A Greater Prairie Chicken,
photographed during a FONT tour in Colorado

Previous Tours:

April 2010    April 2009    April 2005    April 2004    April 2003    April 2002    April 2001

Upcoming FONT Birding & Nature Tours in Colorado & nearby States

Birds during previous FONT Tours in Colorado & nearby states (with some photos)

Birds & Other Wildlife during previous FONT Colorado Tours in April  (with some photos)

Mammals during previous FONT Tours in Colorado & nearby states  (with some photos)   

Photo Galleries of Birds & Other Wildlife during FONT tours 
in Colorado & Nearby States in:     April 2009     April 2005

A Feature - the Grouse of Colorado, Nebraska & Kansas

COLORADO (& adjacent states) - April 2010
The adjacent states were Nebraska & Wyoming

"A Tour for Grouse & More" 

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

Links:

COLORADO (& adjacent states) - April 2009 
The adjacent states were Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, & Wyoming

"A Tour for Grouse & More" 


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

Nearly 20 species of mammals were seen ranging in size from the Least Chipmunk to the Moose. Among those in between, highlights included a Badger that ran in front of us, and an all-black Abert's (or Tassel-eared) Squirrel.

Colorado is a wonderful state in which to enjoy nature, but we also had good times in Oklahoma and Wyoming. 
In Oklahoma, we ventured one day as far west as one can, to the New Mexico border, in the narrow "no man's land", where still nearly no men (nor women) live. Among the birds for us there, a Golden Eagle flew closely by.
Actually, and oddly, the most western bird that we saw in Oklahoma was the Eastern Phoebe (a pair).
In Wyoming, our birds included another Golden Eagle, Rough-legged Hawk, and a plethora of ducks of various sorts.

Lastly, to be noted here, back in Colorado, 4 sorts of juncos were seen at 1 place, all Dark-eyed: the "Oregon", "Pink-sided", "Gray-headed", and "Slate-colored". Juncos, as you may know, are sometimes called "Snowbirds". As to that snow, about 2 feet occurred in parts of the Denver area, and as much as 6 feet fell in the high mountains.

In addition to the birds and animals just noted, the wonderful scenery and interesting history, along the way, as we traveled about, added to our overall experience, which was made all the better by the good comradeship of those on the tour.    
The dates for this tour in 2009 were April 10-16.

Links:

COLORADO, & adjacent states - April 2005
(The adjacent states were Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, & Wyoming)

This tour was designed to see grouse at their lekking grounds, where they perform early in the morning. 
For us, in April 2005, these included the 2 Prairie-Chickens, the Sharp-tailed, Dusky (formerly Blue), Greater Sage, and Gunnison Sage Grouse. Each species, and each morning, presented a different experience. 

Grouse were not the only birds during this tour, as we skirted around the beautiful state of Colorado, and dipped into some of the adjacent states. 
Among the other birds: Mountain Plover, McCown's & Chestnut-collared Longspurs, and Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. 

Among the 28 species of mammals: Badger, Moose (including a mother & adolescent), and another creature with Gunnison in its name, the Gunnison Prairie Dog.  


Links:

More about the FONT tour in April 2005 in Colorado & adjacent states 

Lists of Birds & Other Wildlife during our Colorado Tour - April 2005

Lists of Birds & Other Wildlife during previous Colorado Tours in April

Cumulative lists of Birds & Other Wildlife during previous Tours in Colorado & nearby states

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

A Feature - the Grouse of Colorado, Nebraska & Kansas

Upcoming Tour Itineraries for Colorado & nearby States

Colorado, & nearby Kansas & Wyoming - April 2004 

COLORADO, & adjacent KANSAS & WYOMING - April 2003

For Grouse & Other Birds

It was very early on Easter Sunday morning.  The Sun had not yet risen. In fact, it was still dark. The stars in the clear sky above us shone very brightly. We were not near any city of appreciable size. So, without diffused light or pollution of any kind, it really was a clear, crisp early morning. We were in Kansas, not far from Oklahoma, and not far from Colorado where most of our upcoming week would be, with other early mornings, as we'd begin most days with the performances of grouse at their leks.

Actually, by Easter Sunday's end, we had seen both prairie-chickens. On the private land of a vast ranch in northeastern Colorado, our cordial hosts took us to an open grassy area where we would see the lekking activity early the next morning. During the last hour of Sunday, we enjoyed, however, a number of close looks at Greater Prairie Chickens, again just outside of our van. We were permitted to drive onto the open grassy area.

