We flew into Denver for a long holiday weekend, driven by a singular goal: to find the elusive White-tailed Ptarmigan that we had missed during our 2015 Little Big Year. This trip felt like a second chance, a return to the Colorado mountains for a bit of redemption.
A Tale of Two Parks
After a late-night flight, we were up early and went straight to Barr Lake State Park. We were grateful to a park ranger who pointed out nesting Black-billed Magpies and the location of some Barn Owls, which were easy to find thanks to the gathering of photographers and their big lenses. The park’s diverse habitat rewarded us with 28 species, including Western Grebe, Western and Eastern Kingbirds, and four different swallow species. We were happy to learn that the park offers Summer Nature Camps in conjunction with the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies.
After birding in other states for a few days, we returned to Colorado and headed to Lory State Park on the Horsetooth Reservoir. We hiked the Well Gulch Trail, which offered both great views and excellent birding. Among our finds were Cordilleran Flycatcher, Western Tanager, Yellow-breasted Chat, and both Lesser and American Goldfinch.
Trail Ridge Road and a July 4th Triumph
On July 4th, we went to Rocky Mountain National Park. We stopped at the Sheep’s Lake Information Station to wait for the bighorn sheep to make their morning appearance, but even with a videographer there, they were a no-show. We moved on to the Endovalley Picnic Area, a great early-morning birding spot, where we found Steller’s Jay, White-crowned Sparrow, and Cassin’s Finch along a beautiful stream.
Then, it was time for the main event: the drive on Trail Ridge Road. The scenery is simply breathtaking, with elevations reaching over 12,000 feet, steep inclines, and hairpin curves. It’s almost impossible to keep your eyes on the road with the surrounding mountain views and patches of snow in July. Our destination was Medicine Bow Curve to search for the White-tailed Ptarmigan.
As soon as we got out of the car, another birder said, “I’m looking for the same bird you are!” The bins and khaki uniform gave us away. We ignored the elk that everyone else was excited about; our focus was squarely on one bird. We came to a stream of water, and there they were—two beautiful White-tailed Ptarmigan! Even though they were only about 20 feet away, their camouflage was so perfect that we had a hard time pointing them out to other birders. It was an incredible, long-awaited moment.
Also seen on the ridge were American Pipit, Dark-eyed Junco, and lifer Evening Grosbeak.
A Final Toast to a Successful Trip
For a celebratory lunch, we went to the Baldpate Inn. Not only do they have great vegan food, but the feeders were a hive of activity, with ten Broad-tailed Hummingbirds and a Pine Siskin. On our way back to the Denver Airport, we made one more stop to find a Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay in a neighborhood in Golden we had previously visited.
This five-day trip was unforgettable. It goes to show how important it is to research and explore new birding locations and never give up on a target bird.
Trip Summary:
Trip Birds: 62
Life Birds: 2 White-tailed Ptarmigan and Evening Grosbeak
Next up: Central Adirondack Birding
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