06 – 16 APRIL 2025
By Jacob Roalef
Overview
This eleven-day set departure birding tour of Colorado began in Denver, Colorado on the 6th of April 2025 and concluded back in Denver on the 16th of April 2025. The tour made two circles through the state of Colorado and made quick visits to Utah, Kansas, and Nebraska which allowed for some extra fun and state listing. We visited a wide variety of habitats and amazing birding locations such as Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Bledsoe Cattle Ranch, Wildernest community, Mt Crested Butte, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado National Monument, Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge, Pawnee National Grassland, Lake Pueblo State Park, and more.
Our visit to a Greater Prairie-Chicken lek was truly magical.
This tour connected with many fantastic target bird species such as Black, Brown-capped, and Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, Pine Grosbeak, Cassin’s Finch, Golden Eagle, Clark’s Grebe, Mountain Plover, Thick-billed Longspur, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Harris’s Sparrow, Pinyon Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift, and more. Of course, a large portion of this trip was focused on game birds and lekking areas. The tour was quite successful with sightings of Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chickens, Dusky, Sharp-tailed, Gunnison, and Sage Grouses, Scaled Quail, and even a couple of established exotics like Chukar and Ring-necked Pheasant.
A total of 152 bird species were seen on this trip, plus one more heard only, to bring our recorded total to 153 species! In addition to the birds, the trip also enjoyed some incredible mammals including Elk, Pronghorn, Black-tailed Prairie Dog, Bighorn Sheep, American Bison, and Red Fox. Full bird and mammal checklists can be found at the end of the report and be sure to check out our eBird Trip Report for more in-depth details.
Brown-capped Rosy Finch was one of three species giving us the rosy-finch sweep.
Detailed Report
Day 1, 6th April 2025. Arrival and Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR birding
All the trip participants arrived by midday, which gave us an opportunity to sneak some birding in before dinner. We met up in the lobby for some quick introductions and then headed off to the nearby Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR. This park was a great place to get started and begin our trip list. We started off with some scans of several nice ponds where we noted Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Horned Grebe, Greater Yellowlegs, and more. A Yellow-headed Blackbird made a quick appearance on a nearby building, a great species to kick off our list! After checking the water, we drove the auto loop tour here and enjoyed seeing American Bison and Black-tailed Prairie Dogs up close and personal. Of course, we spotted birds as well and became acquainted with some of the more common species like Black-billed Magpie, Western Meadowlark, American Kestrel, House Finch, and Horned Lark. Towards the end of our drive, we found a small group of Mountain Bluebirds to provide a little splash of color on the brown landscape. With 40 species under our belt already, we headed to dinner near the hotel to discuss the upcoming trip and plans for the next ten days.
Day 2, 7th April 2025. Denver to Grand Junction
We started off today with breakfast at the hotel before loading our gear and heading west through Denver and into the Rocky Mountains. Our first stop was a scan of Loveland Pass. It was quiet here and, despite our best efforts, we only managed to turn up Horned Lark and Northern Raven. With frozen hands, we continued and explored the community of Wildernest up in the mountains. This area is a great place to find some higher altitude species. There was still snow cover on the ground and we discovered a house with some excellent feeders that were absolutely loaded with birds! We found all three rosy finch species here: Black, Brown-capped, and Grey-crowned Rosy Finches, plus many other great birds like Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Steller’s Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Cassin’s Finch, Pine Siskin, and Dark-eyed Junco. The rosy-finches were really a top target and highlight for the whole group, so we spent as much time as possible here and enjoyed seeing around 100 individuals. We picked through them and spotted a Hepburn’s subspecies of Grey-crowned Rosy Finch as well. Eventually, we tore ourselves away and headed off for a tasty lunch in the nearby town of Silverthorne.
