Birding Tour USA: Colorado – Lekking Grouse and Rocky Mountains

Colorado: Lekking Grouse, Rocky Mountains, and Open Plains
April 2026/2027

Colorado offers one of the most spectacular North American birding spectacles with the spring lekking season of several grouse species including the stunning Gunnison (Sage) and (Greater) Sage Grouse and the ever declining Greater and Lesser Prairie Chickens. Churring, gurgling, prancing males strut around their chosen lek, competing with other males to see who can get selected by a mate. While this trip is a more focus “chicken run” of sorts, there are plenty of other amazing bird species to be on the lookout for. These include a nice mix of both migrants and long staying species such as Black, Grey-crowned, and Brown-capped Rosy Finches, Barrow’s Goldeneye, American Dipper, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Pinyon Jay, Bald Eagle, and the list goes on and on! Both spring and fall migration in Colorado are amazing and we time this trip perfectly for the spring leks and arrival of spring migrants on their journey to breeding grounds. Along with the amazing bird and wildlife spectacles, are the wide assortment of fantastic habitats providing jaw-dropping scenery throughout the tour. From the stunning Rocky Mountains and rolling grass prairies to the cottonwood canyons and pine forests, the trip is never lacking a stunning view along the way. This great diversity of habitats provides us a refreshing new locale each day and with it a differing bird and wildlife community. The National Audubon Society and Colorado Birding Trail do a fantastic job here to help preserve the pristine habitats and help encourage folks to get out and experience nature with their birding festival in March and other community programs.

Greater Prairie Chicken is one of the many fantastic grouse species we should encounter on this tour.

This tour begins in the mile-high city of Denver, visiting its various pristine birding locations before heading west and up into the dizzying heights of the Rocky Mountains. Up here, the search is on for the tricky White-tailed Ptarmigan and rosy finches. We continue onwards for our first few leks of the trip and then head southwest to Grand Junction and Gunnison, birding along the way in hopes of seeing treats like Mountain Bluebird and Clark’s Nutcracker. From here we head east and into the lowlands and grasslands of southeast Colorado with a brief dip into Kansas for Lesser Prairie Chicken. We complete our large “chicken loop” of Colorado in the northeast corner at the Pawnee National Grasslands, a premier birding spot, with Thick-billed and Chestnut-collared Longspurs and Mountain Plover amongst the many targets.

This trip can be combined with our Texas Spring and Whooping Cranes Tour, which immediately precedes it, and with our Florida Peninsula and Specialties Tour following it.

Due to the extremely limited availability and access to some of the leks, this itinerary is subject to run in a slightly different order while still visiting all of the locations and destinations.

Itinerary (11 days/10 nights)

Day 1. Arrival in Denver

Arrival at the Denver airport will be followed by introductions and an orientation about our upcoming trip. We will do some local birding as time allows and prepare for what will surely be a fantastic tour full of beautiful birds and scenery.

Overnight: Denver, Colorado

Day 2. Genesee, Loveland Pass, Silverthorne

Today will be jammed packed as we work our way out of Denver towards Steamboat Springs in the northwest. The morning will kick off with some birding at Genesee Mountain Park on the edge of Denver. Some of the targets here include Cassin’s Finch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Steller’s Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, and Williamson’s Sapsucker. As we cruise through the mountains towards Loveland Pass, we will be sure to watch out for species like Mountain Bluebird, Townsend’s Solitaire, Two-barred (White-winged) and Red Crossbills. We will also keep our eyes peeled on the fast-moving rivers and streams for American Dipper. Eventually, we will make it to the Guanella Pass, our first stop in search of White-tailed Ptarmigan, before retreating from this high elevation back to the small town of Georgetown. If we do not have any luck here, we’ll take Route 6 over the summit of Loveland Pass (weather permitting) to give us another chance for the elusive White-tailed Ptarmigan. We’ll descend down the mountains to the town of Silverthorne where we will drive the roads, searching for feeders and seeds in hopes of spotting great birds including all three species of rosy-finches, Black, Grey-crowned and Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. Along Highway 9, towards Kremmling, there are some good bodies of water for ducks and open areas to scan for Prairie Falcon. We’ll have a brief stop at some of the open water areas along the way, which could yield the stunning Barrow’s Goldeneye and other great waterfowl species. Finally, we will arrive in Steamboat Springs, our home for the next two nights.

Overnight: Steamboat Springs, Colorado

The charismatic American Dipper is always a fan favorite.

Day 3. Coalmont for Sage Grouse lek, Hayden

This morning we will get up early, grab a quick breakfast and head east to look for (Greater) Sage Grouse on their lek in the Coalmont area. Leaving early is critical to ensure we are set up before sunrise, when the birds come onto the lek. From our vehicles we’ll be able to watch the spectacle of these amazing birds strutting around, inflating air sacs, and fanning tails to attract a female. From here we’ll continue north to Walden, visiting the Delaney Butte Lakes and the Walden Reservoir in search of some wintering water birds. In the afternoon, we’ll retrace our steps west, birding to Hayden for our first chance to spot Sharp-tailed and Dusky Grouse. After dinner, it is back to the hotel for the evening in Steamboat Springs.

