COLORADO: Genesee Gems

It was a treat to sleep-in today, the last morning of our trip. After a tasty breakfast and coffee at the local Mountain Buzz cafe (above), we were on our way a few minutes after 8 am. We drove slowly around the small historic district of Georgetown, admiring many buildings, churches and houses constructed during the height of the silver mine industry, in the mid 1870‘s. The old jailhouse was nothing more than a square, flat-roofed stone structure with 2 jail cells to keep ‘inebriates… and stray dogs.‘ The original padlock still serves to secure the building today, now a historic landmark. We turned a corner and stopped short to admire a Red Fox eating bird seed in the middle of the road. He was more concerned with his meal than of our two vans – clearly he was accustomed to people.

Our main destination today was Genesee Park (above), in the foothills west of Denver. It was a very birdy spot, and we enjoyed the bustle of activity from a variety of species. Just inside the park, we pulled over to study a flock of birds flitting in and out of a roadside puddle to drink and bathe. We watched them with delight from just a few yards away.

There were at least 4 Red Crossbills (above) present – 1 male, 2 females and a young male showing a hepatic color instead of true red. Cassin’s Finches also enjoyed the water and roadside grit, alongside numerous Pine Siskins. There were many Pygmy Nuthatches, some obviously attempting to nest, as well as Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches.

At the top of the hill near the car park, we found our target – a pair of Williamson’s Sapsuckers. The male (above) showed a black back, strong yellow wash down the front, and a blood-red throat. In contrast, the female was overall paler brown, with horizontal barring on her back. Both sexes showed a black breast band and yellow underbelly. The whole group enjoyed great looks, as we followed the male down a trail and into a clearing where many birds were active. Eventually we reached what was likely his nest hole, as there were 4 holes in the dead tree, and he circled several times around this spot. A Cooper’s Hawk called, but we could not locate it. We got our best looks of Western Bluebirds, which show rusty patches and cobalt blue, in contrast to the turquoise blue color of the Mountain Bluebird.

The park grounds were covered with needles and cones from a variety of fir, spruce and pine trees. As some of us attested, the thick bark of Ponderosa Pines smelled like butterscotch or vanilla, depending on your nose! Several black morph Abert’s Squirrel (above) caught our attention with their long tufted ears, as they chose their favorite cones to eat. Other mammals included a Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel scampering amongst a boulder pile, and bison grazing at the Buffalo Bill center.

Heading east to Denver Airport, we detoured briefly to find 3 Eared Grebes among a variety of waterfowl in a residential community pond. A Red-tailed Hawk circled majestically overhead, a fitting farewell to our 10-day tour of Colorado. Thanks to everyone on the trip who made this such a wonderful and enjoyable “Chicken Odyssey.”