A Photo Gallery of Birds & Other Wildlife during our April '05 Tour in Colorado & nearby States

A Feature - the Grouse of Colorado & Kansas

(The adjacent states are Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, & Wyoming)

Link:

The following account written by Armas Hill, leader of the tour:

"A Tour for Grouse & More"

Again, April 17-24, '05, we did what's been, the last few years, our annual spring tour for grouse, and more, in Colorado and nearby states. The grouse that we saw were the 2 Prairie-Chickens (Lesser & Greater), the 2 Sage Grouse (Greater & Gunnison), Sharp-tailed Grouse, and Dusky (formerly Blue) Grouse. All of these were seen well. Only the endangered Gunnison Sage Grouse was a bit far away . We saw all of the Grouse (including the Dusky) displaying. 

The "more" were numerous other birds, including specialties of the plains, and of the mountains. 

Although birding, of course, was our primary emphasis, during the tour, it was not the only aspect of it. There was also the spectacular scenery, especially in the various areas that we visited in the high country of Colorado.

And also in the category of "more" were mammals. During the tour, we saw 28 species. During one day in north-central Colorado, we saw is. There were among the mammals: Beaver and Badger, Muskrat and Moose, Elk and Deer. Coyote, numerous Pronghorn, and an assortment of rabbits, squirrels, and prairie-dogs. Our best was the Badger, that stared rather sternly at us, late one afternoon, from the ridge of its hole. One of our moose sightings was also notable, of a mother and an adolescent together.

Butterflies were not common (still, overall, too early), but we did see some particularly in eastern Colorado and Kansas. Notable among them was the orange-colored Goatweed Leafwing.

But back to the birds:

During our first full-day in southeastern Colorado, we were getting an impact of the birding we would enjoy in the days that would follow. And that first impact came on strong, with our initial looks at birds such as Swainson's Hawks, Cinnamon Teal, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. At one body of water, we encountered a large flock of migrating Bonaparte's Gulls, with some in breeding plumage, and some of them with a pink hue on their breasts. Western Meadowlark sang. That song we would hear continuously throughout the tour. Avocets were in breeding plumage. Burrowing Owls looked at us as we watched them. Their holes, in the ground, were near those of Black-tailed Prairie Dogs. Walking on the ground were Long-billed Curlews. We enjoyed good looks at them. Overhead, in the blue sky, large American White Pelicans flew. 
Those of us from other parts of the United States (from Florida, California, and the Northeast U.S.), were quickly adapting to Colorado birding.

But as good as all that's been described was, it was not the best that day, It was for us, a "plover day". Among the best spotting my participants on the tour, that first morning of the tour, was when a Mountain Plover was found on the ground in front of us. How fortuitous! And in the scope, it was tremendous. Within an hour of that bird (a threatened North American species, rather like a pale dotterel). 2 other rather special plovers were seen. Among a few Snowy Plovers, on an alkaline shoreline of a lake, there was a single Piping Plover, (another threatened species, and very rare in Colorado). So, we had, our first day. a "5-plover day" with Mountain, Snowy, Piping, and Semipalmated Plovers, and Killdeer.

Mountain Plover

But, as noted, grouse were actually our primary objectives during the tour, and our schedule was set so as to see them, particularly early in the mornings when they were at their display grounds known as "leks".

The first of these we saw was the Lesser Prairie Chicken. We did so in southwestern Kansas. Of all of the North American grouse, this is the species in the most trouble, in that it has, during the last couple decades, suffered the biggest decline. From an estimated 50,000 birds in about 1980, there are an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 today. Since the 19th Century, the species is said to have declined about 90 per cent. During our early-morning visit to the lek, we saw over a dozen of them well. There are photos, in a special feature about the grouse elsewhere in this web-site, of this species and the Greater Prairie Chicken (that we saw in northeast Colorado, later the same day, and the next morning).

The experience we had with the Greater Prairie Chickens that next morning was, it could be said, a bit magical, a bit mystical. We saw and heard the birds, as they were displaying, in an early-morning ground-fog. Another unusual aspect of the occurrence was the rather odd setting. The displaying birds were on an alfalfa field. There were a few dozen of them at a place that seemed out-of-place. But it had been a traditional site for the birds for years (long before alfalfa was ever planted there). In that early-morning fog, the birds came closer and closer to us as we sat in our vehicle. As they approached, their eerie hollow moaning got louder and louder. Just yards away from us, as we were still and quiet, the birds became more preoccupied with their own business of displaying, and less concerned about us. Of course, quiet as we were, we too were preoccupied watching and listening them. That morning, it was as good an experience as we could have had with the Greater Prairie Chicken.

Greater Prairie Chicken

It's good to know that the subspecies of the Greater Prairie Chicken in eastern Colorado, Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus, is doing rather well at least in the area where we were. Each year, we've had a kind host of large ranch who cordially allows us onto his property to observe the birds at their leks. He fills us in, when we meet with him prior to our first viewing of the birds, the afternoon of our arrival, as to how the birds are doing. In that immediate area, we're told they're doing well. The biggest threat they'd face there would be bad weather, for example, a strong storm with hail, especially at the time of nesting. 
Two other subspecies of the Greater Prairie Chicken have not done well. The eastern subspecies, T. c. cupido, known as the "Heath Hen" became extinct in the first half of the 20th Century. Another subspecies, in Texas, T. c. attwateri, the "Attwater's Prairie Chicken" sadly seems now to be on its way to extinction.             

