COLORADO: Into the Rockies

Following yesterdays long day we were able to sleep in and leave at 7am this morning. Beginning in Canon City, the Valco Ponds (above) produced a pair of Black Phoebes and Belted Kingfishers that skimmed the water surface for a drink. There was a trio of female ducks swimming together, Common Goldeneye, Hooded and Common Merganser, something that is not often encountered. Swallows are beginning to return now that it is mid-April and the handful that were over the pond included Violet-green, Northern Rough-winged and Tree.

In the Pinyon Juniper-Pine habitat of Temple Canyon Park (above) our target was the Juniper Titmouse. Before we finally found a couple of them, we had good looks at several Western Scrub Jays, Townsend’s Solitaires, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick’s Wren, Bushtits and Spotted Towhee. As is often the case Juniper Titmouse never sit still and have moved on by the time one raises binoculars to view them! We followed them. We lost track of them. We relocated them. Not everyone got to see them. By the time a couple more were found in another location, everyone had satisfactory looks at this rather plain bird.

At Royal Gorge (above) we had breathtaking views looking down at Colorado’s Natural Wonder. A thousand feet below the Arkansas Rivers cuts a path as narrow as 50 feet at the base of this steep gorge. At the top one of the highest suspension bridges in the world spans a distance of 900 feet. While chattering White-throated Swifts (below) were a constant presence, how often is it that one is able to look down on them as they showed their agility and speed around the gorge.

The drive into the Rockies can only be described as stunning. The scenery is gorgeous as we wound our way along the Arkansas River, through pinyon habitat and into extensive stands of evergreen and aspen and snow covered peaks.

At 11,312’ we crossed the Continental Divide for the first time at Monarch Pass (above).

Dropping down into the Gunnison Basin, a pair of majestic Golden Eagles soared above the road, and a stop at the Waunita Hot Springs lek (above) allowed us to get a panoramic view of the setting for tomorrow mornings Gunnison Sage Grouse show.