Day 1 Saturday:  Arrival in Denver, Colorado

Everyone arrived at Denver airport early evening and headed straight to our motel.  With a choice of dinner or bed, everyone chose bed, ready for an early start.  Dave arrived slightly earlier than the rest of the group and saw a Killdeer, and an Eastern Cottontail in the motel car park.

 

Day 2 Sunday:  NE Colorado/Pawnee Grasslands

As we packed the van we were serenaded by the sounds of singing American Robins and Killdeers - a great way to start any day! Our first stop was Fort Collins for breakfast before we headed to the Pawnee Grasslands.  At the roadside as we left town we saw two Fox Squirrels – a mammal typically only found in eastern Colorado on this tour. Soon we were on the Pawnee Grasslands – where we had an excellent morning’s birding.  The grasslands yielded all their specialities including Chestnut-collared and McCown’s Longspurs, Long-billed Curlews and Mountain Plovers, all in fantastic breeding plumage and giving especially great views with little or no heat haze.  After several hours of great birding, we headed east further into the plains to be positioned for Greater Prairie-Chickens tomorrow.  Other highlights of the day included two Wood Ducks, Golden Eagle, a Prairie Falcon with prey, Wild Turkey, many Horned Larks, Savannah Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Brewer’s Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, many Pronghorn Antelopes, a  Thirteen-lined Ground-Squirrel, and lots of Black-tailed Prairie-Dogs.

On arrival in Wray early evening we headed to dinner and early to bed, filled with anticipation of our first lek.

 

Day 3 Monday:  Eastern Colorado/Greater Prairie Chickens

Leaving early we met up with our local guide and drove the few miles out of town for our private viewing session of a Greater Prairie-Chicken lek.  Even before the first glow of light emerged behind us, the males started with their eerie moaning song “please pick meee”, as they positioned themselves in preparation for the hoped for arrival of some females.  We, and they, were not to be disappointed: 23 males were in position at first light, and during the ensuing minutes, at least 45 females showed up, mainly to look, but some to mate.  We had excellent views as we watched in comfort from the specially positioned and capacious hide – by far the best way to enjoy this spectacle.  This morning there were so many females at the lek that the males constantly vied for their attention and consequently there was much posturing, frantic display, and sparring.  Occasionally one of the females would be mated too.  We alternated between watching them, snapping photos and taking video.  Adding to the spectacle were three pairs of Burrowing Owls that were very active at this early hour. Whilst this is not a really a photographic tour, we had some excellent photo opportunities this morning, especially for longer lenses, video, and for digiscoping.  This was to be repeated on many other occasions throughout the trip.  All of the shots included in this tour report were taken “as the opportunity presented”.  Thanks for sharing them folks.  We left the hide and headed for a hearty breakfast.

Afterwards, before driving south, we birded a little around Wray in search of some recently reported Northern Bobwhites, which we did not find, but never-the-less enjoyed great views of several other species including Wild Turkey, Great Horned Owl, Broad-winged and Cooper’s Hawks, Downy Woodpecker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and White-crowned Sparrows.  Heading south, we broke the drive to the Comanche Grasslands with some birding at Bonny State Park where highlights included Cattle Egret, Snow Goose, our first American White Pelicans of the trip, a Clarke’s Grebe, Franklin’s Gull, Greater Yellowlegs, Marbled Godwit, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Eastern Bluebird, more White-crowned Sparrows and later, Brewer’s Blackbird and some Great-tailed Grackles too.  Early evening as we settled into our guest house on a ranch out on the prairie, a Curve-billed Thrasher greeted us, whilst a Coyote eyed us warily from a nearby pasture!  It had already been a great day, but we weren’t done yet. After dinner those of us who wanted to headed out in search of Western Screech Owl and mammals. We were suitably rewarded with great views of a Western Screech Owl, plus several more heard, Great Horned Owls heard, and a bagful of mammals spotlighted: Several White-tailed and Mule Deer, Elk, Bighorn Sheep and a single Striped Skunk.  We headed to bed again filled with anticipation of many more great days to follow.

 

Day 4 Tuesday:  South Eastern Colorado

A more leisurely start was an option on account of there being no lek visit this morning.  Those who wanted early birding, arose for departure at first light for optional pre-breakfast birding in a nearby canyon. We were rewarded with many species, highlights including especially excellent views of Rufous-crowned Sparrows, as well as a Canyon Wren singing his heart out just yards away, a single Pinyon Jay, Canyon Towhee, Rock Wren, Bewick’s Wren, Bushtits and great sightings of Bighorn Sheep and White-tailed Deer.  After a hearty ranch breakfast/brunch we spent much of the rest of the day enjoying the Canyons close to the ranch and the nearby Comanche Grasslands. Additional highlights included two Ferruginous Hawks,  two Prairie Falcons, a Mountain Plover, 12+Long-billed Curlews, our first White-throated Swifts, Eastern Phoebe, Mountain Bluebirds, Townsend’s Solitaires, 17 Cedar Waxwings, Brewer’s Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Pine Siskins and American Goldfinches. Early to bed, ready for our next lek.

