Loveland Lakes - Larimer - Gulls and Dowitchers

[Andrew Bankert]

Mike McCloy and I both independently determined that working during daylight hours wasn't that much fund, so we headed down to Loveland late this afternoon.  Horseshoe Lake didn't have too many birds on it, but some gulls were coming in as we left about an hour and fifteen minutes before sunset.  Boyd Lake had a decent flock of gulls that included about a dozen Herring Gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull.  Our best birds were two Long-billed Dowitchers which may represent the earliest spring record (are there any post-1990 records not in eBird?) and the first winter Colorado record of birds that might be capable of flight (although we never saw the birds fly).  The group of American White Pelicans (we counted 10) were also continuing.  Our final stop was at Lake Loveland right after sunset, but that didn't stop us from finding a few more Lesser Black-backed Gulls and an adult Thayer's Gull.

Good Birding,

Andy Bankert

Fort Collins