We're Wild About Birds!
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Saturday Bird Walk - Bird Count - Nov 28, 2015  
Overcast with light snow turning to partly cloudy and hazy. 15°F.
1-4 mph. 9 participants.

Another chilly walk today. That makes two-in-a-row for wearing a hat on the bird walk! Photographic (and binocular) conditions were not optimal this morning so we had to rely on our sense of shape more than usual.

                          View Photo Gallery                             View Slide Show

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    Don't Forget: Wildlife Tree Day - December 5th 11:00-1:00

Enjoy this season of giving by decorating an outdoor tree with edible ornaments for the birds. Come to the Wild Bird Company any time between 11:00 and 1:00 on the 5th and make some free edible ornaments to take home for your birds. This is a great family event and also a way to share some cheer with a neighbor. We will be making many different kinds of ornaments including millet sprays, fruit loop garlands, peanut butter pine cones, and more! Mark this great event on your calendar and do something nice for the birds.



Wildlife Trees ©Steve Frye

Bird of the Day:  Cackling Goose − Branta hutchinsii
Cackling Geese ©Kevin Rutherford

What is a cackling goose, anyway? Well, it's just like a Canada Goose only smaller. Actually, it's a bit confusing, well, more than a bit. Several years ago, the taxonomists spit Canada Goose into two species, the Cackling Goose and the Canada Goose. They did this because the evidence like DNA, behavior, morphology (how they look), distribution, and other factors warranted making these birds two distinct species. The problem for birders is that each species has several subspecies (of various sizes) and they all look superficially the same. Look at the Goose Chart below to see some of the particulars that distinguish these two species and their subspecies. Note that cackling geese are smaller than Canada's and with a smaller bill.

Canada Goose and Cackling Goose: Goose Chart

Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds:  
Cackling Goose

Birdfellow:  Cackling Goose

Youtube Video by Stoil Ivanov:  Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii) HD


Bird Count:  Saturday, November 28, 2015
American Wiigeon ©Kevin Rutherford

Boulder Creek--75th St., Boulder, Colorado, US
Nov 28, 2015 7:45 AM - 8:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.75 mile(s)
20 species (+1 other taxa)

Cackling Goose 1, see Bird of the Day
Canada Goose 40

American Wigeon 8
Mallard 10
Ring-necked Duck 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Northern Flicker ©Steve Frye

     Red-tailed Hawk (Harlan's) 1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 4
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
Belted Kingfisher 2
Northern Flicker 2
Blue Jay 3
Black-billed Magpie 1
Black-capped Chickadee 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Brown Creeper 2
European Starling 6
Song Sparrow 1
Great Blue Heron ©Kevin Rutherford

Red-winged Blackbird 6
House Finch 2
 
 
Monarch Rd & IBM, Boulder, Colorado, US
Nov 28, 2015 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.25 mile(s)
6 species

Cackling Goose 400, see Bird of the Day
Cackling Goose x Snow Goose  1, we found (in our photographs) this hybrid goose
Canada Goose 150

Red-tailed Hawk 2
American Kestrel 1
Ring-Billed Gulls ©Kevin Rutherford

Black-billed Magpie 1
Horned Lark 1
 
 
Boulder Reservoir complex--Boulder Res, Boulder, Colorado, US
Nov 28, 2015 9:20 AM - 10:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
13 species (+3 other taxa)

Gadwall 8
Common Goldeneye 2
Hooded Merganser 1
Common/Red-breasted Merganser  Hundreds
Horned/Eared Grebe 8
Harlan's Red-Tailed Hawk
©Kevin Rutherford

Bald Eagle 2
Red-tailed Hawk 4
Ferruginous Hawk 1
American Coot 40
Ring-billed Gull 40
     gull sp. Hundreds
Downy Woodpecker 1
American Kestrel 2
Black-billed Magpie 2
Common Raven 2
Black-capped Chickadee 3

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Total species seen:  33             
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Resources and Quick Links
Winter Grasses ©Steve Frye

Visit our Colorado Birding Resources page for updated information on Colorado wild birds, other wildlife, and plants around Colorado − and across North America.

Fall is for Feeding
   15% Off on one of our Seed Blends!  
Purple Finches and Goldfinch ©Steve Frye

Note: Good on Standard, Classic, Deluxe, Regal, Fruit & Nut,
Finch Mix, Woodpecker Gourmet and Bushy-Tail Treat.
Shop Online, Call (303) 442-1322 and mention this Coupon
or visit our Store to redeem. Code: WBC1115  
Not to be combined with other offers.  Expires 12/15/15.  
Saturday Birders - Boulder, CO
©Steve Frye
Meet for Sat Morning Bird Walks

           From 7:30 am (promptly) to 10 am  
                Meet at Wild Bird Company
               1641 - 28th St., Boulder, CO  
                       (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!
--Thanks, Steve 
Wild Bird Company | 1.844.442.1322 
 
©Wild Bird Company, Boulder, CO. All Rights Reserved. All other products, services or companies mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. All products, prices and specifications are subject to change at any time.

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