ACES and Pitkin County Open Space Birding 8/10/26

This outing began at the top of a trail that descends behind the AABC to the river, and circles back up on the Burlingorge Trail. Fire mitigation work by Pitkin County had been recently carried out on the hillside and was still underway on the eastern portion of our loop. This work will ultimately renew much of the shrubland ecosystem in this area, while the forest understory may grow back in more slowly. This work was done to mitigate fire risk to the adjacent Burlingame and AABC communities. For wildlife, more productive fruiting shrubs and oaks will provide better forage in future years as they grow back. Meanwhile, with the work freshly done, bird activity was at a low ebb in the area; however, we did see some expected species and had some excellent observations. Highlights included a dipper actively feeding on the river, several gray catbirds eating the white berries of red osier dogwood, yellow warblers, and four species of swallows. At this time of year, swallows gather in large numbers in the mornings on the utility wires crossing the gorge, and it is always a fun exercise to find various species among the multitudes. It was exciting to see four swallow species: tree, violet-green, barn, and cliff. We spent time on swallow field marks, as well as red-tailed hawk field marks and lesser goldfinch versus pine siskin field marks. We also discussed the challenging balance of fire mitigation work and habitat stewardship; Pitkin County is careful to observe songbird nesting season and other considerations to minimize impacts. Learn more here.