 

Day 5 Wednesday:  SE Colorado/Lesser Prairie Chickens

We started well before dawn en-route to our Lesser Prairie Chicken lek on private property. Approaching the lek a couple of jack-rabbits (hares) spp were glimpsed in the headlights.  Shortly after getting into position we could hear them displaying even before there was enough light to see them.  As the dawn grew we counted at least five males leaping high above the grass as they displayed, their vocalisations adding to the dramatic scene, quite a different one to the Greater Prairie Chickens.  Occasionally a male would show well, right out in the open, but generally there were obscured as they darted in and out of the grass.  It is indeed a privilege to witness the lek of this rare and declining species.   As we headed back for breakfast we saw several sparrows by a ranch house and stopped to investigate: we managed to find Chipping, Brewer’s, Vesper and White-crowned Sparrows.  After breakfast we headed west and selected roadside stops en-route to Gunnison netted us some great birds including four Scaled Quail, two Curve-billed Thrashers, our first White-faced Ibis of this trip, Bufflehead, three Snowy Plovers, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpiper.  As we left the plains we witnessed a rapid change of scenery as the road climbed into the Rocky Mountains and we were soon amongst the forests and pastures that cloak their slopes. As we crossed the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass (11,312 ft) a roadside stop added another one to our sparrow tally with a Fox Sparrow of the grey-backed form schistacea. As we approached Gunnison we stopped at a Gunnison Prairie-Dog colony to see this rare and localised mammal.  At the motel, whilst I was checking-in, John spotted a Raccoon making its way towards the van, before it climbed a nearby tree and posed for photos.

 

Day 6 Thursday:  Central Western Colorado / Gunnison Sage-Grouse

We met up with our guide before light and headed out of town to view a lek of one of the world’s rarest game-birds, the Gunnison Sage-Grouse.  We settled into the hide, got scopes set up, whispered a few words and opened the viewing flaps whilst it was still pitch black so as to avoid any risk of disturbance. Outside a Wilson’s Snipe could be heard drumming above the gurgling brook as we strained our eyes into the first glimmer of the pre-dawn light.  Slowly, but surely, we began to make out the shapes of several male Gunnison Sage-Grouse displaying.  As the light improved we were soon able to count 15 birds, as they postured and strutted. They did not stay long however, as is usual, and not long after the light was good, the birds left.  We headed to breakfast very satisfied with a great morning’s display.

Heading northwest we set off in a short sharp snow shower but that soon finished and we were able to make some excellent roadside stops en-route to the Black Canyon, yielding a drake Barrow’s Goldeneye and Sage Thrashers amongst others.  The splendid scenery of the Black Canyon offered a stunning backdrop to a great visit.   A male Dusky Grouse displayed for us at a favoured spot, at very close range, giving everyone stunning views.  Spotted Towhees sang from the top of the Gambel Oaks, a Red-breasted Nuthatch was in the pines, and a huge flock of several hundred Rosy Finches of all three species was an early bonus, unfortunately only enjoyed by myself and Ian Lewington whilst everyone else was enjoying the visitor centre.  I dashed to get them, but to no avail as the flock headed west just as we returned.  We were to see them much better at our “stake-out” in a couple of days. Meanwhile, we also had great views of Golden-mantled Ground-Squirrel and Rock Squirrel.

Next we visited a small colony of Lewis’s Woodpeckers, and this outrageously coloured species impressed everyone, especially with the terrific views! Moving on we had time to make a visit to Fruitgrowers reservoir where we prioritised the best spots and highlights included 29 Sandhill Cranes, Canvasback, Cinnamon Teal, Marsh Wren, and yet another sparrow species: Song Sparrow.

Moving on we reached our lodging for the night and enjoyed seeing our first Red-naped Sapsuckers of the trip before heading out owling after dinner.  First off we were treated to a very close look at a Northern Pygmy Owl, as it called it’s monotonous toots, but our search for Boreal Owl on this glorious calm evening was to prove fruitless, so we gave up and headed to bed.

