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Colorado Grouse April 6–16, 2018

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Colorado Grouse April 6–16, 2018 COLORADO GROUSE APRIL 6–16, 2018 Greater Sage-Grouse male in full display © Brian Gibbons LEADERS: BRIAN GIBBONS & MICHAEL O’BRIEN LIST COMPILED BY: BRIAN GIBBONS VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM COLORADO GROUSE APRIL 6–16, 2018 By Brian Gibbons Greater Sage-Grouse © Brian Gibbons Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Colorado Grouse, 2018 We braved 16 to 86 degrees, prairie winds, thunderstorms, sleet, and the more mundane spring snows of Colorado this year. The grouse, for the most part, performed on schedule their ritual displays, as they have for eons. The sage-grouse were strutting in the sage of North Park, the prairie-chickens dancing and fighting on the plains, and the Sharp-tails spinning in the mountains. Stunning mountain scenery and stark prairies illustrated our trip across Colorado and Kansas. Our first day started with a southern diversion to avoid snow, ice, and closed roads in the mountains. We enjoyed stunning foothill scenery in Temple Canyon where the trees were crusted in beautifully delicate hoarfrost crystals—barbed wire, grass, trees, cactus, and fenceposts, nothing escaped the frost. The birds were still active on this cool morning, and we found Mountain Chickadees, juncos, Spotted Towhee, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, and Juniper Titmice. We also discovered that Townsend’s Solitaires aren’t so solitary. After our morning birding in the canyon, we returned to Cañon City to delight in a couple of stunning Lewis’s Woodpeckers hanging out in gnarly old cottonwood trees. Around Salida we enjoyed clear skies and a pile of Pinyon Jays moving through the woodlands, and a pair of American Dippers Monarch Pass © Brian Gibbons delighted us along the Arkansas River. Monarch Pass finally cleared up, and we made our way over to Gunnison. On the night preceding our visit to the Gunnison Sage-Grouse lek, it rained; then there was a thunderstorm, then sleet, and finally a light rain greeted us at dawn. With clear air, we scanned in vain for hours; no grouse came to the show that morning, undoubtedly scared off by the weather. After breakfast we made our way to Crested Butte and were not disappointed by a tree full of rosy-finches. It took us a few minutes, but eventually we found all three species: Black, Brown- Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Colorado Grouse, 2018 capped, and Gray-crowned, including a few Hepburn’s subspecies. We made our way down the Arkansas River towards Pueblo for the night. Another thunderstorm greeted us on the prairie east of Pueblo. Sleet piled up in the fields and on the roads, but the storm had passed by the time we reached our birding locales. We found Sage Thrasher, Western Meadowlark, and Loggerhead Shrike before continuing east along the Arkansas River. A series of reservoirs produced great waterfowl sightings and good looks at a Clark’s Grebe. Yellow-headed Blackbirds, American Avocets, and Burrowing Owls were spotted near Lake Meredith. Just west of Lamar we found a huge flock of tardy geese; hundreds of Snow and Ross’s Brown-capped Rosy-Finch © Brian Gibbons rested before continuing on their northward journey. Comanche National Grasslands west of Campo had a few Long-billed Curlews and Burrowing Owls in the flatlands. We also found three active Ferruginous Hawk nests along the way, which made the prairie-dogs nervous. We then dropped into Cottonwood Canyon and a different world. Bewick’s Wrens sang from the junipers and oaks. On the canyon walls above, Canyon and Rock wrens kept an eye on things. Rufous-crowned Sparrows and Canyon Towhees also reside in this canyon, and we found both among the rocks and trees. In the flats we found a lazy herd of Bighorn Sheep and an equally restive herd of Mule Deer. On the long drive to Kansas the farmland was punctuated by dozens of Northern Harriers and Ring-necked Pheasants, but the prize was a handsome Badger excavating a burrow along the highway! The next morning was mild with a south wind near Greensburg, Kansas. The breeze helped bring the hoots, cackles, and pops of six male Lesser Prairie-Chickens right to us. They fluttered, faced-off, stomped, fought, and puffed air sacs for the females—a great show of this declining shortgrass prairie species. The long drive back to Wray, Colorado hastened our departure from this great show. Lesser Prairie-Chicken males © Brian Gibbons Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Colorado Grouse, 2018 Bob Bledsoe has been hosting VENT on his family ranch for decades. He described the operation of farming, grazing, and feeding Black Angus before an excellent dinner at Fourth and Main. The next morning, a spectacular display started before we could see. The chorus of coos drifted in the windows, punctuated by cackles. Soon the sun drifted high