This little town is a wonderful place to refuel or refresh while exploring Ouray County. The trees in town can have migrant warblers and other landbirds in spring and fall. At almost any time of year the town might be invaded by Evening Grosbeaks or Cassin’s Finches, but influxes are unpredictable. A small private pond in the Golden Eagle subdivision can produce some good birds including Sora and Common Yellowthroat. A nice riverwalk trail along the river just north of town has interpretive displays on the Bald Eagles that winter between Ridgway and the Ridgway State Park just to the north. Keep an eye out for Band-tailed Pigeons winging their way overhead or gorging themselves at some local feeder.
Black Canyon
A River Runs Through It
Where the Gunnison River comes tumbling out of the mountains, it gurgles through deciduous bottomland forests that seem to have been transplanted straight from New England, complete with Least Flycatchers and the occasional Veery. Then it pools into Colorado’s largest body of water, providing rest and nourishment to huge rafts of waterfowl and gulls. For its grand finale, it roars down into the ground to rush past Colorado’s tallest sheer cliffs in the magnificent Black Canyon-a canyon the river carved, slicing through solid granite. Along the way, the river sees the Dusky Grouse puffing and strutting in April, hears the White-throated Swifts whizzing overhead in June, and reverberates with the bugling of rutting elk on autumn mornings. If you follow the river down this trail, you’ll never be far from the water-or from the diversity it has created.
Admission: State Parks Pass
Ownership: Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Billy Creek State Wildlife Area
Admission: A valid hunting or fishing license, or State Wildlife Area pass is required for everyone 16 or older accessing any state wildlife area or state trust lands.
Ownership: Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Admission: National Park Service fee
Ownership: National Park Service
Admission: Only one access point (East Portal) charges a fee; all other access is free
Ownership: National Park Service
Ridgway State Park
The focus of Ridgway State Park is a large reservoir that provides waterbirds with one of their only stopping places on migrations through the San Juans. As a result, birding can often be very good on the water, with many species of ducks and shorebirds possible in spring and fall, along with Great Blue Herons, White-faced Ibis, and occasionally loons. Bald Eagles are likely to be spotted soaring over the water, especially from fall through spring. The south end of the park has a trail that goes through a nice riparian area where you may find breeding Western Tanagers and many species of migrants in season; American Dippers nest under the bridge over the small creek. Mule deer are frequently seen in the park, and the beautiful Juniper Hairstreak butterfly can be found around the campgrounds. And even if all wildlife evades you, the view of the San Juan Mountains from this park is absolutely not to be missed.
Billy Creek State Wildlife Area
This is a very interesting State Wildlife Area that will reward the adventurous birder. It consists of several distinct and separate tracts of land that encompass low hills covered in montane shrubland. Dusky Grouse can be numerous in the dense Gambel oak woodlands, and breeding warblers include Virginia’s and MacGillivray’s. The riparian forest along the stream bottom has produced Western Screech-Owl. Elk and deer can be found here, and the oaks may harbor the beautiful Colorado Hairstreak butterfly.
Chipeta Lake
Right in the town of Montrose, this small lake is a nice little island of trees and water that attracts migrant and breeding birds. The small ponds may have ducks at any season; the reeds around the edge will produce Common Yellowthroat and Song Sparrow in summer; and the trees around the edge and along the river are great places to look for the pendulous nests of Bullock’s Orioles. With luck, you might find a Gray Catbird or a covey of Gambel’s Quail.
Montrose
The largest town in this part of Colorado, Montrose is a great place to base yourself for a naturalist expedition to the Gunnison Basin, the northern San Juans, or the Grand Mesa or Uncompahgre Mesa. Right in town, the best birding is along the bike trail that follows the river, which winds through some nice riparian deciduous forest that can have numerous migrant birds in spring and fall and breeding species like Black-headed Grosbeak in summer.
