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Colorado Bird Tour: Prairie Chickens and Grouse

DATES

APRIL 7 – 16, 2011

APRIL 12 - 21, 2012

COST (PER PERSON) FOR 2011

DOUBLE: $2550; SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $400

DEPOSIT: $350

INCLUDES

From Denver, includes nine nights lodging, all meals, transportation, entry fees, guides, taxes, tips.

Not included: Alcohol, phone calls, laundry, other personal expenses.

PARTICIPANTS

One leader, seven participants.

LEADER

Wezil Walraven.

SLIDESHOW

(Run your mouse over any slide to make the caption drop down from the top.)

“Just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed this tour in general and the two of you specifically. Early early mornings, freezing our butts off for wonderful views of the chickens, grouse, ptarmigan, and those Pine Grosbeaks, it was so much fun! We could never have had that kind of success on our own. It is so nice to sit down over a relaxed meal and discuss the day with the rest of the group...and to laugh every step of the way! Great trip!” ~ P&P N

OVERVIEW

Colorado is the best place in the country for finding all the species of Prairie-chicken and Grouse. Its varied topography ranging from prairie grasslands through high plains to subalpine forests and alpine tundra supports as many as 500 species of birds. Furthermore, its geographical location astride the Continental Divide provides a mix of eastern, western, northern, and southwestern species not easily found together anywhere else.

Check out the 2010 “Prairie Chicken” tour report!

Our trip will take us from the eastern prairies of Colorado into the high Rocky Mountains. We will cover about 1500 miles in searching for our target species. In order to see many of these species at their leks at dawn, we'll need to be up and out by 4 or 4:30 AM. We expect to find Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chicken; Greater and Gunnison's Sage-Grouse; Sharp-tailed and Blue Grouse and, possibly, White-tailed Ptarmigan. Other species of interest include Mountain Plover; Three-toed Woodpecker and Williamson's Sapsucker; Rough-legged Hawk; Black, Brown-capped, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch; McCown's and Chestnut-Collared Longspur, and many others.

“Just wanted to let you know we had a great time [on] an exhausting, exhilarating tour — great birds, good food, too much wine. We had never done a birding tour before the one in Texas. We have steered away from them because of of too many people, too few guides, and the fear we were not "serious" enough birders. High Lonesome has changed all that. You and Wezil are so much fun to travel with...don't think we have laughed that hard in a long time...seriously I think I pulled something! Great looks, got some really nice photos (we are still wading through them all) including a beautiful Pine Grosbeak, a ‘fully chesticled’ Greater Sage Grouse, and many more.” ~ PN

ITINERARY

DAY ONE: Arrive Denver for pickup by 4:00 PM. Drive to Pueblo.

Overnight at Pueblo Comfort Inn.

DAY TWO: Following breakfast, we’ll head towards Holly and the Lesser Prairie Chicken lek. Stop along the way for Curve-billed Thrashter, Inca Dove. Scan Holbrooke Reservoir,then on to Cheraw Lake where we'll scan for Snowy Plover and Baird's Sandpiper just arriving from their spring migration, also American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt and Wilson's Phalarope. There are often large flocks of Western Grebes at one or two locations, and we’ll check for Clark’s Grebe among them. Fort Lyons Wildllife Area for rails and other water birds. Burrowing Owls in the fields.

Overnight at HOLLY.

DAY THREE: We will have a pre-dawn start to be at the Lesser Prairie-Chicken lek one-hour before sunrise. We’ll be viewing from the car, so as not to disturb the mating ritual of one of the rarest birds in North America. Their "dancing" and “booming” is an unforgettable sight. In a ground-squirrel colony located near our route, we'll search for Burrowing Owls. We will go in search of other birds of the Great Plains, including Burrowing Owl, Ferruginous Hawk, Loggerhead Shrike, Grasshopper Sparrow and Northern Mockingbird. Along the way, we’ll be seeing some bird species near their westernmost limit in the U.S.A. such as Blue Jay, Eastern Bluebird, and Northern Cardinal. We’ll also look for Franklin's Gull, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, and lots of raptors.