After the two species of Prairie-Chickens, that we observed in the open, vast country of the prairies, we had yet another objective in that habitat, another twosome. We saw them well - two species of Longspurs, the Chestnut-collared and the McCown's. It was fun to watch them display, flying high into the sky, and to listen to them sing. We were pleased in that all our prairie-objectives were met. During our first day, we had already seen, as noted above, the Mountain Plover, normally a challenge to find. And there was another fine bird of that open country, not mentioned yet, that we enjoyed seeing, the Ferruginous Hawk. The adult is one of the most attractive of the raptors. We saw a few of them well, during the first couple days of our tour. The Ferruginous Hawk, by the way, is one of the birds of the plains now classified by Birdlife International as "near-threatened". The Long-billed Curlew is another. The Mountain Plover is beyond that; it's considered as "threatened". 

I should mention that we made a visit, when we were in eastern Colorado, near the Nebraska line, at a farm where during previous tours, we've seen some "eastern" birds. The year before, we encountered there (apparently due to weather, notably strong winds) such unusual easterners as Worm-eating Warbler, Northern Parula, and Brown Thrasher. We did see some "birds of the east" there in '05 also, but not any as rare. We saw Cardinal, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, the "Myrtle" race of the Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Blue Jay. Finding that jay there, this time, by the way, enabled us, during the tour, to encounter every corvid possible in Colorado.     

At the farm, along a row of flowering bushes, there were a number of butterflies. Most of them were Painted Ladies (incidentally, the most widespread and most common butterfly in the world, but still nice to see as we did that spring day). Some were Red Admirals. Elsewhere, we saw other butterflies on the prairies. Some of them (such as some skippers) were question marks to us, and there was one species we observed that was actually named that, the Question Mark.     

The prairies behind us, we found ourselves, on our way to Gunnison, spending a night in a nice setting of coniferous forest in the Rocky Mountains. A treat, there, at the end of the afternoon, was a pair of Dippers, or "Water Ouzels", by a mountain stream in front of our hotel. I've never met anyone who didn't like watching antics of Dippers.

Our travel to Gunnison continued with something so-named along the way: the Gunnison's Prairie Dog.

A slight diversion enroute gave us our first encounters with high-elevation birds: the Brown-capped Rosy Finch (a flock visiting a feeder), Cassin's Finch, Pine Grosbeak, Mountain Bluebird, and  Gray Jay. We would see all of these again, but it was good to so the first time.

Gunnison, a college town in southern Colorado, seems removed from anywhere else. It seems so because it is. It's isolated, more than an hour by car in either direction from wherever (there's really one highway into & out of Gunnison.) And so it is, there's also a bird there that's isolated. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Sage Grouse. It's now a full species, the Gunnison Sage-Grouse. On the southern outskirt of town (and that's even an area yet more "removed"), we met a man who said that sometimes he sees the grouse when he mows his lawn. We saw the grouse, early the following morning, the more traditional way, from an enclosed hide set up for that purpose. We saw them fine, at one of their lekking sites, but at a distance. 

It was cold that morning, even though we were in southern Colorado. Actually, it was the coldest we were during the tour, with the temperature dipping at daybreak down into the teens. Gunnison is at a somewhat high elevation. During the night, it had snowed in the surrounding elevations slightly higher yet. As we drove, during the morning, with the rather spectacular Canyon of the Gunnison (River) to our left, the terrain was made all the more beautiful with a light covering of snow on the ground. And that provided a wonderful backdrop for an adult Golden Eagle, nicely perched, to our left, on a dead tree, not far away, at about our eye-level. We were to see a number of Golden Eagles during the next few days, but what a nice sight that first one was.

Later during the day, in another high area, with more snow on the ground, our path crossed for the first time with that of a crossbill. We saw some Red Crossbills on the side of the lightly-traveled road. Further along the way, still in an area of snow, we stopped and fed (with seeds we purchased for the purpose) 3 species of corvids that came for the food nearly into our vehicle: the Clark's Nutcracker, Gray Jay, and Steller's Jay. A 4th corvid, the Raven, also came, but kept at a distance.

Another sidebar, before we get back to grouse (you may remember the primary objective of the tour!). We went through an area in the western shadow of the mountains, drier than elsewhere. In that area with junipers, during our '04 tour, we saw (sensibly) Juniper Titmouse. Not so sensibly in '05 we didn't see that species but we did see a number of others, such as: Virginia's Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Gray Flycatcher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, our first Brewer's Sparrow, Rock Wren, and both Pinyon and Western Scrub-Jays (and that completed our collection of corvids).

Blue Grouse

The next morning there was, for us, a "Grouse Triple-header", as we saw, literally within moments: Blue Grouse, Sharp-tailed Grouse, and Greater Sage-Grouse. The 3 species were nearly within sight of each other. And our sightings of all of them were great. The Blue Grouse does not display at a communal lek as the other two species do. It simply walked close to us in its full breeding attire. The Sharp-tailed Grouse, in a group atop a mound of a hill, were displaying as they're programmed to do - like "wind-up dolls" stamping in circles, stopping and starting in unison. The Greater Sage-Grouse, on their lekking site, were doing their displays with expanded chests and spread tails. What a morning! Other birds that morning included both Green-tailed and Spotted Towhees, Sandhill Cranes, and a Bald Eagle sitting on its big nest. The Greater Sage that morning, as good as they were, were not as close as could have been. But later, at the other end of the day, in the evening, in another area, they certainly were - as close to us, that is, as they could have been. It was the "Grouse Highlight" of the tour, when about a hundred of the large birds (the Greater Sage-Grouse) were along an out-of-the-way dirt road, just outside our van, displaying against the background of a red sky after sunset, and snow-capped mountains in the distance. What was in the distance, however, may not have been noticed by all of us, as we were so enthralled by the sights and sounds of so many grouse, so close.

