COLORADO TRIP REPORT – April 7-16, 2006

Day 1 / April 7 – Fawn Brook Inn; Pawnee Grasslands; Wray

With the weathermen predicting the end of the world for the whole area that we planned to cover today, there was not much we could do other than go for it. Since when are they right in any case? Heading into the foothills of the Rockies, other than some good wind gusts and a few areas of drizzle, it was not as bad as they warned everyone. Once we reached the Fawn Brook Inn we found a good number of feeders dotted about the front and side yards and even more rosy finches in the trees. We estimated the number of rosy-finches to be in the 150 plus range with the vast majority of them being Brown-capped. They soon came down to feed on the ground and at the feeders as well as drink from the trickle of water that flowed from the waterfall of a small frozen pond. There must have been a dozen or so Black’s, the males with their wonderful pink, black and grey contrasting plumage. We did locate several Gray-crowned but could not muster a ‘hepburn’s. For more than an hour we watched as the birds took off for the hills and then returning descending first to the trees and then into the yard, at times within 30’ of us. 4 sub species of the Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-cored, Grey-headed, Oregon and Pink-sided), Cassin’s Finch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees and Pine Siskins all made frequent forays into the feeders while Stellers’ Jays stayed amongst the pine trees. We also caught glimpses of Clark’s Nutcracker and Band-tailed Pigeon flying over.

From here we descended to the plains and the Pawnee Grasslands, where any precipitation had dissipated but the winds remained at a constant 35-40 mph. In spite of this we came across many Horned Larks and Western Meadowlarks, seemingly all paired up as one partner would follow the other every time it took flight. “Gray ghosts” on this day seemed relatively common with at least 4 individuals seen over the course of the afternoon. American Kestrels were numerous and the raptor of the day was undoubtedly a pair of Ferruginous Hawks that were flying about near their nest, occasionally landing on it, attempted to catch prey, and having the male fly over us, which allowed us to clearly see his red leggings. On the ground we had great success finding male Chestnut-collared Longspurs at close quarters as well as McCowns which allowed us to compare these two Calcarius species. We capped off a fine couple of hours with great views of two Mountain Plovers that kept coming closer and closer to us.

Other than the odd harrier and kestrel, birds were few and far between on the way to Wray, until we came across a pair of Swainson’s Hawks, one of which was hanging in the wind above our heads – what a gorgeous underwing pattern – and the other we watched as two kestrels kept diving at it, but it did not really seem to phase the hawk.

Following dinner we attend the orientation that the Wray Chamber of Commerce puts on as part of our Greater Chicken package, in preparation for tomorrow highly anticipated leking event

Day 2 / April 8 – Kitzmiller Ranch; Bonny Lake; NeeNoshe Reservoir

It was an early morning rise to catch the bus to the Kitzmiller Ranch lek, where for some inexplicable reason, someone did not leave the key where it should have been, and consequently we had to use the bus as our blind. An astonishing 84 Greater Prairie Chickens, half of which were females showed up. We watched the strutting, cackling, foot stamping, facing off and brief fights as males tried to out duel each other and impress the nonchalant females as they ambled through their territories. On this particular day, we only witnessed one copulation. Burrowing Owls were also seen guarding their burrows at the edge of the lek, and just after dawn there was a chorus of Coyotes. Breakfast and the warm hospitality on the ranch was as usual impeccable. Prior to boarding the bus we saw Bobwhite flying across a track and land in the grass in front of the shelter belt - a two chicken morning! On the way out we came across yet another pair of Ferruginous Hawks, his time flying over the fields.

From here we headed south stopping at Bonny Lake where Sharp-shinned Hawk and a Long-eared Owl on a nest were soon added. The lake was covered with waterfowl but between the viewing distance and heat shimmer we could only identify shovelers and Green-winged Teal amongst many Mallards and we got our first Bald Eagle, a sub adult that terrorized the ducks.

The journey from here south is long, longer when one has to go via Wray, but we were rewarded with wonderful raptors, including a Prairie Falcon and 2 pairs of Rough-legged Hawks, all of which were seen extremely well. Reaching Nee Noshe Reservoir we concentrated on the shorebirds, seeing a couple of Semi-palmated Sandpipers amongst at least 17 Baird’s Sandpipers and even more Killdeer, but it was the Snowy Plover that was the highlight for Andy, especially as she found it as it flew along the waters edge and landed right in front of us. American Avocets in full breeding plumage along the water’s edge chased whatever it was that they were looking for. Pintail and Coots we on the water and a large group of Snow Geese were feeding on the far shore.

