The snow forecast for Broomfield delivered, with a light dusting. It was cold and overcast enough to make for uninspiring birding at the local lakes and fields. So I embrased the wintery weather and headed up to Flagstaff Road in Boulder to see if I could pick up a few higher elevation species. The scenery was fantastic and made up for the poor light. A dusting of snow on the plains turned into 2-3 inches of light fluffy powder that highlighted every branch.
It was not a great day for numbers or species diversity, in the first hour on my descent I saw a single (fitting) Solitare (top pic).
As I began my climb I heard whistling that was distinctive. Soon I was accompanied along the trail for a few hundred yards by a small, rusty, bird with a white breast who darted from gap to gap in the rocks along the trail. He was tough to photograph as he darted from cover to cover in quick hops. Eventually I was able to anticipate his movements and caught him between a few hops, species 84, Canyon Wren.
The rest of the hike was pleasant, and I picked up Mountain Chickadee, Pink-sided and Slate-colored Junkos.2009 Count: 36
Lifetime: 84