Overnight: Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Day 4. Hayden, Black Mountain, Grand Junction

We’ll start the day with a check of the Sharp-tailed Grouse lek. We should be able to park off the road and get a good look at these birds lekking away in the morning. From here, we’ll head north of Craig to Black Mountain in the Routt National Forest, checking for American Three-toed Woodpecker and Dusky Grouse lekking in the road. We’ll continue south from Craig onto Route 13, looking for waterfowl along the way, especially Cinnamon Teal. At Meeker, we’ll head west towards Rio Blanco Lake to check for loons and other waterfowl, and then drive south along Route 5 through this wonderful wilderness area, checking for birds along the way. Just north of Rifle, we’ll rejoin Route 13 and make a quick stop at the Fravert Reservoir to look for Pinyon Jay, Juniper Titmouse and Bewick’s Wren. There is a good pond here that hosts a variety of waterfowl and both Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. We might see White-throated Swift flying about as well. At Coal Creek Canyon, we’ll pass the Cameo power plant and head into open juniper country, where we get a chance to look for Chukar Partridge, Say’s Phoebe, Rock Wren, and Black-throated Sparrow. We’ll make it to Grand Junction for dinner and our hotel for the evening.

Overnight: Grand Junction, Colorado

Day 5. Grand Junction, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Crested Butte

We start the day with the breath-taking views from Colorado National Monument. Just a few of the target birds here include Gambel’s Quail, Juniper Titmouse, Western and Mountain Bluebirds, and a possibility for American Grey Flycatcher. We’ll check a few of the local reservoirs near Delta for Western and Clark’s Grebes along with a bevy of ducks, and we’ll also scout the cattails for rails and Marsh Wren. Then we proceed to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park’s Rim Drive road. Here, we have another chance to find Dusky Grouse, sometimes seen displaying atop picnic tables! This road offers outstanding views of the canyon. We’ll make our way on the South Rim Drive to the visitor center for some great looks at the canyon. While we may have already seen these species elsewhere, other possibilities here include Golden Eagle, Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay, Violet-green Swallow, Clark’s Nutcracker and Green-tailed Towhee. We’ll also need to keep our eyes open for some amazing mammals such as Mule Deer, Bobcat, Grey Fox and Yellow-bellied Marmot. Our final main destination for the day is the Blue Mesa Reservoir. This area may hold lots of waterfowl, some gulls (American Herring and possibly California Gulls), shorebirds, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Sage Thrasher, and Vesper Sparrow. Get to bed early tonight in preparation for our early start to Day 6!

Overnight: Gunnison, Colorado

Woodhouse’s Scrub Jay can be seen in Gunnison National Park.

Day 6. Gunnison

Today we will head for the Endangered (IUCN) Gunnison (Sage) Grouse lek. Things you need to know: we will be departing the hotel around 4:45 a.m. as we must be parked and set an hour before sunrise, as the birds get there quite early. Once at the viewing area, there is no leaving the cars (no bathroom breaks!) until the birds are finished with their displays, perhaps three hours after sunrise. No morning coffee! There is a simple bathroom at the site, and we should be able to use it upon initial arrival and at the end. Also expect cold temperatures. Over the past years, low temps have ranged from 22 to 33 degrees Fahrenheit (-5 to 0 Celsius). We’ll be going back to the hotel after we leave here – you may want to sneak out a blanket or two. Hand and foot warmer packets are always a good idea as well. No flash photography is allowed here either. Other species we may see while enjoying the grouse are Swainson’s Hawk, Horned Lark, Western Meadowlark, Brewer’s Blackbird and maybe a Gunnison’s Prairie Dog. After a late breakfast, we’ll drive to Crested Butte to check for rosy finches. These rosy finches are all based on snow. If it is snowing in the mountains, it will bring the finches down to the feeders. Otherwise, there is only a low chance of seeing them, so, we will keep an eye on the weather forecast. We’ll spend a couple of hours up here checking local feeders and have some lunch before driving back to Gunnison. In Gunnison there are a few areas to check for Great Horned Owl, Black-billed Magpie, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Townsend’s Solitaire and others, before retiring back to our accommodation for the night.

Overnight: Gunnison, Colorado

The Black Rosy Finch is arguably one of the prettiest North American birds.

Day 7. Gunnison to Pueblo

If we had no luck with the Gunnison (Sage) Grouse the day before, we can rise early and try again, but if we did have luck we will head east towards Pueblo. On the road to Pueblo, we will stop for birding at Monarch Pass to look for more mountain bird species. There is a parking lot from which you will see some unbelievable scenery. As we descend the east side, we will keep an eye out for Clark’s Nutcracker and Band-tailed Pigeon. Other stops along the route will be where there are open rivers – to look for American Dipper. Bighorn Sheep are a possibility as well. Next, we will make a couple of nice stops on Cañon City Tunnel Drive for a chance at Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Rock Wren, Canyon Wren, and Black Phoebe. Cañon City River Walk has some nice riparian habitat for a large variety of birds like Western Bluebird, Lesser Goldfinch and the red-shafted morph of Northern Flicker. This is a great place to eat if the weather is good. After lunch, we’ll continue east to a dry scrub area and the Pueblo Reservoir. Some of our target birds include Scaled Quail, Burrowing Owl, Loggerhead Shrike, Juniper Titmouse, American Bushtit, Curve-billed Thrasher, and Canyon Towhee. We could also see some species of gulls and water birds at the reservoir before settling into Pueblo for the night.

