2009 Tour Narrative
In Brief: Spring in the Colorado Rockies and Plains is as unpredictable as it is beautiful. This year we experienced the full cornucopia of weather conditions, from heavy mountain snows that closed roads to a half-day of raging winds that recalled the days of the dust bowl. Fortunately, most days were filled with beautiful “Colorado Blue” skies, and temperatures even reached 70F. And if the weather was varied, the birds were even more so. Finding all of Colorado’s lekking grouse is always a special treat. But there was so much more, from all three species of rosy-finch, to stunning views of Long-eared and Northern Saw-whet Owls, to a field with Ferruginous, Rough-legged, and Swainson’s Hawks and 600 Chestnut-collared Longspurs! The first few migrants had also arrived, including the subdued but spectacular Mountain Plover and a completely unexpected Yellow-throated Warbler.
In Detail: We began our birding at the small mountain town of Allenspark, where we hoped to find rosy-finches, realizing that this had been a poor year for them. Almost immediately, a cloud of Brown-capped Rosy-Finches descended seemingly from the heavens to arrive at the feeders. They soon left, but were replaced by another flock, then another. These second two flocks also contained Black and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches, and we were all able to have great studies of the differences of these often confused species.
The reason for our success soon became clear, as one of Colorado’s notorious spring storms descended upon us—closing the interstate and Loveland Pass and forcing us to forgo our night in Walden and North Park. That said, we agreed that the rosy-finches were well worth the extra trouble!
Forgoing North Park meant that we could spent the next day doing a bit of exploring. Much of Colorado was under a winter storm warning, but the far northwestern corner of the state was largely spared, and we succeeded in finding at least 18 Greater Sage-Grouse. Perhaps even more amazing, we found no fewer than twenty-one Golden Eagles! Certainly one highlight of the entire tour was driving alongside three Golden Eagles as they hunted sage-grouse. A quick foray into Wyoming produced some early spring migrants, including Say’s Phoebe and Cinnamon Teal, and gave several of us new state birds!
Our lekking chickens began with the foot-stomping Sharp-tailed Grouse. It was easy to see why Native Americans from the plains incorporated these displays into some of their own dances. We also enjoyed perhaps the most spectacular concentrations of waterfowl ever on this trip—and no place was better than northwestern Colorado, where we enjoyed Barrow’s Goldeneye, Canvasback, and Red-breasted Merganser.
While checking ducks at one reservoir, we were surprised by a record-early migrant Cliff Swallow, then by a simply beautiful Sage Sparrow. While Sage Sparrows move through at this time of year, they are infrequently detected in migration. As the sun set, we headed up Black Mesa where we found a Great Horned Owl before we’d really even started owling. As we discussed the need to be quiet, the loud calls of a Northern Saw-whet Owl interrupted us. He soon flew in, perched, and gave us spectacular views. We had great conditions for looking for Boreal Owls and succeeded in hearing at least three birds, but none ever showed themselves.
After a bit of a rest, we headed to Wild Horse Canyon, where we succeeded in finding Chukar high atop some cliffs. The voices of Rock and Canyon Wrens echoed on the canyon walls, and dapper Black-throated Sparrows perched in the open amid the sparse vegetation. We thought the biggest surprise was going to be a lone Pinyon Jay—unusual for a species notorious for roving in large flocks. But as we departed the canyon, a flock of over 40 Black Rosy-Finches landed on a hillside and provided superb scope studies—and one of the lowest-elevation records for the West Slope.
The next morning we awoke early to watch one of North America’s most endangered species, Gunnison Sage-Grouse. They delighted us with bizarre displays as the sun rose behind them. As we headed toward Pueblo and left the stunning mountain scenery behind, we said goodbye to some of our last mountain species: Pine Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, Clark’s Nutcracker, Gray Jay, and Western Bluebird. Descending farther into the pinion-juniper country, we found Juniper Titmouse and Scaled Quail.
While Colorado’s mountains and canyons offer perhaps the state’s most spectacular scenery, the Eastern Plains are home to a great variety of nesting and migratory species. Highlights included our first shorebirds: Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, and Baird’s Sandiper. And who could forget the spectacular side-by-side comparisons that we had of Ross’s and Snow Geese and Cackling and Canada Geese? But our fondest memories from the day were provided by an evening visit to the Lesser Prairie-Chicken lek. Several males called and wailed, jumped and inflated air sacs, providing us with great views.
The next morning we set off to explore the little-appreciated point where Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma meet. Highlights here included spectacular studies of Chestnut-collared Longspurs drinking from a small puddle at the side of the road. The mix of plumages ranged from dapper onyx-colored males to the more subdued immatures and females that delighted the leaders. After experiencing incredible winds that raised clouds of dirt to recall the days of the Dust Bowl, we headed to beautiful Black Mesa State Park in extreme western Kansas. Here we had a great mix of East (Eastern Phoebe), West (Mountain Bluebird), South (Rufous-crowned Sparrow), and North (the strong wind!). As we returned to Elkhart along the back roads, we enjoyed several Swainson’s Hawks and a greatly appreciated Ferruginous Hawk.
As we headed north to Wray, we were treated to our first real wave of migrants—Audubon’s Warblers and lots of Ruby-crowned Kinglets. We also had spectacular views of Mountain Plovers, first out in a field and then right in the middle of the road And when we least expected it, we encountered another Ferruginous Hawk. When we got out to look at it, we realized the same field also harbored a Rough-legged Hawk and Swainson’s Hawk—all visible at the same time. And then a flock of some 600 Chestnut-collared Longspurs came wheeling up from the field. Wow!
Our final day brought several surprises, from a vagrant Yellow-throated Warbler to incredible views of several Long-eared Owls. But the highlight of the day, and perhaps of the tour overall, was fantastic views of lekking Greater Prairie-Chickens. That experience is made only better by the great coming together of ranchers, the local chamber of commerce, and the Colorado Division of Wildlife. The future of all the grouse we enjoyed on this trip depends upon partnerships and collaborations like the one the wonderful people of Wray have put together.
Then, all too soon, the trip was over. How did the time go by so fast?
- Chris Wood
Updated: May 2009