CBC Colorado Trip

[Derb Carter <derbc@selcnc.org>]

The Carolina Bird Club's Colorado Spring grouse trip (aka chicken chase) was
a great success.  We observed all the target species displaying on leks:
Greater and Gunnison Sage-Grouse, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Greater and Lesser
Prairie-Chickens.  Bonuses included a displaying Blue Grouse and a flock of
White-tailed Ptarmigan in snow white winter plumage.  Adding Ring-necked
Pheasant, Scaled Quail, and Northern Bobwhite, we had ten gallinaceous
birds.  We also found many "Colorado specialties" between the grouse
encounters and were lucky with both early spring arrivals and lingering
winter species.  Weather was fantastic except for the near blizzard on
departure day.  It was an enthusiastic group to lead, anxious to get to the
next grouse leks at 4:30 or so in the morning and tolerant of the nearly
2000 miles of driving required to see all the species.  Some highlights of
the trip follow:

Clark's Grebe
Northern Goshawk (pair at close range)
Ferruginous Hawk (one pair on nest)
Prairie Falcon
Greater Sage-Grouse
Gunnison Sage-Grouse (should be listed as endangered)
White-tailed Ptarmigan
Blue Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse (ask Jeff Pippen to show you how it dances)
Greater Prairie-Chicken  (my vote wildest vocalization)
Lesser Prairie-Chicken (becoming scarce)
Mountain Plover (becoming very hard to find)
Franklin's Gull (rosy breeding plumage)
Burrowing Owl
Lewis's Woodpecker
Williamson's Sapsucker
Red-naped Sapsucker
Pinyon Jay
Juniper Titmouse
Bohemian Waxwing
Harris's Sparrow
McCown's Longspur
Chestnut-collared Longspur
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Rosy-Finch triple play!)
Black Rosy-Finch
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch

Derb Carter
Chapel Hill, NC