Loomiller Park, Boulder County

[Ted Floyd]

Hello, Birders.

At Loomiller Park in Longmont, Boulder County, this warm, sunny, Sunday afternoon, Jan. 25, Andrew Floyd and I saw a Greater White-fronted Goose, an apparent minima Cackling Goose, and a small flock of Common Redpolls. The rest of the story:

Greater White-fronted Goose. It was a straightforward adult. But if you want to see Andrew's startlingly misleading photo (followed by a photo of the bird looking entirely normal), check this out: http://tinyurl.com/GWFG-2015-01-25

apparent minima Cackling Goose. Classic case of "expectation bias." I was aware of previous reports from this site of taverneri Cackling Goose. So when I saw a different, dark-breasted Cackling Goose, my mind went straight to taverneri. But Cathy Sheeter makes a great case that this bird is probably minima. Photos, analysis, and comments here: http://tinyurl.com/CacG-2015-01-25

small flock of Common Redpolls. Psychologically, 180 degrees opposite the apparent minima. With the warm sunshine (temps were pushing 70 in Longmont this afternoon), the chik-chik-chik twittering of Common Redpolls was just about the last thing I was expecting. We heard, then saw, the birds fly straight over. They landed in a tree, very briefly, then flew off to the north, chippering away. We noticed several catkin-bearing trees in the neighborhood just north of the park, so maybe the birds will stick around.

Ted Floyd

Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado