On two separate days during the summer we made the trek to Colorado’s Western Slope in search of new birds for my Colorado Big Year. We saw a lot of amazing birds but my favorite was the Gunnison Sage-Grouse.
June 27
We birded around Grand Junction looking for some birds we missed on our last trip to that area.
A Chukar on a rock along the cliff face.An adult Chukar with a young Chukar standing next to it.How many juveniles can you spot in this picture? An awesome look at a Common Raven. What a monster bill!A rather blurry picture of a male Scott’s Oriole. Practically the only place to find these birds in Colorado is Brewster Ridge Road west of Grand Junction. A Gray Vireo singing from the top of a juniper bush just down the road from the Oriole.In search of Purple Martins we headed into Grand Mesa National Forest.After missing opportunities to photograph Purple Martin on our previous trip to the Western Slope, I was able to get a shot of one flying over. A Green-tailed Towhee was singing in the same area as the Purple Martins.
July 18
This was easily one of my best birding days ever! We found two lifers: Pinyon Jay and Gunnison Sage-Grouse.
My long time nemesis bird, the Pinyon Jay. This bird has eluded me every time I have tried to find them. But it wasn’t just one bird! A flock of these Jays were visiting a bird feeder.A treat to have such close looks at my former nemesis. A White-crowned Sparrow seen on Monarch Pass.Another sparrow seen in the same area was this Lincoln’s Sparrow.Now it was time for the main event, the search for Gunnison Sage-Grouse. After 5 hours of searching (yes 5 hours!) we finally found a Sage-Grouse.Gunnison Sage-Grouse is an endangered species and only several thousand are left in the wild. Finding them is extremely difficult because of how camouflaged they are. It wasn’t just one grouse, it was actually three! These two are juveniles that were following mom around. What an experience to see not one, not two, but three Gunnison Sage-Grouse!Our final stop of the day was at Box Canyon falls in Ouray. This is one of the only places in the world where you can see nesting Black Swifts at eye level.Unlike our last trip, which was too early in the season, the swifts were sitting on their nests. We counted three birds on nests.This is the only time this species is ever seen landed. They spend the rest of their lives in the air. Look at those long wings sticking out behind them.
As spring migration came to an end and summer began I decided it was time for a long awaited trip to the Western Slope. I had never been birding in this part of the state so the opportunity to add to my Colorado state list was thrilling. We spent two days in Western Colorado finding and chasing rare birds.
6/8/2020
Our first day of birding started early in Durango. Later in the day we went to Ouray and after that the town of Nucla.
Our first target of the trip was this Wood Thrush. This Thrush is normally found in Eastern North America but had been seen along the Animas River in Durango for about a week before we arrived.We easily located him by his song.After finding the Thrush we went to the nearby Huck Finn Fish Hatchery for another rarity, a Surf Scoter.Surf Scoters are diving ducks normally found along both coasts but this bird was in a small pond nowhere near the ocean.When Surf Scoters do show up in Colorado they are normally found on large reservoirs far away from the shore. Seeing this bird at short range was incredible.Another rare waterfowl was also present at the fish hatchery pond. Although this bird may look like a female Mallard it is actually a male Mexican Duck. It can be identified as a male because of its yellow bill. The uniform mottled back, light head and limited white on the tail are all Mexican Duck traits.A female Black-chinned Hummingbird.Turkey Vulture flying overhead.Cute little chipmunk.A male Lesser Goldfinch.After our stop at the fish hatchery we went to the Rafter J subdivision in Durango. This is the only location in Colorado where Acorn Woodpeckers can reliably be found. Look how many holes the woodpeckers have made in this tree!Another species of woodpecker was also around, the colorful Lewis’s Woodpecker.A baby fox.In the mountains just north of Durango we found a Hammond’s Flycatcher. These flycatchers can be identified by their long wings and short tail (for a flycatcher).After searching for this bird for several hours we finally found a singing Grace’s Warbler.Another shot of the Grace’s Warbler.What a view!A Male Cassin’s Finch.A must-visit spot on any Western Slope birding trip is Box Canyon Falls in Ouray. This is one of the only places in the world to see nesting Black Swifts.Unfortunately the birds weren’t nesting yet. Perched on top of the white rock is a nest the swifts used last year.The only bird we saw during our visit was flying below us far too quickly to allow for pictures. A herd of Elk just outside Ouray .The baby elk were so cute.It wouldn’t be Colorado without a June snowstorm…After leaving the snowy mountain pass, we headed for Nucla where this Sandhill Crane was waiting for us.Our second fox of the day.
As the sun set we headed to the Nucla water treatment plant. This is the best spot in Colorado to find Lesser Nighthawks. They are very rare in Colorado, often showing up in flocks of Common Nighthawks which look almost the same as the Lessers.
When dusk truly arrived a flock of almost 100 Common Nighthawks began circling over the ponds. Mixed in the flock was one Lesser Nighthawk. It took a while to locate the Lesser but we finally were able to see the details of the wing pattern well enough to confidently identify it. By that point it was too dark to photograph it.
6/9/2020
Our second day on the Western Slope we birded in the small town of Gateway and later in Grand Junction.
Our first stop of the morning was at Gateway Cottonwoods. This is one of the few areas of the state where Lucy’s Warbler can be reliably found. Several pairs were nesting in the area this year. Despite hearing the birds singing and calling many times they always seemed to be just ahead of us so this was the only picture I was able to get.Although the Lucy’s Warbler didn’t pose for pictures this Ash-throated Flycatcher did.He sat looking at us just feet away for over a minute.Black-throated Gray Warbler along Divide Road (between Gateway and Grand Junction), where we were looking for Purple Martins.This aspen forest should be perfect for Purple Martins which nest in the trees. Although they had been seen in the area in previous days, we could not locate any.A Singing MacGillivary’s Warbler in the woods.
Our final stop of the trip was Colorado National Monument. The habitat was unique for our weekend of Western Slope birding, providing a new mix of desert and canyon birds .
One of the signature birds of Colorado’s western desert, the Black-throated Sparrow.Rock Wren.Another Black-throated Sparrow singing from a tree top.Collard Lizard.Some of the cool terrain at the National Monument In a neighborhood near the monument we found a pair of Gambel’s Quail. The male sat on the fence in the open.Yes, this picture was taken in June! On our way home from Grand Junction we stopped for a quick look at the mountains towering high above Vail Pass
What a great weekend of birding on the Western Slope!