 

Day 7 Friday:  Central Western Colorado / Grand Mesa and the Colorado National Monument

Those who chose to rise early were treated to some excellent birding in stunning scenery.  We headed out at dawn and enjoyed great views of American Three-toed Woodpecker, Gray and Steller’s Jays, Mountain Chickadee and several Pine Grosbeaks.  Exhilarated with such a successful start we returned for breakfast and headed on to our next stop, the stunning Colorado National Monument.  The towering red cliffs and spires of this National Park, on the edge of the desert produced several great birds.  Highlights included Juniper Titmouse and the just arrived Black-throated Sparrows, plus we were very fortunate to see a singing male Black-chinned Sparrow – a major rarity in Colorado.   Heading out into the desert close to the Utah border we searched unsuccessfully for Sage Sparrows, but were rewarded with a Long-eared Owl and yet more different scenery.  Late afternoon we stopped at a friend’s house to see Gambel’s Quail from his living room as they came in from the surrounding scrub on the edge of the desert for food and water.  Finally as we headed to our motel, Ian spotted a Bald Eagle as we drove up the Colorado River valley. After checking in to the motel, those who wanted to set off on a search for Northern Saw-whet Owls in a couple of spots nearby where I had located them just before the tour, but to no avail, so we went for dinner and not too late to bed.  Other highlights today included our first Evening Grosbeak of the trip, Desert Cottontail, White-tailed Prairie-Dogs, and another Striped Skunk.

 

Day 8 Saturday:  Central Colorado: Snowmass Village and the Roaring Fork Valley

A moderately early start (dawn!) saw us heading to yet another friend’s house where I, along with help from my wife, Denise had been keeping the birdfeeders topped up whilst our friends were away. Denise had been reporting to me during the first few days of the tour that the birds had been eating 25lbs of sunflower seeds every two days, so I hoped we would be in for a treat.  We were!  We entered the key code for the gate and drove down to the house where we saw at least three hundred Rosy Finches of all three species.  They were mainly the local Brown-capped Rosy-Finches, near endemic to Colorado, but included several Black Rosy Finches, as well as both forms of Gray-crowned: the grey-cheeked coastal form “Hepburn’s”, contrasting with the nominate form that has the striking grey flared supercilium and brown cheeks.  It was great to be able to contrast and compare them all together, at extremely close range. They were very accepting and we were literally walking amongst them as they fed at our feet.  These extremely hardy birds spend their entire lives very close to the tree-line, which in Colorado is about 11,000 feet, so to see them down at 9,000 feet is a real treat.  We also visited another friends’ house nearby, where they also feed birds and get Evening Grosbeaks. It was very kind of them to invite us in for viewing from the comfort of their house, and the added bonus of tea, coffee and cake too.  The major highlights of these early morning house visits were of course the Rosy-Finches, but also included Merlin, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Grosbeaks, Cassin’s Finches plus Mountain Chickadees and a Pine Squirrel.

Nearby we found a pair of American Dippers, singing, and then joined one of the local birders for access to a private reservoir where we saw at least 26 Barrow’s Goldeneye amongst hordes of commoner ducks and grebes including lots of Eared (aka Black-necked) Grebes in splendid breeding plumage. Surprisingly, we also saw 8 Ross’s Geese that had dropped in, a nice bonus.

Denise very kindly offered us brunch at the house, so we had a relaxed late morning, with plenty of action at the birdfeeders to keep us interested. Best were the 10 or so Pinyon Jays, our first Yellow-headed Blackbird, White-crowned Sparrows and our only Lincoln’s Sparrow of the trip.  Denise’s home cooking was voted best breakfast of the trip!  Afterwards we headed north, visiting a Bald Eagle’s nest en-route, with eye level views obtained as we looked from a bluff across the Colorado River into the huge nest, built in a large Cottonwood.  Also en-route we saw two splendid Yellow-bellied Marmots, some Wyoming Ground-Squirrels and a Snowy Egret. After checking out the Sharp-tailed Grouse lek for the following morning, and seeing three Golden Eagles slowly circling overhead on the way back to town, we had an early dinner and headed to bed.

 

Day 9 Sunday:  NW Colorado: Sharp-tailed Grouse

A pre-dawn start today as we headed out to our Sharp-tailed Grouse lek.  Settling into two hides we soon heard the male grouse start to arrive and begin their bizarre display just yards away.  As the sun came up behind us we were treated to one of the most incredible spectacles of the entire trip as the grouse displayed just feet away – in every direction, even occasionally sitting on the hides themselves.   It was difficult to count with so many birds and such frenzied activity, but we estimated around 40 individuals. It was absolutely thrilling.  After leaving the lek we spotted a Common Porcupine feeding up in a Cottonwood, three Wood Ducks on the Yampa River, a Belted Kingfisher, and around 40 Sandhill Cranes in nearby fields.

