Colorado “Chicken Odyssey” – Gunnison to Grand Junction

A road leading north of Rte 50 just east of the Black Canyon of Gunnison took us up into the snow covered mixed aspen-conifer forests in search of Dusky Grouse. Vast stretches of the snow were covered in a faint pink layer (below) as a result of a dust storm in the south west.

In spite all of our best efforts we could not locate a grouse. A screaming Cooper’s Hawk probably did not help! Clark’s Nutcracker, Stellar’s Jay and Red-breasted Nuthatch were very evident. A pair of Red-tailed Hawks displayed high over the bluff, and the best bird was a drumming male Red-naped Sapsucker.

At the base of the Grand Mesa, orchards weave their way through the fertile western slope lowlands. Cottonwood trees, bare at this time of year, are a favorite of Lewis’s Woodpeckers (below), and five were sighted near Fruitgrower’s Reservoir. Gambel’s Quail reach their eastern limit near Grand Junction, and a slow drive through the small fruit groves produced a covey of eight.

We searched and searched for the introduced gamebird, the Chukar, first in the scenic Escalante Canyon, where between our two trips we found a pair of Black Phoebes, Vesper Sparrow, Loggerhead Shrike and a Peregrine, and then in the Book Cliffs section of Coal Canyon. Walking the juniper lined canyon we would come across Mountain Bluebirds, junco’s, Bewick’s and Rock Wrens, and hear Canyon Wrens.

Black-throated Sparrows (above) were paired up and once we located them in the low sagebrush, were very confiding. We rounded out our wonderful location with a pair of Juniper Titmouse, displaying Say’s Phoebe, American Kestrels and Common Ravens flying over the canyon. The first group found seven Wild Horses that were feeding on sprigs of very short grass. The second group did get to hear a distant Chukar calling amongst the rocky scree a number of times, but in spite of our best efforts we could not locate it.

Next…… Sharp-tails in the Yampa Valley