Overnight AT WRAY.

DAY FOUR: A dawn start will provide us with the chance to view Greater Prairie-Chickens with their elaborate display and "booming" sounds. We’ll depart Holly for Greeley and drive through Pawnee Grasslands looking for McCown’s and Chestnut-collared Longspurs, also Mountain Plover. Overnight in Evans outside of Greeley.

Overnight in EVANS

DAY FIVE: Early departure for Loveland Pass looking for White-tailed Ptarmigan and Rosy-finches. Stop at Buena Vista for Pinyon Jay, then to Monarch Pass for other high-elevation species. Overnight in Gunninson.

Overnight at GUNNISON.

DAY SIX: At dawn, we will view the Gunnison Sage-Grouse at it’s lek. A dawn chorus of Sage Thrashers, Horned Larks and Mountain Bluebirds will make for a brilliant start to the day. Breakfast in Gunnison followed by a drive to Crested Butte to look for three species of Rosy-Finch and Evening Grosbeak, then a stop along the Taylor River for Williamson's Sapsucker. Curecanti National Recreation Area and other reservoirs should yield a nice assortment of shorebirds and water birds. In the late afternoon, we will visit Coal Canyon near Cameo searching for Chukar [introduced], Grey Flycatcher, Lazuli Bunting and Black-throated Hummingbird.

Overnight at GRAND JUNCTION.

DAY SEVEN: This morning we will explore the beautiful Colorado National Monument, with its spectacular sandstone formations, and canyon rim drive. Bird species are decidedly of the desert variety and possibilities include Gambel's Quail, White-throated Swift, Pinyon Jay, Grey Flycatcher, Bushtit, Juniper Titmouse, Peregrine Falcon, Black-throated Sparrow, Canyon Wren and Rock Wren. We’ll also check the oak woodlands at Rifle Falls for woodland birds such as Western Scrub-Jay, Band-tailed Pigeon and Spotted Towhee. Overnight at Best Western Deer Park in Craig.

Overnight at CRAIG

DAY EIGHT: This day will begin with a pre-dawn outing to view Sharp-tailed Grouse displaying. Dusky Grouse is also possible in this area and Sandhill Cranes nest nearby. A drive over Rabbit Ears Pass on the Continental Divide could produce, if the snow isn't too deep, Gray Jay, Steller’s Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, Three toed-Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Pine Grosbeak and Mountain Chickadee. If the montane species haven't already been found we will drive to Cameron Pass in the late afternoon to try and fill out the list. Overnight at Chedsey Motel in Walden.

Overnight at WALDEN

DAY NINE: We'll have another pre-dawn start to view the Greater Sage-Grouse on their lek. After breakfast we’ll visit the Walden Reservoir where we hope to find California Gull, American Avocet, Cinnamon Teal and Sage Thrasher. On the drive south we will watch for Rough-legged Hawk, Golden Eagle and any of the montane birds we might still need. There is more scenery to marvel at in this region, and we will be sure to take a minute here and there to admire it. At Loveland Pass we will make an extensive search for the elusive White-tailed Ptarmigan. Overnight in Denver.

DAY TEN: Flights home.

CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT

Casual, informal attire is acceptable for all restaurants. The following items are important to have for you comfort and safety. The trip will range between 3000 feet to 10,000+ feet. It can get quite cold at higher elevation and also at the early morning leks (30 degrees or less at times). So, it’s important to bring some warm layers. It will get much warmer in many places during the day, up to 80 degrees.

Hat with brim/visor
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Water bottle (we will carry extra water for refills)
Small day pack/fanny pack
Hiking boots or sturdy walking shoes
Long-sleeve shirts
Long pants
Long underwear for high elevation & early morning lek
Gloves and hat
Overcoat
Waterproof wind-breaker
Binoculars (scope is optional; we will have one or two scopes)
Deet spray, though bugs shouldn’t be bad