Our next stop was the stop I was most excited about for the day, Dry Creek Reservoir. When we got there we were not disappointed. On the drive in we found a large flock of Dark-eyed Juncos, but while looking through them we found 2 Spotted Towhees and in the same area we had our only White-crowned Sparrow. While scouring through all the Canada Geese, Mallards, and American Coots on the lake we were able to find lots of interesting waterfowl. Northern Pintails, Green-winged Teals, Ruddy Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, Canvasbacks, Buffleheads, a Greater White-fronted Goose, and then we came across a flock of 5 scaup. While looking through them we were able to identify 3 Greater Scaup, 1 Lesser Scaup, and 1 Greater Scaup x Ring-necked Duck Hybrid, which was a very neat looking bird as it almost reminded me of a Tufted Duck.
On December 31 Cheri Orwig had told me that she had just seen two swans on Cattail Pond, but they were both sleeping and she wasn't sure on the ID, so I had told several people to keep an eye out for them on the CBC. While we were leaving Dry Creek Nick Komar had told me that he had seen the swans and they were Tundra Swans, one of which he got a good look at, but the other was sleeping the while time he was there. I then told my group we were going to go poaching in Bill Millers area to see these swans. On the way there we stopped at Bud Mielke Reservoir to see the Golden Eagle nest. While there we watched both Golden Eagles and then noticed 3 Bald Eagles flying over heading north. Five eagles of two different species at the same time was quite a sight. We then came upon Cattail Pond, but only one of the swans was present. Immediately after I set up the scope the bird lifted its head for about a half a second, but in that amount of time I was able to notice the slope of the bill, the amount of black going up to the eye, and the rust color on top of the head. This was no Tundra Swan. Then I noticed the leg color, yellow, but Tundra Swans to my knowledge always have black legs, Trumpeter legs are variable. This was a Trumpeter Swan. Just before we left to go back to our area the second swan flew back into the pond from the south. With the smaller head and neck, the slope of the bill, smaller body size over all, and most importantly the yellow spot on the bill, this one was definitely a Tundra Swan. We then decided to head up towards Pinewood Reservoir making several stops on the way. A stop by a stream didn't produce anything of interest by the stream, but I noticed a rock wall on the other side of the road, so I whistled my best Canyon Wren song and sure enough a Canyon Wren started calling back. This was my first time they have ever called back to my whistle, but they have called back to me playing a tape quite often in the right habitat. Then while driving back on a small road we found a Golden Eagle. While stopped at Flatiron Reservoir we watched a Bald Eagle eat a fish and I heard a double note call from a Townsend's Solitaire I had never heard before. Then just before we got to Pinewood Reservoir I turned off on James Park Trail, nothing on the way in, but I heard a Pygmy Nuthatch on the way out, so I played a mobbing tape and that worked wonders. The tree in front of us was moving with about 80 birds in it at the same time. Including our only Red-breasted Nuthatch.
We then drove by Pinewood Reservoir with very little open water and no birds, but on the way out we noticed a Common Raven. After we started watching the bird started jumping up and down on the power pole it was sitting on giving us all the biggest laugh we had all day.
Common Raven
We then turned off on Green Mountain Drive where we came across another large flock of birds and the mobbing tape worked wonders yet again. We ended up getting a small flock of Red-winged Blackbirds in the pines and 27 Steller's Jays. We made another stop at Carter Lake looking for Barrow's Goldeneyes, but couldn't find any of those or any new birds for our count. We decided we had birded enough in our area and we wanted to go looking for gulls and other water birds. Our first stop after eating lunch was Lake Loveland, which I still had my subway sandwich and the gulls found the bread to be quite a treat. We had all Ring-billed Gulls coming in to try to feast, except at one point a Thayer's Gull decided to swing by to see what the excitement was about. We ended up seeing a Glaucous Gull, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, and 2 Thayer's Gulls at Lake Loveland.
Glaucous Gull
Ring-billed Gull
1st winter Ring-billed Gull
1st winter Thayer's Gull
1st winter Thayer's Gull
We then decided on our way back towards Dry Creek Reservoir we would make another stop at Cattail Pond. There both of the swans were swimming around and I was able to get several photos. While watching them the Tundra Swan decided to fly south again.
Trumpeter Swan Tundra Swan
Tundra Swan in Flight
Digiscoped Trumpeter Swan
Back at Dry Creek Reservoir most of the geese were gone, so it made scanning the other birds on the water easier. Because of this we were able to find two new species for our group a female Hooded Merganser and a Western Grebe. The grebe was only the second time on the Loveland CBC and the first I had found last year at Lake Loveland.
Our final stop was at Carter Lake where we were eventually joined by Nick Komar to look through the gull flock as they were coming to the reservoir to roost for the night. While we were all there we found not 1 but 2 Iceland Gulls, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a Glaucous Gull, and at least 4 Thayer's Gulls (probably more out there though). It was getting close for the compilation dinner so everyone left to go get food and their cars to get ready for the dinner, while I stayed at the lake to count as many gulls as I could. While counting 304, 305, 30.......what is this I thought to myself. A gull smaller than the Ring-billed Gulls with a small bill with the outer half being black and the inner half being light, with bunch of brown streaking on the head, neck, and the back is very brown also, this is a 1st winter Mew Gull. So, as it was getting to dark to identify anymore gulls I was still counting and I came up with as close of a number as I could get. There was 1250+ gulls roosting at Carter Lake with about 125 Herring Gulls and 1125 Ring-billed Gulls along with the other gulls that I already wrote about.
It was a nice dinner and we discovered we were sitting at 98 species of birds that we had seen for the day with my group seeing 58 in our area alone. We were already at the Loveland CBC record, but I didn't want to stop two away from 100. With this I decided we needed to find some owls and hopefully get lucky with something else or rely on our feeder watchers. While on the phone with Mark Peterson telling him about the day we had I decided until I get off the phone I can't use my tape to try to call in an Eastern Screech-Owl, so I will just sit at this gas station until we get done talking. About 5 minutes had passed and I saw something moving, wow, this is a Barn Owl flying right in front of me. Crazy, species 99 for the day. Then shortly after that we got off the phone and I went to the gate of Wild Lane Bed and Breakfast to play the tape. This may be a long night, so I better get all my warm clothing back on. It took a little while and I kept the tape playing the whole time. I decided to wait just a few more minutes, wait what was it I just heard, could it be. Wait, it is, an Eastern Screech-Owl decided to start calling back. YES, species 100 for the count that we know of. This has never happened on any CBC in Larimer County. We have found out about 2 species of birds being seen by others during count day: Wild Turkey at Sunrise Ranch and 3 Western Bluebirds seen by my dad at my house. Which I have been seeing them once every three to five days all throughout the winter. That I know of we sit at 102 species on a very exciting day.
Wait, I have seen 68 species of birds so far this year in Larimer County alone and some of these are species I might not see again in this county all year. Why not try for a Larimer County big year. To my knowledge one has never been done and perhaps it might be possible to see 300 species in one year in Larimer County. My Larimer County big year has begun.
We then decided on our way back towards Dry Creek Reservoir we would make another stop at Cattail Pond. There both of the swans were swimming around and I was able to get several photos. While watching them the Tundra Swan decided to fly south again.
Back at Dry Creek Reservoir most of the geese were gone, so it made scanning the other birds on the water easier. Because of this we were able to find two new species for our group a female Hooded Merganser and a Western Grebe. The grebe was only the second time on the Loveland CBC and the first I had found last year at Lake Loveland.
Our final stop was at Carter Lake where we were eventually joined by Nick Komar to look through the gull flock as they were coming to the reservoir to roost for the night. While we were all there we found not 1 but 2 Iceland Gulls, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a Glaucous Gull, and at least 4 Thayer's Gulls (probably more out there though). It was getting close for the compilation dinner so everyone left to go get food and their cars to get ready for the dinner, while I stayed at the lake to count as many gulls as I could. While counting 304, 305, 30.......what is this I thought to myself. A gull smaller than the Ring-billed Gulls with a small bill with the outer half being black and the inner half being light, with bunch of brown streaking on the head, neck, and the back is very brown also, this is a 1st winter Mew Gull. So, as it was getting to dark to identify anymore gulls I was still counting and I came up with as close of a number as I could get. There was 1250+ gulls roosting at Carter Lake with about 125 Herring Gulls and 1125 Ring-billed Gulls along with the other gulls that I already wrote about.
It was a nice dinner and we discovered we were sitting at 98 species of birds that we had seen for the day with my group seeing 58 in our area alone. We were already at the Loveland CBC record, but I didn't want to stop two away from 100. With this I decided we needed to find some owls and hopefully get lucky with something else or rely on our feeder watchers. While on the phone with Mark Peterson telling him about the day we had I decided until I get off the phone I can't use my tape to try to call in an Eastern Screech-Owl, so I will just sit at this gas station until we get done talking. About 5 minutes had passed and I saw something moving, wow, this is a Barn Owl flying right in front of me. Crazy, species 99 for the day. Then shortly after that we got off the phone and I went to the gate of Wild Lane Bed and Breakfast to play the tape. This may be a long night, so I better get all my warm clothing back on. It took a little while and I kept the tape playing the whole time. I decided to wait just a few more minutes, wait what was it I just heard, could it be. Wait, it is, an Eastern Screech-Owl decided to start calling back. YES, species 100 for the count that we know of. This has never happened on any CBC in Larimer County. We have found out about 2 species of birds being seen by others during count day: Wild Turkey at Sunrise Ranch and 3 Western Bluebirds seen by my dad at my house. Which I have been seeing them once every three to five days all throughout the winter. That I know of we sit at 102 species on a very exciting day.
Wait, I have seen 68 species of birds so far this year in Larimer County alone and some of these are species I might not see again in this county all year. Why not try for a Larimer County big year. To my knowledge one has never been done and perhaps it might be possible to see 300 species in one year in Larimer County. My Larimer County big year has begun.
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