After we ate, we had a long drive planned to get closer to Grand Junction. Of course, we made a quick stop at a nearby lake and picked up a nice Barrow’s Goldeneye and Osprey before we began our two and a half hour journey. We left the mountains and arrived at the much more arid environment of Cameo and Coal Canyon. Thankfully, it didn’t take long before we spotted our main target, Chukar, a small, introduced game bird species that has established a population here and is countable on the ABA checklist, but can prove challenging at times. We decided to stretch our legs a little and do some more birding here. We picked up Say’s Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, and Rock Wren, then decided to load up and move on. After some more driving we arrived at our hotel in Grand Junction, checked in and took a small break. Everyone was up for some more birding pre-dinner, so we booked it to the Colorado/Utah border and some sagebrush habitat. We birded just across the state line, and while we didn’t pick up much, we managed to find a Sagebrush Sparrow, a fantastic addition to our trip list and a lifer for some. On our way back to town for dinner, we spotted a few ear tufts sticking up from a nest. Sure enough, a Great Horned Owl was there, peering out at us. A great cap to what was the first of many long and successful days of birding.
The introduced Chukar can be one of the more challenging species.
Day 3, 8th April 2025. Colorado National Monument to Gunnison
A quick breakfast at the hotel and we were off to Colorado National Monument. We cruised some neighborhoods outside of the park first and picked up a Gambel’s Quail in the scrub; another nice game bird to add to our list. We entered the park and began a short hike at the Devil’s Kitchen Trail, but birding was slow and we only found White-crowned Sparrow and Mourning Dove. We continued the large loop drive of the national monument. The scenery here was absolutely jaw-dropping. We stopped at the Cold Shivers overlook and took in the incredible view of the vast canyon here. Naturally, we enjoyed a spunky Canyon Wren while we did so, as well as some White-throated Swifts darting in and out of the canyon crevices. We proceeded onward, pausing periodically at scenic vantage points, and doing some birding while out of the car. We managed to find several nice species this way, like Bushtit, Juniper Titmouse, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, and Bewick’s Wren. By mid-morning, we snuck out the back way of the park and ventured off to some nearby birding spots that had been good for other targets lately. It took a little bit of time, but eventually we spotted a Lewis’s Woodpecker off in a distant tree. We all filed out to enjoy this colorful bird and then we spotted another flying in. Then another, and another, and another… A total of 18 Lewis’s Woodpeckers streamed by and then disappeared! What an amazing encounter with a fantastic species. Of course, we found a few other noteworthy species as well, like Pinyon Jay and Western Bluebird. We circled back to the park and finished our loop of Colorado National Monument, taking in all the scenic beauty as we descended the canyon back into the town of Grand Junction.
After some lunch in town, we had a lot of ground to cover to Gunnison, our next hotel location, but with several birding stops planned along the way. First up was the local park called Grand Junction Wildlife Area. We searched the bushes and the nearby pond and turned up Wood Duck, White-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Cooper’s Hawk and others, before heading out. We drove a few hours and made it to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Sadly, the campground area was shut off, and the visitor’s center was closed, but we were still able to access the amazing viewpoint to see the black canyon. We squeezed in some time for some birds as well and found Clark’s Nutcracker, Sooty Fox Sparrow, and Sharp-shinned Hawk. Once everyone had the chance to use the restroom, we hit the road again and finished our drive to Gunnison. One final birding stop at Blue Mesa Reservoir yielded us a Western Grebe, then it was time for dinner and a rest in preparation for what would be a very early start tomorrow.
We all enjoyed some close-up views of this Canyon Wren (photo Mike Blust).
Day 4, 9th April 2025. Gunnison area birding
It was a pre-dawn start as we loaded up and headed for the lekking site this morning. We needed to be in position well before sunrise due to the sensitive nature of the birds. We made it in time and then waited for the sun and show to begin. Way off in the distance, we watched a group of Gunnison Grouse lekking in the early morning hours. Eventually we felt it was ok to get out quietly and use scopes for a better view and to see the longer head plumes of this species. After the Gunnison Grouse display slowed we began to look out for some other species and found Sage Thrasher, Say’s Pheobe, Northern Harrier, and Mountain Bluebird. It was a chilly morning with neither restrooms nor coffee, so it was certainly time to head back to town to warm up and get some tasty food. We spent the remainder of the morning birding around Blue Mesa Reservoir and the McCabe Lane Wetlands. Our efforts yielded some nice species like Cinnamon Teal, Common Merganser, American Wigeon, Sandhill Crane, Tree Swallow, and Black-capped Chickadee. After this we made a quick stop at the hotel for some laundry services and then enjoyed a light lunch in town.
