Boulder County mountain birding
William H Kaempfer
I took advantage of a slow summer day at work to head up early into the mountains. It took me only 50 minutes to get from my place to the Brainard Lake entry gate (before 7:00 a.m.) where my good fortune meant that my advance years allowed no-charge entry! (The gate keepers were already on duty!)
While I couldn’t come up with my primary targets (Three-toed and Golden-crowned Kinglet) things were pretty birdy at the Mitchell Lake trailhead (though not so much on the trail) and the willows on the southwest side of Brainard Lake itself. The ML trailhead had a mixed flock of more than 20 each of Red-breasted Nuthatches and Mountain Chickadees with a few Gray-headed Juncos and Yellow-rumped Warblers thrown in and lots of Red Crossbills calling in fight overhead. Alas, no kinglets of any kind. So interpret that—post breading flocking. Similar birds were by Brainard along with Pine Siskin, Wilson’s Warblers, Lincoln and White-crowned Sparrows (in this case, the latter all still on territory).
I withdrew to the delightful Marrocco’s in Ward for breakfast. A place worth a visit as it is right next door to one of the best feeder spots (Band-tailed Pigeons almost certain right now) in Boulder County at Pete’s (the Ward town Marshall) place. Pete and the entire constabulary of western Boulder County were also having a working breakfast at the Marrocco—so fear not for your safety in Ward, no matter what John Vanderpoel says.
Bill Kaempfer
Boulder
Richard Pautsch
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