So, due to the weather, we went via Wyoming. And, off the interstate, we had a fine birding, particularly in the area of Laramie Lakes, where the sun was shinning (yes, the sun) on a good assortment of ducks, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and White Pelicans. Also there, our first Golden Eagle flew by.

It snowed during our entire first day in the high, open country of sage in northwestern Colorado. The plowed roads attracted a number of birds, notably Horned Larks, Pipits, and various sparrows. Atop a sage, we had a good look at a Sage Thrasher. Ponds and a reservoir in the area were filled with birds, where there were Franklin's Gulls that were pink. Not because the air was cool, but because that's what some Franklin's Gulls have in the spring, a pink hue on their breast!

Our friend also had told us of a feeder, nearby, with birds, notably all 3 species of Rosy-Finches. And what a visit we had there, that last sunny afternoon. At about 10,000 feet above sea-level, such a feeder can be good, and it was!
We observed there, that bright sunny afternoon, at the feeder all 3 Rosy-Finches (mostly Brown-capped, with beautiful pink in the sunlight, also Black, and Gray-crowned), 3 types of Juncos (mostly "Gray-headed", also "Oregon" and "Slate-colored"), both male and female Pine Grosbeaks, Red Crossbill, Cassin's Finch, Pine Siskin, both Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees, some Red-winged Blackbirds (a sign of coming spring), and a vagrant in the Rockies, from the East, a White-throated Sparrow.

COLORADO & KANSAS - April 2002

For Grouse & More


In this, the 3rd year for FONT's "All-Grouse Get-Out," we once again looked for, and found, all of the grouse of Colorado and southwestern Kansas: Greater Prairie Chicken, Lesser Prairie Chicken, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Greater Sage Grouse, Gunnison Sage Grouse, Blue Grouse, and White-tailed Ptarmigan. 
Lesser Prairie Chickens and Gunnison Sage Grouse are among the rarest birds in North America, and White-tailed Ptarmigan are among the toughest birds to find. 
This is the time of year that the Prairie Chickens, Sharp-tailed Grouse and Sage Grouse congregate on their leks for their communal mating displays, and we were greatly entertained by their booming, strutting and dancing. In all, we found and enjoyed a great many specialty birds of the western mountains and plains, and enjoyed spectacular and varied scenery during our tour which took us to all four corners of Colorado plus a brief foray into Kansas.

Early-arriving participants enjoyed an afternoon of pre-tour birding in the mountains to the west of Colorado Springs, where we enjoyed our first taste of birds of western North America: Townsend’s Solitaire, Evening Grosbeak, Western and Mountain Bluebirds, Swainson’s Hawk, Common Raven, (Gray-headed) Dark-eyed Junco, Clark’s Nutcracker, Wild Turkey and, returning early because of the early spring, Williamson’s Sapsucker: two males and three females, in their strikingly different plumage. Before the trip was over we would find this stunning species at 3 different localities.

The tour proper began on Saturday, April 20 with a drive from Colorado Springs to Elkhart, Kansas, the heart of Lesser Prairie Chicken country. Stops along the way in the short-grass prairie and at prairie ponds yielded 
4 species of grebe (Clark’s, Western, Eared and Pied-billed), American Avocet, Long-billed Curlew, and American Pipit. 
Three special treats that day were Franklin’s Gulls in breeding plumage with their rosy breasts, a pair of Great Horned Owls at a nest, and pairs of Chihuahuan Ravens doing awe-inspiring flight displays, matching each other’s every maneuver while flying nearly wingtip to wingtip.

Sunrise on Sunday morning found us at the Lesser Prairie Chicken lek where we watched 21 males do their mating dance for 2 females. Burrowing Owls and Lark Buntings looked on at the spectacle, while singing Horned Larks and Western Meadowlarks provided musical accompaniment. We then headed north through the prairie where we watched Swainson’s and Ferruginous Hawks hunt. A stop at a prairie reservoir produced Franklin’s, Ring-billed, Bonaparte’s and California Gulls and a good assortment of waterfowl including all three teal, Redhead and Common Loon in breeding plumage, and three "Blue" Snow Geese and a Ross' Goose among a flock of Snow Geese. Our stop for the night was in the tall-grass prairie of northeastern Colorado, home of the Greater Prairie Chicken. A stop at the lek in the evening gave us our first views of this bird, making it a 2-prairie-chicken day. 
The next morning we again visited the Greater Prairie Chicken lek to witness their mating dance, which gave the Native Americans inspiration for many of their dances. We then visited the Pawnee Grasslands area, where we found many more prairie species including McCown’s Longspur, Lark and Vesper Sparrows, Say’s Phoebe, and Prairie Falcon, the fastest-flying bird in the world.

