Hi folks-- Surely I am not the only one with cabin fever these days. I ventured out on the extremely icy (and then muddy) White Rocks trail (off Valmont east) to see whether there were any critters about.
It was slippery, cold & dull until the kingfishers started putting on a show (at least 3, maybe 4 of them; one of the females caught a 4-inch fish but then sat around with her mouth full, admiring the heft of her catch and perhaps its perfume... ) There were a half dozen green-winged teal & a single hooded merg in the creek with the mallards; alas, no wood ducks. A few song sparrows, a few white-crowned sparrows, plenty of red-tails; oddly no herons. While waiting for the kingfisher to start gulping I heard a prolonged and interesting song down the way (a mash-up of red-winged blackbird, tanager, and a soccer ref's whistle). Went to find the "singer" (stretching the concept) and found a northern shrike which kept me entertained with its enthusiasm for at least 10 minutes. I had forgotten how very unmusical they are! When I returned to the kingfisher she was still posing for photographs, and the fish was still intact. I got cold before she decided to start the gulping routine, so I trotted out. Saw a mature bald eagle near the trailhead (one of the Teller Lakes). Now it is snowing again. Shiver. Linda Central Boulder Cnty -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds". 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?hl=en Visit the CFO Website at: www.cfo-link.org
