjoying the area. North Park supports diverse wildlife habitats, including sagebrush steppe uplands, grassland meadows, willow riparian areas, and wetlands. In other words, there was a lot to see (and eBird and iNat). A young peregrine falcon delighted us with several close flybys. We added prairie falcon shortly after. Two soras out in the open. More sage-grouse. Yellow-headed blackbirds. Mule deer. An array of wildflowers. And American badger!

Our time at Walden Reservoir proved just as fruitful with loads of eared and western grebes with babies on backs, rafts of ducks of several species, phalaropes, avocets, coots, cormorants, pelicans, gulls, terns, herons, and ibises. The sheer numbers of water birds on and around this reservoir at this time of year is mesmerizing. Black terns still in breeding plumage treated us with considerably close views.

The last morning of the trip brought two big highlights: a bull moose grazing in the willows right next to our van, and a golden eagle, a bird that had eluded us until now. Our route back to Denver took us to Cameron Pass and down through Poudre Canyon, and we picked up a few more montane species and had a serendipitous encounter with a Lewis’s woodpecker.

Pleasant weather, good company, and lots of birds and other wildlife made this a memorable tour through north-central Colorado. We cannot wait to do it again in August 2025!

SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024 HUDSON GARDENS WALK WITH PATTI GALLI

Posted on July 27, 2024 by frbcadmin - Uncategorized

Hudson Gardens Walk – Saturday, July 27, 2024

Led by Patti Galli

I know I say this every time! But we get the most wonderful beginner birders. Eager to learn and participate. And this time was no exception, we also had two very young birders joining us and spotted a couple great birds!

It started out pretty warm around 71* and ended up at 86* so we got pretty toasty. But that didn’t stop us from finding 20 different species. Which is great for this time of year when it truly gets quiet out there. Birds are now fully engaged in raising young, feeding and teaching. Staying quiet as not to tell predators were they and their young are. And some birds, like the male Mallards are starting to molt before Autumn arrives.

Now for some of the fun birds seen on this trip starts with a fabulous Great Blue Heron that stayed perfectly still. That gave our group a nice amount of time to really study him. A beautiful tall 54” inch large, heaviest of the Herons, with elegant wings, as they lift up to fly. The interesting Western King Birds, which are in the fly catcher family. A yellowish gray bird, that has the most acrobatic ability when catching its meal.

We still had our regular birds such as, Black-capped Chickadees, Cliff swallows, Norther- rough-winged Swallows, Chipping Sparrows and our beautiful American GoldFInch to name a few! Can’t wait for next month’s trip, there is always something to see and a great group to enjoy birding with!

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2024 DEER CREEK CANYON PARK WITH DAVID SUDDJIAN

Posted on July 17, 2024 by frbcadmin - Uncategorized

Wednesday, July 17, 2024 Littleton Walk

Led by David Suddjian

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for joining today’s walk at Deer Creek Canyon Park. Several of you were new to this popular park, and it was fun to give you a bit of an introduction to it. I’ve shared our eBird checklist. If you do not use eBird (I recommend you do; it is easy to set up a free account), you can still view our eBird checklist here. Some of you were taking pictures. Feel free to attach them on the eBird list (I can help with any IDs) or just share any that you like with us here on this thread. I’m still impressed by the bevy of birds at the beginning of the walk, so very busy in that area near the parking lot! Wow! And such nice looks at several Lazuli Buntings, the singing Western Tanager, a chat, many Spotted Towhees, Sage Thrashers (plus one trasher ;-), and much more!

Keep an eye out for other weekday walks offered by the store, and the usual monthly Saturday walk, too.

Hope to see you again,

David

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