Green Place Ranch
The Green Place Ranch was originally homesteaded in 1924. The ranch is off-grid using solar and wind systems for electricity and solar thermal for hot water and heat. Natural grassfed beef, chickens and turkeys are raised without pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and vaccines. They can all be seen grazing on the mesa. A suite of birds and other wildlife abounds in this remote location and diverse habitat.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
World-famous for scenery, this national park is also well-known among birders as a site for the often-elusive Dusky Grouse. Male grouse perform their spring displays individually in the oaks along the south rim road in spring. Green-tailed Towhees are numerous in the park, and this is a terrific place to see White-throated Swifts swooping dramatically along the cliff edges at eye level, to the music of Canyon Wrens. Sometimes even Gunnison Sage-grouse are seen near the park entrance. Mule deer can be numerous, and you are likely to see fat gray rock squirrels perched like hawks on top of shrubs.
Owl Creek Pass Road
This is a remote and beautiful area with some terrific views of the north San Juan mountains. The gravel roads wind through mountain meadows, aspen groves, and spruce-fir forests. The birdlife is diverse; look for Mountain Bluebirds, Fox Sparrows, Dusky Flycatchers, and in the spruce-fir, Three-toed Woodpecker or even Northern Goshawk. Butterflies here may include Mustard White and Queen Alexandra’s Sulphur. This is part of the area where Lynx have been reintroduced, but you will be exceedingly lucky to see one.
Rainbow Lake Road (CR 724)
A summertime destination, this road climbs from the shores of Blue Mesa Reservoir into the high montane forests, passing through sagebrush and montane shrub habitats along the way. In the sagebrush look for Sage Thrashers and Brewer’s Sparrows; in the shrublands, for Green-tailed Towhees and MacGillivray’s Warblers. The high country can produce Clark’s Nutcracker, Gray Jay, Red Crossbills, and Pine Grosbeak. Mule deer are numerous here, and you might see elk or even bear. Alpine areas are accessible by hiking and only those in good physical condition should attempt to climb South Baldy. There is a camping area at Rainbow Lake. Make sure to bring your camera! The wildflowers are stunning in this area, especially in July.
Sapinero Mesa Road/Lake City Cutoff (CR 26)
The burned and living ponderosa pine trees in this area provide an excellent place to search for woodpeckers, including the uncommon Three-toed Woodpecker. Other forest birds that can be found here include all three species of nuthatch, Mountain and Western Bluebirds, Western Tanager, and possibly even Grace’s Warbler. This road is sometimes closed in spring to protect the nesting Gunnison Sage-Grouse, which you will be lucky to find in the sagebrush here at any season. Elk, deer, pronghorn, and the local Gunnison’s Prairie-Dog are more likely.
Blue Mesa Reservoir
This, the largest body of water in Colorado, can be a great place to see waterbirds in spring and fall. Concentrations of ducks can be especially impressive, with good numbers of Barrow’s Goldeneye during the weeks before the water freezes in December. Butterfly enthusiasts can find a population of Strecker’s Giant-Skipper in the yucca-covered hillsides to the south of the reservoir along CO 149. Pronghorn can be seen in this area as well. The reservoir is part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area, which has three visitor centers and several picnic areas and campgrounds, most of which are closed in winter.
Cooper’s Ranch and the Neversink Trail
Cooper’s Ranch and the Neversink Trail, both part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area, provide access to an extensive mature cottonwood forest along the Gunnison River which can be terrific for wildlife viewing. This is some of the best deciduous forest in Western Colorado, and you can find a great diversity of breeding birds here including Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-headed Grosbeak, and even a few pairs of Least Flycatchers, which are quite rare this far west. In spring and fall, many other species of migrants might be found. Watch along the river for muskrats, beavers and striped skunks.
McCabe’s Lane Wetlands
These mitigation ponds can provide excellent birding, especially in spring and fall, when many species of ducks and other waterbirds come through. This is one of the most reliable places on Colorado’s West Slope to find Snowy Egrets in migration. In the warmer months, several species of swallows skim over the water for flying insects. The ponds here are also host to many species of dragonfly, and muskrats are frequently seen. The short access road is made of ungraveled dirt, so beware of driving on it after rain or snow.
Gunnison
This town is the cultural center of the Gunnison Basin and provides a central base from which to look for Gunnison Sage-grouse in spring and flocks of rosy-finches and other winter wandering birds at feeders in the colder months. Sometimes Lewis’s Woodpeckers can be found in late spring and summer in the cemetery or in the city park. Look for American Dippers along the river in town, especially in winter.