Hello, Birders. The good news is, Andrew and I saw a great throng of shorebirds at Panama Reservoir, Boulder County, late this afternoon, Sunday, September 25th.
The bad news is, The shorebirds were tremendously distant, being on the southwest shore, about as far from the north-central shore (the only access point for Panama Rez) as you can get. So, many of the birds went unidentified. However, we were able to pick out a single BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, moving around a bit amid the many Killdeer out there. Also DOWITCHER SPUHS and STILT SANDPIPERS, ID'able at that distance by body structure and feeding mode. Beyond that, all best were off. Lots of small Calidris sandpipers, with a few dozen likely Baird's and maybe 40ish Western/Semi jobs. And some medium-small things, maybe Pecs? Who knows? The grassy areas out there had big dumpy things, maybe Pluvialis plovers, maybe not. Didn't see any real big shorebirds, e.g., godwits, curlews, or avocets. Also, there was a single BLACK TERN zipping around out there, plus many GREAT EGRETS but only 1 SNOWY EGRET. If you go to Panama Rez, be advised on several matters. First, the mosquitoes are horrible. Second, there are numerous access restrictions; obey the signs, stay away from private property, and, obviously, don't jump the fence. Third, you need a good scope if you are to have any chance at all of seeing--let alone ID'ing--the shorebirds. Close to shore, an INDIAN PEAFOWL was wailing, and a LINCOLN'S SPARROW popped up out of the shrubbery. On the drive back to Lafayette, Andrew and I stopped by Prince Lake No. 2, Boulder County, where the water level continues to fall slowly. Along with the ever-present Killdeer and Spotted Sandpipers were several vocal LEAST SANDPIPERS and a SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. Ted Floyd [email protected] Lafayette, Boulder County -- 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.