After we ate, we headed north for some more birding. We stopped at a nice bridge crossing in Almont and managed to find an American Dipper working in the fast-paced water here. It is always a special treat to see one of these charismatic birds. We continued and birded along some of the forest edges of the road and found another American Dipper as well as Clark’s Nutcracker, Mountain Chickadee, Red-tailed Hawk, and others. Upon reaching the highest point of our journey, we surveyed the area surrounding Crested Butte but did not locate any notable species or established bird feeders. By now, everyone was dragging a bit after such an early start and busy first few days. We decided to head back to our hotel in Gunnison to rest and relax a little before having a fun dinner in town.
Everyone loved this American Dipper foraging in the rapids!
Day 5, 10th April 2025. Transfer to Pueblo
Since we had birded the area of Gunnison well the previous day, the plan today was to load up and cover some distance before stopping for breakfast near Salida. After we ate, we checked out the nearby Frantz Lake for a little birding. Here we found Great Blue Heron, Northern Shoveler, and Common Grackle, which was new for the trip. We continued our drive for another hour and half or so until we reached the outskirts of Pueblo, a more desert-scrub type of habitat. We explored some neighborhoods and discovered a nice feeder area that hosted an adorable family of Scaled Quails. In addition to the quails, we picked up some other notable desert species for our trip list like Curve-billed Thrasher and Canyon Towhee. We proceeded to Pueblo Lake State Park, pausing at several designated viewpoints overlooking the lake to do a little scanning. The lake hosted some nice birds like American Coot, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, and Double-crested Cormorant. Most notable though were the high number of Western Grebes here, we counted 17 in total. Time for lunch at a neat café.
After eating, we headed off to the West Pueblo Gravel Pits and did a little hiking to burn off some calories and stretch our legs after so much time in the vehicle. It was a lovely afternoon for a hike and we found some nice birds like Spotted Towhee, Redhead, Gadwall, Ruddy Duck, Cooper’s Hawk, Blue Jay, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, and Myrtle Warbler. It was getting quite hot by now so we headed to our hotel to check in and take a short break. Before dinner we met up again and headed off for some agricultural fields north of Pueblo, with one major target in mind. Upon arrival we were immediately greeted by a Burrowing Owl. We scanned the fields and noted many Burrowing Owls, as well as Western Meadowlarks and Horned Larks. Our efforts continued as we cruised to various areas before eventually locking on to our target, Mountain Plover. It was great to catch up with this tricky species which blends into its surroundings. With Mountain Plover in the bag we headed back to Pueblo for a tasty Mexican dinner and some sleep.
The adorable Scaled Quail was a great sighting near Pueblo.
Day 6, 11th April 2025. Birding our way to Kansas
The agenda for today was full of miles to cover as we needed to end up all the way in Oakley, Kansas for the night. Of course, we had plenty of birding stops and potential along the way. First up was Lake Pueblo State Park – Valco Ponds. It was a beautiful, crisp, sunny morning for a little bit of hiking and exploration around these ponds. Our efforts managed to trip two different eBird rarity filters, Caspian Tern and Brown Thrasher, both of which were quite surprising to find this morning. Other species here included Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Phoebe, Sand Martin, Great Horned Owl, California and Franklin’s Gulls. From here, we pressed on to Lake Meridith, a decent sized body of water surrounded by cattle farms. We birded here as quickly as possible and, while the smell wasn’t great the birds were, and we netted species like Clark’s Grebe, Vesper Sparrow, American Pipit, and American Avocet. We loaded back up and continued our journey. A quick stop to scan the edges of Cheraw Lake produced more nice species like Snowy Plover and Baird’s Sandpiper. We all enjoyed this nice haul of species today. We then pulled into the town of Lamar for a lunch stop.