We then began our westward trip into the mountains, where our first stop produced Red-breasted, White-breasted and Pygmy Nuthatch, Gray Jay, Red-naped and Williamson’s Sapsucker, Mountain Bluebird, Mountain Chickadee, and two Northern Goshawks doing flight displays. As we lunched, we watched Bighorn Sheep clamber about the rocks high above us. We then continued our ascent to Guanella Pass at 11,500 feet on the Continental Divide, where White-tailed Ptarmigan spend the winter in their exquisite snow-white plumage. In spite of the very early spring and an early snowmelt, we managed to find one of these elusive birds. Also at the pass (and giving evidence of the early spring) we found arriving Horned Larks, American Pipits, Mountain Chickadees, and a Snowshoe Hare. On our descent we watched dippers foraging in the mountain streams and, in another visit to this beautiful area the following morning, we found the "Slate-colored" Rocky Mountain form of the Fox Sparrow, said by some to be a separate species.

Next we headed north to North Park, the high intermountain plateau or north-central Colorado, characterized by sage brush and its associated bird life. In the mountains along the way we found Brown-capped and Gray-crowned Rosy Finches, "Gray-headed" Dark-eyed Juncos, and a brilliant male Pine Grosbeak. Another stop at a reservoir gave us superb looks at Common and Barrow’s Goldeneye, Common Merganser, and many other species in transit to their breeding areas. Then, as we were in transit, we saw a cow giving birth to a calf! Later, an evening stop at the Sage Grouse lek-site we had our first looks at Golden Eagle and all 3 of the birds with the adjective "sage": Greater Sage Grouse, Sage Sparrow and Sage Thrasher.

A return to the lek the following morning gave us excellent looks at 33 male Greater Sage Grouse doing their mating dance and giving their bubble-popping "boom" for the benefit of one female, and more looks at Sage Sparrow and Sage Thrasher. Before leaving this beautiful area we made stops at a pond where we saw Mountain Bluebirds, various ducks, grebes and gulls, and Common Snipe doing their territorial calls and winnowing displays. A visit to a forested area produced recently-returning Red-naped Sapsuckers, drumming and setting up their territories in the aspens, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets displaying with their brilliant crests erected. Then we continued west, making a stop at the third site where we  found Williamson’s Sapsucker. Further west, in the one small area of Colorado where Sandhill Cranes breed, we saw a number of the stately birds.

Our first target for Friday morning was Blue Grouse, and we were not disappointed: a beautiful male displaying right by the side of the road gave all of us excellent looks. Another bird spotted this morning was the Spotted Towhee, singing and calling in the brush. We then set out for the Sharp-tailed Grouse lek, where we watched a dozen or more males give their wind-up-toy display: wings arched, head down, tail erect, rapidly stomping their feet. Elk and Pronghorn on the hillsides provided a fitting backdrop. 
We then traveled south towards Gunnison, choosing a route over Grand Mesa through topography which is quite different from that of the mountains further east. At the beginning of our ascent, the canyon was hot and dry, and we found Canyon Wren; White-throated Swift; Tree, Cliff and Violet-green Swallows; and a dipper foraging in the stream and feeding its loudly-calling chicks at the nest. Just an hour later we stopped and enjoyed the stunning scenery at the top of the mesa where it was still winter, and snowing! Upon our descent on the other side we visited an arid canyon where we found Rock Wren, Brewer’s Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Green-tailed Towhee, and "Audubon’s" Yellow-rumped Warblers, impressive in their fresh breeding plumage.

Saturday, our last birding day and our last pre-dawn rise, we visited the lek for Gunnison Sage-Grouse, one of the rarest birds in North America and just recently recognized as a separate species distinct from Greater Sage Grouse. In spite of a gathering storm, 12 males came and displayed for a half hour before the snow started. We then headed back east, making a stop at Buena Vista ("Beautiful View"), where we had stunning views of pinyon-covered foothills and snow-capped mountain peaks. Our target bird here was Pinyon Jay. While looking for these elusive corvids we had our best looks of White-faced Ibis, plus Chipping and Brewer’s Sparrows, bushes full of Bushtits; Mountain Bluebirds; and both Western Scrub Jays and Steller’s Jays: everything blue-and-jay except our target. And then a Pinyon Jay was spotted in the distance, and the chase was on! We tracked down the wandering flock, and enjoyed great views of these nomadic birds. Continuing east we made our final birding stop along the Arkansas River where we found 6 species of swallows (Tree, Violet-green, Northern Rough-winged, Bank, Cliff and Barn), as well as some unexpected birds such as Green Heron.

