Both December 2004 and January 2005 were record months. The many unusual and out-of-season birds brought in birders from all over the state, often producing still more sightings. The weather was relatively mild with a lot of water still open. The Boulder Christmas bird count (BCBC) always provides good coverage across a wide range of habitats, while the Indian Peaks Winter Bird Count (IP) ensures coverage of our montane and alpine species. Both months produced a high number of gull species. Great Black-backed Gull was the most unusual gull species; birds were seen in at least three different locations. It is hard to tell whether this was the same bird in each location; certainly large flocks of gulls seemed to be moving around the county daily. A Glaucous Gull was known to move between Valmont Reservoir and the Lafayette/Erie region. Ring-billed Gulls were seen in flocks of several thousand. Herring Gulls and California Gulls were present in fair numbers. Other less usual gulls included Mew Gull, Thayer’s Gull, and Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Bohemian Waxwings were seen all over the county from the mountains to the plains. Some of the flocks contained as many as300 birds. Small numbers of Cedar Waxwings were sometimes interspersed in these flocks. Two small groups of Lesser Goldfinch appeared to be wintering; one such flock was in North Boulder while the other was in the south of the city. These birds are unmistakable in winter as they do not, unlike the more common resident American Goldfinch, lose their yellow plumage. Other unexpected wintering species were Say’s Phoebe, Hermit Thrush, Gray Catbird, American Pipit, Green-tailed Towhee and Brown-headed Cowbird. Turkey Vulture, Virginia Rail, Long-eared Owl, Winter Wren, Marsh Wren and Northern Mockingbird are some of our less usual winter species.

The hot spot for mountain birds in January was the Fawnbrook Inn in Allenspark. The feeders at the inn attracted enormous flocks of Rosy Finch; one estimate suggested around eight hundred birds. All three types of Rosy Finch (Gray-crowned, Brown-capped and the less common Black) were seen with Brown-capped Rosy Finch being the most prevalent. A Common Redpoll was also present. This species had not been seen since 2002. Pine Grosbeak and Pine Siskin added to the spectacle. In contrast, the numbers of both Cassin’s Finch and Red Crossbill were very low. The numbers of Evening Grosbeaks had increased for the first time for several winters.

Trumpeter Swans returned to Lake Valley for the third straight winter. Other of these birds were also seen elsewhere in the county. Trumpeter Swans are now a much more common winter sighting than Tundra Swan. A White-winged Scoter seen on Union Reservoir in December was new for the year. Northern Bobwhite were seen on the Boulder Christmas bird count. This was the first sighting of this species since 2000. It is always hard to know whether these are truly wild birds or whether they have been released. Two mammals stand out as particularly interesting. Moose was reported for the first time to the inventory; apparently many of these animals have been introduced into Colorado in an attempt to expand their range. (Fitzgerald et al.,1994, 393) Bighorn Sheep are rarely reported; a small group was reported in both December and January.

Altogether 122 bird species were seen in both December and January. This thoroughly outdoes last January’s record 108 species. TOP