We headed back to town for breakfast, after which we crossed over the Continental Divide over Rabbit Ear’s pass (9,426 ft), and then again at Muddy Creek pass before dropping into the inter-montane basin of North Park where we soon found our first Rough-legged Hawk of the trip.  Later some leisurely afternoon birding netted us a couple more Ross’s Geese, lots of California Gulls at a breeding colony, White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants too, as well as a great variety of ducks, Common Muskrat and nearby some Wyoming Ground-Squirrels.  At the feeders near Gould we enjoyed great views of Pine Grosbeaks, Cassin’s Finches, and, amidst the falling snow, a bonus of a large flock of a couple of hundred or so Brown-capped Rosy Finches wheeling through the snowflakes. Several chipmunks were around, but no sign of any Moose in any of their favoured spots.  We had an early dinner and then set off to view the Greater Sage-Grouse lek.  Evenings are always less active than the morning – so we were pleased to see at least five males and a female. It was a great round off to another excellent day.

 

Day 10 Monday:  Northern / Central Colorado:  Greater Sage-Grouse, White-tailed Ptarmigan

Pre-dawn we headed to our final lek of the trip, the Greater Sage-Grouse. Overnight snow and rain had made the road decidedly muddy but with some skilled driving (if I say so myself!) we negotiated the ruts and the hills and made it to the lek without problem.  Despite the damp morning we had tremendous views of at least 13 males displaying and giving us great views. At least another five birds, possibly females, flew over.  As the weather eased the spectacular backdrop of the snow-capped mountains again revealed itself.  Back to town for breakfast, we then went back to the feeders near Gould where birds were pretty much the same as yesterday, with the exception of the Rosy Finches – today there was just a single Brown-capped. 

Heading south we crossed the Continental Divide again, this time via Willow Creek Pass 9,683 ft, where a Gray Jay crossed the road.  As we drove down Willow Creek there was an American Dipper that flew up to its nest under a bridge, but we didn’t stop there, instead we continued down to Granby where Ian was quick off the mark at the reservoir spotting both Hooded and Red-breasted Mergansers in short order.  There were also some splendid Barrow’s Goldeneyes amongst the other ducks.  Checking into our motel early afternoon, we headed up to the very top of Loveland Pass, which at 11,990 ft is well above the treeline and an excellent place to look for White-tailed Ptarmigan.  We were again on the Continental Divide, for our fifth time of the trip.  Prepared with lots of warm clothing, flasks of hot drinks, snacks and plenty of patience I briefed everyone before we got out of the van on the best way to spot one and how, with perseverance, we would most likely succeed.  Well, all that was happily in vain as I spotted one in the scope within 90 seconds!  The fastest ever-sighting and even before most of the group were out of the van.  Elation soon evaporated when it flew before everyone got to the scope in time, but within seconds I found a group of three which we all had excellent views of.  We also heard, but did not see, an American Pika.  After having our fill of the ptarmigan, the final of the target grouse species for the trip, we packed scopes and cameras and headed back to town for a well deserved celebratory evening meal.

 

Day 11 Tuesday:  Central Colorado:  The “Front Range

We had a later start today, after breakfast at 7.15, we headed off into the hills of the Front Range, specifically to target birds of the Ponderosa Pines.  We rapidly found a male Red Crossbill, Red-breasted, White-breasted and Pygmy Nuthatches, swiftly followed by Red-naped and Williamson’s Sapsuckers, Western Bluebirds, Brown Creeper and some very dapper Chipping Sparrows.  An Abert’s Squirrel added to our mammal list, and there were a couple of chipmunks too.  We then headed on to Red Rocks State Park where we soon saw an early migrant - a Broad-tailed Hummingbird and then whilst I was organising lunch, everyone managed to add three out-of-range birds to the trip list:  Harris’s, White-throated and Golden-crowned Sparrows – thus boosting our native sparrow list for the trip to a very respectable 13 species.  Overhead some White-throated Swifts raced by, whilst underneath the feeders some Eastern Cottontails munched contentedly.

Next stop was Cherry Creek State Park, where we picked up quite a few additional waterbirds amongst the many ducks and gulls, with new species for the trip including Blue-winged Teal (20+), and a Colorado vagrant, a Neotropical Cormorant, Spotted Sandpiper, Forster’s Tern, Bonaparte’s Gull, 40+American Pipits, a nice flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers, consisting of about 10 Myrtles, six Audubon’s and a hybrid Audubon’s x Myrtle Warbler.  Additional mammals today also included Rock Squirrel, Black-tailed Prairie-Dog, Fox Squirrel, Pine Squirrel and White-tailed Deer.  By the hotel we spotted a couple of Burrowing Owls, a nice way to end the birding day.