Overnight: Pueblo, Colorado

Bighorn Sheep are a possibility on this tour too.

Day 8. Pueblo to Oakley

Now we leave behind the Front Range and enter the Eastern Plains, going all the way into Kansas with Oakley, Kansas being our final destination. First, we will drive through stellar grasslands with Prairie Falcon, Swainson’s and Ferruginous Hawks and Long-billed Curlew. A few planned stops near the town of Lamar will hopefully net us a few nice species such as Lark Sparrow, American Avocet, Snow Goose and American White Pelican. Finally, we will cross the state border and start ticking birds for our Kansas state list (if you’re into that sort of thing) before we settle in for the night in Oakley.

Overnight: Oakley, Kansas

Day 9. Lesser Prairie Chicken lek, Wray

This morning we will be up and at it early again, this time to get on site for the incredibly special Lesser Prairie Chicken leks. This species has been decreasing at an alarming rate but luckily a few populations are still maintaining in this area, and, with support from the local folks, hopefully they can begin increasing again. We may encounter other nice species while enjoying the leks including Horned Lark and Burrowing Owl. From here we will head north, back into Colorado. We may arrive in the Wray area with enough daylight to search the Wray State Fishing Unit for a variety of migrants and we may potentially hit the lekking area for a shot at Greater Prairie Chicken to hopefully enjoy their evening performance.

Overnight: Wray, Colorado

We will also visit a Lesser Prairie Chicken lek.

Day 10. Greater Prairie Chicken lek and Pawnee National Grasslands

This morning we will visit the Greater Prairie Chicken lek for another chance to see these amazing birds do their display. From here, we will head to the amazing habitat of Pawnee National Grasslands. This area of grassland is mixed with short buffalo grass, which is good for Thick-billed Longspur and Mountain Plover, and the taller grass for Chestnut-collared Longspur. There is also a possibility for Long-billed Curlew, a late Lapland Longspur or a flock of Sandhill Cranes. Ferruginous Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Say’s Phoebe, Burrowing Owl and Golden Eagle are often found here, and while traversing the rolling hills and prairie dog towns we’ll keep an eye out for Pronghorn (Antelope) too. Eventually we will call it quits and head back towards Denver and the airport.

Overnight: Denver, CO

There will be many chances to see the curious Burrowing Owl.

Day 11. Departure

Today marks the end of our journey. We will head to the airport for our departure and the conclusion of an amazing tour. To continue the fun, be sure to check out our Florida Peninsula and Specialties Tour which follows this one or perhaps you will enjoy our Texas Spring and Whooping Cranes Tour immediately preceding Colorado.

Please note that the itinerary cannot be guaranteed as it is only a rough guide and can be changed (usually slightly) due to factors such as availability of accommodation, updated information on the state of accommodation, roads, or birding sites, the discretion of the guides, and other factors. In addition, we sometimes have to use a different guide from the one advertised due to tour scheduling or other factors.

USA – Colorado: Set Departure Birding Trip Report

06 – 16 APRIL 2025

By Jacob Roalef

Overview

This eleven-day set departure birding tour of Colorado began in Denver, Colorado on the 6^th of April 2025 and concluded back in Denver on the 16^th of April 2025. The tour made two circles through the state of Colorado and made quick visits to Utah, Kansas, and Nebraska which allowed for some extra fun and state listing. We visited a wide variety of habitats and amazing birding locations such as Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Bledsoe Cattle Ranch, Wildernest community, Mt Crested Butte, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado National Monument, Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge, Pawnee National Grassland, Lake Pueblo State Park, and more.

Our visit to a Greater Prairie-Chicken lek was truly magical.

This tour connected with many fantastic target bird species such as Black, Brown-capped, and Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches, Pine Grosbeak, Cassin’s Finch, Golden Eagle, Clark’s Grebe, Mountain Plover, Thick-billed Longspur, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Harris’s Sparrow, Pinyon Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift, and more. Of course, a large portion of this trip was focused on game birds and lekking areas. The tour was quite successful with sightings of Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chickens, Dusky, Sharp-tailed, Gunnison, and Sage Grouses, Scaled Quail, and even a couple of established exotics like Chukar and Ring-necked Pheasant.

A total of 152 bird species were seen on this trip, plus one more heard only, to bring our recorded total to 153 species! In addition to the birds, the trip also enjoyed some incredible mammals including Elk, Pronghorn, Black-tailed Prairie Dog, Bighorn Sheep, American Bison, and Red Fox. Full bird and mammal checklists can be found at the end of the report and be sure to check out our eBird Trip Report for more in-depth details.

