November and December 2010 were noteworthy for the number of late migrants still being sighted. Birders were not particularly active in November resulting in only 104 bird species being recorded. However, December made up for that with a total of 117 bird species seen on a single day, 19 December, the day of the Boulder Christmas Bird Count (BCBC), bringing the total number of species seen in the whole month to 138. This is a record number of species for December, and rivals some summer months. Late shorebird sightings in November included American Avocet, Greater Yellowlegs and Red Phalarope. Late warbler sightings included Orange-crowned Warbler seen in both November and December, Hooded Warbler seen in November and Palm Warbler seen in December. New species for the year included Greater White-fronted Goose, Ross's Goose, Long-tailed Duck, Eastern Screech-Owl and Winter Wren. 106 Snow Geese, including some blue-phase geese, were recorded in November in nine different areas, and a Tundra Swan was reported first at Walden Ponds in November, then at Valmont Reservoir throughout December. Greater Scaup, Black Scoter, White-winged Scoter and Barrow's Goldeneye were some of our less usual ducks. Mandarin Duck is an exotic species that has been seen in Boulder during the last two winters. Grebes were well reported both months with Red-necked Grebes being reported at both Union and Boulder Reservoirs. A Black-legged Kittiwake at Union Reservoir delighted many observers; this was a species last seen in 2004 and only the fourth individual reported since the wildlife inventory began in 1979. The explosion of Eurasian Collared Doves over the last few years continues with these birds becoming a much commoner winter sighting than Mourning Dove. A White-winged Dove seen on the Christmas Bird Count was a first December record. Unusually the Christmas Bird Count produced six owl species: Barn Owl, Eastern Screech Owl, Great-horned Owl, Northern Pygmy Owl, Long-eared Owl and Northern Saw-whet Owl. A Say's Phoebe seen at the end of November and the beginning of December was very late for this species. Chihuahuan Raven is a bird that is often hard to identify; one was positively identified in December followed by a number of possible reports. A Pacific Wren seen on the Christmas Bird Count was a first sighting for the year; this is a species that should be carefully monitored since its split from the slightly commoner Winter Wren. Wood Thrush was reported from a yard in Louisville in the middle of November, and a Varied Thrush from Longmont in late December. A Gray Catbird seen on the Boulder Christmas Bird Count was very unseasonable. A Snow Bunting seen in the Indian Peaks Wilderness area was an exciting addition to the December list, as was the Golden-crowned Sparrow seen on the plains..

Mammals were very sparsely reported both months. Gray Fox was an unusual species for December. TOP