Sherburne WMA Shorebirds

Wanted to post a sample shot of one of the wider views from my visit to Sherburne.  This is just a sample of a much larger area filled with birds, the majority of which in this shot were White Ibis.   I was walking along a small levee, separated from the area in sight above by a small watercourse.   The birds below were all on the near or far bank of that section, offering views of shorebirds that even I could enjoy!  

Solitary Sandpiper

Lesser Yellowlegs

Spotted Sandpiper

Lesser Yellowlegs and Black-necked Stilt

What a location!  Right in this area I also had a roost of Black Vultures numbering in the hundreds.  I am not sure when my travels will next take me to the Baton Rouge area, but when I am next there getting back to the South Farm at Sherburne will be a priority.   

Heck of a day!

Sunday's ski plans fell through, so based on my success the day before I decided to head up to the Walden/Sawhill Ponds/Cottonwood Marsh complex in Boulder for the early morning hours. After Saturday's bright skies and bitter winds the calm overcast and quiet of Sunday was most welcome.


When I arrived I had the place to myself. The sun was just rising, but light would remain an issue for the morning due to the low clouds. Light and iffy photography aside I was in for a treat. By the time I left the park I had tallied 47 species, more than likely a new best for a solo bird walk of just a few hours in one location. Tops among everything I saw was this Long-billed Dowitcher, which I saw very early, just as I was crossing the boardwalk going into the complex. The bill shape narrowed down the possibilities, but I had my doubts after scrutinizing the first picture and checking the guidebooks. Shape and structure were great for the Dowitcher, but a Dowitcher in May should have a rusty orange breast in its breeding plumage. I felt better once I made it to this shot.


A longer exposure blurs the detail, but begins to show the coloration on the shaded side of the bird. Yet another example of how photographs can be misleading for identification. Fortunately, a bird with a long bill with a downward pointing tip doesn't have many options here.


A bit later I came across another shorebird to identify, this one I was more confident to guess in the field, and confirmed later as Solitary Sandpiper. The bird's shape, and the fine light specks on its dark back are good fieldmarks to set this sandpiper apart.



I was back home sorting through pics and wrapping up a few to-do items for my trip this week when I decided to check COBirds before running a couple of errands. Much to my delight I saw a message that was less than an hour old indicating a Black-necked Stilt was near Stearn's Lake, and a minute's detour from my route.


So two life birds in one day. One was produced by concentrated birding, looking for migrants at as known hotspot, and then using technology to record and reconfirm my sighting. The other, a word of mouth sighting that was incredibly easy to refind. BI was back home sorting through pics and wrapping up a few to-do items for my trip this week when I decided to check COBirds before running a couple of errands. Much to my delight I saw a message that was less than an hour.

Both were memorable, and filled out a very birdy beginning of May. I have a handful of potentially postable pictures, but may or may not get them listed in the next few nights. Although if the snow showers continue I may be looking for indoor activities to pass the time.

2011 Count: 128
Lifetime: 257

My Visit to Walden Ponds - Shorebirds and a Snowy

One of the highlights of yesterday's hike was a few minutes spent at a small pond just before sunset. It was the place to be if you were a shorebird. With my usual disclaimer, (I may be way off on shorebird IDs), enjoy and feel free to correct me where appropriate.

The Solitary Sandpiper, above, was one of a group of three - not feeling so solitary, apparently.


While the Wilson's Snipe was foraging all by itself.

Of course Killdeer were everywhere, and the Snowy Egret below was in the same pond, and just looking too good not to include here.

Good birding all!

Pre-trip Catchup

Before I head out for feathered adventure this afternoon I wanted to catch up some pictures from a week ago. Last Thursday I stopped by the Stearn's Lake area on my way home from work. It was overcast and drizzly as the storm that would eventually hammer the Denver metro area with heavy wet snow was just arriving. Sure enough as soon as I got out of my car the rain really started coming down. The wind was enough to make sure that my umbrella had little effect. Still the shorebirds and ducks didn't mind and were out doing their thing on the banks. The American Avocet (above) was fairly close to my side of the larger Stearn's lake proper.

Just across the road I peeked at a small irrigation or farmer's pond which happens to fall in Broomfield county. I was fortunate to get a closer look at the Solitary Sandpiper I had seen previously.

I also had this Wilson's Snipe nearly at my feet. Unfortunately for the exposure we were both positioned below a large cottonwood, capturing a bit more of the feel of the weather than I would have hoped. Then again it was a new species for my list so I'll take it in any conditions.

So now my submissions to Ebird are up to date, all of my camera memory cards have been uploaded and reformatted and I have a couple of fresh pics posted to tide the blog over until Friday at the earliest.

My car is loaded and ready and in a few short hours I will be on the road. The only bit of bad news so far is that I could not get a blind reservation at the Valentine Wildlife Refuge for Saturday morning, but I will be camping the next two nights and have an alarm set for 4:00, so maybe I will get extremely lucky.

Even if I don't I know the next few days are going to be a whirlwind, and hopefully my notes and pics will give me a bunch of ID challenges for the days and weeks to come.

Not only will the birding be great, but the Lyrid Meteor shower peaked this morning and will continue in the early hours tomorrow, and I should get some good history exposure as well, (I have a degree in American History).

Take care everyone, and as always please feel free to make any appropriate corrections on my species identifications. Seriously, shorebirds are a whole new world for me. I will always do my best, but would rather learn from my mistakes than continue on in ignorance.

2009 Count: 84

Lifetime: 108