ACES Morning Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch 07/22/25

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Tuesday, July 22, 2025, 7:00am-10:00am
Weather: Sunny
Location: Rock Bottom Ranch, Basalt, CO

This has been a very hot, dry summer, and upland habitats are showing some impacts, mainly in the forms of dry, crispy vegetation and flowering as much as 3 weeks early. Birds are likely to be affected by timing mismatches with plants on a much earlier schedule than birds, lower insect abundance and less available forage in terms of seeds, fruits, and nuts. Bird activity was fairly good today, despite conditions; however we are seeing fewer swallows and other aerial insectivores than we would have seen historically. Highlights from today include a family of kingfishers, a family of Lewis’s woodpeckers, and fledglings of many birds including yellow warblers, red-winged blackbirds, black-billed magpies, and Canada geese. We also had fleeting glimpses of a snipe, a flock of bushtits, and a raptor. Join us next Tuesday for Morning Birding at Hallam Lake!

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