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Saturday, November 22, 2014Partly cloudy and mild. 55°F. 2-5 mph. 19 participants.
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We spent a long time looking at a mature gull this morning. At first, I thought it was a California Gull because it just didn't have that skeletal look or that tough guy countenance that I associate with a herring gull. However, on closer inspection it clearly had pink legs which California's do not have. So now our choices were tending toward Thayer's or Iceland Gulls. Iceland would be an extremely rare find and the bird didn't have enough smudging on its nape for a non-breeding Thayer's, but it did have a rounded head. It was a mystery. I took some documentary photos and we moved on. On further inspection of my images the bird showed a peak toward the back of its head like a herring gull on some of my photos. My research on these different gulls still left me wondering until I read that herring gulls are highly variable in their appearance. So even though the word "just" is banished from the bird walks when identifying birds, I would have to say that this bird was just a herring gull. This is how we add to our building blocks of bird knowledge.
View our Regular Saturday, November 22, 2014 Bird Walk
Boulder Reservoir:
Nov 22, 2014 7:45 AM - 9:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
26 species
Cackling Goose 30
Canada Goose 100
American Wigeon 2
Mallard 20
Green-winged Teal 1
Bufflehead 2
Common Goldeneye 8
Hooded Merganser 20
Common Merganser 12
Pacific Loon 1
Northern Harrier 2
Red-tailed Hawk 2
American Coot 30
Killdeer 1
Ring-billed Gull 30
Herring Gull 1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 6
Northern Flicker 2
American Kestrel 1
Blue Jay 3
Black-billed Magpie 6
American Crow 2
European Starling 10
Red-winged Blackbird 20
House Finch 4
American Goldfinch 1
Boulder Creek--75th St.:
Nov 22, 2014 9:10 AM - 9:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.1 mile(s)
8 species
Canada Goose 80
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Black-billed Magpie 2
American Crow 2
Common Raven 1
European Starling 1
Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat:
Boulder, US-CO
Nov 22, 2014 9:25 AM - 10:10 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
10 species (+1 other taxa)
Canada Goose 200
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Harlan's) 1
Killdeer 1
Ring-billed Gull 40
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 200
Northern Flicker 2
Black-billed Magpie 5
Song Sparrow 1, our only sparrow today and we didn't even see it
Red-winged Blackbird 4
American Goldfinch 2
Total species seen: 30
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Note: Species in bold are birds that were special on the walk for
reasons like a great view, out-of-season, great numbers, or rarity.
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 Every Saturday Morning
- From 7:30 a.m. (promptly) to 10 am - Meet at Wild Bird Center of Boulder 1641 - 28th St., Boulder, CO 80301 (303) 442-1322 Every Saturday year-round. No reservations required. Every last Saturday of the month we travel further afield than normal and return a little later. Bird Walk locations are determined on the morning of the walk. All ages and birding abilities are welcome!
To Sign Up for our "Saturday Bird Walks" List or "Monthly eNewsletter"
simply Click Here. Note: The "Saturday Bird Walks" list is a separate list from our "Monthly eNewsletters." You can update your preference to receive one or both. OR
--Thanks, Steve |
Wild Bird Center of Boulder, CO  
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NOVEMBER 22, 2014
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Wild Bird CenterBoulder, Colorado
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Catalog:
eNewsletter Archive:
Slide Shows of Photos taken by participants on our Saturday Bird Walks
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Bird of the Day
November 22, 2014
Saturday Bird Walk
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Hooded Merganser
My wife makes fun of me because I have about as many categories of favorite birds as there are birds. Hooded mergansers are one of my favorite medium-sized diving ducks. Males are boldly colored with chestnut, black, and white while the females are a soft brown with golden highlights on their crest. Both have a thin bill and a huge crest which opens like a Japanese Fan. Hoodies are notoriously shy and close approach is extremely rare. All our images from this morning were taken a good distance. At one point, however, four hoodies flew much closer, but after seeing us they swam quickly away.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology,
All About Birds
Youtube Video by Birdchick
 Plymouth Rock Chicken
©Steve Frye Click to Enlarge
Red-Tailed Hawk ©Kevin Rutherford
 Killer Cat
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Product Special
Coupon
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$4.00 Off 20-Pound Bag of Sunflower Chips
 Sunflower Chips
The best all-around
bird food
(and the cleanest!)
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Call and mention this Coupon or visit our store to redeem
303.442.1322.
Not to be combined
with other offers.
Expires 12/10/14
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Hooded Mergansers 
Ring-Billed Gulls