Throughout Colorado, many of the areas we visited were enjoyable to be in. But a region that has a lot of appeal, in terms of the nature to be experienced, is the northwestern part of the state, near the border with Wyoming. In that state, as well, again in '05, we had some of our best experiences. Birds that we saw there will be mentioned shortly.

What draws us to northwestern Colorado, specifically, is the wonderful encounter to be had with the Greater Sage-Grouse, already referred to. However, in terms of birds & animals, the grouse are just one piece of the pie.

Mammals begin to be seen when we enter that region of northwest Colorado known locally as "North Park Country". To start it off, there was, along the road, our first of 7 Moose sightings. One sighting that was particularly good was of an adult female with an adolescent. During one day, in northwest Colorado, we saw 15 species of mammals. Here they are, not in any particular order: Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Coyote, Elk, Mountain Cottontail, Least Chipmunk, Golden-mantled Ground-Squirrel, Yellow-bellied Marmot, Wyoming Ground-Squirrel, Moose, Muskrat, Striped Skunk, Shoeshoe Hare (in the high coniferous forest), White-tailed Jackrabbit (in the open sage country), American Badger, and White-tailed Prairie Dog. And mostly we were looking for birds, rather than mammals!

We saw our last mammal of the tour, Bighorn Sheep, when we were crossing the Rockies for the last time. When we watched the group of them on the slope, we observed something interesting. Magpies would land on the backs of the animals, picking out what appeared to be course fibers from their hides. The Magpies, we assumed, were putting these materials into their nests.         
    
Our best mammal sighting of the tour, however, was of one of those in the "North Park Country" of northwest Colorado. It was our sighting of a Badger, as it sat still low to the ground outside its large hole, peering at us, as we looked at it. In the wildlife refuge, where we saw the Badger, there were so many mammals (maybe the most that most of us had seen anywhere). Most of them were Wyoming Ground-Squirrels and White-tailed Prairie Dogs. While driving along the dirt road within the refuge, the "wildlife drive", we were constantly driving over the wildlife. No, we weren't hitting any animals. But there were so many holes in the ground, with heads of the rodents either popping up and down in the holes, or critters either running into them or away from them.

So many rodents in the area means that prey abounds there for raptors. As noted earlier, we saw a good number of Golden Eagles during the tour. Many of them were in the this area filled with running rodents. Also there were numerous Red-tailed Hawks, Swainson's Hawks, and Northern Harriers. We had hoped for Rough-legged Hawk. It can be common in that area during the winter, but we didn't see any when we were there in April. We did see a "raptor of interest" that turned out to be a juvenile Ferruginous Hawk. One of our best raptor sightings was of a Prairie Falcon perched atop a fence pole. Not far away, and lower than on a telephone pole, it was a nice sight. Actually, any Prairie Falcon on a pole is good, as most that were seen throughout the tour were either in a speedy flight, or perched at a distance.

Also in the sage country of raptors and rodents were other birds, and with the habitat, the Sage Thrasher was one of them.

In a nearby area of aspen trees, we had a wonderful encounter with a group of Red-naped Sapsuckers. 4 of them were watched well at once.

Red-naped Sapsucker

Earlier it was noted that we saw a nice number of birds in Wyoming, just of the Colorado state line. That we did in '05, as have other years previously. 

There's an area of lakes near Laramie, an open where numerous birds can readily be seen. Birds that we saw there included: Common Loon, 3 species of grebes (Western, Eared, and Pied-billed), American White Pelican (in breeding plumage, with a big knob on a big bill), Double-crested Cormorant (in breeding plumage, that is with the double-crest - now who pays attention to that?), Great Blue Heron, Black-crowned Hight-Heron, White-faced Ibis, 14 species of waterfowl, among them: Cinnamon Teal, Redhead, Canvasback, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, and Ruddy Duck. Also, Coot. Overhead, there wre Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, and an assortment of hawks. Shorebirds were Avocets (in nice breeding plumage), Killdeer, and Snipe. Boanparte's Gulls were common. The Herring Gull we saw there is not. Along the shorelines of the lakes, there were not just Red-winged Blackbirds, but groupings of Yellow-headed Blackbirds that were fun to see and hear. On the bare ground, near a lake, we had our closest encounter with McCown's Longspurs. 2 were virtually at our feet.  