Day 3 / April 9 – Campo Lek and vicinity; Cottonwood Canyon; Pueblo West

The sounds and behavior of Lesser Prairie Chickens are very different from their cousins. There is far more cackling, more jumping in the air and the booming sound consists of far more notes. We witnessed far fewer birds on the lek than the day before (at the Greater Pariarie Chicken lek), but the 8 males and 2 hens made this a far more intimate experience to watch. John, Winnie, Vee and Susan opted to go into the small blind while Andy and Linda stayed with me in the van. At one stage we got a great sense of proportion as a Black-tailed Jack Rabbit came running through the lek towards us, dwarfing the chickens. The dawn chorus consisted of Horned Larks, Eastern Meadowlarks and distant Coyotes. Driving the roads around the lek we came across Chihuahuan Ravens, Say’s Phoebe’s, loads of Vesper and White-crowned Sparrows, a couple of Lark Sparrows, and 4 female Lark Buntings which was huge surprise for so early in April. One particular stop was a great success with Curved-billed Thrashers and Loggerhead Shrikes chasing each other out of a shrub and a Barn Owl being chased by a screaming Long-billed Curlew that appeared out of nowhere. On top of this we had another Ferruginous Hawk, this one carrying nesting material and after breakfast we came across 2 more bringing our total seen to date to an astonishing 9 birds.

On our way to Cottonwood Canyon several Long-billed Curlews were seen close to the road and as we took the entrance road a Prairie Falcon came flying towards us and landed on a telegraph pole. Once we started to descend into the canyon and its pinyon juniper habitat, Chihuahuan Ravens and Turkey Vultures became the dominant overhead species, while Say’s Phoebes could be found at most locations that we stopped at. Our first stop produced a pair of confiding Juniper Titmouse and the first of many Eastern Phoebe’s. A female Vermillion Flycatcher was seen briefly alighting on a branch overhanging the stream while a pair of Wood Ducks were frightened by our sudden appearance and took off. We later came upon a second pair, or was it the same ones? Canyon Towhees would tease us with glimpses and Bewick’s Wrens were very vocal which enabled us to track one down, as were Red-shafted Northern Flickers. In a grouping of cottonwood trees a couple of Audubon’s Yellow-rumped Warblers flitted about as did a Ruby-crowned Kinglet but it was the pair of Ladder-backed Woodpeckers that enthralled us as they flew from tree to tree, the male with his red crown raised on occasion. At our picnic lunch stop a kestrel was calling, obviously agitated about something and possibly it was the Cooper’s Hawk that made several appearances with the kestrel right behind it. Heading out of the canyon we came across a Roadrunner that was about to cross the road in front of us before having second thoughts and scrambling back up the slope. A Golden Eagle put on a nice show flying onto a post and taking off and flying across the road in front of us before heading away. Burrowing owls and Loggerhead Shrikes rounded out a wonderful couple of hours in this lovely part of the state.

While I was checking into our hotel the others in the group located a pair of Great Horned Owls roosting in a pine tree against the hotel. We later got to see them well from the other side as we walked to the pond. The cattails had been cut down and it had been turned into a trout fishing pond for the community. This was not going to disturb the American Coots but I surprised to see that the Pied-billed Grebes (that had nested here in previous years) were still here. Amongst the coots there was a drake Ring-necked Duck and noisy Great-tailed Grackles were now in evidence coming down from the trees to drink. While relaxing on Andy’s porch and having cocktails before dinner a Lesser Goldfinch flew into the tree next to us and on the way to dinner we finally caught up with a couple of ‘cotton tops’ that jumped onto a low fence and proceeded to keep an eye on a stalking cat.

Day 4 / April 10 – Brush Hollow SWA; Valco Ponds; Tunnel Drive; Royal Gorge; Buena Vista; Georgetown

Townsend Solitaire’s greeted us at Brush Hollow and a lone Bushtit was upset with something, calling non stop as it moved through a couple of junipers. On the reservoir we watched an Osprey dive for a fish, and had a small raft of Eared Grebes along with 3 Cinnamon Teals, a few Shovelers and a Ruddy Duck. The Valco Ponds held a pair of Common Mergansers as well the beautiful Hooded Mergansers along with American Wigeon. Marsh Wren’s were heard from deep in the cattails; Belted Kingfishers we perched on the far bank and a Pied-billed Grebe slowly drifted along the shoreline. Tree Swallows and a few Barn’s came down to the water to skim a drink and American White Pelicans and a Franklin’s Gull were seen well.

