Hello birders,
I was mostly able to track down a few interesting birds reported by other
birders this morning. I started at Baseline Reservoir, where there was not much
of note. At Valmont, there was one COMMON LOON. Waneka Lake was devoid of
birds. I heard an enticing Spotted/Canyon Towhee-like "see-eeet" call (the high
pitched one) near the houses by the west entrance to Greenley, but I never saw
the bird. Harris's Sparrows sound similar, too. Something for Ted to work on,
maybe.
Panama Res #2 was empty except for RING-BILLED GULLS. On my way to Dodd
Reservoir, I got a call from Peter Gent who reported a Greater White-fronted
Goose at Baseline. I quickly stopped at Dodd, where there were large numbers of
CACKLING GEESE, a smattering of CANADA GEESE, and 7 SNOW GEESE (1 ad Blue, 4 ad
White, 2 immature White). Over at Boulder Reservoir, I couldn't find the
Pacific Loon that was reported by Nick Komar yesterday. Boulder Reservoir was
practically devoid of birds. It was pathetic. I returned to Baseline where I
easily found the immature GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE which I had either missed
earlier, or which had arrived after I departed.
Also present was the odd Teal that Nick Komar reported yesterday. The bird is
the size and shape of a Green-winged Teal, and the abnormal speculum pattern is
only visible on the left side. The odd wing pattern is very Mallard-like. There
really is nothing else to suggest that it's a hybrid with a Mallard, and given
the drastic size different between those two species, I doubt that's what's
going on. I think the most likely explanation is that it's an abnormal
individual of a common species. It really stands out and is worth further study
by anyone interesting in odd ducks. Several other species of teal show this
speculum pattern including Falcated, Common and Baikal Teal, and Gargany. When
the light is better this afternoon I'll go take another look.
Christian NunesBoulder, [email protected]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christian_nunes/
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