There was another place in Wyoming that we simply had to visit as we had during tours in the past. It's a rather unassuming spot, near some homes, off the highway and in the high country. With lots of conifers, and a bird feeder or two by the homes, the spot has been productive for us. Other years, when there was more snow, birding was good at those feeders. In '05, even with less snow, it was still good, very good. Birds included: the 2 Chickadees (both Mountain & Black-capped), Pine Grosbeaks (both male & female seen nicely), Evening Grosbeak (at the only place we saw it during the tour), Red Crossbill, and Cassin's Finch. On the top of a conifer, nearby, there was a Townsend's Solitaire. A Gray Jay or two was about. 
It should be mentioned that the feeders were basic with such things as a bucket and a tray on top of a stump. But there was a vast supply of sunflower seeds, and an enthusiastic young boy who came out to keep us company as we watched the avian visitors come and go between the  feeders by the front door of the house and the tall coniferous trees nearby. And yes, I should mention the dog that loved to fetch whatever there was to fetch. All of that was during our morning visit. In the afternoon (when we saw the Evening Grosbeak), as we re-visited the site not just active for birds but also for people and activity of various kinds, the father (of the young boy) was out and about. He's a volunteer fireman, and that afternoon he and others were fixing one of their  vehicles that needed fixing, and happened to be right by the bird feeders. Included in the activity was the testing of the siren. Even so, the birds continued to come. 

Some nice photos, taken during our tour at this Wyoming location, of, for example, a Crossbill feeding from a bucket, and an Evening Grosbeak in a conifer, is in a special Photo Feature of Birds & some other Wildlife during our April '05 Tour in Colorado & nearby States. 

In all, we tallied 162 species of birds during our April 2005 Tour in Colorado, and adjacent states, including Wyoming, Kansas, (and also Nebraska, and Oklahoma).  

The following is the list of our "top birds" during the April 2005 FONT birding tour in Colorado (& adjacent states), as voted by the participants, at the end of the tour:

1 - Greater Sage Grouse
2 - Greater Prairie-Chicken
3- Lesser Prairie-Chicken
4- Mountain Plover
5- Sharp-tailed Grouse
6- Red-naped Sapsucker
7- Green-tailed Towhee
8- Evening Grosbeak
9- Golden Eagle
10- Pine Grosbeak
11- Brown-capped Rosy-Finch
12- Blue Grouse
13- Belted Kingfisher
14- Ferruginous Hawk
15- Gray Flycatcher
16- Mountain Chickadee
17- Red Crossbill
18- Cinnamon Teal
19- Eastern Bluebird
20- Piping Plover
21- Snowy Plover
22- Gunnison Sage-Grouse
23- Sage Thrasher
24- Mountain Bluebird
25- Swainson's Hawk
26- Red-breasted Nuthatch
27- Brewer's Sparrow
28- McCown's Longspur
29- Chestnut-collared Longspur
30- Yellow-headed Blackbird

To Top of Page.

Colorado, nearby Kansas & Wyoming
April 2004

Grouse, Grosbeaks, and a Worm-eating Warbler

The following account written by Armas Hill, leader of the tour.

One of the most enjoyable of American bird-related experiences is to watch the various species of grouse in the West performing at their leks in the spring. Males display there annually as they court females.

During our April 2004 FONT tour, mostly in Colorado, we had the good fortune to observe nicely 6 Grouse species, each doing their distinctive displays in habitats as varied as in sage country surrounded by snow-capped mountains (the Greater-Sage), in picturesque rolling open hills (the Sharp-tailed and the Blue), and in grassy prairies (the 2 Prairie Chickens). All of the species sought were seen very well (the 5 just mentioned, and the rather recently-split Gunnison's Sage Grouse).

Geographically, this tour in the American West, in addition to being in Colorado, included some adjacent states. It was in Kansas where we observed an early-morning performance of the endangered Lesser Prairie-Chicken, and where, not far away, we also enjoyed a close-up and unexpected view of another threatened species, the Mountain Plover. We had stopped along a little-used road to look, to the left, at Burrowing Owls that were among a Prairie Dog colony. To the right, on the ground just a few feet away, but blending in, was the plover.

We also visited, for short periods, the states of Oklahoma and Nebraska. In Oklahoma, we did not spend much time. Nor did we see any extraordinary birds, although Loggerhead Shrike and Vesper Sparrow are always nice to see. In Nebraska, near the northeastern Colorado border, there is a place, however, that must be mentioned. It's the small town of Haigler, a place that's seen, well, better days (maybe)! Last year, along the main road near Haigler, there was a speed-trap. That's all I'll say, but this year I wanted to take a moment in the town to see where the money went. Well, we spend more than a moment. Not that there was a restaurant, stores, or anything to keep us. There wasn't. But the town would be a mecca for a photographer, let's say, with a theme of "what's become of buildings that were something back when..." .
Actually, however, there are some people living in the town. Generally modest homes are along the few streets. But never in one place would one find such a hodgepodge of stuff as in Haigler. On the lawns and along the streets, there were things and more things, decorations of all sorts and colors, statues and woodcarvings, and the like. Another name for the town, that we thought appropriate, would be "Tacky, Nebracky". Among all of the things, there were bird-feeders - a plethora of bird-feeders. We surmised that with so many there would have to be an interesting bird or two. However, each and every one of the feeders contained what would be called "bird junk food" - you know, that "wrong kind of seed". And so it was that the little town was absolutely filled with House Sparrows, Starlings, Grackles, and Red-winged Blackbirds. There were House Finches, and Goldfinches (actually these were rather refreshing to see, as were some Chipping Sparrows). As Eurasian Collared-Doves have spread north, they found Haigler, and stayed there in numbers, flourishing. Also in numbers overhead, were floating Turkey Vultures, which apparently roost along the outskirts of the little town.
Not only were there seed-feeders in Haigler, but also some hummingbird feeders. I asked a man with a filled hummingbird feeder on his property if he knew what kind of hummingbird would be there. He told me he had never seen one there, but the feeder, he indicated, was ready if one were to come.