In and around Canon City we picked up Canyon Towhee, a very cooperative Rufous-crowned Sparrow and the singing Canyon Wren was a delight to see and hear as its descending call echoed throughout the cliffs. We stopped to look at Mule Deer besides the road and had the good fortune to have 7 Pinyon Jays fly across the road and land in the junipers, where most sat right up on top for us. Western Scrub Jay, Chipping Sparrow and Western Bluebird were added before we reached Royal Gorge, where White-throated Swifts flying below us were the highlight, along the spectacular gorge.

Following a picnic lunch at the Buena Vista overlook, with 3 jay species - Pinyon, Stellar’s and Scrub - and a few Mountain Chickadees we picked up a number of Cassin’s Finches and Mountain Bluebirds in Granite before making a beeline for high peaks of the Riockies. With the weather being on our side we went looking for White-tailed Ptarmigan and after a little searching were rewarded with 2 birds about 100 meters apart. Above the treeline the snow was already beginning to recede with large patches of exposed grass, but the birds still stayed well camouflaged amongst the snow patches. We finished the day with an American Dipper busy working its way up a stream, bathing and feeding.

Day 5 / April 11 – Georgetown; Windy Gap Reservoir; Arapaho NWR; Walden Reservoir

Junco’s, robin’s, Stellar’s Jay and a lone Townsend Solitaire were the only species we could muster around Georgetown’s feeders this morning. By the time we reached Windy Gap reservoir the weather had taken a turn for the worse and we were caught in a blinding snow shower just as we located our first Barrow’s Goldeneye. Once it had blown through the sun came out and we had full view of the mostly ice covered body of water. Ring-necked Ducks were abundant with a couple of Lesser Scaups tucked in for us to find. Barrow’s outnumbered Common Goldeneye’s and gave us a great opportunity to separate the two females of the species by forehead and bill shape. A few Redhead’s were also here as was a female Hooded and Red-breasted Merganser.

From here it was onto the northern part of the state, stopping to view three American Dippers, and a short distance later Gray Jays that flew across the road. Getting out the van to observe them, we proceeded to have the ‘patagonia picnic table effect’ take hold, with a couple of singing Fox Sparrows, the dusky sub-species, and woodpeckers ‘pik-ing’. It could only be two possible species and as luck would have we got both in the scope – Hairy and American Three-toed, again well enough to separate the two species.

Following lunch along the scenic willow stream we continued onto Arapaho NWR, a vast expanse of sage scrub dotted with ponds of various sizes. Again, a fair amount of water was still frozen, but in the open areas there was a considerable concentration of waterfowl – 12 species in all – Ring-necked, Canvasback, Redhead, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Lesser Scaup, Green-winged Teal, Pintail, American Wigeon, Bufflehead , Ruddy Duck and American Coot. A Wilson’s Snipe was seen in flight zig-zagging away and we had 2 groups of Long-billed Dowitchers probing the shallow waters. California Gulls and Double-crested Cormorants were also seen. In the sage we located a couple of pairs of Sage Thrashers which on this windy day were surprisingly cooperative. At the refuge there is an abundance of small mammals, in particular Wyoming Ground Squirrels and White-tailed Prairie Dogs with their black smudge that runs like mascara from around their eyes. A Muskrat showed us how agile and speedy they are by popping up in different locations in a pond in a blink of the eye.

After a little relaxation at the motel we headed west through the sagebrush and had the good fortune to have a Golden Eagle fly along side us at about 20 mph for about ½ a mile. This was the first of 3 raptors. The second was a Red-tail hanging in the air above the telegraph pole and the third a dark morph Swainson’s on its perch for the night. We also came across a single male Greater Sage Grouse foraging at the edge of the road, much to the delight of the group.

Day 6 / April 12 – Coalmont; Steamboat Springs-Elk River; Hayden

The morning got off a fantastic start with over a hundred Greater Sage Grouse on the lek. Watching these majestic beasts strut about with their heads raised and drooping wings turning their attention to any female that may wonder close by is certainly a magical sight. Occasionally one would chase another male away but mostly they would inflated their air sacs, flick their heads and make this extraordinary low double-popping sound before turned slightly and repeating the process. We had our eyes glued on one particular male that held court over 27 females while 3 other males kept their distance. The sheer numbers and spectacle produced memories that would last a lifetime. Coming away from the lek we were greeted by a large heard of Elk and 4 Pronghorn.

Nearing the continental divide a Northern Goshawk flew across the road, but by the time everyone exited the van all we could see was it flying away. As we enter the outskirts of Steamboat Springs a pair of Sandhill Cranes flew across a field in perfect light. The roads north of the town produced a far better look at a Goshawk, a Copper’s for comparison, several Evening Grosbeaks and American Dippers foraging along the fast flowing full Elk River.

