Wilson's Phalarope

A few good shots this afternoon at Lower Church Lake on my way home from work. In a bit of a rush, and little chance for PC time in the next couple of days. Fall migration is heating up, so keep your eyes open for short term visitors.

Birds of Wyoming's Hutton Lakes NWR

I had three great field trips while birding at the Colorado Field Ornithologists convention last weekend. All three had different feels to them and exposed me to three different habitat types on the trip. The first was the Red Feather Lakes trip, which ended up being a good tour of the foothills habitat, roughly covering the forest range from plains up to treeline. The second trip was to the Phantom Canyon TNC property, which was beautiful, but didn't lend itself well to photography. My final trip was actually designed to be a photographer's trip. Just over a dozen of us loaded up our dSLRs and Digi-scoping rigs, and headed north for Wyoming to see what the gale forced winds would blow in. We weren't disappointed, I shot these Wilson's Phalarope, firsts for 2010, from my vehicle before even reaching the NWR.


A trip of birding photographers is the best, everyone understands that shooting through the car and past a passenger's head is perfectly acceptable when the bird is on the other side of the road. The favor was returned back and forth multiple times. My next life bird, also seen before we had reached the NWR proper, was a McCown's Longspur, this time posing on my side of the vehicle.

Our first stop inside the refuge was behind the brush where we had all staked out the Marsh Wrens. As we enjoyed our sheltered spot we were also treated to occasional flyovers, such as this Forster's Tern.

We weren't the only ones seeking shelter. As we drove between two lakes we had a nice look at a Willet, which had abandoned the water for the relative calm of some scrub brush.

We also saw it's evil twin, the less well known 'horned willet'. Right, same bird, but the wind did lend itself to lame jokes.

The birds were all doing their best to cope with the strong winds, but some species are just designed to thrive in such conditions. The Northern Harrier, a species that normally glides effortlessly over fields and marshlands anyway, was able to fully extend and use every gust to scrutinize the flooded cattail beds.

We humans, on the other hand, were not so well adapted. We gathered our tied down hats and wind battered senses, and headed south for the border and calmer air to enjoy our lunch. One more impromptu stop awaited, and one more life bird for myself, but that will show up in a final post.

Photography, like birding, is one of those hobbies that lends itself to the quiet contemplation of nature. I find that through scheduling and the opportunistic style of most of my birding that I am generally alone when I pursue both activities. So, it is refreshing to get out with a bunch of folks who enjoy combining the two as much as I do. As great as group birding is, it can often be detrimental to those of us who are always looking for the next good shot. Birding courtesy dictates that a photographer allow the group to get good bins on the bird before pointing a long lens at the target and firing away. It was rewarding to be with others who were also seeking the shot as a goal. If you know other bird photographers in your area you may want to set up a designated bird/photo trip of your own. I am not going to say that this one took me from being an average photographer to an expert, but I definitely came away with some new insights and techniques to try.

Goin' on a Photographic Moose Hunt

Wilson's Phalarope

Last evening I caught the local news, and was amazed to hear that a moose was being monitored in my home town of Broomfield! In several recent posts I have mentioned moose. On an early June camping trip early risers were treated to a view of a moose cow walking just past the turn off to our camp, as I snoozed. Later, I was disappointed to learn that I had just missed a cow and calf on the western descent from Trail Ridge Road. Those I easily deal with, because I have seen moose in the past, and don't expect that I will see them each time I am out. It makes it that much more special when they are sighted.

Well one in my own back yard was too much to pass up, so I started out early this morning to see if I could catch a glimpse of what I believe is the second reported sighting in Broomfield since the species was reintroduced to Colorado.

Sadly, while I later confirmed that I was in the right area I did not see it. I was easily consoled by my stop at Prince Lake #1 in Boulder County on my way to work. The Wilson's Phalarope above was just the first lifer I had this morning as I braved the cool temps and varying precipitation of an October-like July morning.

California Gull

Also added to the list was this California Gull. It was in the mix with about 85 Ring-Billed Gulls, but was distinctly darker even from a distance. Anything not a Ring-Billed is a welcome sight for me, but I am still as novice as it gets in Gull ID. If anyone reading is sure I am incorrect after looking at these two pics, please don't hesitate to let me know.

If there is anything I am less sure of in identification than gulls, it would have to be shorebirds. For the Wilson's at the top of this post I am very confident. This last one is still a mystery to me as I type.

Update: After some quality time with "The Shorebird Guide" by O'Brien, Crossley, and Karlson I had a forhead smacking Spotted Sandpiper epiphany. Leaving the original text below because the notes I had on behavior were so indicative of this species. I have to get used to them losing their spots!

Granted I have only had my Peterson's Guide to Western Birds, (my bag book), to check so far. The coloring and bill length suggest Mountain Plover to me. When I checked BNA Online I found that they are rarely seen around water. While this species stayed more to the mud flats than the Killdeer that were all around, they were definitely in a shorebird area rather than the plentiful prairie and scrub habitats in the area. Then again with all the rain we have gotten in the past few days those habitats may be equally muddy, leaving the potential plovers to mix it up a bit and get some inter species socialization in while they have a chance. The two individuals I observed were much more mobile than other shorebirds. They seemed to be following clouds of flying insects in fairly straight lines across the shore. They moved quickly, and somewhat constantly without much bobbing or checking of the ground. Their size was close to the many Killdeer amongst whom they were moving, but they were more streamlined.


If this is a no brainer, or if you have a strong conviction about what this species is please feel free to leave a comment or send an email.


2009 Count: 170
Lifetime: 180