Also outside Colorado, we spent more time in Wyoming, where among some of the best birds of the tour that were not grouse, were those that were at a fine set of feeders in the high-country during a snow-fall. They included both Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Red Crossbill, and Cassin's Finch, in addition to 3 types of juncos.

In all, 160 types of birds were observed during our week-long tour. 14 species were found outside of Colorado only; the rest were in the state.

As noted, there were birds enjoyed other than grouse. But it was the birds in that group that were the highlights. The tour was structured so that early on given mornings, we would be at the appropriate locales for particular species.

During one morning, we were able to observe 2 grouse species at virtually the same time, when there was a group of Sharp-tailed Grouse like "wind-up dolls" strutting on a bare hillside, as nearby male Blue Grouse were seen booming. Another Blue Grouse, in that area, as it walked along a dirt road, came to within feet of us. As we were watching those grouse that morning, we were hearing the calls of Sandhill Cranes that were nesting in the area.

Probably our best encounter with grouse during the tour, and the one that most of us enjoyed the most, was that with the Greater Sage-Grouse. At the end of what had already been a fine day, and after a quick dinner, we went to a particular road out in the countryside, where, from our experience during previous tours, we expected the grouse to be. And that they were! That evening, there were about 50 of them, either on the road, or close by the road. As evening turned to night, the grouse stayed. Some were directly in front of our vehicle, in the shine of the headlights, as we watched them display right in front of us. Others were so close, outside the open door of our van, that at times we thought one or two would come inside with us!

The displaying of the Sage Grouse brought to mind the traditional dances of the Native American Indians who also lived in that open sage country of the West. The male grouse spread their tails to become like spiked fans. They draw back their heads. And, as the birds did in the shine of our headlights, they inflate their chests, giving an appearance of two large eggs "over easy". As they do this, they make double-hooting and pumping sounds. Watching this is one of the most spectacular experiences an observer can have with any North American bird.

A similar bird, restricted to a range that's mostly in Colorado, and actually nearly endemic to the state, is one that was until recently considered a subspecies of the "Sage Grouse". Now, a distinct species, it's called the Gunnison Sage-Grouse, and during our '04 tour, we had our best experience with it yet. Further away from us than the Greater Sage-Grouse, but still nice in a telescope, was the display that we witnessed early in the morning, as the day brightened. Coyotes passed by the lekking site, but the birds stayed and their show was a good one. (Last year, when coyotes came, just before sunrise, the grouse flew off.)

The 2 species of Prairie-Chickens during our tour this year deserve further mention. They, like the other grouse, are great to watch doing their early-morning displays. During our '04 tour, we saw about a dozen Lesser Prairie Chickens performing at daybreak at one of their favored places to do so in the grasslands. A great show! Included were some birds that had the habit of jumping up from the ground to be atop low bushes. The 30 or so Greater Prairie Chickens that we saw this year did their displaying on a mowed portion of an alfalfa field.

Now, referring to some birds other than grouse that we saw and enjoyed during our tour:

In the high country of northwestern Colorado and nearby Wyoming, Mountain Bluebirds were much in evidence that they were migrating north. Against a background of snow, the blue of dozens of males was quite nice.

Also, that day in the "quite nice category", was a Golden Eagle very close to us along the side of the road. As snow was lightly falling, the eagle stayed, perched on a post. Carrion, a deer that had been hit, was nearby on the ground.

Further up the road, at a farm, on a trailer behind a parked tractor, there was hay. In it, apparently, there was something that Yellow-headed Blackbirds found favorable, as there were at least a couple dozen of them feeding on the top of the hay.

Later that day, at a bird-feeder of a more conventional sort, at a nature center, among the birds there were a few Brown-capped Rosy-Finches. That species, of course, is a Colorado target. Two other Rosy-finch species that can occur there in the winter, were simply not there in '04, the Black and Gray-crowned.

On the native grasslands of northeast Colorado, two species that were great to see were the McCown's and Chestnut-collared Longspurs. They were also great to hear, as they sang and did their displays.

In southwestern Colorado, in an appropriate habitat, the Juniper Titmouse was a good find. As was, nearby, a Lucy's Warbler.

In southeastern Colorado, again in an appropriate habitat for a particular bird, we saw that bird well. It was the Snowy Plover. There were a few on an alkaline lake flat. Nearby, along the shoreline where there was more water, there were both Marbled Godwit and Long-billed Curlew, with bills upturned and downturned respectively.

Along a fast-flowing stream in a central Colorado canyon, we watched a Dipper, out of and in the water. Thanks, Sally, for leading us to it.

In the mountains of central Colorado, we particularly enjoyed our encounters with some corvids that liked to be fed peanuts Clark's Nutcrackers, Gray Jays, and Steller's Jays were all fond of the treats that we put out for them from the van. They came in closely.

Earlier in the tour, during the day when we traveled the entire width of Kansas from south to north, we had an interesting time in regard to weather. Nearly that entire day was in open, flat farm country. In the past, for us, a good day for numbers of Swainson's Hawks, Ferruginous Hawk, and other birds of the plains. This day, however, what we were to remember the most was the wind. There a noticeable breeze in the morning, but it was not hampering. At one spot, we got out of the van to get a better angle to see a young Great Horned Owl sitting in a nest of sticks in a lone tree, the only tree for miles. When we walked, we flushed a female Bobwhite from its nest on the ground. To do that (and we did not know we would), the bird nearly had to be stepped on. Then, after an abrupt flight, it sat ever so still on the ground, blending in.

