Morning Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch 6/28/22

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Tuesday, June 28, 2022, 6:30am-9:30am
Weather: Sunny
Location: Rock Bottom Ranch, Basalt, CO

Today’s mini-lesson covered the Bobolinks recently observed in a hay meadow at Glassier Open Space, near Rock Bottom Ranch. This uncommon grassland species is an unusual occurrence here in the Roaring Fork Valley (all visitors are asked to stay on public trails and respect private property at Glassier Open Space). Our outing began with exciting bird activity along the Rio Grande Trail where we watched a gray catbird that sang from several favorite perches, cedar waxwings in the fruiting shrubs, and yellow warblers foraging among the foliage. We explored the ranch compound and vegetable fields as well as the ponds and cattail areas. Other highlights included getting to see a lot of Lewis’s woodpecker activity around their nest tree, active nests of Say’s phoebes and red-naped sapsuckers complete with begging calls of nestlings, and a Virginia rail at the far pond. The rail was a special treat, given that these birds rarely emerge from the wetland vegetation. View all upcoming birding outings!

Species List: 

Canada Goose
Mallard
Wild Turkey
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Hummingbird, sp.
Virginia Rail
Killdeer
Wilson’s Snipe
Great Blue Heron
Osprey
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Red-naped Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Western Wood-Pewee
Cordillera Flycatcher
Say’s Phoebe
Warbling Vireo
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
House Finch
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Yellow Warbler

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide

Featured photo: Spotted Towhee