ACES & Pitkin County North Star Birding 08/27/26

This field trip could have been billed as a sparrow study for all the excellent views we had of the five sparrow species we found along the route! We were able to take time with the birds to see their field marks with guidance for specifically what to note, and then follow up with the guidebook to review the key markings, behaviors, and voices. Repeated experience with most of these sparrows throughout the morning helped reinforce this information, and participants gained confidence as we birded our way back to our starting point, identifying sparrows as we went. Other highlights included a flock of cedar waxwings hawking insects in an open meadow. The insects were backlit by the sun and the whole scene looked like a stage set with a spotlight on the birds and their prey. We enjoyed the orange-crowned and Wilson’s warblers we found, as well as a single green-winged teal among a flock of mallards on the pond. Three kestrels were active in a stand of cottonwoods across the expansive grassland area, and a new beaver dam on the Roaring Fork River raised the water level and changed the character of the river in such an interesting way. We admired the arc of the dam, giving it structural strength against the streamflow. It was a fantastic morning! Join us next week for Morning Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch, and for several special migration field trips to new locations in September!