2008 Tour Narrative
Spring in the Colorado Rockies is as unpredictable as it is beautiful. A sunny start to this year’s tour was appreciated, but such conditions can make rosy-finches difficult or impossible to find this late in the season. Nevertheless, we headed to feeders in mountainous Boulder County, and found all three species at a small restaurant’s feeders. There were good numbers of Brown-capped Rosy-Finches, and mixed in were Black and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches. Cassin’s Fiches also brightened the scene. From here we headed up to near 12,000 feet, where Gavin’s keen eyesight honed in on a stunning White-tailed Ptarmigan.
Depending on one’s perspective, this winter in northwestern Colorado had been either the best (ski resort owners) or the worst (those who had to shovel their driveways) in the last century. From our perspective, the heavy snowfall made for some rather challenging road conditions. One of the traditional leks we go to was completely covered in snow and inaccessible, so we opted for an evening trip to a nearby alternative. Braving a memorably slushy, muddy, snowy road, we soon happened upon a small group of displaying Greater Sage-Grouse—only yards out our window. After an evening drive in the snow, our first day came to a close, a day highlighted too by a good selection of mammals, including a Bobcat and two Moose!
We awoke with a relaxed start to our first “grouse day,” visiting a different Greater Sage-Grouse lek where we enjoyed wonderful scope views of several males. After a delicious hot breakfast, we marveled at the number of raptors that included Golden Eagles and Rough-legged Hawks. Steamboat Springs provided one of the most pleasant surprises of the trip. We visited the home of two local residents who welcomed us into their home. The star of the show was a Varied Thrush. This species is rare in Colorado, averaging only about 3 to 5 birds a year, with few making it through the winter. While we waited for the thrush to put in an appearance, stunning flocks of Evening Grosbeaks and Pine Grosbeaks that nearly stole the show. As we continued toward Craig, we paused along the Yampa River to watch Sandhill Cranes. The forecast for the next day called for significant snow, so we decided to look for Sharp-tailed Grouse in the afternoon. As we drove up the road, snow squalls started to fly and the wind picked up. Our chances seemed slim. Then, amazingly, we spotted Sharp-tailed Grouse feeding in the middle of a patch of oaks.
Having found Sharp-tailed Grouse, we opted to drive around Craig in search of waxwings. Waxwing searches are often harder than the proverbial needle in a haystack. But luck was with us, and as we drove up to our first spot we found a mixed flock of Cedar and Bohemian Waxwings. After watching these birds from about 8 feet away for 30 minutes, we had to get on our way. En route to the Grand Valley, we paused to look for ducks and other waterbirds at several places. Highlights included a single Cackling Goose—the status of this species is still debated, but it’s generally rare on Colorado’s West Slope, and this bird was also quite late. Undoubtedly, the biggest highlight was the Picenance Valley, where we found our first Long-billed Curlew (a rare migrant here) and Pinyon Jays. While we were still enjoying our post-Pinyon-Jay high, a Prairie Falcon flew directly overhead! After lunch, we headed into Grand Valley, where we saw another Prairie Falcon and good numbers of Bonaparte’s and Franklin’s Gulls.
One of the most difficult birds to find on this trip is the Boreal Owl—and this was our final chance. Unfortunately, when we arrived on Grand Mesa the wind was uncooperative. We persevered. The wind worsened. We persevered. It got cold—really cold. We persevered. As the clock neared 10:30, spirits seemed to be dropping. But at each stop, everyone got out of the vans. So we persevered some more. And then the wind seemed to calm. A couple of us heard a couple quick soft notes. And then nothing. We drove down the road a bit more. We got out again. And once again, a couple of us heard a couple soft notes. Then more of us heard it. And then we found the bird, and had unbelievable completely unobstructed views of what was certainly one of the highlights of the trip. Wow!
The next morning we spent time in the arid canyons outside Grand Junction, which produced Rock and Canyon Wrens, Black-throated Sparrows, and—eventually—Chukar. En route to Gunnison we enjoyed a lovely group of Lewis’s Woodpecker, more Sandhill Cranes, and some of the most spectacular and infrequently seen scenery in the state along the North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
Dawn in the Gunnison Valley means one thing for a birder in early April—Gunnison Sage-Grouse. In all the years I’ve been coming here, I’ve never seen birds as close or as active as we enjoyed on this tour. There were 20 males and 14 females, and all of us were able to enjoy prolonged scope views. A Bald Eagle flushed a few birds, but it seemed more interested in small rodents. A few minutes later, a juvenile Golden Eagle flew over and dispersed the remaining birds. After a quick hot breakfast, we birded a surprisingly sparrow-laden Gunnison cemetery. Among the juncos we found several Vesper Sparrows, a Lincoln’s Sparrow, and a Sage Sparrow—unexpected in this part of Colorado. Monarch Pass was cold and blustery, but we still managed to have stunning views of Gray Jays and Clark’s Nutcrackers. Descending canyons cut by the Arkansas River, we encountered a small group of bighorn and a pair of Western Bluebirds.
The weather had cleared by the time we arrived in Canon City, where our sparrow luck continued with Rufous-crowned Sparrow and Canyon Towhee. Before arriving at the hotel we took one final detour, where a single cholla produced a pair of Curve-billed Thrasher and a covey of Scaled Quail. The day was capped with a celebratory dinner that was among the culinary highlights of the trip.
Our time on the vast plains of eastern Colorado and southwestern Kansas was also memorable. Shorebirds had started to trickle in, including Mountain Plover, Snowy Plover, and Long-billed Curlew. The Chihuahuan Ravens we found completed our list of the ten species of corvids found in Colorado. A hedgerow produced nesting Long-eared Owls. Some even saw a pair of Vermilion Flycatchers!
Of course, it was the two prairie-chickens that the majority enjoyed above all: Lesser Prairie-Chickens delighted us one evening, and the early morning Greater Prairie-Chicken performance was unbeatable–and so were the pancakes, bacon, and eggs prepared by the friendly folks of Walden. Our return to Denver was equally amazing. Along a small creek in Yuma County, we found what was undeniably the rarest bird of the trip—a Bewick’s Wren (furnishing the first record for Yuma county, and one of very few records for northeastern Colorado).
As much fun as that was, the highlight was certainly the two flocks of migrant longspurs that we encountered. The first flock was made up largely of Chestnut-collared Longspurs, which would land along the road and at times fly directly overhead. At times we would see a McCown’s Longspur or two, but views were mostly in flight. Then, after enjoying several Long-eared Owls en route to Denver, we found another flock of longspurs. This was composed almost entirely of McCown’s Longspurs!
After a delicious dinner in Denver, it was time to return to our “normal lives”—with memories of Colorado’s grasslands, mesas, and mountains that will last a lifetime.
- Chris Wood
Updated: July 2008