Folks- 108 birders, ranging from stroller-riders to retirement-aged
and about everything in-between, enjoyed the hospitality of Xcel
Energy today during the Boulder Bird Club's annual winter outing to
the Valmont Reservoir Complex
(http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/county/bird_a_county.php?name=Boulder#387.
) Normally a site limited to long-distance scoping from outside the
fenced perimeter, the trip afforded us the rare opportunity to walk
around and among the three lakes in the spacious compound. Special
thanks go to Valmont Senior Plant Engineer Dave Madonna for
facilitating our entry and for the work he does for birds and wildlife
at this Audubon Important Birding Area
(http://co.audubon.org/birdcon_iba_54thIBA.html.
) Ted Floyd headed up the birding logistics (thanks, Ted), deputizing
Christian Nunes, Bill Kaempfer, & yours truly to each take a group off
in different directions from his team. The 500 surface-acres of water
was thoroughly scrutinized with clockwise and counter-clockwise
circumnavigating teams and others criss-crossing the levees separating
Valmont, Leggett, and Hillcrest Reservoirs. Surrounding habitats also
yielded their birds to the intent eyes of field trip attendees. The
weather was uncharacteristically warm, with sunny and calm conditions
complimenting the 60-ish degree temperatures that sustained until we
lost direct sunlight.
The warm weather and abundance of open water around the northern Front
Range diminished the numbers of birds often found here in mid-winter,
but highlights were still to be found along with opportunities for ID
studies and good-old socializing on this convivial outing. The
monster fly-in of gulls has dissipated along with the ice, but the
very first gull scrutinized was an adult Mew Gull lacking any larid
company on Leggett Reservoir (the NW of the three in the complex.)
The most unexpected waterfowl were 22 Ruddy Ducks, usually quite hard
to find around here in mid-winter. Good numbers of our three
mergansers were present along with a few winter-specialty birds of the
power plant-warmed lakes like Western Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant,
and Black-crowned Night-Heron. American Pipits were a nice find, and
raptors in good numbers and variety rewarded those who looked up and
away from the lakes from time to time. It would appear that we missed
a few gems that were probably in the vicinity like Eurasian Collared-
Dove and House Sparrow. Following is the preliminary trip list,
compiled by Ted Floyd. Thanks again to the Boulder Bird Club, Xcel
Energy, Dave Madonna, and Ted Floyd for heading it all up, and to
everyone who participated today in what must be one of the largest
bird walks in the country!
Enjoy- Bill Schmoker, Longmont
Location: Valmont Reservoir Complex
Observation date: 1/17/09
Notes: Sunny and calm; low 60s. With 107 participants in Boulder
Bird Club outing.
Number of species: 52
Cackling Goose 8
Canada Goose 400
Gadwall 12
American Wigeon 50
Mallard 75
Northern Pintail 2
Canvasback 50
Redhead 60
Ring-necked Duck 100
Lesser Scaup 12
Bufflehead 4
Common Goldeneye 20
Hooded Merganser 35
Common Merganser 225
Red-breasted Merganser 50
Ruddy Duck 22
Pied-billed Grebe 45
Horned Grebe 4
Western Grebe 12
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Great Blue Heron 8
Black-crowned Night-Heron 2
Bald Eagle 6
Northern Harrier 2
Accipiter sp. 1
Red-tailed Hawk 6
Red-tailed Hawk (Harlan's) 1
Ferruginous Hawk 1
Golden Eagle 1
American Kestrel 1
Prairie Falcon 1
American Coot 200
Mew Gull (American) 1
Ring-billed Gull 1000
Herring Gull 10
Rock Pigeon 2
Great Horned Owl 2
Belted Kingfisher 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 3
Black-billed Magpie 10
American Crow 3
Common Raven 1
raven sp. 2
American Robin 4
European Starling 150
American Pipit 2
American Tree Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 15
White-crowned Sparrow 12
Dark-eyed Junco 2
House Finch 40
American Goldfinch 1
______________________
• Bill Schmoker •
______________________
http://schmoker.org
http://brdpics.blogspot.com
[email protected]
720/201-5749
______________________
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