Grouse & Prairie-Chicken Tour for 2008
My most basic "Grouse Loop" through the state follows.
Day 1
Loveland Pass (Clear Creek County)
White-tailed Ptarmigan
Guanella Pass is closed.
Kremmling (Grand)
Rosy Finches
Cameron Pass (Jackson) after dark
Boreal Owl
If you are interested in very little sleep.
Side trips along the route
Wolford Mountain Recreation Area
Day 2
Stay in Hayden start at:
20-Road Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek
Sharp-tailed Grouse
(Closer Views than 80 Route Lek)
Go to 80 Route Lek after for:
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Greater Sage-Grouse
Possible Blue Grouse
If Greater Sage-Grouse are missed at 80 Route,
then I end my day at Timberlake Lek, north
of Craig. (Add one to Day numbers below)
Stay in Craig, see Barrow's Goldeneyes on
Yampa River (south of Craig and continue
toward the Colorado National Monument.
Head toward Grand Junction:
Oxbow Wildlife Area (Moffat)
Sage Sparrow
Pinyon Jay (possible)
Gray Vireo (late spring)
Sage Thrasher
Rifle Rest Stop; possible Peregrine Falcon
End daylight at Cameo (Mesa)
Chukar
Black-throated Sparrow
Sage Sparrow
After dark on Grand Mesa (Mesa)
Boreal Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Again Owl Trip reduce sleep to almost none.
Day 3
Colorado National Monument (Mesa)
Pinyon Jay
Juniper Titmouse
Black-throated Sparrow
Gambel's Quail
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Escalante Canyon
Chukar
Fruitgrower's Reservoir (Delta)
Sandpipers
Sandhill Crane
Lewis's Woodpecker
Confluence Park (Delta)
Western Screech-Owl
Explore
End daylight at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Blue Grouse
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Day 4
Waunita Hot Springs Lek (Gunnison)
Gunnison Sage-Grouse
Head to Springfield; along route:
Temple Canyon State Park (Fremont)
Evening Grosbeak
Pinyon Jay
Juniper Titmouse
Bushtit
Swallows Road, Pueblo Reservoir (Pueblo)
Scaled Quail
Curve-billed Thrasher
Loggerhead Shrike
End daylight either:
Rocky Ford
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Inca Dove
Cottonwood Canyon (Baca)
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Lewis's Woodpecker
Spend night in Elkhart, Kansas
Day 5
Visit one of two LEPC Leks
Lesser Prairie-Chicken
Cassin's Sparrow
Back to Cottonwood Canyon
Washington Work Center (7 miles south of Springfield)
Burrowing Owl
Mountain Plover
Long-billed Curlew
Springfield
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Great-tailed Grackle
Lamar Community College (Prowers)
Northern Cardinal
End day looking for Greater Prairie-Chicken (Yuma)
It helps to spend two extra days if interested in the Black Phoebes
of Uravan (Montrose) and Flammulated Owl of Uncompahgre
Plateau (Mesa & Montrose Counties). Also, the pace is
hectic (getting up at 4:00am and going to bed at 12:00am)
An extra day is useful for recuperating.
HOME
Please feel free to contact CoBus and
President, Gary Weston at the following address:
E-mail: