Birding from behind Barbed Wire

A Red Phalarope was reported at the privately owned Baseline Reservoir in Boulder, Colorado.  Armed with binoculars and a spotting scope, we arrived at the location.  From behind the barbed wire fence, we scanned the shoreline and every sandbar for our target bird with no success whatsoever.  However, we did see other good birds including a Common Loon on the far side of the reservoir.

Bird Count:

Gadwall – Several feeding in the shallows.

Mallard – Dozens also feeding in the shallows.

Bufflehead – Quite a few were scattered in the deeper waters.

Common Goldeneye – A dozen in the middle of the lake.

Common Loon – Marcel spotted one on the far side of the Reservoir.

Eared Grebe – A few in the middle of the lake.

Western Grebe – About fifty were in the middle of the lake.

Bald Eagle –  An immature flew over the reservoir.

Killdeer – A couple were on the far bank.

Ring-billed Gull – VERY abundant, one found a tasty crawfish!

Belted Kingfisher – One flew alongside the shoreline.

Black-billed Magpie – A dozen on the other side of the road in a field.

American Crow – Several scavenging on the far shore.

Black-capped Chickadee – Heard one or two in a tree.

White-breasted Nuthatch – Heard two.

Baseline Reservoir  

Mallards

Ring-billed Gull

Immature Bald Eagle

The Beautiful Snow Covered Mountains