ACES Morning Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch 07/07/26

Birds were very active in the spaces between the ranch’s parking lot and the Rio Grande Trail: a western tanager hawked insects from a nearby tree, Lewis’s woodpeckers were also sallying around catching airborne insects, and gray catbirds popped out of the tangled vines to forage on the trail and roadside in perfect view. Wild turkeys crossed the road further away, and red-winged blackbirds were seemingly everywhere around us. It was a special treat to see catbirds out in the open, a rare moment with these birds that typically keep to the dense vegetation. Two other such highlights were a Wilson’s snipe that sat on a trail in the agricultural area and a Virginia rail on the back pond. We were able to get excellent looks at the snipe with the scope, and the rail remained in view long enough for the group to thoroughly soak in its field marks and feeding behavior before flying into the cattails. Many fledglings are out on the wing, and we noticed busy families of mountain chickadees and wrens, as well as a yellow warbler working hard to feed a begging brown-headed cowbird chick. Join us next Tuesday for Morning Birding at Hallam Lake!