After lunch we headed a little bit north for a quick check of North Gateway Park. We rolled up on a Snow Goose directly next to a Ross’s Goose. It was really amazing to have such a close side-by-side comparison of these similar species. We made another quick stop at Thurston Reservoir for a quick scan. We found Blue-winged and Green-winged Teals, American Avocet, Gadwall, and Western Grebe, amongst others. After this we covered some ground and made it to Kansas, where we all began to work on a new list for this new state. It was fun to bring some excitement to more common species again, like Great-tailed Grackle, Red-tailed Hawk, and American Kestrel. We also picked up a few new species for the overall trip like Swainson’s Hawk and Ring-necked Pheasant. The rest of the day was spent birding some farm fields, adding to our Kansas list before eventually settling into our hotel in Oakley for the night, after a long day.
We managed to catch up with this nice Clark’s Grebe.
Day 7, 12th April 2025. Oakley Lek and transfer to Wray
It was an extremely early start today as we had to meet up with our escort guide to take us onto a private property for our lek adventure this morning. Changing time zones also meant an even earlier start, but no matter, the excitement for the chickens had us all ready in time. We made the drive, met the guide, and got into position inside of our blind. Then we waited for the sun to rise and the chickens to do their thing. The anticipation built as we began to hear the Lesser Prairie-Chickens call and display, but we couldn’t quite see them yet. Finally, the sun began to illuminate the horizon, and we sat and enjoyed the incredible show of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken for several hours this morning. We waited until the lekking behavior began to fizzle out before we snuck our way out and off to breakfast. On our drive to breakfast, we spotted a few Lesser Prairie-Chickens out and about, plus a lone Lark Bunting along the fence line. This was a fantastic species to add to our list. After breakfast, we made it back to the hotel for a short break and then loaded up our gear to set our sails towards Wray, Colorado.
The goal for the remainder of the day was to arrive in Wray in time to meet with Mr. Bob Bledsoe and get a summary of his property and our lekking site the following morning. This left us with some options, but we decided it would be the most fun to add to our Kansas list and try to get to 50 species. We headed off and made it to a local park called Jack Kriss Natural Area by midday. We spent about 45-minutes here and hiked and birded all this park had to offer us. This added many species to our state list like Sandhill Crane, Franklin’s Gull, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, and Purple Martin, which was new for the overall list too. We continued to a small water treatment plant in hopes of adding some waterfowl and shorebirds to our Kansas efforts. This proved to be quite fruitful as we added Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Baird’s Sandpiper,
Black-necked Stilt and more, bringing us to our goal of 50 species! As we drove along the many farm fields, we were shocked when we discovered an American Barn Owl sitting on a fence pole in the middle of the day, species 51. With that we said goodbye to Kansas and hello to Nebraska for a moment. We spent a little time here and tallied up a dozen species before getting back into Colorado to catch our meeting, check in, eat dinner, and sleep!
A visit to this Lesser Prairie-Chicken lek was a top highlight.
Day 8, 13th April 2025. Wray Lek and Pawnee National Grasslands
Another pre-dawn start had us navigating the fields of Bledsoe Cattle Ranch in the dark. We managed to find our way to the blind, an old horse trailer turned bird blind. We got settled in and waited. Soon the booming of the Greater Prairie-Chickens began. The lekking display of the Greater Prairie-Chicken may have been a bit more impressive and amazing than the lesser yesterday, what a show! A few Burrowing Owls joined the chickens to provide some extra entertainment. Eventually, getting cold, breakfast and coffee called our names. It was back to the hotel to warm up, fuel up, and load up. Today was going to be a marathon day with hundreds of miles to cover, so we didn’t waste time and headed off for the Pawnee National Grasslands. Unfortunately, we had to deal with a troublesome tire and very windy conditions today, but this didn’t stop us. We gave our best effort at these massive grasslands on the auto loop and quickly got onto a Thick-billed Longspur, before the winds picked up and it disappeared. We drove the dirt roads and found nice species like Vesper Sparrow, Loggerhead Shrike, Western Meadowlark, and Sage Thrasher, plus many Pronghorn to add some mammal excitement to the mix. Towards the end of our loop we stopped at the watering hole and got out, battling extreme winds and fighting to keep our hats on. A Thick-billed Longspur dropped right at our feet and allowed for some amazing views, much better than earlier! We looked up and saw a large storm system approaching fast. We knew it was time to get out of here and towards Fort Collins.
