ACES Birding By Habitat: Airport Open Space 05/20/26

Spring Migration continues as the birds of our local arid habitats begin to nest, making birding at the Airport Open Space especially exciting in mid-May! The annual maintenance closure of the airport also allows for a quieter experience at this time of year. We enjoyed rich birding right off the bat from the airport operations parking lot where we were allowed to park… with MacGillivray’s warblers, cedar waxwings, yellow warblers, and green-tailed towhees in the mixed shrubby habitat across Owl Creek Road. Moving into the open space (which is in the airport’s restricted area and thus only accessible with express permission obtained by ACES), we marveled at the abundance and diversity of birds in moist shrub habitat mixed with aspen stands and adjacent grassy expanses. Here we heard western meadowlarks, warbling vireos, black-headed grosbeaks, and ruby-crowned kinglets.

The history of this parcel is seen in the old outbuildings, ranch house, barns, and rusty agricultural machinery in the setting of the former ranch compound along Owl Creek. Now taken over by nature, this area teems with birds, including western kingbird, fox sparrow, and American kestrel. As we made our way up the lower Radar Road and into dry mountain shrublands, we encountered mountain chickadees, dusky flycatchers, orange-crowned warblers, and scrub-jays. Here, we also noted the many trails worn in by the movements of one of the local elk herds and spotted a lazuli bunting – one of our area’s most colorful birds and a prized observation for any birder! As we passed a lone Douglas fir tree, we found a mass of old elk or deer hair – evidence of a mountain lion’s food cache. Our loop route took us up to a high point where we discussed our valley’s landforms, such as the marine origins of the shale hills and the glacial origins of the flats, moraines, and erratic boulders. Looping back, we again noted the shift in bird species as we walked through the transition from xeric uplands to riparian corridor.

Join us next week for Tuesday Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch!