Rosy-Finches, Ward, Boulder Cty, 1/5

[Thomas Heinrich]

I enjoyed the beautiful mild weather today by taking a bike ride up to Ward. To my surprise a flock of 100-150 rosy-finches was circling and landing in some tall spruce trees as I arrived in lower Ward at 1:30. They departed quickly, before I had the chance to identify individual species. After searching the upper portion of town for feeders and any bird activity, and not finding much at all, I returned around 2:30 and found a smaller flock of about 50 rosy-finches in the same trees. There were both Gray-crowned (including Hepburn’s) and Brown-capped, but no Black that I could find.

Local Boulder sightings since the new year:

1/1
8 Western Bluebirds (west side of Wonderland Lake)
1 Lincoln’s Sparrow (east side of Wonderland Lake)
The lake is approximately 90% frozen, but still hosting many Redheads, Am Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Canada and Cackling geese, and very few other species (1 Am Coot, and on 1/1 one female goldeneye).

1/3
1 Merlin, Dakota Ridge

1/5
2 Woodhouse’s Scrub Jays, Lee Hill Rd just west of 5th St

Multiple visits of up to 5 Lesser Goldfinches at my feeders in N Boulder.

Good birding,

Thomas Heinrich
Boulder, CO
Nyc...@aol.com