A great number of reservoirs are dotted throughout, and we visited several on the eastern plains of our Colorado trip, some of which held impressive numbers of waterfowl. Thousands of Northern Shovelers were at Lower Latham along with American Wigeon, Bufflehead, Gadwall, Lesser Scaup, Western Grebe and Pintail. At Cherry Creek, American White Pelican, Clarke’s Grebe, Common Merganser, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck in full breeding plumage, a male Cinnamon Teal and American Avocets and four Baird’s Sandpipers rounded out a great mornings of water scanning.

Mule Deer were a common sight at the Arsenal as they lay in the shade of cottonwoods. The Black-tailed Prairie Dog town had several Burrowing Owls sitting guard over their holes. Covering a small area of the vast expanse of the Pawnee Grasslands, Horned Larks and Western Meadowlarks were everywhere. While watching a 13-lined Ground Squirrel scurrying about in cattle grazed field, we located a pair of Mountain Plovers.

Walking the short grass fields we got great looks at both Chestnut-collared and McGown’s Longspur displaying around us. If that was not enough, an immature Golden Eagle flew over and Mike spotted a Prairie Falcon with prey on the ground – a Horned Lark no doubt! Heading towards the eastern end of the grasslands the number of Pronghorn increased, and at Briggsdale a Great Horned Owl was found roosting.

43 Greater Prairie-Chickens greeted us on their lek early one morning in the sandhills, booming, clucking, laughing and stamping their feet – their efforts well rewarded, as we witnessed numerous copulations. By contrast the Lesser Prairie-Chicken numbers in Colorado are dwindling and only a few were seen on the lek, but it was enough to see that their dances are different – jumping and pausing more than their larger cousins.

Between these two leks we stopped at Bonny Lake where hundreds of Sandhill Cranes were staging before heading to the breeding grounds. Snow and Ross’s Geese were resting on the shore while 7 Franklin’s Gulls were found on the lake. We watched Northern Harriers doing their aerial displays and came across a pair of Long-eared Owls, with one calling to its mate on the nest. At Nee Noshe a Great Horned Owl was perch atop a post in the marsh and a pair of Snowy Plovers were settling into their nesting territory along the shore. Later in the day while looking for passerines at Lamar College whitewash on an evergreen tree alerted us to the possibility of an owl, and sure enough it was another Long-eared.

© J&A Binns