The farmlands around this small airport can be good for sparrows, and the large white-tailed prairie-dog colony has hosted Burrowing Owls in the past. Keep an eye out for shrikes and hawks, especially along the road to the Yucca House unit of Mesa Verde National Park.
Canyon of the Ancients
The Quiet Our Ancestors Heard
The Four Corners country may be the best place in the state to experience a true natural quiet. Here, inside national monuments called Hovenweep and Canyons of the Ancients, below red-rock cliffs and desert mesas, you will have the rare opportunity to get away from human sounds. At any given moment, the sky is more likely to be full of White-throated Swifts and Turkey Vultures than airplanes, and the canyons more often reflect the songs of Gray Vireos and the wailing of coyotes than the chugging of gas drills and four-wheel-drive motors. Because the pinyons, junipers and sagebrush have no moving parts, even the wind makes little sound. You are unlikely to run into people here, but you will certainly see ancient traces of them: this trail passes through the highest density of archaeological sites in the country. More ruins than Mesa Verde, but far less traffic-it’s a formula for a terrific experience.
Admission: National Parks fee
Ownership: National Park Service
Admission: A valid hunting or fishing license OR SWA pass is required for everyone 16 or older accessing any state wildlife area.
Ownership: Colorado Parks and Wildlife/US Forest Service
Coalbed Canyon State Wildlife Area
Admission: A valid hunting or fishing license OR SWA pass is required for everyone 16 or older accessing any state wildlife area.
Ownership: Colorado Parks and Wildlife
McElmo Canyon
Heading west out of Cortez, this road not only provides access to some truly beautiful riparian habitat (viewing should be from the road), but also to Canyon of the Ancients and Hovenweep National Monuments and Yellow Jacket Canyon. Along the road itself, keep an eye out for Gambel’s Quail (rare in this part of Colorado), Black Phoebe (at the CR J bridge), Ash-throated Flycatcher and Cassin’s Kingbird, and Black-throated Sparrow. Common Kingsnake, known from just a few localities in Colorado, has been found along the road, along with a host of other reptiles and local butterflies like Desert Elfin, Desert Marble, and Southwestern Orangetip.
Yellow Jacket Canyon
If you want to see Lucy’s Warbler in Colorado, you will have to come here. This location provides access to an extensive lowland riparian corridor, hard to come by in this part of the state. In addition to the warblers, look for Summer Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, Western Tanager, Yellow Warbler, Hairy Woodpecker, and migrants in season. In the extensive pinyon-juniper woodland on the drive in, look for Black-throated Sparrow, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Gray Vireo, Gray Flycatcher, and Scott’s Oriole. The area around here has the highest diversity of reptiles in Colorado, and spectacular species include Collared Lizard, Longnose Leopard-Lizard, Common Kingsnake, and Clark’s Spiny-Lizard. Be very careful to respect private property in the area. Most of the riparian grove is on private land; the part accessible to the public is the stretch north and east of the fence at the bottom of the hill on the road. Public property ends at the first large side canyon on the right as you head upstream. The first part of the entrance road, off of McElmo Canyon Road, passes through private land, so do not trespass in this area.
Hovenweep National Monument
Most of this small, remote and rarely-visited national monument is in Utah. But the Hackberry Unit, a beauty of a spot, resides in Colorado’s Montezuma County. The pinyon-juniper forests around the parking area are pristine, and harbor Gray Flycatcher, Gray Vireo, Juniper Titmouse, and Black-throated Sparrow. The hike to the Hackberry Ruins takes you to a permanent water seep, a rare thing in this parched desert. Cooper’s Hawks often nest in the small stand of hackberry around the seep, and the trees can also function as a migrant trap in spring and fall. However, please refrain from trespassing in restricted areas, including the seep itself, which is fragile. When birding here, keep in mind that the cryptobiotic soil found off-trail in the area, which is built by algae, lichens, and bacteria, can be completely destroyed by your footprints. The area around this national monument has more species of reptiles than anywhere else in Colorado – look especially for the bright Collared Lizard and the local Long-nosed Leopard Lizard. Many species of butterflies are also found here, including Canyonland Satyr, Desert Elfin, Desert Marble, and Indra Swallowtail.
