Colorado “Chicken Odyssey” – Central Colorado
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Aug 27, 2009 | by Adrian Binns
As we have to cover 3 of the 4 corners of the state of Colorado, in order to see lekking chickens, it is only logical that we criss-cross the center of the state – sometimes twice!
Around West Pueblo we searched with success for two southwestern species that have small isolated populations. A covey of 50 Scaled Quail (below) showed well for the first group as did a Curved-billed Thrasher (above) rummaging around a trash bin. Could we call this a Curve-billed Trasher? The second group got both these species as we made our only break in this area on our way from Elkhart to Georgetown!
Several stops in Canon City were productive. A visit to Tunnel Drive in a steady rain coincided with volunteers doing repair work to the main path which restricted where we could go. Luckily, we quickly found a Rufous-crowned Sparrow, followed by Canyon Towhees, Western Bluebird, Rock Wren and a distance look at a singing Canyon Wren. A Greater Scaup was in the sewage pond at the beginning of the road. At Valco Ponds a Marsh Wren was singing amongst the cattails and the small pond held Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck and Shoveler. An early evening walk along the Riverwalk produced a cooperative Western Screech-Owl.
A few miles west of town, a stretch of pinyon -juniper with a Western Scrub-Jay or two, leads to Royal Gorge (above). A short walk to a viewpoint produced Bushtits, White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, Downy Woodpecker, and our best looks at two Juniper Titmouse. Looking down the deep walls of this narrow section of gorge we found a perched Peregrine.
The beautiful and refreshing looking Arkansas River runs along a very scenic stretch between Canon City and Salida, and then heads north into the Rockies towards Leadville. It is a great place to look out for White-throated Swifts and Bighorn Sheep (above), which we would see near the railroad tracks, and swallows, though we only had Violet-greens.
In areas of pinyon-juniper we would scan for Pinyon Jays, a hard bird to nail down as they are so nomadic. A nice flock of about a couple dozen work section between the road. As we walked in search of them (above) we were rewarded with excellent views of them feeding. A Clark’s Nutcracker and several Townsend Solitaires were also busy foraging for food.
What a contrast the scenic Buena Vista Overlook (above) was for both groups. Our first visit was timed perfectly for a picnic lunch, with Bushtits, Juniper Titmouse, Mountain Chickadees and Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels in attendance. For the second group, just as we pulled in to the overlook, a storm rolled in, with sleet and snow making birding impossible. The wonderful news was that we had already come across Pinyon Jays north of here in nice weather.
It was snowing as the second group drove over Monarch Pass, which at 11,313 feet is covered in meters of snow. The signs of falling boulders are all over the Rockies, and today we saw a few small boulders drop down the mountain side and onto the road, making a direct hit with at least one car in front of us!
Next……Gunnison Sage Grouse