BIRD FIELD GUIDE

FIELD GUIDE

INTRO TO: MESA COUNTY SUMMER ORNITHOLOGY

WORDS, PHOTO & ART

LOGAN WAGNER

Birds are ubiquitous. Anywhere you go, you can marvel at the sounds and spectacles they create. Every habitat lends a new set of avian life to enjoy. This selection is nowhere near a complete guide, but it’s a good start at discerning some common species of interest.

Before heading out, check an Ebird.com hotspot for a recent list at your planned destination and prepare yourself to find the noted species. Borrow some binoculars from Tomlinson or Mesa County Libraries or use a camera with a zoom lens to get a closer look at birds. Try out some of our suggested bird hotspots.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Selasphorus platycerus L 4" Increasingly prevalent as elevation increases. Adult males' wing beats produce a loud whistle.

Black-headed Grosbeak

Pheuticus melanocephalus L 6 3/4" Generally found in low-elevation habitats with thick cover including riparian and montane shrublands.

Lazuli Bunting

Passerina amoena L 5 1/2" Most common birds to sing from cottonwoods in low elevation riparian areas. Also found in Gambel oak and mountain mahogany shrublands.

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Archilochus alexandri L 3 1/4" During migration, may appear almost everywhere, although densities diminish greatly in higher elevation.

Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana L 7 1/4" First spring migrants arrive in mid-May along low-elevation rivers. Nests most abundantly in forests from pinyon/juniper zone to spruce/fir zone.

Blue Grosbeak

Passerina caerulea L 6 3/4" Primarily found in dense shrubs of lowland riparian zones and adjacent agricultural areas. Nest in tamarisk, willow, three-leaf sumac and Russian olive.

BIRDING HOT SPOTS JAMES M. ROBB COLORADO RIVER STATE PARK

The state park comprises five separate properties along the Colorado River: Island Acres, Corn Lake, Colorado River Wildlife Area, Connected Lakes and Fruita. Most of the locations are connected via bike path along the riparian corridor. During migration, it is not unusual to count more than 100 species in a day here.

COLORADO NATIONAL MONUMENT

The property has a multitude of different habitat zones among its sheer cliffs, including pinyon/ juniper forests, sagebrush shrublands, riparian areas and oak woodlands that support many kinds of birds.

GRAND MESA

The Grand Mesa towers above Grand Junction at 10,000 feet. The varied elevations foster a wide array of untouched high-elevation bird habitat areas.

HIGHLINE STATE PARK

North of Loma, the northern irrigation canal meets its terminus at a reservoir. Many rarities have been spotted here. The birding is good all year except for the middle of summer, when the boaters outnumber the birds.

UNAWEEP SEEP NATURAL AREA

Eight miles northeast of Gateway along highway 141 lies a mosaic of streams and hillside seeps that sport a rare assembly of plant life and a great density of birds.

Gambel Quail

Callipepla gambelii L 11" Birds can be found along permanent waterways among thickets, especially greasewood and skunkbush sumac, year round.

Belted Kingfisher

Ceryle alcyon L 13" Females adorn the rusty belt coloring. Common and conspicuous foraging around clearwater habitats up to 10,000 feet. Unique loud dry-rattle call.

Horned Lark

Eremophila alpestris L 7 1/2" Common year-round. Resides in extensive open areas with sparse and short vegetation from arid lowlands to frigid, high plateaus.

Western Bluebird

Sialia mexicana L 7" Some winter in low elevation valleys, other migrants begin to arrive in March. Most abundant in ponderosa pine forests and open pinyon/ juniper woodlands.

Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoides L 7" Found year-round in a variety of habitats from sagebrush shrublands to alpine meadows, especially at dawn singing at the tops of trees.

Spotted Towhee

Pipilo maculatus L 7 1/2" Gravitates toward brushy pinyon/juniper and Gambel oak habitats. Most abundant in summer, but a good number winter here.