ACES Morning Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch 10/13/26

October 13, 2026, 8:00am-11:00am

Weather: Mostly sunny

Location: ACES at Rock Bottom Ranch, Basalt, CO

Fall migration continues to bring interesting birds through the valley. Today we were delighted to see a Lincoln’s sparrow and a marsh wren, both of which were likely moving through on their way south. We also noticed the absence of the Lewis’s woodpeckers… perhaps connected to the irruptive movements of this species along with Clark’s nutcracker and pinyon jay to the lowlands east and west of the Rockies. Ornithologists are following this phenomenon to eventually try to understand what is going on with these birds, but their initial thoughts are that these movements are driven by an overall food failure in the mountain west resulting from extreme drought and late spring freezes. We enjoyed high quality experiences with the creeper, a ruby-crowned kinglet, starlings, and a hairy woodpecker for opportunities to see all of their field marks from different views and in different light conditions. There were many questions that brought on discussions of life history, molting strategies, and migration. Join us next week for Morning Birding at Hallam Lake!

Species List:

~Rebecca Weiss, ACES Birding Guide

Featured Photo: Bald eagle