May Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch 5/16/23

Today’s outing began with a turkey doing its classic scratching feeding strategy among the geese and chickens. We then enjoyed excellent observations of Say’s Phoebes, Killdeer, a pair of Blue-winged Teal, and Red-winged Blackbirds before seeing a family of Great Horned Owls in the trees on Cole Island. One fledgling was perched in an open spot near its tree trunk, while the adults stayed more hidden in the nest tree, a thick spruce. We went on to find Lewis’s Woodpeckers and Kestrels, followed by a pair of Bullock’s Orioles illuminated by the morning sunlight. Join us on Friday for spring migration birding at North Star Nature Preserve and next Monday for a field trip along West Sopris Creek!