Later, within an hour, it became virtually impossible in the strong wind, to even step out of the van, let alone flush a Bobwhite or see an owl. Bunch after bunch of Tumbleweed rolled across the flat land, from west to east. Dust rose from the dirt on the ground, and actually at places became blinding as we drove north. We stopped during mid-afternoon in the small community by I-70 called Goodland, Kansas to get some gas. The wind there was so very strong that I had to literally hold on to something (anything) as I pumped the gas. Against the wind, the door of the convenience store was truly a challenge to open.

That evening, after we settled in for the night in Wray, Colorado, we saw the TV report regarding the strong winds that buffeted the open Colorado-Kansas countryside earlier that day. It was indicated that the strongest of the winds were recorded, during mid-afternoon, in that place called Goodland, Kansas. Sustained winds were 60 miles per hour. Gusts were higher. I-70, the main east-west highway, was closed that afternoon due to the blinding dust. Along that highway, during such conditions, nearly 30 vehicles were involved in a crash.

The next morning (windless, by the way), after we had seen Greater Prairie-Chickens performing at daybreak, and after breakfast, we opted to go to a farm east of Wray, where there's a small grove of trees that during each of our previous tours had produced birds. Particularly, in the brush there, I remembered seeing, during other years, Harris's Sparrows.

This year there, again, Harris's Sparrows were there. Two of them were seen nicely. And lots of other birds were there too, in the brush and in the trees. But apparent this time were birds of the East. Not just Eastern Phoebe, and Eastern Bluebird, but also much in evidence were Cardinals singing, Red-bellied Woodpeckers calling, Blue Jays scolding, and Brown Thrasher not making a sound at all. With these birds it was a bit like being somewhere in the East such as Delaware. We had to remember that we were in the West in Colorado. In addition to seeing the eastern birds just noted, there was more that morning. Totally unexpected were 2 birds out of range, both of them warblers from southeast North America. Both were found up in the trees by Richard from New York. His good eyes got us on the first surprise, a Worm-eating Warbler, and then there was a Northern Parula! The range maps for both of these show that their normal haunts are many miles away from that one grove of trees.

Also interesting in the warbler-department at that spot was that both the more-easterly Myrtle and the westerly Audubon's were present. We saw breeding-plumaged males there of both of these forms of the Yellow-rumped Warbler.

But going back for a moment to the Worm-eating Warbler that we saw in Colorado, I don't know how many records there would be for that species in the state, but there can not be many. That little bird that's less than 6 inches long, must have had, the previous day, the ride of its life in the 60 mph winds! One has to assume that rode the winds from somewhere that it would more normally be such as the Gulf Coast of far-eastern Texas. The species migrates to there in the spring from Central America.

Here, now, are the "Top Birds" of the FONT April 2004 Tour in Colorado & adjacent states, as voted by the participants following the tour:

1 - GREATER SAGE-GROUSE
2 - Lesser Prairie Chicken
3 - Greater Prairie Chicken
4 - Blue Grouse
5 - Mountain Plover
6 - Brown-capped Rosy-Finch
7 - Rough-legged Hawk
8 - Sharp-tailed Grouse
9 - Pine Grosbeak
10 - Raven (observed near us, snow off its feet)
11 - Bald Eagle (at a nest)
12 - Worm-eating Warbler
13 - Evening Grosbeak
14 - Juniper Titmouse
15 - Gunnison Sage-Grouse
16 - Snowy Plover
17 - Red-bellied Woodpecker (voted for by westerners)
18 - McCown's Longspur
19 - Harris's Sparrow
20 - Golden Eagle
21 - Long-billed Curlew
22 - Clark's Nutcracker
23 - Mountain Bluebird
24 - Yellow-headed Blackbird

A complete list of the birds that have been found during FONT tours in Colorado and nearby states is elsewhere in this website.

Mule Deer were commonly seen during our tour, as were Pronghorn. In the Rocky Mountains, we enjoyed seeing Bighorn Sheep. Other mammals included Yellow-bellied Marmot, 2 species of Jackrabbits, Coyote and Red Fox, Black-tailed Prairie Dog, and numerous Wyoming Ground Squirrels.

Smaller yet, but particularly enjoyed, was the Plains Pocket Mouse that we saw in Kansas, during the darkness before dawn as we were on our way to the lek of the Lesser Prairie Chicken. Particularly enjoyed as when we stopped the van on the road, and one after another ran back and forth in front of us. The little light mice with long tails were not only getting our attention, but also that of a Burrowing Owl by the side of the road.

Another aspect of nature during the tour that should be mentioned, in conclusion, is the absolutely spectacular scenery. Near the end of the tour, and near the end of a day, for example, when we were traveling east toward the Gunnison, as the sun was behind us and the snow-covered mountains of the Rockies in front us, we just had to stop and admire the beauty. It's some of the best that nature has to offer in North America, and anywhere in the world.

We'll be going to this great area of the American West again, in the quest of grouse, other birds, and other nature, in the Spring of 2005. The dates will be April 16-25.

