ACES Morning Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch 7/9/2024
Phebe Meyers
July 15, 2024
Tuesday, July 9, 2024, 7:00-10:00am
Weather: Sunny
Location: Rock Bottom Ranch, Basalt, CO
Nesting season is still in full-swing and many fledglings are on the wing, mixing with adults in flocks and even still begging to be fed by parents. We saw immature Lewis’s woodpeckers near the nesting tree, immature magpies, and fledgling red-winged blackbirds. Other highlights included a belted kingfisher, a Virginia rail vocalizing from deep in the cattails, and cedar waxwings flycatching over the water. Say’s phoebes are nesting again under the field center’s carport roof, making food deliveries on regular intervals. We also studied red-tailed hawks, learning about some of their more subtle identification characters, such as their “bulging” wing shape and dark patagial markings. Join us next week for Morning Birding at Hallam Lake!
Species List:
Mallard
Wild Turkey (observed just prior to the start of the outing)
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Virginia Rail
Killdeer
Red-tailed Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Western Wood-Pewee
Western Flycatcher
Say’s Phoebe
Warbling Vireo
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Gray Catbird
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Yellow Warbler
~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide
Featured photo: Virgina Rail
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