We had a little time to check out some birding areas in town and managed to add American White Pelican and American Goldfinch to our list. However, we ran into a hiccup as we returned to the van, our troublesome tire had given out and was almost completely flat. Luckily, we were in town and able to find a place to patch it up, conveniently located next to a fun brewery. We decided to turn lemons into lemonade and enjoyed dinner here while waiting for the car. After this we still had nearly four hours to drive, so it was straight to Steamboat Springs and bed.
We scored some close views of this Thick-billed Longspur (photo Barry Blust).
Day 9, 14th April 2025. Walden and Arapaho NWR area birding
By now we were starting to get used to these pre-dawn starts for leks. Today was no different as we loaded up and headed off to some back roads outside of town. As we approached, we slowed down and scanned the roadside. Suddenly, we got some eye shine and a blob in the road, Dusky Grouse! This sharp looking male was strutting his stuff in the middle of the road. Our headlights beamed on it and allowed us all some excellent views. Another Dusky Grouse was displaying further up the road as well. We eventually drove on, and now grouse were easy to spot up and down the road. Amazingly, we counted a total of eight Dusky Grouse this morning before sunrise. With one grouse target down, we shifted focus to our other species. We cruised up and down an area known for their lek before we eventually spotted a few random Sharp-tailed Grouse in the bushes. Finally, we found the Sharp-tailed Grouse lek way out in the field, with over 30 individual birds. We enjoyed some nice views through our scope as these birds paired off and displayed in front of each other. Time to warm up with brunch and coffee back in Steamboat Springs. The remainder of the morning we spent birding around town at Fish Creek Falls. We were able to find Townsend’s Solitaire and Red-breasted Nuthatch, both new for the trip, as well as Steller’s Jay, Osprey, Tree Swallow, and Mountain Chickadee. Around this time, we were all starting to drag a bit after so many long days and early mornings in a row, so we took a much-needed midday break for a few hours.
It was fantastic to spot this Dusky Grouse in the road in the early morning hours.
Once we were feeling rested and refreshed, we headed off towards Walden for a little afternoon birding. Along the way we spotted a Long-billed Curlew working out in the grassland fields, a great pickup for the trip list. After religiously checking every Swainson’s Hawk during our drive we arrived at Walden Reservoir, which was absolutely teeming with birds. Loads of great species were found, like Long-billed Dowitcher, Black-necked Stilt, Eared Grebe, American White Pelican, Cinnamon Teal, Bonaparte’s Gull, Redhead, and many more. The sheer number of birds here was impressive. We headed off to the Arapaho NWF auto tour for the remainder of the day. We checked out the various bodies of water here and did our best to avoid the numerous White-tailed Prairie-Dogs making holes along the side of the road. Despite all our waterfowl searches throughout the trip, one species was still eluding, but finally we managed to find a Northern Pintail here. It had become a running joke at this point, but I was happy to finally have that one checked off our list. Other species here included Greater Yellowlegs, Bufflehead, Sage Thrasher, Canvasback, and American Wigeon. It was time to head back to Steamboat Springs for supper, but our persistent raptor checking finally turned up a new one as we spotted a Rough-legged Buzzard perched on a power pole. A nice way to cap off the day.
Day 10, 15th April 2025. Coalmont Lek and back to Denver
On the final morning of our final full day, we had one final lek to visit. This meant another early, pre-dawn start to get into position well before the birds arrived at the lek. We loaded our luggage, made it to the spot, and waited for the show. The stunning displays of the Sage Grouse was certainly impressive and fitting as a grand finale for our series of leks. The Sage Grouse is much larger than the other grouse species we had encountered so far, and these birds displayed closer to the road allowing for fantastic viewing. The activity level began to peter out, and it was time to say goodbye and move on to breakfast. Our goal for the remainder of the day was to make it back to Denver, but we still had a few target species left to track down. After we filled our bellies, we carried on and finally spotted a Golden Eagle as it soared on the horizon. This species had been eluding us for too long and it was great to catch up with a pair of these impressive birds.
The Sage Grouse lek in Coalmont was truly something spectacular!