Sand Canyon Pueblo
Most people, when they come to view prehistoric sites in SW Colorado, envision grand cliff dwellings and remarkably well-preserved huts. The Sand Canyon Pueblo, the largest single Native American ruin in Colorado, defies these expectations. Here, most of the ruin was left unrestored and underground. Nonetheless, it provides an equally educational experience, and it is quite enlightening to see what the ruins look like when nature is allowed to take its course. The birding here is nothing to scoff at, either, and excellent pinyon-juniper forest provides a good chance for all the specialties thereof. Look for Gray and Plumbeous Vireos, Western Bluebird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Black-throated Gray and Virginia’s Warblers, and more. Colorful collared lizards are common here, and mammals such as least chipmunk and rock squirrel are often spotted. Those desiring a desert hike can walk six miles down Sand Canyon to a trailhead on McElmo Creek. This makes for an excellent and fairly easy way to experience remote southwest Colorado while hiking through scenic canyon country.
Lowry Pueblo
Part of Canyon of the Ancients National Monument, this well preserved and partially restored Native American Ruin is an excellent place to bring the family while birding in pinyon-juniper woodland. The forest surrounding the ruins is excellent for species such as Gray and Plumbeous Vireos, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Gray Flycatcher, and Pinyon Jay. Lizards and snakes abound, and in the early spring a number of butterfly species are possible.
Lone Dome State Wildlife Area
The riparian grove along the Dolores River here is one of the best in southwestern Colorado; the quality gets better the farther south along the river you go. Look for species like Western Tanager, Lazuli Bunting, migrant passerines, Western Screech and Great Horned Owls, and wintering sparrows. The extensively covered pinyon-juniper hillsides are good for Plumbeous Vireo, Gray Flycatcher, Pinyon Jay, and Ash-throated Flycatcher. Peregrine Falcon have been found nesting on some of the cliffs in the area. Keep an eye out anywhere along the river for Black Phoebe. The whole area is excellent for a large variety of reptiles; look especially on the rocky hillsides near the county line.
Ferris Reservoir
This small, cattail-filled lake is excellent for many breeding and migrating duck species, as well as Yellow-headed Blackbird, rails, and migrant shorebirds. The nearby meadows play host to bluebirds galore, and the aspen and pine woodlands that surround them should be checked for birds like Cassin’s Finch, Flammulated and Northern Saw-whet Owls, and Pygmy Nuthatch. This whole area is filled with elk and deer, and you never know when you might stumble onto a badger.
Glade Lake
Glade Lake is remote, intermittent and not to be missed. It has the best waterbird potential in the county and perhaps the best shorebird potential as well. Breeders here include Eared Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, Cinnamon and Green-winged Teals, Northern Shoveler, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck and lots of Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Other species that have been seen here include Virginia Rail, Bufflehead, Willet, Least Sandpiper and Red-necked Phalarope. The road south of Glade Lake is good for ponderosa birds including Grace’s Warbler and Lewis’s Woodpecker. Orange-crowned and MacGillivray’s Warblers also breed along this road. Williamson’s Sapsucker and Flammulated Owl are almost certainly in the area. Mammals abound in this area, including the rare Abert’s squirrel, black bear, elk, American badger, and mule deer.
