Morning Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch | August 16, 2016

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Tuesday, August 16, 2016, 7:00AM – 10:00AM
Weather: mostly cloudy
Location: Rock Bottom Ranch

Species Identified
Mallard Great blue Heron Rock Pigeon Eurasian Collared-dove Mourning Dove Broad-tailed Hummingbird Rufous Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Lewis’s Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker (pictured above) Northern Flicker Western Woodpeewee Warbling Vireo Steller’s Jay		Black-billed Magpie American Crow Violet-green Swallow Black-capped Chickadee American Robin Gray Catbird European Starling Cedar Waxwing Yellow Warbler Boack-throated Gray Warbler Song Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird American Goldfinch

Comments:
High thin clouds kept the temperature relatively low, and bird activity was excellent through the morning today at Rock Bottom Ranch. Varied habitats gave us a diverse list of sightings, a highlight being the black-throated gray warbler seen in Gambel oaks along the Rio Grande Trail adjacent to RBR property. This is a choice species from the pinyon-juniper woodland habitat just upslope covering the ‘crown’ area around the base of Mount Sopris. We were able to study American goldfinches feeding on thistle seed, and western woodpeewees in several locations, with their dark ‘vest’ clearly visible in the scope. A wonderful morning of late summer activity! The birding is more and more exciting as birds are moving in migration patterns, many are beginning to molt, and juveniles are everywhere. Join us next Tuesday at Hallam Lake!

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide

Photo by Mark Fuller.