Brown-capped Rosy Finch was one of three species giving us the rosy-finch sweep.

Detailed Report

Day 1, 6^th April 2025. Arrival and Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR birding

All the trip participants arrived by midday, which gave us an opportunity to sneak some birding in before dinner. We met up in the lobby for some quick introductions and then headed off to the nearby Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR. This park was a great place to get started and begin our trip list. We started off with some scans of several nice ponds where we noted Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Horned Grebe, Greater Yellowlegs, and more. A Yellow-headed Blackbird made a quick appearance on a nearby building, a great species to kick off our list! After checking the water, we drove the auto loop tour here and enjoyed seeing American Bison and Black-tailed Prairie Dogs up close and personal. Of course, we spotted birds as well and became acquainted with some of the more common species like Black-billed Magpie, Western Meadowlark, American Kestrel, House Finch, and Horned Lark. Towards the end of our drive, we found a small group of Mountain Bluebirds to provide a little splash of color on the brown landscape. With 40 species under our belt already, we headed to dinner near the hotel to discuss the upcoming trip and plans for the next ten days.

Day 2, 7^th April 2025. Denver to Grand Junction

We started off today with breakfast at the hotel before loading our gear and heading west through Denver and into the Rocky Mountains. Our first stop was a scan of Loveland Pass. It was quiet here and, despite our best efforts, we only managed to turn up Horned Lark and Northern Raven. With frozen hands, we continued and explored the community of Wildernest up in the mountains. This area is a great place to find some higher altitude species. There was still snow cover on the ground and we discovered a house with some excellent feeders that were absolutely loaded with birds! We found all three rosy finch species here: Black, Brown-capped, and Grey-crowned Rosy Finches, plus many other great birds like Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Steller’s Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Cassin’s Finch, Pine Siskin, and Dark-eyed Junco. The rosy-finches were really a top target and highlight for the whole group, so we spent as much time as possible here and enjoyed seeing around 100 individuals. We picked through them and spotted a Hepburn’s subspecies of Grey-crowned Rosy Finch as well. Eventually, we tore ourselves away and headed off for a tasty lunch in the nearby town of Silverthorne.

After we ate, we had a long drive planned to get closer to Grand Junction. Of course, we made a quick stop at a nearby lake and picked up a nice Barrow’s Goldeneye and Osprey before we began our two and a half hour journey. We left the mountains and arrived at the much more arid environment of Cameo and Coal Canyon. Thankfully, it didn’t take long before we spotted our main target, Chukar, a small, introduced game bird species that has established a population here and is countable on the ABA checklist, but can prove challenging at times. We decided to stretch our legs a little and do some more birding here. We picked up Say’s Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, and Rock Wren, then decided to load up and move on. After some more driving we arrived at our hotel in Grand Junction, checked in and took a small break. Everyone was up for some more birding pre-dinner, so we booked it to the Colorado/Utah border and some sagebrush habitat. We birded just across the state line, and while we didn’t pick up much, we managed to find a Sagebrush Sparrow, a fantastic addition to our trip list and a lifer for some. On our way back to town for dinner, we spotted a few ear tufts sticking up from a nest. Sure enough, a Great Horned Owl was there, peering out at us. A great cap to what was the first of many long and successful days of birding.

The introduced Chukar can be one of the more challenging species.

Day 3, 8^th April 2025. Colorado National Monument to Gunnison

A quick breakfast at the hotel and we were off to Colorado National Monument. We cruised some neighborhoods outside of the park first and picked up a Gambel’s Quail in the scrub; another nice game bird to add to our list. We entered the park and began a short hike at the Devil’s Kitchen Trail, but birding was slow and we only found White-crowned Sparrow and Mourning Dove. We continued the large loop drive of the national monument. The scenery here was absolutely jaw-dropping. We stopped at the Cold Shivers overlook and took in the incredible view of the vast canyon here. Naturally, we enjoyed a spunky Canyon Wren while we did so, as well as some White-throated Swifts darting in and out of the canyon crevices. We proceeded onward, pausing periodically at scenic vantage points, and doing some birding while out of the car. We managed to find several nice species this way, like Bushtit, Juniper Titmouse, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, and Bewick’s Wren. By mid-morning, we snuck out the back way of the park and ventured off to some nearby birding spots that had been good for other targets lately. It took a little bit of time, but eventually we spotted a Lewis’s Woodpecker off in a distant tree. We all filed out to enjoy this colorful bird and then we spotted another flying in. Then another, and another, and another… A total of 18 Lewis’s Woodpeckers streamed by and then disappeared! What an amazing encounter with a fantastic species. Of course, we found a few other noteworthy species as well, like Pinyon Jay and Western Bluebird. We circled back to the park and finished our loop of Colorado National Monument, taking in all the scenic beauty as we descended the canyon back into the town of Grand Junction.

After some lunch in town, we had a lot of ground to cover to Gunnison, our next hotel location, but with several birding stops planned along the way. First up was the local park called Grand Junction Wildlife Area. We searched the bushes and the nearby pond and turned up Wood Duck, White-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Cooper’s Hawk and others, before heading out. We drove a few hours and made it to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Sadly, the campground area was shut off, and the visitor’s center was closed, but we were still able to access the amazing viewpoint to see the black canyon. We squeezed in some time for some birds as well and found Clark’s Nutcracker, Sooty Fox Sparrow, and Sharp-shinned Hawk. Once everyone had the chance to use the restroom, we hit the road again and finished our drive to Gunnison. One final birding stop at Blue Mesa Reservoir yielded us a Western Grebe, then it was time for dinner and a rest in preparation for what would be a very early start tomorrow.

We all enjoyed some close-up views of this Canyon Wren (photo Mike Blust).

Day 4, 9^th April 2025. Gunnison area birding

It was a pre-dawn start as we loaded up and headed for the lekking site this morning. We needed to be in position well before sunrise due to the sensitive nature of the birds. We made it in time and then waited for the sun and show to begin. Way off in the distance, we watched a group of Gunnison Grouse lekking in the early morning hours. Eventually we felt it was ok to get out quietly and use scopes for a better view and to see the longer head plumes of this species. After the Gunnison Grouse display slowed we began to look out for some other species and found Sage Thrasher, Say’s Pheobe, Northern Harrier, and Mountain Bluebird. It was a chilly morning with neither restrooms nor coffee, so it was certainly time to head back to town to warm up and get some tasty food. We spent the remainder of the morning birding around Blue Mesa Reservoir and the McCabe Lane Wetlands. Our efforts yielded some nice species like Cinnamon Teal, Common Merganser, American Wigeon, Sandhill Crane, Tree Swallow, and Black-capped Chickadee. After this we made a quick stop at the hotel for some laundry services and then enjoyed a light lunch in town.

After we ate, we headed north for some more birding. We stopped at a nice bridge crossing in Almont and managed to find an American Dipper working in the fast-paced water here. It is always a special treat to see one of these charismatic birds. We continued and birded along some of the forest edges of the road and found another American Dipper as well as Clark’s Nutcracker, Mountain Chickadee, Red-tailed Hawk, and others. Upon reaching the highest point of our journey, we surveyed the area surrounding Crested Butte but did not locate any notable species or established bird feeders. By now, everyone was dragging a bit after such an early start and busy first few days. We decided to head back to our hotel in Gunnison to rest and relax a little before having a fun dinner in town.

Everyone loved this American Dipper foraging in the rapids!

Day 5, 10^th April 2025. Transfer to Pueblo

Since we had birded the area of Gunnison well the previous day, the plan today was to load up and cover some distance before stopping for breakfast near Salida. After we ate, we checked out the nearby Frantz Lake for a little birding. Here we found Great Blue Heron, Northern Shoveler, and Common Grackle, which was new for the trip. We continued our drive for another hour and half or so until we reached the outskirts of Pueblo, a more desert-scrub type of habitat. We explored some neighborhoods and discovered a nice feeder area that hosted an adorable family of Scaled Quails. In addition to the quails, we picked up some other notable desert species for our trip list like Curve-billed Thrasher and Canyon Towhee. We proceeded to Pueblo Lake State Park, pausing at several designated viewpoints overlooking the lake to do a little scanning. The lake hosted some nice birds like American Coot, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, and Double-crested Cormorant. Most notable though were the high number of Western Grebes here, we counted 17 in total. Time for lunch at a neat café.

After eating, we headed off to the West Pueblo Gravel Pits and did a little hiking to burn off some calories and stretch our legs after so much time in the vehicle. It was a lovely afternoon for a hike and we found some nice birds like Spotted Towhee, Redhead, Gadwall, Ruddy Duck, Cooper’s Hawk, Blue Jay, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, and Myrtle Warbler. It was getting quite hot by now so we headed to our hotel to check in and take a short break. Before dinner we met up again and headed off for some agricultural fields north of Pueblo, with one major target in mind. Upon arrival we were immediately greeted by a Burrowing Owl. We scanned the fields and noted many Burrowing Owls, as well as Western Meadowlarks and Horned Larks. Our efforts continued as we cruised to various areas before eventually locking on to our target, Mountain Plover. It was great to catch up with this tricky species which blends into its surroundings. With Mountain Plover in the bag we headed back to Pueblo for a tasty Mexican dinner and some sleep.

The adorable Scaled Quail was a great sighting near Pueblo.

Day 6, 11^th April 2025. Birding our way to Kansas

The agenda for today was full of miles to cover as we needed to end up all the way in Oakley, Kansas for the night. Of course, we had plenty of birding stops and potential along the way. First up was Lake Pueblo State Park – Valco Ponds. It was a beautiful, crisp, sunny morning for a little bit of hiking and exploration around these ponds. Our efforts managed to trip two different eBird rarity filters, Caspian Tern and Brown Thrasher, both of which were quite surprising to find this morning. Other species here included Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Phoebe, Sand Martin, Great Horned Owl, California and Franklin’s Gulls. From here, we pressed on to Lake Meridith, a decent sized body of water surrounded by cattle farms. We birded here as quickly as possible and, while the smell wasn’t great the birds were, and we netted species like Clark’s Grebe, Vesper Sparrow, American Pipit, and American Avocet. We loaded back up and continued our journey. A quick stop to scan the edges of Cheraw Lake produced more nice species like Snowy Plover and Baird’s Sandpiper. We all enjoyed this nice haul of species today. We then pulled into the town of Lamar for a lunch stop.

