Spring is on the way
Yesterday I went on a little bird ramble to Boulder County. I was hoping to re-find a couple Common Redpolls that had been reported at an open space area there. Instead, I stumbled across an early Mountain Bluebird.
He was only a touch early, though, or maybe he shouldn't be considered "early" at all. I've certainly seen bluebirds in February here before, but not so far north, and not alone. In any case, bluebirds are one of the few groups of birds that seems to catch me off-guard each year. I'm always looking for winter ducks a month or two early, but I'm never looking for bluebirds when I spot them. They're always a fun surprise, and a harbinger of more good birds to come!