COLORADO: The Odyssey begins in Denver

Kevin and I arrived today in Denver, Colorado to begin the great “Chicken Odyssey.” I believe this is my 11th trip here, and each one brings new thrills and excitement. An inch of snow was on the ground and the temperature hovered in the upper 30’s. By early afternoon it had warmed up a few degrees and the white blanket was gone. On the short ride from the airport to hotel, we spotted several Red-tailed Hawks soaring over the open plains around the airstrips, and one sitting in its nest quite close to the highway.

After having lunch; picking up the rental vans and making a run for various supplies, we explored several areas close to our Comfort Inn hotel. We were delighted to find 12 species of ducks and grebes, including Horned and Eared Grebes (above) both in breeding plumage, Redhead, Ring-necked (below) and Ruddy Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Northern Shoveler and Gadwall.

We were able to approach these small reservoirs fairly closely, getting some good photos with great sunlight and blue skies. A couple of Bullfrogs basked in the sun on the waters edge – a first for this trip.

Pairs of Killdeer called-out their presence – one pair engaged in clear courtship displays, and we found 3 beautiful American Avocets.

We passed several Prairie Dogs “towns”, these being Black-tailed (above), where numerous animals popped up and down from their holes, ignoring the nearby highway traffic. They amused us with their loud chirping, tail wagging and sitting up alertly on their haunches. We look forward to the next 10 days exploring the 4 corners of Colorado to watch the fascinating courtship displays of Prairie Chickens on their leks. Check back to read more about our trip!