After lunch we headed a little bit north for a quick check of North Gateway Park. We rolled up on a Snow Goose directly next to a Ross’s Goose. It was really amazing to have such a close side-by-side comparison of these similar species. We made another quick stop at Thurston Reservoir for a quick scan. We found Blue-winged and Green-winged Teals, American Avocet, Gadwall, and Western Grebe, amongst others. After this we covered some ground and made it to Kansas, where we all began to work on a new list for this new state. It was fun to bring some excitement to more common species again, like Great-tailed Grackle, Red-tailed Hawk, and American Kestrel. We also picked up a few new species for the overall trip like Swainson’s Hawk and Ring-necked Pheasant. The rest of the day was spent birding some farm fields, adding to our Kansas list before eventually settling into our hotel in Oakley for the night, after a long day.

We managed to catch up with this nice Clark’s Grebe.

Day 7, 12^th April 2025. Oakley Lek and transfer to Wray

It was an extremely early start today as we had to meet up with our escort guide to take us onto a private property for our lek adventure this morning. Changing time zones also meant an even earlier start, but no matter, the excitement for the chickens had us all ready in time. We made the drive, met the guide, and got into position inside of our blind. Then we waited for the sun to rise and the chickens to do their thing. The anticipation built as we began to hear the Lesser Prairie-Chickens call and display, but we couldn’t quite see them yet. Finally, the sun began to illuminate the horizon, and we sat and enjoyed the incredible show of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken for several hours this morning. We waited until the lekking behavior began to fizzle out before we snuck our way out and off to breakfast. On our drive to breakfast, we spotted a few Lesser Prairie-Chickens out and about, plus a lone Lark Bunting along the fence line. This was a fantastic species to add to our list. After breakfast, we made it back to the hotel for a short break and then loaded up our gear to set our sails towards Wray, Colorado.

The goal for the remainder of the day was to arrive in Wray in time to meet with Mr. Bob Bledsoe and get a summary of his property and our lekking site the following morning. This left us with some options, but we decided it would be the most fun to add to our Kansas list and try to get to 50 species. We headed off and made it to a local park called Jack Kriss Natural Area by midday. We spent about 45-minutes here and hiked and birded all this park had to offer us. This added many species to our state list like Sandhill Crane, Franklin’s Gull, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, and Purple Martin, which was new for the overall list too. We continued to a small water treatment plant in hopes of adding some waterfowl and shorebirds to our Kansas efforts. This proved to be quite fruitful as we added Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Baird’s Sandpiper,
Black-necked Stilt and more, bringing us to our goal of 50 species! As we drove along the many farm fields, we were shocked when we discovered an American Barn Owl sitting on a fence pole in the middle of the day, species 51. With that we said goodbye to Kansas and hello to Nebraska for a moment. We spent a little time here and tallied up a dozen species before getting back into Colorado to catch our meeting, check in, eat dinner, and sleep!

A visit to this Lesser Prairie-Chicken lek was a top highlight.

Day 8, 13^th April 2025. Wray Lek and Pawnee National Grasslands

Another pre-dawn start had us navigating the fields of Bledsoe Cattle Ranch in the dark. We managed to find our way to the blind, an old horse trailer turned bird blind. We got settled in and waited. Soon the booming of the Greater Prairie-Chickens began. The lekking display of the Greater Prairie-Chicken may have been a bit more impressive and amazing than the lesser yesterday, what a show! A few Burrowing Owls joined the chickens to provide some extra entertainment. Eventually, getting cold, breakfast and coffee called our names. It was back to the hotel to warm up, fuel up, and load up. Today was going to be a marathon day with hundreds of miles to cover, so we didn’t waste time and headed off for the Pawnee National Grasslands. Unfortunately, we had to deal with a troublesome tire and very windy conditions today, but this didn’t stop us. We gave our best effort at these massive grasslands on the auto loop and quickly got onto a Thick-billed Longspur, before the winds picked up and it disappeared. We drove the dirt roads and found nice species like Vesper Sparrow, Loggerhead Shrike, Western Meadowlark, and Sage Thrasher, plus many Pronghorn to add some mammal excitement to the mix. Towards the end of our loop we stopped at the watering hole and got out, battling extreme winds and fighting to keep our hats on. A Thick-billed Longspur dropped right at our feet and allowed for some amazing views, much better than earlier! We looked up and saw a large storm system approaching fast. We knew it was time to get out of here and towards Fort Collins.

We had a little time to check out some birding areas in town and managed to add American White Pelican and American Goldfinch to our list. However, we ran into a hiccup as we returned to the van, our troublesome tire had given out and was almost completely flat. Luckily, we were in town and able to find a place to patch it up, conveniently located next to a fun brewery. We decided to turn lemons into lemonade and enjoyed dinner here while waiting for the car. After this we still had nearly four hours to drive, so it was straight to Steamboat Springs and bed.

