Morning Birding at Rock Bottom Ranch Species List | September 18, 2018

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Tuesday, September 18, 2018, 8AM – 11AM
Location: Rock Bottom Ranch & Rio Grande Trail
Weather: Mostly sunny

Species Identified

Mallard Rock Pigeon Eurasian Collared-Dove Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Cooper’s Hawk Lewis’s Woodpecker Red-naped Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Western Wood-Pewee Plumbeous Vireo Warbling Vireo Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay Black-billed Magpie American Crow Black-capped Chickadee Mountain Chickadee Bushtit House Wren American Robin Sage Thrasher European Starling Cedar Waxwing House Finch Lesser Goldfinch American Goldfinch Brewer’s Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln’s Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Yellow Warbler

Comments: 

The bird activity this fall has been fabulous, with a rich abundance and diversity of species. The key to finding bonanzas of birds is locating rich concentrations of food sources – that is where the birds will be during this time of intense foraging as birds are molting, dispersing, and migrating. We found birds such as White-crowned Sparrows, Lincoln’s Sparrows, Song Sparrows, House Finches, and goldfinches at gardens and weedy areas where seeds and insects were abundant, as well as Cedar Waxwings, Northern Flickers, and Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jays in mountain shrubland habitats loaded with chokecherries, serviceberries, acorns, and other rich foods. Cottonwood trees and other deciduous trees and shrubs were busy with vireos, chickadees, and sapsuckers. At Rock Bottom Ranch, these habitats are in close proximity to water, making them true hotspots for birds. Special highlights today were a flock of about 20 Bushtits and an immature Sage Thrasher. We were also able to study four species of sparrows and four species of woodpeckers, providing a great chance to learn their different field marks. Join us for Morning Birding next Tuesday, September 25th at 8am at Hallam Lake!

~ Rebecca Weiss, ACES Bird Guide 

Photo by Dale Armstrong