Open water is rare here in winter. But the birds know where to find it, and I’m learning.

Today I found it at Josh’s Pond, which is just south of Boulder County in Broomfield’s Lac Amora Park. An inconspicuous bubbler in the pond keeps the pond from freezing. At the pond I also found hundreds of Canada Geese.

Overview of Josh's Pond and Some of the Canada Geese (with Longs Peak at Right)

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A Few Geese

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And in the midst of the Canada Geese was a solitary Common Goldeneye:

Many Geese, One Goldeneye

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Closeup of the Common Goldeneye

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This bird breeds in the taiga of Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and Northern Russia. It flies south for the winter to where it can find open water.

Returning home I took a short detour down Cherryvale Road, where I often see a Red-Tailed Hawk. Today I saw it again, and this time it was right above my head.

Red-Tailed Hawk

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Except at Josh’s Pond, snow and ice was everywhere I went today. While the temperature rose to between 10° and 15° degrees from about 0° yesterday, I was comfortable enough, since I wore my warmest clothes, including a nose mask and ski goggles. With every inch of my body covered I was happy. Particularly after finding these beautiful birds.