Our total for the trip was 159 species (included in the cumulative bird-list for the tour). 

The "top birds" of the tour, as voted afterwards by the participants, were:

 1. Sharp-tailed Grouse
 2. Williamson's Sapsucker
 3. Lesser Prairie Chicken
 4. Greater Sage Grouse
 5. American Dipper (at nest)
 6. Northern Goshawk
 7. Blue Grouse
 8. Ferruginous Hawk
 9. McCown's Longspur
10. Pine Grosbeak
11. Green-tailed Towhee
12. Red-naped Sapsucker
13. Pinyon Jay
14. Greater Prairie Chicken
15. Prairie Falcon
16. "Audubon's" Yellow-rumped Warblers (in gorgeous breeding plumage)
17. Gray-crowned Rosy Finch
18. Common Merganser (pair)
19. White-tailed Ptarmigan
20. Brown-capped Rosy Finch

And honorable mention goes to:

Broad-winged Hawk, Mountain Bluebird, Barrow's Goldeneye, Black-billed Magpie, Franklin's Gulls with pink breasts, Ruby-crowned Kinglets displaying, Horned Larks displaying, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Golden Eagle, California Gull, Lark Sparrow, Sandhill Crane, Swainson's Hawk.

Upcoming FONT Birding & Nature Torus in Colorado

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We all enjoyed our April 2001 tour of Colorado and nearby southwestern Kansas in search of grouse (7 species) and other regional specialties. 2001 was the second year for this FONT tour. Both were very successful and enjoyable.
Our aim was to find grouse during their spring lekking displays: Greater and Lesser Prairie Chickens, Greater and Gunnison Sage Grouse, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Blue Grouse (which display but do not lek), and White-tailed Ptarmigan (which do not display). Lesser Prairie Chickens and Gunnison Sage Grouse are among the rarer North American birds, and White-tailed Ptarmigan can be among the harder to find. We found and had excellent views of all our avian target, and nearly all of the "bonus birds" we had hoped for, as well. Our final tour count was 168 species, 175 birds including subspecies. We also saw a good variety of mammals.

During our first full day of birding, one of the first birds we found was a Mountain Plover (a threatened species rather related to dotterels). It was the ABA bird #650 for one of our tour participants. (Another participant topped 700 later in the tour). Also on day one we observed both Clark's and Western Grebes, and a good assortment of other waterbirds and shorebirds, including avocets and White Pelicans. Later, a brilliant male Vermilion Flycatcher, a flock of Evening Grosbeaks, and Pine Siskins. Among the species in southeastern Colorado canyons were: Canyon Towhee, Rock Wren, Ash-throated Flycatcher, and Black-chinned Hummingbird.
The short-grass prairie in adjacent Kansas produced: Scaled Quail, Swainson's Hawk, Golden Eagle, Prairie Falcon, Long-billed Curlew, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Lark Bunting, and about a hundred Chihuahuan Ravens.

Day two started at dawn with a visit to the Lesser Prairie Chicken lek. Ten males and one female came to the lek, and we watched the males puff up their purple air sacs, boom, dance and display for nearly an hour before breakfast (for us). The current population of Lesser Prairie Chickens is estimated at only about 2,000 birds. After our breakfast we headed for sewage ponds, making it a "real birding tour". We saw both the "Audubon's"  and the "Myrtle" Yellow-rumped Warblers, before heading north to the tall-grass prairie of northeastern Colorado, the home of the Greater Prairie Chicken. Along the way, and in a gathering storm (wind and rain turning to snow), we saw many Swainson's Hawks (both light and dark morphs), Ferruginous Hawk, and Pronghorn Antelope.
The next day we would be seeing lekking Greater Prairie Chickens on private property. Visiting the home of our kind hosts, this evening, we were treated to a presentation on dinosaurs! We were shown a Triceratops skull that had been excavated on ranchland in South Dakota, and had been assembled from hundreds (thousands?) of fragments, and we were given a vivid description of life in North America during the late Cretaceous period, 70 million years ago.

