NW Colorado Birds and Grouse Report
bunting...@gmail.com
Sorry for the delayed post about this trip, I had very little internet coverage were I was and was at work all day yesterday. I went to Walden and Craig for two of Colorado’s grouse, the last two I have not yet seen. The Greater Sage Grouse in North Park and the Sharp Tailed Grouse around Hayden.
Driving through the Pouder canyon on 4-15 I saw my first bird, a Wild Turkey outside of Rustic one the side of the highway, which I saw after the fourteen bighorn ewes present at the town of Rustic. It was snowing by the time I reached the summit of Cameron and found no birds present up there but the Moose Visitor Center’s feeders proved popular. In addition to the hoards of Red-wing Blackbirds and Dark-eyed Juncos, all gray heads, there were several Cassin’s Finches, and one Gray-crowned Rosy Finch. The real surprise proved to be a Sage Thrasher which I had not expected at this elevation and in a forested region.
The storm was bad in Walden so I stayed indoors that evening and was unable to drive to CR 26B were the sage grouse are said to be active during the evening. The morning, 4-16, proved to be a bust. I don’t know if the snow and wind (which created ground blizzards) prevented the grouse from showing or the Northern Harriers (I counted four circling around) kept them away. I don’t know who was more disappointed in them not showing, me or the hawks.
After that I moved over to Craig to look for the next grouse and hope to see the sage grouse. One the morning of 4-17 I drove to Twenty Mile Road and apparently park in the wrong spot, only finding out when someone stopped and asked me what everyone else was looking at. Driving further down the road I met up with Jeff Skevington and his group. Together we waited along the road but I did not see the grouse again. Jeff’s group saw a few that flew away. Around 7:40 ish we moved over to CR 80 and with the help of Jeff’s son we found the Sharp Tailed Grouse one a mill bellow the first rise. Anther harrier flushed them (I seem to have had problems with predators and leks this trip). After their brush with the hawk the grouse perch onto of the bushes and did some mild displaying, inflating neck sacks. Jeff was kind enough to offer a spot on a privet tour to see Sage Grouse the next morning but I was out of cash and it as a Sunday so I could not get any without my bank card. The rest of the day I found many other birds, musty common for this region but some highlights included Sandhill Crane and Yellow-headed Blackbird in large numbers at Little Rascals Fishing Pond, more in a single place then I have seen before. Also that day was a Mountain Bluebird that was stunning against the white snow.
My last morning 4-18 I drove back to CR 80 in search of Sage Grouse. I did not find them sadly. I might have heard them but then the coyotes started singing nearby and I heard them no more, again predators on the leks. After 7:30 when I thought all dance was done I stepped out of the care for a general look around and suddenly some Sharp-tailed Grouse showed up and started dancing twenty or fifty feet from, I took a few photos then got back into the car so as not to disturbed them, though they did not seem bothered by me. This other lek was just past the 7-mile marker near a red gate and old sign holder on a small knob just to the right of the sign holder, vies are partly observed as the grouse are using the other side of the knob on private property. I had a few stops on the way home, but nothing unusual was found, just mallards, Canada geese and red-wing blackbirds. The feeders at Moose Visitor Center proved to be only blackbirds and juncos. I will need to try again next year for that elusive sage grouse, I am now out of money for the remainder of the season, but it was fun.
I thank every one who sent me info for this trip. Your info was very helpful and helped me out tremendously.
bunting...@gmail.com
Brian Johnson,
Englewood CO