We scored some close views of this Thick-billed Longspur (photo Barry Blust).

Day 9, 14^th April 2025. Walden and Arapaho NWR area birding

By now we were starting to get used to these pre-dawn starts for leks. Today was no different as we loaded up and headed off to some back roads outside of town. As we approached, we slowed down and scanned the roadside. Suddenly, we got some eye shine and a blob in the road, Dusky Grouse! This sharp looking male was strutting his stuff in the middle of the road. Our headlights beamed on it and allowed us all some excellent views. Another Dusky Grouse was displaying further up the road as well. We eventually drove on, and now grouse were easy to spot up and down the road. Amazingly, we counted a total of eight Dusky Grouse this morning before sunrise. With one grouse target down, we shifted focus to our other species. We cruised up and down an area known for their lek before we eventually spotted a few random Sharp-tailed Grouse in the bushes. Finally, we found the Sharp-tailed Grouse lek way out in the field, with over 30 individual birds. We enjoyed some nice views through our scope as these birds paired off and displayed in front of each other. Time to warm up with brunch and coffee back in Steamboat Springs. The remainder of the morning we spent birding around town at Fish Creek Falls. We were able to find Townsend’s Solitaire and Red-breasted Nuthatch, both new for the trip, as well as Steller’s Jay, Osprey, Tree Swallow, and Mountain Chickadee. Around this time, we were all starting to drag a bit after so many long days and early mornings in a row, so we took a much-needed midday break for a few hours.

It was fantastic to spot this Dusky Grouse in the road in the early morning hours.

Once we were feeling rested and refreshed, we headed off towards Walden for a little afternoon birding. Along the way we spotted a Long-billed Curlew working out in the grassland fields, a great pickup for the trip list. After religiously checking every Swainson’s Hawk during our drive we arrived at Walden Reservoir, which was absolutely teeming with birds. Loads of great species were found, like Long-billed Dowitcher, Black-necked Stilt, Eared Grebe, American White Pelican, Cinnamon Teal, Bonaparte’s Gull, Redhead, and many more. The sheer number of birds here was impressive. We headed off to the Arapaho NWF auto tour for the remainder of the day. We checked out the various bodies of water here and did our best to avoid the numerous White-tailed Prairie-Dogs making holes along the side of the road. Despite all our waterfowl searches throughout the trip, one species was still eluding, but finally we managed to find a Northern Pintail here. It had become a running joke at this point, but I was happy to finally have that one checked off our list. Other species here included Greater Yellowlegs, Bufflehead, Sage Thrasher, Canvasback, and American Wigeon. It was time to head back to Steamboat Springs for supper, but our persistent raptor checking finally turned up a new one as we spotted a Rough-legged Buzzard perched on a power pole. A nice way to cap off the day.

Day 10, 15^th April 2025. Coalmont Lek and back to Denver

On the final morning of our final full day, we had one final lek to visit. This meant another early, pre-dawn start to get into position well before the birds arrived at the lek. We loaded our luggage, made it to the spot, and waited for the show. The stunning displays of the Sage Grouse was certainly impressive and fitting as a grand finale for our series of leks. The Sage Grouse is much larger than the other grouse species we had encountered so far, and these birds displayed closer to the road allowing for fantastic viewing. The activity level began to peter out, and it was time to say goodbye and move on to breakfast. Our goal for the remainder of the day was to make it back to Denver, but we still had a few target species left to track down. After we filled our bellies, we carried on and finally spotted a Golden Eagle as it soared on the horizon. This species had been eluding us for too long and it was great to catch up with a pair of these impressive birds.

The Sage Grouse lek in Coalmont was truly something spectacular!

Next up was a nice patch of Ponderosa Pines along Ute Pass. It didn’t take long before we heard the distinctive drums of Williamson’s Sapsucker. We managed to spot this bird and scored some nice views. Williamson’s Sapsucker was certainly a top target for today, but we enjoyed Townsend’s Solitaire and Dark-eyed Junco as well, before we moved on to Loveland Pass. We gave our best efforts here but sadly came up nearly empty handed. A pair of Canada Jays on our way out at least added another tick to our list, as this species had eluded us as well thus far. It had been a nice day so far as we added the more common species that we had been missing. The remainder of the day we spent back in Denver at Bear Creek Lake Park to search for one final target. Thankfully we managed to spot a linger Harris’s Sparrow here, a much-wanted species for some in our group and a great final bird to add to our trip list. Other more common species here included Black-billed Magpie, Bald Eagle, White-crowned Sparrow, and Common Goldeneye. We fought with Denver traffic and made it to our hotel near the airport in time to enjoy a final dinner together, outside in the beautiful spring weather here in Colorado.

