FOYs, eastern Boulder County, Mar. 7-11
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Ted Floyd
Mar 11, 2021, 10:30:21 PM3/11/21
to Colorado Birds
Hey, all. Here are some FOY (first-of-year) sightings from around Boulder County these past five (5) days, Sun., Mar. 7, through today, Thur., Mar. 11:
Sun., Mar. 7. Greenlee Wildlife Preserve & environs. Massive turnout for "Lafayette Birds!" but it worked. Excellent compliance with the city's various pandemic regulations, and lots of leaders. My pod saw several killdeer. Hannah Floyd's pod scored some great FOY arthropods, incl. this spectacular red flat bark beetle, Cucujus flavipes, in the strange and wondrous family Cucujidae:
The substrate was Chip Clouse, back from...well, we never figured that out. Anyhow, great to see you, Chip.
Mon., Mar. 8. South Boulder Road & 76th Street. During the evening rush hour, whilst waiting to make a left turn in traffic, Andrew Floyd and I marveled at a splendid merlin--probably richardsoni, probably an adult, probably a male--streaking by. It was on a northwest bearing, so it probably came from Texas, just as Bryan Guarente prophesied.
Tues., Mar. 9. More Clousiana. Chip organized an early-morning, successful search for the stakeout varied thrush at the Big Dry Creek Open Space. Like this:
Sun., Mar. 7. Greenlee Wildlife Preserve & environs. Massive turnout for "Lafayette Birds!" but it worked. Excellent compliance with the city's various pandemic regulations, and lots of leaders. My pod saw several killdeer. Hannah Floyd's pod scored some great FOY arthropods, incl. this spectacular red flat bark beetle, Cucujus flavipes, in the strange and wondrous family Cucujidae:
The substrate was Chip Clouse, back from...well, we never figured that out. Anyhow, great to see you, Chip.
Mon., Mar. 8. South Boulder Road & 76th Street. During the evening rush hour, whilst waiting to make a left turn in traffic, Andrew Floyd and I marveled at a splendid merlin--probably richardsoni, probably an adult, probably a male--streaking by. It was on a northwest bearing, so it probably came from Texas, just as Bryan Guarente prophesied.
Tues., Mar. 9. More Clousiana. Chip organized an early-morning, successful search for the stakeout varied thrush at the Big Dry Creek Open Space. Like this:
Wed., Mar. 10. Back to Greenlee & environs. A slightly early greater yellowlegs was at Greenlee marsh; a beautiful wood duck was at nearby Waneka Lake; and this...ah...thing was at Greelee marsh:
Whatever it is, it was fully volant. And beautiful. Speaking of beautiful, here's the Waneka wood duck:
Thurs., Mar. 11. Teller Lake No. 5. A pair of cinnamon teal were poking around in the goo. Water level looks good here for shorebirds in the weeks ahead, but, today, only 6 killdeer.
Thurs., Mar. 11. Boulder Creek at 109th Street ("Jasper Flats" area). A pair of ruddy ducks.
Thurs., Mar. 11. Erie Reservoir. An unexpected red-necked grebe along with all the ducks. Also this red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans:
Thur., Mar. 11. A quick check on Greenlee marsh produced twice the number of yellowlegses as yesterday. And the white-throated sparrow continues. The bird is a Peter Pyle-verified second-year male, it's singing now, and it's starting to look quite spiffy.
Okay, so right now is, of course, the time of year we're all looking for FOYs. But how often do we look for LOY (last-of-year) or LOS (last-of-season) sightings? Here are some thoughts on the matter, plus a tribute to Joe Roller, from earlier this week at the ABA's "How to Know the Birds" site:
https://www.aba.org/how-to-know-the-birds-no-55-los-halh-lol/
Ted Floyd
Whatever it is, it was fully volant. And beautiful. Speaking of beautiful, here's the Waneka wood duck:
Thurs., Mar. 11. Teller Lake No. 5. A pair of cinnamon teal were poking around in the goo. Water level looks good here for shorebirds in the weeks ahead, but, today, only 6 killdeer.
Thurs., Mar. 11. Boulder Creek at 109th Street ("Jasper Flats" area). A pair of ruddy ducks.
Thurs., Mar. 11. Erie Reservoir. An unexpected red-necked grebe along with all the ducks. Also this red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans:
Thur., Mar. 11. A quick check on Greenlee marsh produced twice the number of yellowlegses as yesterday. And the white-throated sparrow continues. The bird is a Peter Pyle-verified second-year male, it's singing now, and it's starting to look quite spiffy.
Okay, so right now is, of course, the time of year we're all looking for FOYs. But how often do we look for LOY (last-of-year) or LOS (last-of-season) sightings? Here are some thoughts on the matter, plus a tribute to Joe Roller, from earlier this week at the ABA's "How to Know the Birds" site:
https://www.aba.org/how-to-know-the-birds-no-55-los-halh-lol/
Ted Floyd
Lafayette, Boulder County
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