On the way to lunch we stopped for Bald Eagles, one of which was on a nest, and found a Great Horned Owl on a smaller nest. Following a pleasant lunch at a very scenic spot with Golden Eagles overhead and bugling Sandhill Cranes in the valley, we walked through sage and oak scrub which produced Spotted Towhees, a Blue Grouse flying away and about 7 Sharp-tailed Grouse that abruptly dropped out of sight. While looking at a well camouflaged Long-eared Owl, we noticed Winnie cleaning her boots on the edge of a small oak grove which was where we saw 3 of sharp-tails drop in. As we approached her, we inquired as to whether she had seen the sharp-tails, to which she said she had seen nothing. Amazingly, laying down less than 20 feet from where Winnie was sitting, there was a male Blue Grouse, fully aware of what was going on, but sitting tight. Why he stayed there, who knows? And where the sharp-tails disappeared too, who knows?

Day 7 / April 13 – Hayden 20 mile road; Craig Pond; Bookcliff Ends, Cameo; Palisades Orchards; Blue Mesa Lake

We arrived at the Sharp-tailed Grouse lek just as in time to witness the full moon dip below the hillside. The scene was set but for whatever reason there were fewer grouse than we expected and possibly because of the stiff wind some could have been displaying just out of view over the crest of the knoll. Either way we got to see at least 5 birds move about along the top of the knoll, with their white undertails cocked up and wings spread out and drooping as they chased each other through the thin tall grass. When one would come to a stop the others would follow and after a short break one would begin once more by slowly turning 360 degrees before moving off in a certain direction. Once in a while one bird would fly from the knoll towards us and land just out of sight very close to where we were. We could hear its deep weird sounding hoots and got to see it when it jumped up to draw the attraction of a female. Unfortunately the activity pretty much came to halt shortly after sunrise and the birds eventually dispersed by walking away from the lek.

Leaving Craig we stopped at a pond where a number of white birds caught our attention. These turned out to be pelicans, Common Mergansers and California Gulls. A Golden Eagle was perched on a pylon and a Vesper Sparrow was singing its heart out. Working our way down Rte 70 it was surprising to see that the cottonwoods had yet to begin leafing out and that their was still an icing of snow over the escarpment, not to mention that this part of the Western Slope was now being drilled for oil. It was not long after we entered Coal Canyon that Susan picked out a calling Chukar on the far slope under a sage bush. It was soon followed by its mate and over the course of the next hour we came across two other pairs – if only we were this lucky every year! A bright green and yellow Collared Lizard was a big hit amongst the group and about the only bird we could muster from the sage and juniper in the canyon was a lone Black-throated Sparrow as we were serenaded by Rock Wrens from high-up the canyon walls.

The orchards in the Palisades were in full bloom with the white and pink blossoms of peaches and apples. We located a couple of Lewis’ Woodpeckers which showed very well and lucked upon a Gambel’s Quail working its way along a ridge, which it turn lured a pair that descended down a steep rock face for all of us to see as a Rough-wing Swallow perched on bare branch in the line of our sight.

As we worked our way eastwards the snow cover western slopes of the rockies became more evident and we passed through some very scenic areas namely the southern edge of the Black Canyon before reaching a very ice covered Blue Mesa Lake. It was not until we reached the eastern end that we came across anything. Here we got to see a couple of Ruddy Ducks, Common Mergansers and 5 Western Grebes, which allowed us to go through the differences between this species and Clark’s. A stop to check an area of sage produced singing Sage Thrashers and a very uncooperative Sage Sparrow. We all saw it fly past us seeing the thin outer white to the dark tail feathers before it dropped to the ground where it kept at least a step or two ahead of us for some 15 minutes until Andy and Linda got to clearly see the whole bird before it just vanished.

Day 8 / April 14 – Waunita Hot Springs lek; Parlin Meadows; Monarch Pass; Canon City Riverwalk; Phantom Creek Road

It was another early start to get to the Gunnison’s lek, getting settled in by 5:30. Because the lek is a good distance away (200+ meters) across the stream and wet meadow it took a good while before we could see any activity. In all there were 28 birds, 2 of which were females. Though it was overcast there was no wind and the temperatures were around 30 degrees. Overall very pleasant considering what it could have been. Once we had enough light we watched a group of about 18 birds take center stage, strutting and popping their air sacs as they flick their thick filoplumes over their heads. This was easily the most noticeable difference between Greater and Gunnison that we could see, though the white ‘boa’ really stuck out probably because the black belly seemed to come further up the belly than on Greater. Due to the running stream unfortunately we could not hear them. As early as 6:20 one flew away, actually heading just west of the blind. Over the next 10 minutes a few more followed with the majority of them taking off around 6:40. By 6:50 the wonderful show was over!

