Black Scoters at Blue Lake (Bent/Kiowa) on 10/31

[DAVID A LEATHERMAN]

Went back to Blue Lake today and was happy to find 2 female Black Scoters.  Duane Nelson, Norma Verhoff, and Janeal Thompson were able to see these birds.  Duane thinks they might be a first for Kiowa County.  When we left this afternoon, the birds were in the northeast part of the res.

Other species seen today included:

American Avocet (8)
Long-billed Dowitcher (12)
Sanderling (2)
Baird's Sandpiper (2)
Black-bellied Plover (1)
Bonaparte's Gull (1)
Red-breasted Merganser (10)
Bufflehead (10) FOS down low
Wood Duck (5f)
Sandhill Crane (few thousand)
Snow Goose (50)
Pine Siskin (1)
Bonaparte's Gull (1a)
Lapland Longspur (heard off and on all day)
big influx of many species of common dabbling and diving ducks

Total of 58 species!

birds NOT seen today that were seen yesterday: Dunlin and Lesser Black-backed Gull (both could easily still be around)

Loggerhead Shrike (Bent CR14 few miles south of the east end of the res)

Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins