Morgan and Weld Today

[Steven Mlodinow]

Greetings All

Today I spent the first 6 hours of the day at Jackson (State Park/Reservoir- Weld County), which was fun as usual. At the outlet channel, at the southern tip of the reservoir, there were >50 Least Sands, 2 Pec Sands, and 9 LB Dowitchers.. nice for November. Also there were 4 Thayer's Gulls (2 adults, 2 juvs) and a fair number of Herring Gulls (25 or so)... and a GW x Western Gull hybrid (picture a GW Gull with darker wing tips; stouter of body and bill than a GW x Herring hybrid). 

At the visitor center in the state park, there was a vocal Gray Catbird and a couple singing Townsend's Solitaires. Birds seemed to be moving in and out of the state park as I traversed the Russian Olive thickets. The aforementioned cooperative Northern Parula was the highlight, but a Wilson's Warbler wasn't bad for November either, and a White-throated Sparrow was a nice add-on. Also, there was a getting-late Brown Thrasher. Hundreds of robins, dozens of flickers, but relatively few WC Sparrows and juncos... don't know why.

As I was land-birding, thousands of Cackling Geese were coming into the reservoir. With them was a handful of Ross's Geese including a stunning blue-morph... a bird the existence of which was debated a couple decades ago. They seem to be increasing, but the entire population is probably just a few hundred. 

On my way back

-Weld CR 59 was frozen

-Loloff was full of birds, but nothing unusual. Lotsa Canvasback

-Lower Latham needs an early AM visit when lighting is better, but I was lucky enough to have an adult BL Kittiwake fly around reasonably close (for Latham) in good light.

-Stewart's Pond was chock full of waterfowl, including 3 GWF Geese, 2 Ross's Geese, and a Mallard x Am Wigeon hybrids.

- Union was packed with birds as well, but nothing unusual excepting the > 100 Red-breasted Mergansers there

A rather fabulous day

Good Birding

Steve Mlodinow