ACES Morning Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch 10/14/25

---

Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 8:00am-11:00am

Weather: Sunny 

Location: Rock Bottom Ranch, Basalt, CO

Today’s highlights were the wonderful shared stories, connections, and inspirations among the group of birders. There was a lot of energy around ideas for journalistic stories, travel, and other concepts – all surrounding birds and people’s common interest in them. While ideas were swirling in our conversations, we enjoyed close views of flickers, a Say’s phoebe, and a distant bald eagle. During a spell of rain, we sheltered in the pole barn where we could still observe birds and discuss what birds do during inclement weather. After the rain, we observed American and lesser goldfinches foraging on flower seed heads, while white-crowned sparrows and mountain chickadees preened in the oak thickets. The manure pile and rows of raspberries and rhubarb harbored mixed species of sparrows. At times, large flocks of rock pigeons flew overhead, showing their strong, direct flight patterns and the ways in which large flocks mix as they move about to deter attacks from predators such as a peregrine falcon. Several rainbows appeared after rain showers, low clouds clung to ridges and filled ravines, and changing light on the stormy clouds and brilliant fall foliage made for spectacular views of our surroundings. A meadow lark surprised us as it flushed from the side of our trail along the pasture, and we ended with several mountain bluebirds on the fence rails and small trees around the trail to the parking lot. It was a varied outing today, both in terms of weather and light conditions and in the birds we saw. Join us next Tuesday for more exciting fall migration birding at Hallam Lake!

 

Species List:

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide

Featured Photo: White-crowned Sparrow