Day 11, 16^th April 2025. Tour conclusion

Today was departure day. By now we were all exhausted from the trip as we had covered 2,650 miles (4,265 km) in the past ten days! Most of us had morning departures, so we caught up on some sleep, enjoyed breakfast at the hotel, and said our goodbyes before heading our separate ways home. The trip had many great moments and memories and we spent some time at the previous dinner discussing our favorite bird sightings. The top highlights, in no order, were Black Rosy-Finch, Sage Grouse, Dusky Grouse, Lesser Prairie-Chicken, and Williamson’s Sapsucker. It was difficult to select just a few favorites after a fantastic trip!

This American Barn Owl in the middle of the day was a big surprise.

Bird List – Following IOC (15.1)

The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following BirdLife International: CE = Critically Endangered, EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable, NT = Near Threatened.

Mammal List

 This is a sample trip report. Please email us ([email protected]) for more trip reports from this destination.

USA: Colorado – Lekking Grouse and Rocky Mountains

 Tour-specific Information

PASSPORT AND VISA

For US citizens, no visas or passports are required. You will need to bring along a government-issued ID as they are sometimes required for hotels.

Non-United States citizens will require a valid passport to enter the country, and some may require a tourist visa. Please consult with your local US Embassy for more details and information. You may need to show your ID/passport at various hotels or for the boat departures on this tour.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

We strongly encourage you to purchase trip cancellation or interruption insurance in case you have to cancel due to illness or for any other reason, as tour payments are non-refundable as per our terms and conditions. We advise you to get a plan which covers all your medical care and evacuation back to your country of residence, repatriation, and trip cancellation due to illness just prior, or any other reason.

HEALTH

Colorado does not pose any major health risks, aside from high altitudes on a few days. On one day of the tour we will be at approximately 12,000 ft (3,650 m), which we will be reaching by vehicle. Typically, this involves scanning from fixed positions with minimal walking in the snow. Ample water and layers will help combat this elevation and we will be sure to increase our altitude at a slow pace. Water will be available throughout the tour and please feel free to bring your own reusable bottle to refill throughout the tour as the tap water here is safe.

MEDICAL CONDITIONS

Please make sure that you are covered by medical insurance in case of an emergency while on this trip. Without insurance the cost of medical care can be extremely high. Please notify us, at the time of registering for this tour, of any medical conditions you think we should know about (including allergies, heart conditions, epilepsy, etc.). This will greatly help us to cater to your needs and update emergency services if required.

WEATHER/CLIMATE

The weather in Colorado in April can vary drastically from 70 °F (21 °C) down to 20 °F (-7 °C). Conditions can vary from heavy snow to beautiful sunny weather and sometimes these changes can occur in only a few hours, especially as we change in elevation. Layers and warm clothing options are a must to help with the wide range of conditions. Early mornings at lekking sites can be especially cold as we wait patiently without much movement and before the sun rises. Waterproof and rain gear are essential to ensure comfort while on the tour as it can rain or snow at any time.

ACCOMMODATION

We will be staying at comfortable hotels throughout the tour.

COMMUNICATIONS

Our hotels should have decent access to Wi-Fi throughout the trip and phone service is typically fine near these areas and in the larger more populated cities. There are times throughout the trip where we will be out in the wilderness and higher altitudes so do expect to lose coverage at some points.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND PACE OF TOUR

There are several very early starts on this tour (4:30 am) in order to get to lekking areas before sunrise. We will have something light to eat and head out to the lek where we will be viewing either from the van or a blind. Once we begin, we will not be able to leave or get out of these areas and we must remain as still and quiet as possible.

After the lek is complete, we will have a fuller breakfast and gather our luggage/gear and proceed with the day. There is also a lot of driving involved with this tour as we are covering a huge amount of ground, but of course there will be birding stops along the way, to help break up the drives. Hiking/walking requirements are relatively easy and done either along the road or well-maintained trails and typically less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) at a time. Keep in mind that while the distance and pace of walking is mild, we will be at higher altitudes at times.

WHAT TO BRING

Please kindly read the general list of what to bring on a birding tour, here.

Layers and waterproof gear are always a good idea when preparing for a wide variety of possible weather conditions, and we consider them essential on this tour. We also do recommend bringing Dramamine or other motion sickness medications if you need them, as there are long drives in the vehicle. Also, please bring along a face mask (or a few) to ensure we are able to follow local guidelines during the Covid-19 pandemic, as they will be required in certain areas.

Do not forget – Binoculars, prescription drugs (also bring the generic names for these drugs), toiletries, prescription glasses (and a spare pair), sunglasses, camera, batteries (for electronic equipment and chargers for re-chargeable batteries if required), alarm clock, money pouch, field guide(s), daypack.

Key documents and cash – Passports, your travel or health insurance cards, photocopies of which can be carried by the tour leader in case of emergency, Covid-19 vaccine card (or photo/copy), credit cards. US dollars for drinks, gifts, tips, items of a personal nature, etc., which are not included in the tour cost.

LUGGAGE

There should be enough space for each participant to bring one medium-sized suitcase as well as a personal bag to keep at their seat with them. Please do be mindful with large cameras or tripods if you choose to bring these along.

Download Colorado: Lekking Grouse and Rocky Mountains Information