enough, and we were enjoying the antics of 32 male Greater Prairie-Chickens, their combs and air sacs inflated to a blazing yellow, with the edges of their air sacs rimmed in a beautiful purple. Never before have so many solicitations been ignored by the males, who were too busy dancing to notice (we did eventually see a few copulations). A few Burrowing Owls had front row seats to the show, like us. Next on the agenda was Pawnee National Grassland, where we had good looks at McCown’s Longspur, and some folks had a quick look at a Mountain Plover. Greater Prairie-Chickens © Brian Gibbons Poudre Canyon was windy and cold, yet we found a few birds including a Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Dippers, Belted Kingfisher, and a quick Goshawk. Moose Visitor Center provided a good place to picnic, and we enjoyed the feeders that hosted a few rosy-finches, Cassin’s Finches, and a Least Chipmunk. Walden Reservoir was chock-full of birds, and we nearly completed the waterfowl checklist there. After dinner we cruised back to Gould, hunting Moose; we found only a few, but we added our first Sandhill Cranes of the tour at dusk. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Colorado Grouse, 2018 Greater Sage-Grouse © Brian Gibbons The Greater Sage-Grouse near Walden have done well the last few years. We were treated to an expansive lek with more than 40 males strutting for nearly 20 females. Eventually the females shifted into the sun, and we had front row seats to the displaying males and a few copulations. Greater Sage-Grouse male in full display © Brian Gibbons Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 Colorado Grouse, 2018 Gulping air, the males inflate their massive chests covered in plasticine white feathers that produce the swishing noise of their displays. With their filoplumes raised, they strut and swish and inflate their boiled egg yolk-colored air sacs, all this with their spiky tails raised. An amazing performance in the sage. Later we made our way to Steamboat Springs for our final lek, the Sharp-tailed Grouse. In the evening we searched for Dusky Grouse near the Yampa River; we were granted only a fly-by, as there were few displaying males this year. The next morning the Sharp-tails were spinning and stomping with their tails held high. Neil spotted one sitting in an oak tree, and we had great looks at this single bird. Leaving the Sharp- tails behind, we had great looks at Sandhill Cranes on the return to Steamboat. Climbing out of the Yampa River Valley, we headed towards Silverthorne and our final grouse of the tour. While the conditions were acceptable, the White-tailed Ptarmigan never revealed itself for us. Our final descent to Denver was interrupted by our trip to Genesee Mountain Park where we added our last new bird, the diminutive Brown Creeper, as it hitched along a Ponderosa Pine. Greater Prairie-Chicken © Brian Gibbons Thank you for traveling with VENT. I look forward to our next birding adventure, wherever in the world that might be. -Brian Gibbons Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 7 Colorado Grouse, 2018 7 April 2018 - Temple Canyon, Highland Avenue in Canon City, Pinon Hills, Sands Lake State Wildlife Area 8 April 2018 - Waunita Hot Springs lek, Mount Crested Butte, Monarch Pass, Poncha Springs 9 April 2018 - IL Road Pueblo County, Boone, Lake Meredith, Lake Henry, Lake Cheraw, John Martin Reservoir State Park Lake Hasty Campground, Verhoeff Reservoir 10 April 2018 - Campo Café, Comanche National Grassland, Cottonwood Canyon, Baca County, Johnson City Kansas, 11 April 2018 - M Street lek 43rdxM Greensburg, Haigler Nebraska, Bledsoe Cattle Company 12 April 2018 - Bledsoe Cattle Country Greater Prairie-Chicken lek, Wray State Fish Hatchery, Haxtun Sewage Ponds, Pawnee National Grassland. 13 April 2018 - Silver Grille Café, Poudre Canyon, Poudre Park, Cameron Pass, Moose Visitor Center, Gould, Walden Reservoir, Moose Cruise late 14 April 2018 - Coalmont Greater Sage-Grouse lek, Walden Reservoir, California Park Road 15 April 2018 - California Park Road, County Road 46, Muddy Creek Pass, Loveland Pass, Genesee Mountain Park Waterfowl Anatidae Greater White-fronted Anser albifrons Goose A single at Walden Reservoir Snow Goose Anser caerulescens Verhoeff Reservoir & Walden Reservoir Ross's Goose Anser rossii Verhoeff Reservoir Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii Haxtun Sewage ponds & Walden Reservoir Canada Goose Branta canadensis Seen almost daily Wood Duck Aix sponsa Haxtun Sewage ponds Gadwall Mareca strepera Common American Wigeon Mareca americana Common Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Common Blue-winged Teal Spatula discors First around Southeast Colorado (SECO) Cinnamon Teal Spatula cyanoptera Gunnison, SECO & reservoirs Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata Common Northern Pintail Anas acuta Haxtun & Walden Reservoir Green-winged Teal Anas crecca Seen
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