Boulder County geese, wrens, shrikes, etc.

[Ted Floyd]

Hello, Birders.

Yesterday, Tues, Jan. 27, mid-morning, I had an errand that took me past Prince Lake No. 2, Boulder County, where I saw a flock of geese with a bewildering array of plumages, sizes, and structures. See if you can figure out what they are:

http://tinyurl.com/CanG-CacG-quiz

Western Meadowlarks were going like crazy. Here's a recording of one:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/211486

Over at Walden Ponds, there were two Marsh Wrens in the southwest corner of Duck Pond. (Duck Pond is the pond just southwest of Cottonwood Marsh.) Also, a first-winter Northern Shrike here, plus an adult over at Sawhill Pond No. 1 (on the near side, across from the Osprey nest platform).

As Carl Starace has noted, duck numbers are on the upswing in Boulder County, and so it was yesterday at Walden/Sawhill. Most numerous were wigeons, Gadwalls, Ringnecks, and Green-winged Teal. Shovelers are increasing, too, and I saw four Northern Pintails. The ducks are quite vocal now, and most of them don't quack. This is the lovely vocalization of a male teal at Duck Pond:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/211485

Chickadees were everywhere, and, as some of you already know, I lugged my piano out there to tune it against the utterances of this particular individual:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/211484

Ted Floyd

Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado