ACES Morning Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch 10/24/23

Birds were present in pockets of activity, as is typical in fall. Chickadees foraged in cottonwood stands and in cattails. Lewis’s Woodpeckers continue to be active with caching acorns in their nesting tree. We were able to see their green iridescent sheen on their wings and upper parts in the excellent light today. Wild Turkeys foraged in the agricultural meadows above Rock Bottom Ranch. A Virginia Rail in the pond by the bird blind was a highlight. We spotted it in an alcove formed by dense cattails at the edge of the pond. It moved about giving us good views of its long orange bill and warm brown plumage, and at one point it called and another Virginia Rail answered from the cattails just below where we stood. Other highlights included many Clark’s Nutcrackers that flew overhead near the pinyon-juniper woodland habitat, a warbler that was yellow but too quick for us to positively identify, and a muskrat in the waterways along the Rio Grande Trail. Join us next Tuesday for Morning Birding at Hallam Lake!