Day After Spring Birding

Well I wasn't able to get out the first day of spring to do any birding, but I was able to yesterday.  A Mountain Bluebird a couple days ago was year bird #62 and my 40th month bird.  Western Meadowlark and Cooper's Hawk over the weekend brought my month list up to 42.

Yesterday I was able to get out and meet my dad at Sombrero Marsh in Boulder for some birding.  With wonderful weather we saw Song Sparrow, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, a lone Green-winged Teal, Mallard, American Coot, a pair of Red-tailed Hawks, a pair of Bufflehead and Red-winged Blackbirds.  The Song Sparrow was my dad's 52 month bird.

A look out at Sombrero Marsh.

A pair of Northern Shovelers feeding along the marsh grass.

Song Sparrow.  This little guy was very active and acted very "wren-ish."

After spending some time birding Sombrero and discussing the multitude of different calls that Red-winged Blackbirds make, my dad and I parted ways and I headed off to Walden Ponds for a short little birding excursion there.

Looking out over Cottonwood Marsh.  Still no green in the trees, but by this time next month there will be very little brown.

American Coots and a Wigeon.

A female Northern Shoveler in flight.  They have beautiful wing patches.

An American Robin relaxing in the thick brush just off the trail.

Walden had numerous birds on it including a few Canvasback, Ring-billed Gulls, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead and a couple Ring-necked Ducks.  The Tundra Swan that had been hanging out here was nowhere to be found.  

Walden Ponds Trip

So I made my first birding trip of March, and I went to my favorite Colorado birding location, Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat in Boulder, CO.  Even though it was fairly windy, and the boardwalk was closed for construction, I had a blast.  I went to chase down the Tundra Swan that had been hanging out there for the last couple weeks, as well as to enjoy the waterfowl that congregate there.  I met my dad and we birded for a while together before he headed off to work.

A look west over Cottonwood Marsh at Walden Ponds.

The Tundra Swan.

Some Ring-necked Ducks. There were numerous individuals.

An American Coot. A fun little bird to watch.

A pair of Redheads flying away, beautiful duck.

Part of the big float that was across the lake.  There were around 1,000 ducks on the lake.

An American Wigeon and Canvasback.

Close up of a Ring-necked Duck.

Close up Canvasback.

Close up Coot.

The Canvasback.

I added two birds to my year list, Tundra Swan and Canvasback, bringing me up to 62 birds on the year.  I added seven birds to my month list at Walden Ponds, as well as Cackling Goose later on, bringing me up to 31 birds on the month.  I can't wait to get back out to Walden Ponds, hopefully on a less windy day and hopefully on a day when the boardwalk is finally finished!