Hi, Cobirders.
After two very long days, we are home and I can report on our Chukar Chase to the western slope. Jeanne and I were joined by Lynne Miller as we left early yesterday morning, Tuesday, to go after two target birds: the Chukar and the Lesser Nighthawk.
We arrived at Cameo in Mesa county at 12:15 and spent the next 57 minutes combing the landscape in 93 degree heat. At 1:12pm, Lynne said she had a Chukar in the shade under a rock outcropping exactly .9 miles from the railroad track crossing. In fact, there were two there, and I got a couple of pictures that I have yet to download from my camera.
By 8:00pm last night we were in Nucla in Montrose county to look for the Lesser Nighthawk. We were joined by local birders Brenda Wright and Coen Dexter at the Nucla Sewer Treatment Ponds. At about 8:40pm the Nighthawks arrived in large numbers - probably 80 or more. Culling through the fast moving birds in the waning light was hard, but with Brenda and Coen's help we were able to identify at least two Lessers. Dark and mosquitos drove us back to our car and by midnight we were back at our hotel in Montrose.
Both the Chukar and the Lesser Nighthawks were state life birds for all three of us.
As a side note, if you have never taken CR 114 from just east of Gunnison to Saguache, I would highly recommend this beautiful drive.
Good birding, all.
Mel Goff
Colorado Springs
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