On a Cold Streak Through the American West

It's curious how birding can often mirror other hobbies, like hitting a baseball for example. Right now I feel like a baseball player whose average is below 200 and can't buy a hit. I'm on a streak of terrible luck. Danette and I recently took a trip out to Yellowstone to visit Pat. We had an enjoyable day with him visiting parts of the park that we hadn't seen before. Then, after leaving Yellowstone we made a big loop to the southeast to visit two other National Parks in Colorado that we haven't seen before - Rocky Mountain and Black Canyon of the Gunnison. There were 4 new species of birds that I was likely to see as we toured through these parks and I didn't see any of them. The four that I was hoping to see were Dusky Grouse, Gray Partridge, Thick-billed Longspur and Brown-capped Rosy Finch. Oh well, they will have to be seen on another trip sometime in the future.

I was able to go out early one morning when we were in Ft. Collins and visit the Pawnee National Grassland and drive along the birding trail there. I should have seen the Thick-billed Longspur here but it wasn't to be. This grassland is a remnant of what the Great Plains used to look like before settlers came to the west. It really was quite a remarkable place and I did see some good birds there.

Here is a list of some of the good birds I did see during our western states adventure:

1. Trumpeter Swan
2. Vesper Sparrow
3. Peregrine Falcon
4. Common Nighthawk
5. Swainson's Hawk
6. Ferruginous Hawk
7. Loggerhead Shrike
8. Chestnut-collared Longspur
9. Lark Bunting
10. Warbling Vireo
11. Virginia's Warbler

Trumpeter Swan

Lark Bunting

Swainson's Hawk

Ferruginous Hawk

Chestnut-collared Longspur

Common Nighthawk