Colorado “Chicken Odyssey” – Final Day on the Front Range
Meet Our Team
NEWS & UPDATES
Stay up-to-date with new tours, special offers and exciting news. We'll also share some hints and tips for travel, photography and birding. We will NEVER share nor sell your information!
Aug 31, 2009 | by Adrian Binns
In the foothills of the Front Range on the western side of Colorado Springs is the aptly named Garden of the Gods (above), anchored by the two towering red sandstone Gateway Rocks. The first tour paid a visit here because the big attraction is nesting Prairie Falcons – and we had not seen it! As luck would have it, we did not have to leave the car park (below), setting up the scope to view one perched high up on a white washed ledge.
Noisy White-throated Swifts sped between the rocks, an American Kestrel rested on a lower ledge, and the sweet song of Canyon Wrens could be heard. A walk around the surrounding scrub habitat of pinyon-juniper and oak yielded very confiding Spotted Towhees (above), Western Scrub-Jay, Townsend’s Solitaire and a Cooper’s Hawk.
Just off Route 70 is a lovely Ponderosa Pine forest called Genesee Mountain Park (above). The prime attraction is Williamson’s Sapsucker which on our first visit was made harder to find due to dense fog. However, we got lucky and though we could not see more than 50 yards, a pair flew into a close pine, making it very easy! Western Bluebirds, that utilize the woodpecker holes, were inspecting potential cavities for nests. A small flock of Pygmy Nuthatches moved through the canopy, Pine Siskins were numerous, and we heard Red Crossbills as they flew over.
A short distance away from Genesee, in the lower foothills of the Front Range overlooking Denver is Red Rocks Park (above). Its world renowned amphitheater blends in perfectly with the red sandstone in a truly spectacular setting. A walk around the visitor’s center and trading post for the second group produced Rock Wren, Northern Flicker, Song Sparrow, House Finch, Black-capped Chickadee and numerous White-throated Swifts zipping along the tops of the rock outcroppings. Two squirrel species, Rock and Eastern Fox Squirrel (below), showed well. In the surrounding grassland scrub Black-billed Magpie, Western Scrub-Jay, Western Bluebirds and Western Meadowlark were easily located and Common Ravens, Red-tailed Hawk and Golden Eagles could been seen gliding over the distant ridges.
Though the two trips combined for almost three weeks, and 5000 miles, it went by quickly. It is such a gorgeous state to visit in early spring, and as you can see there is a great deal to see. We return next spring, offering only one tour, April 8-18, with several spaces still open on this specialized trip.
all photos © adrian binns