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.
Click on the picture above to enlarge
Click on the picture above to enlarge
And in the midst of the Canada Geese was a solitary Common Goldeneye:
Click on the picture above to enlarge
Click on the picture above to enlarge
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.
Click on the picture above to enlarge
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.
1 response so far ↓
1 Lynne // Mar 1, 2011 at 7:39 am
Nice photos David. Birding IS a great way to get out and about. We have a WHITE red tailed hawk that we follow in Colorado Springs.