Dolores Canyon
It’s an undeniable fact — western Colorado is filled with awesome canyons. Even so, it is a rare place in which you can drive fifteen minutes from the nearest town, descend down into the canyon and surround yourself with soaring redrock walls while listening to the screams of nesting Peregrine Falcons from the shade of enormous old-growth Ponderosa trees. A campground at the bottom of the canyon, set amidst a large boxelder and scrub oak grove, is a good place to spend the night and to look for species such as Plumbeous Vireo, Green-tailed and Spotted Towhees, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Lazuli Bunting. If you are lucky you could hear Northern Saw-whet or Flammulated Owl during the night. A rough road travels north along the bottom of the canyon, making for either a fun 4×4 trip or a good hike. This is one of the few places in the state to find the flashy California Sister butterfly, and also one of the most reliable spots to see Striped Whipsnake. The other way to gawk at the canyon is to drive the road to the overlook, which passes through extensive ponderosa woodland and scrub-oak hillsides before reaching a point of land on a big bend in the river. Here, keep an eye out for species such as Grace’s Warbler, Cassin’s Finch, Western Bluebird, Pygmy Nuthatch, and Townsend’s Solitaire. Black bear have been seen along the road here, though you will be lucky to see one. Spalding’s Blue, a very local butterfly in Colorado, has been found along the south end of the overlook road.
Dove Creek
The self-proclaimed ‘pinto bean capital of the world’ is also the largest town in Dolores County, and an oasis of deciduousness in the midst of the sage and agriculture. The trees around town can be good for passerines in migration and finches in the winter, and the many hummingbird feeders should be checked for Black-chinned Hummingbirds during the summer and Broad-tailed, Calliope, and Rufous Hummingbirds during the fall. Eurasian Collared-Dove is now a common resident around town. Dove Creek has a hotel and a couple of restaurants, making this a good place to base yourself while birding the area.
Squaw Canyon
A small canyon at the northern reaches of the Canyon of the Ancients National Monument, this is THE place in Dolores County for pinyon-juniper specialties. Look along the road in for Gray Flycatcher, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Pinyon Jay, Juniper Titmouse, Black-throated Sparrow, and maybe even Scott’s Oriole. This area has one of the highest densities of breeding Gray Vireos in the state. The small riparian area in the floor of the canyon is good for Virginia’s Warbler, Lazuli Bunting, Western Tanager, and Black-headed Grosbeak. The small pools of water are excellent for a variety of dragonflies and butterflies; this is one of the best places in Colorado to find Canyonland Satyr. Note that the road in is very rough and requires high clearance, but can be walked if you desire.
Cross Canyon
The roads above this large pinyon-juniper filled canyon pass through extensive sage flats and scattered pinyon-juniper woodlands, making this the most accessible spot in the area to look for Sage and Black-throated Sparrows, Gray Vireo, Pinyon Jay, and other specialties of these habitats. Also keep an eye out for a variety of lizards and snakes, including the gaudy collared lizard and the bizarre-looking short-horned lizard.
Coalbed Canyon State Wildlife Area
One of the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s newest acquisitions, this SWA on the Utah border is mostly made up of a pinyon-juniper filled canyon surrounded by sage flats. A hike into the small canyon should produce Gray Vireo, Gray Flycatcher, Juniper Titmouse, and Black-throated Gray Warbler, while the sage filled areas contain Sage Thrasher, Sage and Vesper Sparrows, and various species of hawks. Also keep an eye out for butterflies, including some species that have restricted ranges in Colorado such as Desert Elfin, Desert Marble, and Southwestern Orangetip.
Bishop and Summit Canyons
These two large canyons in southwestern San Miguel County are a good place to come to get away from it all, as well as see some spectacular scenery. The canyon walls are lined with oak woodland and pinyon-juniper forest, and Western Bluebird, Plumbeous Vireo, Gray and Dusky Flycatchers, and Western Scrub-Jay are common. Look for typical canyon birds such as White-throated Swift, Canyon and Rock Wrens, and maybe even Peregrine Falcon as well. The road becomes rougher the further down Bishop Canyon you go – you can park when it becomes too rough and hike down into Summit Canyon, a hike worth it for the amazing scenery as much as for the birding.