The next morning (day three) we were on the lek just after 5am for close-up views of Greater Prairie Chickens. Approximately 40 birds were present (2 females, the rest males). The red-rimmed yellow air sacs and the lower-pitched "booming" of the males was quite distinct from that of the Lesser Prairie Chicken. It was amusing to observe the contrast between the ardor of the males and the seeming indifference of the females! During the afternoon this day, in grasslands, we saw both McCown's and Chestnut-collared Longspurs.

On day four we headed west into the Rocky Mountains to search for White-tailed Ptarmigan in their exquisite snow-white winter plumage. And we found four of them, quite close to the road. We enjoyed leisurely looks, and then turned to see the stunning scenery at the pass on the Continental Divide. As we descended the mountain, we enjoyed foraging Dippers in a stream. As "dessert for the day", at a feeder, we observed 5 different subspecies of Dark-eyed Juncos, as well as the Rocky Mountain "Slate-colored" race of the Fox Sparrow.

During the morning of day five there were more mountain birds, starting with small friendly group of Gray Jays, and then all of the Rosy Finches: Gray-crowned (both the nominate and "Hepburns"), Brown-capped, and Black. Also there were Pine Grosbeaks, Cassin's Finches, and more juncos.
At a reservoir, during the middle of the day, both Barrow's and Common Goldeneye were seen. 
Mountain Bluebirds were seen long the road we traveled north into Sage Country. 
Bird-wise, this was a "three sage day" for us, with, first, Sage Thrasher being seen. Then, in the evening, we went to the site of a Greater Sage Grouse lek, where, at the appropriate time, the birds appeared and displayed until dark. There were 47 males and 4 females. Also in the area of the lek there were 4 species of raptors: Swainson's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Golden Eagle, and American Kestrel. And there was the third of the species entitled "Sage", the Sparrow.

Day six began with a visit to a reservoir where there were all three Teal (Green-winged, Blue-winged, and Cinnamon), four members of the genus Aythya (Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, and Lesser Scaup), plus other waterfowl and shorebirds.
In a nearby alpine-meadow area, we found Rough-legged Hawk and displaying Common Snipe, and in aspen and coniferous forests there were Red-naped and Williamson's Sapsuckers and Red Crossbills. At the forest edges, there were 4 Moose.
After driving further west, a final birding stop this day produced Sandhill Cranes, Marbled Godwit, and many Wilson's Phalaropes.

The morning of day seven was a "three grouse morning" for us. First, after a few minutes of looking and listening, we found a single Blue Grouse, then another, and four in all - two males and two females. A female being actively pursued by one of the males took flight - and came directly over our heads, so close we could feel the rush of the wingbeats - and then it landed just beyond us. The male followed immediately, flew over our heads, landed, and kept right on displaying. After 20 minutes or so of watching, we tore ourselves away and headed down the road to a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek, where we watched 12 males eagerly doing their wind-up-toy display before 3 females - wings outspread, tails cocked, head bowed, rapidly stamping their feet. Then, a bit further down the road, we watched 5 Greater Sage Grouse display, while Sandhill Cranes bugled overhead and landed on a hillside near a herd of 20 to 30 Elk.
We then did our long drive toward Gunnison, with a few birding stops on the Grand Mesa where, in the arid lower canyon, we found: White-throated Swift, Canyon Wren, Rock Wren, Black-throated Gray Warbler, and Say's Phoebe. Higher up, amid snow, there were Gray and Steller's Jays and Clark's Nutcrackers.
Closer to Gunnison, in the open country, before the day's end, there were Coyote and Badger, Horned Larks, Vesper Sparrows, and beautifully-singing Western Meadowlarks. 

Our last birding day began with us, at dawn, at the lek of the Gunnison Sage Grouse. There were 30 displaying males and 2 females. This bird was only recently recognized as a species distinct from the Greater Sage Grouse, and only about 4,000 are believed to exist. The birds arrived about 20 minutes after first light, diplayed for an hour, and then all flew away at once. That was our cue to go away for breakfast, before heading east toward the airport. At a stop along the way, we found two loose groups of Pinyon Jays - completing our sweep of Colorado Corvids (10 species in all). and yet another nice bird was to be seen this day, the Lewis' Woodpecker. We saw 4 of them, with their stunning green, white and rose in the afternoon sunlight. As the day ended, so did our fine birding tour in Colorado and Western Kansas, USA.  

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