Boyd Lake State Park (fee area) is currently a magnet for gulls and waterfowl, partly because the cold overnight temps have caused most of the nearby lakes to freeze. There is enough open water at Boyd Lake (just northeast of Loveland, in southeast Larimer County) to support large flocks of Common Merganser, Common Goldeneye and Redhead. Approximately 2000 gulls have been amassing there in recent days, especially late in the day after gorging at local landfills (presumably in the morning too). They are spread out in several large flocks. The best viewing has been from the Swim Beach, the Marina spit, and the parking lots north of the marina, especially with the afternoon sun behind you. I enjoyed the spectacle with a couple other birders late this afternoon (see full ebird checklist here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/email?subID=S22188937 ).
Highlights were: Lesser Black-backed Gull - at least 10 (8 adults, 2 second-cycle) Thayer's Gull - at least 8 (4 adults, 4 first-cycle) American Herring Gull - I conservatively estimated 120 after counting 70 in one flock (several in bizarre immature plumages) Glaucous Gull - 1 subadult (at least 3 years old - gorgeous!) Glaucous-winged x Herring Gull - 1 first cycle (looked like a big Thayer's with really short wings) Mallard x Northern Pintail - 2 spanking males identically plumaged! Nick Komar Fort Collins CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/852131702.4348874.1425609758565.JavaMail.zimbra%40comcast.net. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