Next up was a nice patch of Ponderosa Pines along Ute Pass. It didn’t take long before we heard the distinctive drums of Williamson’s Sapsucker. We managed to spot this bird and scored some nice views. Williamson’s Sapsucker was certainly a top target for today, but we enjoyed Townsend’s Solitaire and Dark-eyed Junco as well, before we moved on to Loveland Pass. We gave our best efforts here but sadly came up nearly empty handed. A pair of Canada Jays on our way out at least added another tick to our list, as this species had eluded us as well thus far. It had been a nice day so far as we added the more common species that we had been missing. The remainder of the day we spent back in Denver at Bear Creek Lake Park to search for one final target. Thankfully we managed to spot a linger Harris’s Sparrow here, a much-wanted species for some in our group and a great final bird to add to our trip list. Other more common species here included Black-billed Magpie, Bald Eagle, White-crowned Sparrow, and Common Goldeneye. We fought with Denver traffic and made it to our hotel near the airport in time to enjoy a final dinner together, outside in the beautiful spring weather here in Colorado.
Day 11, 16th April 2025. Tour conclusion
Today was departure day. By now we were all exhausted from the trip as we had covered 2,650 miles (4,265 km) in the past ten days! Most of us had morning departures, so we caught up on some sleep, enjoyed breakfast at the hotel, and said our goodbyes before heading our separate ways home. The trip had many great moments and memories and we spent some time at the previous dinner discussing our favorite bird sightings. The top highlights, in no order, were Black Rosy-Finch, Sage Grouse, Dusky Grouse, Lesser Prairie-Chicken, and Williamson’s Sapsucker. It was difficult to select just a few favorites after a fantastic trip!
This American Barn Owl in the middle of the day was a big surprise.
Bird List – Following IOC (15.1)
The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following BirdLife International: CE = Critically Endangered, EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable, NT = Near Threatened.
| Common Name | Scientific Name |
| Ducks, Geese, Swans (Anatidae) | |
| Canada Goose | Branta canadensis |
| Ross’s Goose | Anser rossii |
| Snow Goose | Anser caerulescens |
| Wood Duck | Aix sponsa |
| Cinnamon Teal | Spatula cyanoptera |
| Blue-winged Teal | Spatula discors |
| Northern Shoveler | Spatula clypeata |
| Gadwall | Mareca strepera |
| American Wigeon | Mareca americana |
| Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos |
| Northern Pintail | Anas acuta |
| Green-winged Teal | Anas carolinensis |
| Canvasback | Aythya valisineria |
| Redhead | Aythya americana |
| Ring-necked Duck | Aythya collaris |
| Greater Scaup | Aythya marila |
| Lesser Scaup | Aythya affinis |
| Bufflehead | Bucephala albeola |
| Common Goldeneye | Bucephala clangula |
| Barrow’s Goldeneye | Bucephala islandica |
| Hooded Merganser | Lophodytes cucullatus |
| Common Merganser | Mergus merganser |
| Red-breasted Merganser | Mergus serrator |
| Ruddy Duck | Oxyura jamaicensis |
| New World Quail (Odontophoridae) | |
| Scaled Quail | Callipepla squamata |
| Gambel’s Quail | Callipepla gambelii |
| Pheasants & Allies (Phasianidae) | |
| Wild Turkey | Meleagris gallopavo |
| Sage Grouse | Centrocercus urophasianus |
| Gunnison Grouse – EN | Centrocercus minimus |
| Dusky Grouse | Dendragapus obscurus |
| Sharp-tailed Grouse | Tympanuchus phasianellus |
| Greater Prairie Chicken | Tympanuchus cupido |
| Lesser Prairie Chicken – VU | Tympanuchus pallidicinctus |
| Common Pheasant | Phasianus colchicus |
| Chukar Partridge | Alectoris chukar |
| Swifts (Apodidae) | |
| White-throated Swift | Aeronautes saxatalis |
| Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae) | |
| Rock Dove | Columba livia |
| Eurasian Collared Dove | Streptopelia decaocto |
| Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura |
| Rails, Crakes & Coots (Rallidae) | |
| American Coot | Fulica americana |
| Cranes (Gruidae) | |
| Sandhill Crane | Antigone canadensis |
| Grebes (Podicipedidae) | |
| Pied-billed Grebe | Podilymbus podiceps |
| Horned Grebe – VU | Podiceps auritus |
| Black-necked Grebe | Podiceps nigricollis |
| Western Grebe | Aechmophorus occidentalis |
| Clark’s Grebe | Aechmophorus clarkii |
| Stilts and Avocets (Recurvirostridae) | |
| Black-necked Stilt | Himantopus mexicanus |
| American Avocet | Recurvirostra americana |
| Plovers (Charadriidae) | |
| Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus |
| Mountain Plover | Anarhynchus montanus |
| Snowy Plover | Anarhynchus nivosus |
| Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae) | |
| Long-billed Curlew | Numenius americanus |
| Long-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus scolopaceus |
| Lesser Yellowlegs – VU | Tringa flavipes |
| Greater Yellowlegs | Tringa melanoleuca |
| Baird’s Sandpiper | Calidris bairdii |
| Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae) | |
| Caspian Tern | Hydroprogne caspia |
| Bonaparte’s Gull | Chroicocephalus philadelphia |
| Franklin’s Gull | Leucophaeus pipixcan |
| Ring-billed Gull | Larus delawarensis |
| California Gull | Larus californicus |
| Loons (Gaviidae) | |
| Common Loon | Gavia immer |
| Cormorants and Shags (Phalacrocoracidae) | |
| Double-crested Cormorant | Nannopterum auritum |
| Herons, Bitterns (Ardeidae) | |
| Great Blue Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax |
| Pelicans (Pelecanidae) | |
| American White Pelican | Pelecanus erythrorhynchos |
| New World Vultures (Cathartidae) | |
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura |
| Ospreys (Pandionidae) | |
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus |
| Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae) | |
| Golden Eagle | Aquila chrysaetos |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus |
| Cooper’s Hawk | Astur cooperii |
| Northern Harrier | Circus hudsonius |
| Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus |
| Swainson’s Hawk | Buteo swainsoni |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis |
| Rough-legged Buzzard | Buteo lagopus |
| Barn Owls (Tytonidae) | |
| American Barn Owl | Tyto furcata |
| Owls (Strigidae) | |
| Burrowing Owl | Athene cunicularia |
| Great Horned Owl | Bubo virginianus |
| Kingfishers (Alcedinidae) | |
| Belted Kingfisher | Megaceryle alcyon |
| Woodpeckers (Picidae) | |
| Lewis’s Woodpecker | Melanerpes lewis |
| Williamson’s Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus thyroideus |
| Downy Woodpecker | Dryobates pubescens |
| Hairy Woodpecker | Leuconotopicus villosus |
| Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus |
| Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae) | |
| American Kestrel | Falco sparverius |
| Tyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae) | |
| Eastern Phoebe | Sayornis phoebe |
| Say’s Phoebe | Sayornis saya |
| Shrikes (Laniidae) | |
| Loggerhead Shrike | Lanius ludovicianus |
| Crows, Jays, and Magpies (Corvidae) | |
| Canada Jay | Perisoreus canadensis |
| Blue Jay | Cyanocitta cristata |
| Steller’s Jay | Cyanocitta stelleri |
| Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay | Aphelocoma woodhouseii |
| Pinyon Jay – VU | Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus |
| Black-billed Magpie | Pica hudsonia |
| Clark’s Nutcracker | Nucifraga columbiana |
| American Crow | Corvus brachyrhynchos |
| Northern Raven | Corvus corax |
| Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice (Paridae) | |
| Juniper Titmouse | Baeolophus ridgwayi |
| Black-capped Chickadee | Poecile atricapillus |
| Mountain Chickadee | Poecile gambeli |
| Larks (Alaudidae) | |
| Horned Lark | Eremophila alpestris |
| Swallows (Hirundinidae) | |
| Sand Martin | Riparia riparia |
