Seasonal Bear Creek winds about a mile through this working horse ranch, with cottonwoods, shrubs and grassland habitats providing outstanding birding, especially during migration. Two ephemeral ponds attract a variety of waterfowl and water birds after rains. Conveniently located just west of US Hwy 297/385 the ranch is home to Blue Rose Ranch Horse Rescue and Adoption. An optional high-end B&B with meals and hot tub, horse training, horseback riding, and tours of the Horse Rescue and horse interaction are available.
Comanche
What Southeast Colorado Is All About
There are places in the Comanche National Grasslands where you can stop your car by the side of the road, get out and spin 360 degrees, without seeing a single sign of human presence anywhere besides the road. And if you continue to stand there as night falls across the prairie, you likely won’t hear a single motor, nor see artificial light on the horizon. Come morning, with the Lesser Prairie-Chickens dancing and the Cassin’s Sparrows skylarking, you’ll think the shortgrass and yucca stretches on forever–until you get in your car and drive a mile down the road, to the edge of an unexpected cliff, where you’ll stand on the lip of a rimrock band and look three hundred feet down to the stream that carved this gorge out of the grasslands, where a herd of bighorn sheep might be watering. Some places on the plains are an acquired taste, but this is not one of them. This is what Southeast Colorado is all about.
Burchfield 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
Springfield
The largest town and county seat of Baca County has some trees worth checking for migrants in season. Mississippi Kite, Great-tailed Grackle and Chihuahuan Raven have been observed here. Check especially the trees in the city park (two blocks west of Main between 4th and 5th) and around the Baca County Courthouse (on the west side of Main between 7th and 8th). You may see Turkey Vultures around the water tower, and the grain silos attract dove and pigeons. The water treatment plant, just outside of town, may be worth a visit, especially in winter. The only hotels in all of Baca County are here.
Carrizo Canyon Picnic Area
A large permanent spring and a good lowland-riparian grove make this a great site. Along with picnic sites, interpretive signs and rock art, there is also some good pinyon-juniper forest and yucca grassland. Birds are similar to those at Cottonwood Canyon. This can be an excellent area for reptiles and amphibians, including softshell turtles.
Canyon Journeys
Canyon Journeys Tours offers customized and established tours of some of the heritage sites in Baca County. Please see the tours page to learn more about the tour options. Canyon Journeys Tours is based out of the small town of Pritchett, CO. While the company does not have a store front yet, this is where Canyon Journeys offers tours and lodging for a variety of experiences in southeast Colorado and the surrounding region. Choose from several established tours or customize a tour of your own to visit many sites in Baca County includling Picture, Carrizo, North/Hold, and Cottonwood Canyon and the Santa Fe Trail.
Picture Canyon
Like most of the southeast’s remote canyons, Picture Canyon has abundant pinyon-juniper woodland and rimrock/cliff habitat. In addition to those, there are some excellent permanent springs, with some associated riparian growth, and some high-quality yucca grassland. A nice system of trails allows access to all these habitats, and a wide array of great scenery. Look for Rufous-crowned and Cassin’s Sparrows, Eastern Phoebe, and Long-billed Curlew (on the drive in) and wild turkeys; the rimrock has a few owl nests in the rock and harbors rattlesnakes, and some of the semi-permanent pools along the intermittent streams are home to the striking black-and-yellow tiger salamander.
Campo
Campo is the gateway to the Lesser Prairie-Chicken lek located on the Comanche Grasslands east of town, as well as to the well-known Picture Canyon and Carrizo and Cottonwood Canyons located at the foot of the Mesa de Maya west of town. This is a tiny town with few trees, but it is so isolated that significant migrants can be found here. Stop to have breakfast at the Campo Cafe and look for warblers and vireos in spring. A nice area with picnic tables and mature trees is located on the grounds of the town community center where you may see owls in the trees.
**NOTE: CPW will not disclose any lek locations due to the severe decrease in lesser prairie chicken populations. Restoration efforts are in place, however viewing opportunities are restricted in order to protect what numbers we do have.
Comanche Grasslands
Colorado’s ‘other’ grasslands are much less visited by birders than the Pawnee, but can actually be better, especially for hawks. Most of the grasslands have a high percentage of yucca, unlike grasslands further north. Driving the roads through the grasslands, especially during the winter and early spring, will produce an excellent variety of hawks, including Ferruginous (possibly more numerous here than anywhere else in Colorado). During March and April, McCown’s and Chestnut-collared Longspurs are possible, and sometimes they even winter in the area. Mountain Plover can be found in areas with very short grass, as well as Burrowing Owls. Long-billed Curlews breed in larger, less disturbed pastures. Many rare mammals could also be seen, including Badger and Swift Fox.
Burchfield State Wildlife Area
Remote and little visited, this spot has the potential to be a first-class migrant trap. Tall cottonwood groves and a dense willow understory define this location. There is also some good brush along the small creek, and a small pond. This is a good spot to find Red-bellied Woodpecker. White-tailed deer, rabbits and foxes take shelter here in the only cover for miles in any direction.
Walsh
A small town in far eastern Baca county, Walsh has a surprising number of trees and owls are very prevalent here. Also, worth a check for migrants. It is also the only place around the get gas or food.