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…

Heading east we crossed the state line into Kansas and drove through the Cimarron Grasslands straight to Elkhart. We are in Kansas because Lesser Prairie-Chickens have drastically declined in recent decades in southeastern Colorado. Both tours paid an evening, as well as a morning visit to the Lesser Prairie-Chicken lek. There are fewer birds on…

It is a long journey south from Wray to the closest public viewing Lesser Prairie-Chicken lek, which is now over the border, in Kansas. To get there we have to first drive along the long straight dirt roads that run through much of the Comanche Grasslands in the southeastern part of Colorado, where we are…

The banner at the entrance to the last outpost in the northeastern corner of Colorado says, Welcome Prairie-Chicken Viewers (above). This is the quaint town (All American City) of Wray, home to the Sandhill Dancers, named after the Greater Prairie-Chickens (below) that lek on the rolling grass covered sand hills of the Eastern Plains between…

In July the Pawnee National Grasslands, in the northern section of the Eastern Plains of Colorado, are ablaze in a mix of colorful wildflowers, native grasses and rich bird song. By contrast, when our trip passes through in April this isolated sea of grassland surrounded by vast agricultural acreage is brown and relatively desolate, or…

I led two back-to-back Colorado ‘Chicken Odyssey’ trips between April 2nd and 21st, and in spite of the routes being reversed, both trips pretty much covered the same ground. While the focus of the trip is the incredible displays of the sage-grouse, prairie-chickens and Sharp-tailed Grouse on their leks, there is a tremendous amount of…

Fall migration is underway and one species that might get overlooked is the Common Nighthawk. These nocturnal birds breed across most of the United States and the southern half of Canada, though in our area they are not that common. However, Sheryl Johnson, who runs the Nighthawk Watch at Haverford College, Haverford, Delaware County, has…

The avian highlight of today’s visit to Tinicum was five Black Terns including one in breeding plumage. The terns seem to have invaded our area over the last 24 hours with reports from numerous sites. Caspian Tern, Bald Eagle, Cedar Waxwings, Warbling Vireos, Black-and-white Warbler, Blackpoll and Northern Waterthrush were also seen. Our coolest sighting…

As it turned out the torrential friday night-saturday morning rain gave way to a mostly bright day in Delaware. It was shame, though understandable based upon the forecast, that the PA Young Birders field trip was cancelled. Debbie, Becky and I decided to proceed with an unofficial trip to Delaware. The potato fields (above) around…

South Plaza is a small island. (North Plaza, visible in the background of the above image is only open for researchers.) The island’s most notable features are the giant opuntia cactus and carpet weed or sesuvium — which is red during the garua season and green in the rainy season. The short trail on South…

On the north side of the island of Santiago lies Cayeta Tortuga Negra or Black Turtle Cove. This mangrove lined estuary offers the perfect habitat of protective roots to act as a nursery for sea life. Entering the cove we see Blue-footed Boobies lining the rocky shoreline along with Lava Herons, Striated Herons, Yellow-crowned Night…

The island of Bartolome and, more specifically, Pinnacle Rock is the most recognized and photographed landscape in the Galapagos Islands. Bartolome, including Pinnacle Rock is made up of volcanic tuff. At one time there were more pinnacle rocks in the Galapagos. Unfortunately during WWII, fighter pilots used the rocks for target practice. The pinnacle on…