Six Mile, Boulder, & Lagerman Reservoirs, Boulder County, Sept. 23

[Ted Floyd]

Hey, everybody.

Hannah Floyd's soccer game was conveniently near Boulder Rez, so...

Off I went!

First stop was Six Mile Reservoir, immediately south of Boulder Reservoir. I got there in time for the last five minutes of sunshine this weekend, and turned my attention to these guys:

I believe they are Colorado Plains soldier beetles, Chauliognathus basalis. And there were painted ladies, Vanessa cardui, everywhere of course.

Then the clouds rolled in, the drizzle started to drizzle, and that, as they say, was that, as far as insect study was concerned. So I turned my attention to birds. Six Mile Reservoir, with low water and ample mudflats, had a pectoral sandpiper, 7 Baird sandpipers, 1 western/semipalmated sandpiper, 2 long-billed dowitchers, 8 unidentified dowitchers, and a Sabine gull. And a great throng of barn swallows.

Next it was over to Boulder Rez, which wasn't terribly exciting. Still: 10 eared grebes, 5 great egrets, 2 ospreys, a flyover American pipit, and a flyover lesser goldfinch. On the drive out, I saw these ne'er-do-wells:

Finally, I quickly popped in on Lagerman Reservoir, which had a sanderling, 4 Baird sandpipers, 2 least sandpipers, 1 western/semipalmated sandpiper, a bald eagle, 9 more eared grebes, and this frenetic black-bellied plover:

With rain and snow in the forecast for the next 36 hours, I'm guessing the birding may be good tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 24. Enjoy!

Ted Floyd

Lafayette, Boulder County