At the motel we picked up Brewer’s Blackbirds and Gunnison’s Prairie Dogs and a short distance away a pair of Cinnamon Teal and a Song Sparrow. Working our way over Monarch Pass we came across a Clark’s Nutcracker which in turn led to Pygmy Nuthatches and a pair of Williamson’s Sapsuckers which showed on the tops of distant bare branches. Along with Stellar’s Jay’s which were common we had a lone Gray Jay.

Along the Arkansas River the riverwalk was rather quiet. We started out having two myrtle Yellow-rumped Warblers and hearing a Downy Woodpecker and Cedar Waxwing. It was amusing to see a Fox Squirrel just fit into a flicker nest hole with its foot hanging over the edge and we followed a Muskrat down the river as it went it search of something to eat. A Rough-wing Swallow was perched nicely on a bare branch over the water and a Belted Kingfisher flew away from us further up a side stream. An Osprey took off from high in a cottonwood as we approached and Linda located a flock of 19 White-faced Ibis.

What a gorgeous drive it is going from the prairies up through the junipers to the spruce forest at the upper elevations of Phantom Canyon Road. Though today’s birding seemed pretty thin, no doubt because migration had yet to get under way in this part of the world, we did to see Townsend’s Solitaires, Spotted Towhees, a number of Golden Eagles and a Goshawk that kept circling higher and higher. Amongst the heard only birds were a couple of Red-breasted Nuthatches and a Pygmy Owl, which stayed on the opposite side of the canyon.

Day 9 / April 15 – Genesee Park; Crawford Gulch Road

We awoke to a howling wind that stayed with us all day as we worked our way northwards. By the time we reached the Denver area rain clouds were far more evident though we seemed to avoid any rain. At Genesse the conditions were miserable with steady winds and strong gusts that seemed to keep most of the birds out of sight. However through all of this we come across Western Bluebirds, Mountain Chickadees and juncos feeding in a grassy area and had a female Williamson’s Sapsucker stay at the top of a dead pine for quite a while before she flew off. Walking back towards the van we came across Pygmy Nuthatches and a pair of Red Crossbills that stayed on bare branches long enough to make out that they were not House Finches, which we kept hearing.

We had lunch back in Georgetown after making a short drive up Guanella. It was very scenic with all the evergreens and aspens recently covered in a layer of snow, but failed to locate a Red-naped Sapsucker, probably because it was still too early for their return. With the wind as bad as it had been all day our attempt at Pygmy Owl was futile though we did get to see about a dozen Red Crossbills that included 3 nice males.

Day 10 / April 16 – Loveland Ski basin; Beebe Draw; Loloff Lake

Easter Sunday. What a difference a day makes? Calm, bright sunshine and 80 degrees! Without any feeders at Loveland Ski Basin, there were no birds to be had – what a shame. We then headed to the plains and the surrounding wet meadows and pools around Beebe Draw where we picked up a number of new birds for the trip as well as a Black-bellied Plover, a first for our ‘chicken’ trip since our first visit many years ago. Mockingbird was first up when one crossed in front of the van and sat up on the lower branches of a tree for us. The first pool of water we came to held numerous Cinnamon and Blue-wing Teal as well as Green-wing, American Wigeon, a Greater Yellowlegs, two Black-necked Stilts, 5 Wilson’s Snipe, a couple of Great-tailed Grackle’s and a distant flock of about 30 White-faced Ibis. A great start to the day! The second flooded wetland held the same waterfowl but in far greater numbers along with shovelers and Gadwalls, as well as a number of shorebirds. It was here that we had the Black-bellied Plover as well a Dunlin, and great side by side comparisons of Baird’s, Western, Semi-palmated and Least Sandpipers. Long-billed Dowitcher’s foraged towards the back in the shallows and a short distance from us we had 4 or 5 American Pipits, which was a nice surprise. On the fence a Savannah Sparrow put in a brief appearance and a Bald Eagle was seen perched near the reservoir.

On the way to Loloff we came across good numbers of Yellow-headed Blackbirds as well as Brewer’s, Northern Harrier’s including yet another “gray ghost” and much to Linda’s delight, John spotted a Pheasant. On Loloff there was little new other than day birds which included Ring-billed Gulls, Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, Canvasback, Ruddy Duck and Common Merganser.

It was a wonderful trip with exceptional looks at a great many birds as well as some spectacular displays on the leks. We finished with 173 species which for an early spring trip was very good.

Adrian Binns