 

Day 12 Wednesday:  Denver: final morning

Those who wanted to do some final birding at dawn joined me on a brief trip back to Cherry Creek where we had much better looks at some of the birds we saw yesterday including the Neotropic Cormorant, and the Bonaparte’s and Franklin’s Gulls, as well as Marsh Wren, Swainson’s Hawk, and a last look at the Burrowing Owls on our way back to the motel.  All too soon the trip was at an end and everyone was making fond farewells at the airport. Thanks everyone for making a great trip truly fantastic! I hope to travel with all of you again in the near future.

 

Day 13 Thursday

Arrival home

 

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Pied-billed Grebe

Horned Grebe (Slavonian Grebe)

Eared Grebe (Black-n.Grebe)

Western Grebe

Clark's Grebe

American White Pelican

Double-crested Cormorant

Neotropic Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Snowy Egret

Cattle Egret

White-faced Ibis

Snow Goose

Ross’s Goose

Canada Goose

Wood Duck

Green-winged Teal

Mallard

Northern Pintail

Blue-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

Gadwall

Cinnamon Teal

American Wigeon

Canvasback

Redhead

Ring-necked Duck

Lesser Scaup

Common Goldeneye

Barrow's Goldeneye

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Ruddy Duck

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Swainson's Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Ferruginous Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk (R-l.Buzzard)

Golden Eagle

American Kestrel

Merlin

Prairie Falcon

Ring-necked Pheasant

Greater Sage-Grouse

Gunnison Sage Grouse

White-tailed Ptarmigan

Dusky Grouse

Sharp-tailed Grouse

Greater Prairie-Chicken

Lesser Prairie-Chicken

Wild Turkey

Scaled Quail

Gambel's Quail

American Coot

Sandhill Crane

Snowy Plover

Killdeer

Mountain Plover

Black-necked Stilt

American Avocet

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Spotted Sandpiper

Long-billed Curlew

Marbled Godwit

Least Sandpiper

Wilson's Snipe

Franklin's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

Ring-billed Gull

California Gull

Forster’s Tern

Rock Dove

Eurasian Collared-Dove

Mourning Dove

Western Screech-Owl

Great Horned Owl

Burrowing Owl

Long-eared Owl

Northern Pygmy-Owl

White-throated Swift

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Lewis's Woodpecker

Red-naped Sapsucker

Williamson's Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

American Three-toed Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Eastern Phoebe

Say's Phoebe

Horned Lark (Shorelark)

Tree Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Barn Swallow

Gray Jay

Steller's Jay

Western Scrub-Jay

Pinyon Jay

Clark's Nutcracker

Black-billed Magpie

American Crow

Chihuahuan Raven

Common Raven

Black-capped Chickadee

Mountain Chickadee

Juniper Titmouse

Bushtit

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Pygmy Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Rock Wren

Canyon Wren

Bewick's Wren

Marsh Wren

American Dipper

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird

Western Bluebird

Mountain Bluebird

Townsend's Solitaire

American Robin

Sage Thrasher

Curve-billed Thrasher

American Pipit

Cedar Waxwing

Loggerhead Shrike

European Starling

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Canyon Towhee

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Brewer’s Sparrow

Black-chinned Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow

Black-throated Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Lincoln’s Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Harris’s Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

McCown's Longspur

Chestnut-collared Longspur

Red-winged Blackbird

Western Meadowlark

Brewer's Blackbird

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Great-tailed Grackle

Common Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

Black Rosy-Finch

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch

Pine Grosbeak

Cassin's Finch

House Finch

Red Crossbill

Pine Siskin

American Goldfinch

Evening Grosbeak

House Sparrow 

 

American Pika (H)

Desert Cottontail

Jackrabbit spp

Eastern Cottontail

Colorado Chipmunk

Yellow-bellied Marmot

Wyoming Ground-Squirrel

Golden-mantled Ground-Squirrel

Thirteen-lined Ground-Squirrel

Rock Squirrel

Gunnison Prairie Dog

White-tailed Prairie Dog

Black-tailed Prairie Dog

Abert’s Squirrel

Fox Squirrel

Pine Squirrel

Common Muskrat

Common Porcupine

Coyote

Red Fox

Raccoon

Striped Skunk

Elk

Mule Deer

White-tailed Deer

Pronghorn

Mountain (Bighorn) Sheep

 

 

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