Upcoming Colorado Tour Itineraries

Birds & Other Wildlife during previous Colorado Tours

Birds & Other Wildlife during previous Colorado Tours in April

A Feature - the Grouse of Colorado & Kansas

To Top of Page

Before the round red sun rose above the horizon that Easter morning, we were watching, during the first light of day, the round red neck-sacs of male Lesser Prairie Chickens inflate as the birds went through the postures and maneuvers of their displays. They would run about, turn around, seem to stamp their feet, and make an assortment of sounds, some with a higher pitch, and some like bubbling hoots, as they did their routine. On the natural grassland, where we sat ever so quietly in our van, we observed the birds just outside our windows. It was quite a show. There were 4 Lesser Prairie Chickens on their lek. We had heard them first, making their sounds, when it was still dark. When lightness came, they appeared, as if on queue, on the open knoll that they favored for their displaying. One of the four birds would repeatedly rise to the top of a low bush, calling as he held on with one foot. With his red neck-sac pulsating, the red sun rose into the dawn sky behind him.

We were close to the old Santa Fe Trail, a route used by the European settlers as they traveled west across America in the early 1800's. During those days, as the settlers moved across the plains, Lesser Prairie Chickens were common, even abundant, around them. In the less than 200 years since then, the species has declined substantially. That decline is thought to be over 90% since the 19th Century, and, more recently, nearly 80% since the early 1960's.

In 1980, Lesser Prairie Chickens occupied only 8% of their original range (which was historically throughout the southwest Great Plains, in southeast Colorado, southwest Kansas, western Oklahoma, northern Texas, and eastern New Mexico). Now, it is only in small, scattered populations.

There were an estimated 50,000 birds in total back in 1960. About 20 years later, in 1979, the population was estimated as 10,000 to 25,000, mostly in northwest Texas and Kansas.

Western Kansas, open and flat, is what might be called an "in-between" type of place. We journeyed north the entire width of the state (as we headed toward Greater Prairie Chicken territory). In southern Kansas, we were at the western edge of the Central Time Zone, until for some reason, we crossed an invisible line, where we were, while still in Kansas, into the Mountain Time Zone (the same as that in Colorado a few miles to the west). Birds were also a blend of east-west. There were Eastern Bluebirds and Western Meadowlarks, Eastern as well as Say's Phoebes, and even Blue Jays at the western edge of their range. By a stream, in a small grove of trees, there were both "Myrtle" and "Audubon's" Yellow-rumped Warblers. And we saw Flickers fly, some with yellow and others with red underwings.

During our ride north in western Kansas, we observed Eurasian Collared-Doves, spreading northwest from as far as Florida, and Great-tailed Grackles, another species spreading north from Oklahoma and Texas.

Swainson's Hawks were numerous in the clear blue skies. They had just travelled north from Argentina in South America.

By a small woodland, we encountered a Prairie Falcon quickly flying low across our path, until it landed in one of the trees just ahead of us. From there, it continued on just as quickly.

In another group of trees, along the highway, by a stream and a small rocky hillside, close to Nebraska (in an area not as flat as most of the Kansas we saw), we noted in a large stick nest 3 heads of young Great Horned Owls, with an adult sitting in the open nearby. Our day in Kansas, that had begun with the performances of Prairie Chickens, was an interesting one.

Early the following morning we were there again, on that open area, with the Greater Prairie Chickens as they performed. From 20 to 30 of them, at various times, were around us. Their droning sound was continuous. (It's quite different than the vocalization of the Lesser Prairie Chicken.) During their booming displays, the Greater Prairie Chickens engaged in a complex series of postures and maneuvers, with their heads drawn, orange air-sacs inflated, their pinnae (pointed feathers on the head) erect and forward, and their tails cocked. They would quickly fan those tails open at the beginning and end of each display sequence. Also notable to us, during our morning visit with the chickens, were males facing each other, in pairs, and acting combatively.

We and the chickens were not alone on the grassy field. There was also a large herd of mostly black cattle that was, to say the least, curious about our vehicle. So much so that the cattle surrounded us for a while, rubbing against the van and some even licking mud from the bumper. It was certainly an odd experience. But as to the cattle, the prairie chickens paid little heed, continuing to engage in their activities. That was even as the cattle walked away from us, across the field, among the wild displaying chickens. To us it seemed somewhat as we imagined it would have been years ago when prairie chickens shared grasslands with the buffalo, when both were abundant.

There were 3 races of Greater Prairie Chickens. One, in eastern North America (from Boston to Washington), known as the Heath Hen, was extirpated on the mainland about 1835. It continued to survive, later, on the offshore Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard, until 1932 when that race became extinct.

Now, 2 races remain, but just barely. The "Attwater's Greater Prairie Chicken" of the Texas coast declined from 8,700 birds in 1937 to 1,070 in 1967. About 30 years later (in 1998), only 56 individuals survived, in 3 isolated populations.

We were most appreciative to our Colorado hosts for allowing us onto their property to experience some of the Greater Prairie Chickens still, fortunately, common there.

Elsewhere in eastern Colorado, there's an extensive area of natural grasslands, without cattle (and without prairie-chickens), but with a number of birds that we were glad to see well. Among them were both displaying McCown's and Chestnut-collared Longspurs, a close pair of Mountain Plovers, some Brewer's Sparrows, and a duo of Burrowing Owls at home in a former prairie dog town.

We headed west toward the sage country of northwestern Colorado, not as we would have, through a Rocky Mountain pass in Colorado, but rather on an interstate in adjacent Wyoming. During a period of 9 days (5 of them overlapping with our tour), there was a total of 51 inches of snow in areas of the Rockies west of Denver.

