| Day 1 - Flight into Denver and drive to Silverthorne Participants should arrive in Denver by noon. We will begin our birding adventure with a drive across Loveland Pass, one of the few places in Colorado that is above tree line and accessible by auto. Here we will search the rocky outcrops and willow thickets for White- tailed Ptarmigan, the first of our grouse species. Once we have finished our ptarmigan search, we should have sufficient time to search feeders in nearby mountain communities for the three species of Rosy- Finches as well as other mountain birds, including Pine Grosbeak, Gray Jay, Pygmy Nuthatch, Cassin's Finch, Steller's Jay, Clark's Nutcracker and others. Day 2 - Silverthorne to Craig area We begin our day with the scenic drive up the valley of the Blue River past the Gore Range to Muddy Pass and Rabbit Ears Pass. Each of these sites gives us an opportunity to see mountain species which we may have missed yesterday, and the Blue River is a good place to find American Dipper. The sage flats along our route may have Golden Eagle, Common Raven, Rough-legged Hawk or American Kestrel. Day 3 - Craig area We start early for great looks at a Greater Sage- Grouse lek. We will spend the rest of the day looking for additional species, with chances to find Dusky Grouse as well as other residents of higher elevation sage, aspen and pine habitats such as Wild Turkey, Mountain Chickadee, Three-toed Woodpecker (rare) and migrating Sandhill Crane. Barrow's Goldeneye may be lingering in the Yampa River. Day 4 - Craig area Sharp-tailed Grouse are one of the more difficult grouse species to see in Colorado, but a dependable lek will be our starting destination today. Once we have had a good look at the Sharp-tails, we will begin the long drive to Gunnison. We will drive straight through in order to save enough time at the end of the day for a side trip west to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. In addition to spectacular scenery, the Black Canyon is a good spot to find Dusky Grouse, White-throated Swift, Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon and Mountain Bluebird. Day 5 - Gunnison Sage-Grouse and Cañon City In the morning, we will observe an active lek for Gunnison Sage-Grouse. We then will bird on our way to some high mountain habitats for several other key species, as we make our way to Cañon City. Cañon City is often good for Scaled Quail, Bewick's Wren, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, and several other surprises for Colorado winter birding. We spend the night in Cañon City. Day 6 – Early AM Birding in Summit County and late PM try for Lesser Prairie-Chickens In the morning, we may bird a bit more in Cañon City, but will likely try a good spot for Lewis's Woodpecker. By about noon (and perhaps later), we will head towards Lamar. In Lamar, we may try for Lesser Prairie- Chicken along the roads. We spend the night in Lamar. Day 7 - AM Lesser Prairie-Chicken: Then drive north to Wray We continue our southeast Colorado birding near Holly where we will find Lesser Prairie-Chickens strutting on their lek. After our visit to the lek, we will work our way north toward Wray with birding stops along the way. The "Indian Reservoirs" of Nee Noshe, Nee Gronde and Nee So Pah provide some of Colorado's best early spring shorebirding opportunities. Bonny State Park contains a variety of habitats which are good for Eastern Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing, Red-naped and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal and Blue Jay. On previous trips we have had Long-eared Owl here. Day 8 - Greater Prairie Chicken and Pawnee National Grassland In the morning, we will find Greater Prairie-Chicken on a reliable lek site. After viewing the prairie-chickens and stopping at a local diner for breakfast, we will drive northwest to the Pawnee National Grassland where we will look for Mountain Plover, McCown's Longspur, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Western Meadowlark and Horned Lark. We spend the night in Fort Collins. Day 9 – return to Denver for flights home This morning we reserve to look for any species we might have missed on our trip, including a possible return to Pawnee National Grassland in the morning before heading to Denver for your returning flights, which should be scheduled for after 2 PM that day. |
| Detailed Itinerary |
| All photos (including banner) by Bill Schmoker |
| Colorado Grouse and More |
| Colorado Grouse and More |
| For more information or to register for this trip, call Charles at 888-203-7464 or Charles directly at 720-320-1974 or by email at info@PIBird.com. |
| Colorado Grouse and More |
Mike Flieg Legacy Tours |
| Notice 1: Part of this operation (for this bird watching trip, Colorado Grouse and more) is conducted on Public Lands under a special permit with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and under another special permit with the U.S. Forest Service. The Partnership for International Birding is also an authorized permittee of the Pawnee National Grassland and Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests. We truly appreciate access to all public lands in Colorado and appreciate those individuals who have dedicated their careers to protecting these natural resources and appreciate the support of the public for these efforts and land access. Notice 2: The Partnership for International Birding is an equal opportunity service provider. |
| More Details on This Trip |