| Tree Swallow | Tachycineta bicolor |
| Purple Martin | Progne subis |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica |
| American Cliff Swallow | Petrochelidon pyrrhonota |
| Bushtits (Aegithalidae) | |
| American Bushtit | Psaltriparus minimus |
| Wrens (Troglodytidae) | |
| Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus |
| Canyon Wren | Catherpes mexicanus |
| Bewick’s Wren | Thryomanes bewickii |
| Nuthatches (Sittidae) | |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta carolinensis |
| Pygmy Nuthatch | Sitta pygmaea |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta canadensis |
| Mockingbirds, Thrashers (Mimidae) | |
| Sage Thrasher | Oreoscoptes montanus |
| Brown Thrasher | Toxostoma rufum |
| Curve-billed Thrasher | Toxostoma curvirostre |
| Starlings, Rhabdornis (Sturnidae) | |
| Common Starling | Sturnus vulgaris |
| Thrushes (Turdidae) | |
| Mountain Bluebird | Sialia currucoides |
| Western Bluebird | Sialia mexicana |
| Townsend’s Solitaire | Myadestes townsendi |
| American Robin | Turdus migratorius |
| Dippers (Cinclidae) | |
| American Dipper | Cinclus mexicanus |
| Old World Sparrows (Passeridae) | |
| House Sparrow (Introduced) | Passer domesticus |
| Wagtails, Pipits (Motacillidae) | |
| American Pipit | Anthus rubescens |
| Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae) | |
| Evening Grosbeak – VU | Hesperiphona vespertina |
| Pine Grosbeak | Pinicola enucleator |
| Grey-crowned Rosy Finch | Leucosticte tephrocotis |
| Black Rosy Finch – EN | Leucosticte atrata |
| Brown-capped Rosy Finch – EN | Leucosticte australis |
| Cassin’s Finch | Haemorhous cassinii |
| House Finch | Haemorhous mexicanus |
| American Goldfinch | Spinus tristis |
| Pine Siskin | Spinus pinus |
| Longspurs and Snow Buntings (Calcariidae) | |
| Thick-billed Longspur | Rhynchophanes mccownii |
| New World Sparrows (Passerellidae) | |
| Lark Bunting | Calamospiza melanocorys |
| Sooty Fox Sparrow | Passerella unalaschcensis |
| Dark-eyed Junco | Junco hyemalis |
| White-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia leucophrys |
| Harris’s Sparrow | Zonotrichia querula |
| Sagebrush Sparrow | Artemisiospiza nevadensis |
| Vesper Sparrow | Pooecetes gramineus |
| Savannah Sparrow | Passerculus sandwichensis |
| Song Sparrow | Melospiza melodia |
| Canyon Towhee | Melozone fusca |
| Spotted Towhee | Pipilo maculatus |
| Oropendolas, Orioles, Blackbirds (Icteridae) | |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird | Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus |
| Western Meadowlark | Sturnella neglecta |
| Red-winged Blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | Molothrus ater |
| Common Grackle | Quiscalus quiscula |
| Great-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus mexicanus |
| New World Warblers (Parulidae) | |
| Myrtle Warbler | Setophaga coronata |
| Cardinals & Allies (Cardinalidae) | |
| Northern Cardinal (H) | Cardinalis cardinalis |
| Total Seen | 152 |
| Total Heard | 1 |
| Total Recorded | 153 |
Mammal List
| Common Name | Scientific Name |
| Rabbits and Hares (Leporidae) | |
| Eastern Cottontail | Sylvilagus floridanus |
| Squirrels and Allies (Sciuridae) | |
| Bryant’s Fox Squirrel | Sciurus niger |
| Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel | Ictidomys tridecemlineatus |
| White-tailed Prairie Dog | Cynomys leucurus |
| Black-tailed Prairie Dog | Cynomys ludovicianus |
| Dogs (Canidae) | |
| Red Fox | Vulpes vulpes |
| Coyote | Canis latrans |
| True Deer (Cervidae) | |
| Elk | Cervus canadensis |
| Mule Deer | Odocoileus hemionus |
| White-tailed Deer | Odocoileus virginianus |
| Cloven-hoofed Mammals (Bovidae) | |
| Bighorn Sheep | Ovis canadensis |
| American Bison | Bison bison |
| Pronghorn (Antilocapridae) | |
| Pronghorn | Antilocapra americana |
| Total seen | 13 |
This is a sample trip report. Please email us ([email protected]) for more trip reports from this destination.