On the ground, there were McCown's Longspurs. Back in Colorado, he had anticipated them. Here, as unexpected birds, we enjoyed them all the more.

Mammals in the sunlight included Pronghorn, Beaver, Snowshoe Hare, Mule Deer, and the Wyoming Ground Squirrel.

In a forested area, higher in the mountains of Wyoming, we found a feeder with Evening Grosbeaks, Cassin's Finches, Pine Siskins, Mountain Chickadees, and "Gray-headed" Juncos. It was to be the first of three good "bird feeding areas" for us in the mountains during our tour.

We went a morning later than planned for the lekking, in the early hours, of the Greater Sage-Grouse, the largest grouse in North America. We were glad we had changed our plans. Not only did we go to the "traditional" site (where most observers go) for the performing grouse, we also had been advised by a local ranch owner to go to another road nearby. At that location, the grouse came right by the edge of the road. We stayed quietly in our van, and the Sage Grouse performed all around us, just feet away. In all, that morning, we counted on the ground more than 50 grouse, mostly males, but also some females. Both, again, close to us, and seemingly oblivious to us.

What they were not oblivious to, was an adult Golden Eagle that flew in over the open countryside, toward us and the grouse. Sage Grouse that we had been observing, and others back in the sage that were out of view, flew up quickly and headed in all directions. It was quite an experience after watching the grouse as well as we did for about an hour.

In groups, male Sage Grouse, at their lekking sites, adapt a remarkable appearance. They elevate and spread their tails to become spiked fans, backed by a ball of white-spots on black undertail coverts. They draw their heads back, and inflate their chests (giving an appearance of two large eggs "over-easy"). Their stringy black filoplumes become erect, and their bare chest patches pump, along with double-hooting and pumping sounds. The birds, moving forward, produce swishing sounds, as drooped wings bush against stiff breast feathers.

It was quite a morning for us before breakfast. On our way back to town and the restaurant, a herd of elk went by us, heading up a hill.

The next morning we enjoyed yet another early-morning show of grouse, that many in our group found just as enjoyable to watch. With the help of a good local guide, we saw atop on a knoll, the amusing antics of a group of male Sharp-tailed Grouse. Amusing, as they appear rather like "wind-up dolls", strutting together in unison, stopping at once, and then, together starting up again. They do their postures and maneuvers with cocked and spread tails. They also spread their wings forward, going into their head-down synchronized "clockwork runs" with tail-rattling and some remarkable vocalizations.

That morning began for us, before dawn, with the bugling of an elk, nearby.

Also in the area, we saw an adult Bald Eagle by its nest, and Sandhill Cranes, all in pairs. One was seen on its nest.

The next morning was that of the rarest of the grouse during our tour. The Gunnison Sage-Grouse, is similar to the Greater Sage-Grouse, but about 30 per cent smaller. And it is restricted to the smallest of the ranges of the American grouse, only occurring locally in a part of southwest Colorado and adjacent Utah. The Gunnison Sage-Grouse is a newly-described species.

Formerly thought to have been more widespread (possibly in areas of New Mexico, Arizona, Kansas, and Oklahoma), now the Gunnison Sage-Grouse is only in 6 or 7 Colorado counties and one in Utah. The entire population is estimated as being less than 5,000 birds, with most in the Gunnison Basin of Colorado. Elsewhere numbers are very few. In Utah, there may only be 150.

Near Gunnison, we saw the grouse, at a site they favor, before dawn. When it was still dark, we heard there, among other sounds, the winnowing of snipe, the calling of Killdeer, and the howling of coyotes. First, the coyote howls were faint. Then they were louder. As we were watching, through our scopes, the Gunnison Sage-Grouse at their lek, they suddenly dispersed. And then through our field of view, there was a pack of 4 Coyotes moving to the left. By 6am that morning, the display of the Gunnison Sage-Grouse was over.

The previous day, on our way to Gunnison, in coniferous forest of higher country, we stopped by a small lodge with a sign that it was open all-year. In a tree, by the parking lot, there was a single bird, a Clark's Nutcracker. One of our group members had thoughtfully brought some peanuts from home. We put some onto the parking lot, and within moments there were as many as 20 birds almost at our feet, mostly Clark's Nutcrackers, but also Gray Jays, some Steller's Jays, and a Raven or two. All were corvids.

In fact, in Colorado, we did a "Corvid-Sweep". In addition to the 4 species just noted, we saw at various places Blue Jay (in northeast CO), Western Scrub-Jay (in northwest CO), what's now the American (or Black-billed) Magpie ("split" from the Eurasian bird), the American Crow, and the Chihuahuan Raven.

As we were driving east from Gunnison, through our area of pines, a blue bird flew across the road in front of us. It was a Pinyon Jay. We stopped. Around us, then there were many Pinyon Jays, including some, outside our van window, nearly "at our feet" (without peanuts).

We were heading east, and north, from Gunnison, during our last afternoon of the tour, toward the Lovelands Pass over the Continental Divide. A friend had told us that some White-tailed Ptarmigan had been seen there, a day or so previously, by skiers (who were birders). When we got there we certainly found skiers (many of them). It was a beautiful day at the Pass.

Most of us, in our group, left, following that enjoyable experience at the feeder, to head back East to homes and work, departing Colorado the following morning after a great tour.

Upcoming Colorado Tours

To Top of Page