Hello, Birders. Once again, Xcel Energy, Boulder Bird Club, Colorado Field Ornithologists, Denver Field Ornithologists, and the American Birding Association will be hosting a mid-winter field trip at the Valmont Reservoir Complex, Boulder County. The event will be Saturday, January 8th, 2011 at 12:00 p.m., noon.
PLEASE CARPOOL! In recent years, well over 100 birders have been attending this popular event, and there has been exteme traffic congestion at the beginning of the outing. Again: Please, please, please carpool. The best sort of person to carpool with is a perfect stranger; I mean, how often in this life do you get to enjoy the company of somebody who's perfect?? Note, too, that Valmont Reservoir is easily reached by bus (RTD) and bicycle. We will meet at the main headquarters of the Xcel Energy plant, which is accessed from 63rd Street in Boulder, just north of Arapahoe Road. Just follow the great throng of birders... Leaders will be: Ted Floyd, Jeff Gordon, Bill Kaempfer, Nathan Pieplow, Bill Schmoker, Joel Such, and Marcel Such. The event will be hosted by Dave Madonna, Valmont's plant engineer, birder, and all-round great guy. Here are some birds this trip has produced in recent years: in 2010, Mandarin Duck, Thayer's Gull, Iceland Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, and Great Black-backed Gull; in 2009, Mew Gull; in 2008, Thayer's Gull; in 2007, Thayer's Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Glaucous Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Chihuahuan Raven, and Brown Thrasher; and in 2006, Red-necked Grebe, Carolina Wren, and Swamp Sparrow. This trip also produces such goodies as Hooded Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Bald Eagle, Harlan's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Golden Eagle, Merlin, Prairie Falcon, Northern Shrike, and American Pipit. The outing is especially suitable for beginning birders, young birders, and families. We will break into four or five groups, and at least one of our routes will be suitable for persons with limited mobility. (And, as usual, two of the groups will have to negotiate that long, narrow, steep, slanting, icy pipe that crosses over the cold whirling waters of death.) Please bring a telescope if you have one, and please be prepared to share! DRESS WARMLY. Every year, a large number of people "comment" on the frigid conditions. Yes, it can seem so warm and cozy when we're all gathered in the parking lot at noon. By 5pm, though, when we've been standing in place staring at a messed-up Herring Gull for two and a half hours, even the wampa (Google it) gets cold. Thanks very much to Boulder Bird Club, Colorado Field Ornithologists, Denver Field Ornithologists, the American Birding Association, and especially Xcel Energy and host Dave Madonna for this wonderful annual opportunity for Colorado birders. The event is a splendid tribute to the camaraderie, collegiality, and conviviality of the Colorado birding community. ------------------------------- Ted Floyd Editor, Birding Blog: http://tinyurl.com/2g2staq Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/2wj9djj Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/2wkvwxs ------------------------------- -- 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.
