Join me for two full days and two half days of slam packed birding to see and photograph birds in beautiful Colorado. The birds will be active, looking great in their breeding feathers, and singing during this prime time. We visit world class birding destinations including Pawnee National Grasslands, Rocky Mountain National Park, and the best hotspots in between. Plan on adding lots of species to your life list. Sign up for either July 7-10 or July 13-16 with each tour exactly the same. If you also sign up for the Pinyon Juniper plus Tour, we take $100 off the total tour cost. These tours are designed to run back-to-back. No need to rent a car as you will get picked up and dropped off at Denver International Airport.
Prairie to Mountains
NEW
| Dates | 2025, July 7-10 or July 13-16 |
| Duration | 4 days / 3 nights |
| Limit | 10 (2 guides) |
| Price | $1295 / SS $350 |
| Focus | Birding, Photography |
| Pace | Moderately Easy |
| Includes | hotels, ground transportation, guide, and food as noted on the itinerary, 80mm Swarovski scope available for group use |
| Deposit | $500 |
Itinerary
Day 1: Denver International Airport pickup to Longmont
We will pick you up from Denver International Airport (DEN) by 4:00 pm. On the drive to the hotel, we will make a birding stop or two. Once we get settled in at the Hampton Inn in Longmont, we have our welcome dinner and preview the rest of the trip. The hotel is located equidistant to our birding locations to reduce travel time. (D)
Day 2: Pawnee National Grasslands and prairie ponds
The Pawnee National Grasslands spans almost 200,000 acres on the eastern plains of Colorado. We spend our day exploring the best habitat areas for longspurs, sparrows and Burrowing Owls. With thousands or acres, chances are we won’t see anyone else all day. Also stops will include magnificent prairie ponds to round out the species list. (B, L, D)
Day 3: Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park
Spending our mountain birding day in Rocky Mountain National Park will be iconic. Starting early is required to cover all three elevation zones or montane, sub-alpine, and alpine habitats. Bring your camera as we should also see mammals, amazing scenery, and of course, wanted life birds. (B, L, D)
Day 4: Foothill hotspots, feeders, and transfer to Denver International Airport
This morning takes us to the arid rabbit brush and mountain mahogany foothills habitat that welcomes many different bird species. We will enjoy several different stops this morning. Before heading to the airport, we stop at a feeder house for some pictures and up-close looks at hummingbirds. Drive to Denver International Airport (DEN) for departure or to pick up more birders for the Pinyon Juniper Tour. (B, L)
Additional Information
Difficulty
Depending on our destinations, we may do some walking on moderately smooth trails out on the prairie or with some rocky sections that generally rise in elevation. Our total hiking distance each day is around 1-2 miles. Many birds can be found right along the paved roads or a short distance away from the car.
Considerations
Temperatures on the prairie will oscillate between 50-90 degrees. With not much shade, the sun will be direct at 4,900 feet above sea level. Bring a hat, sun protection including plenty of water for the tour. We average only five rainy days each month so lots of sun is expected. Light hikers or sneakers are fine for short jaunts on the prairie. Layers are the key success in the mountains. The weather changes constantly with snow possible in the high county any day of the year. If we go up to the tundra, expect 30-40 degrees cooler temperatures than Estes Park down in town. It is always windy up there as well. Bring gloves, a jacket, and maybe even a beanie hat if cold temperatures are a problem for you.
Altitude
The altitude range for most birding in the park is about 8,000-12,000 feet above sea level. For visitors living outside of Colorado, you should be aware of the potential impacts of altitude. If you have health conditions that may be affected by altitude, you should consult with your health care professional. Drinking lots of water usually helps alleviate some of the systems. Please look through these considerations about altitude sickness here.
Here are our target species for this trip. Let’s see how many we can find!
A – Prairie to Mountains Tour
B – Pinyon Juniper plus Tour
Blue-winged Teal (A)
Cinnamon Teal (A)
Wild Turkey (A)
Scaled Quail (B)
Greater Roadrunner (B)
Eared Grebe (A)
Western Grebe (A)
Clarks Grebe (A)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (B)
Common Nighthawk (A)
White-throated Swift (A, B)
Black-chinned Hummingbird (A, B)
Calliope Hummingbird (A, B)
Rufous Hummingbird (A, B)
Broad-tailed Hummingbird (B)
Virginia Rail (A)
Sora (A)
Black Rail (B)
Black-necked Stilt (A, B)
American Avocet (A, B)
Mountain Plover (A)
Snowy Plover (B)
Wilson’s Phalarope (A, B)
Lesser Yellowlegs (B)
Willet (B)
Greater Yellowlegs (B)
Stilt Sandpiper (B)
Baird’s Sandpiper (A, B)
Franklin’s Gull (A)
Black Tern (B)
American White Pelican (A)
Mississippi Kite (B)
Golden Eagle (A)
Northern Harrier (A)
Swainson’s Hawk (A, B)
Ferruginous Hawk (A)
Burrowing Owl (A, B)
Williamson’s Sapsucker (A)
Red-naped Sapsucker (A)
Red-headed Woodpecker (B)
Am Three-toed Woodpecker (A)
Ladder-backed Woodpecker (B)
Hairy Woodpecker (A)
Prairie Falcon (A)
Western Wood-Pewee (A, B)
Western Flycatcher (A, B)
Gray Flycatcher (B)
Hammond’s Flycatcher (A)
Dusky Flycatcher (A)
Eastern Phoebe (B)
Say’s Phoebe (A, B)
Ash-throated Flycatcher (B)
Cassin’s Kingbird (B)
Western Kingbird (A, B)
Eastern Kingbird (A)
Gray Vireo (B)
Plumbeous Vireo (A)
Warbling Vireo (A)
Loggerhead Shrike (A)
Steller’s Jay (A)
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay (A, B)
Black-billed Magpie (A)
Chihuahuan Raven (B)
Common Raven (A)
Black-capped Chickadee (A)
Mountain Chickadee (A, B)
Juniper Titmouse (B)
Horned Lark (A)
Violet-green Swallow (B)
Cliff Swallow (A)
Bushtit (B)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (A)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (A)
Pygmy Nuthatch (B)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (B)
Rock Wren (A, B)
Canyon Wren (A, B)
Bewick’s Wren (B)
Marsh Wren (A)
American Dipper (A)
Curve-billed Thrasher (B)
Sage Thrasher (B)
Northern Mockingbird (A)
Western Bluebird (B)
Mountain Bluebird (A)
Townsend’s Solitaire (A)
Cedar Waxwing (A)
Pine Grosbeak (A)
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (A)
Red Crossbill (A)
Pine Siskin (A)
Lesser Goldfinch (A, B)
Chestnut-collared Longspur (A)
Thick-billed Longspur (A)
Cassin’s Sparrow (A)
Grasshopper Sparrow (A)
Chipping Sparrow (A)
Brewer’s Sparrow (A)
Black-throated Sparrow (B)
Lark Sparrow (A, B)
Lark Bunting (A)
Canyon Towhee (B)
Rufous-crowned Sparrow (B)
Fox Sparrow (A)
White-crowned Sparrow (A)
Vesper Sparrow (A)
Lincoln’s Sparrow (A)
Green-tailed Towhee (A)
Spotted Towhee (A)
Yellow-breasted Chat (A, B)
Yellow-headed Blackbird (A, B)
Western Meadowlark (A)
Orchard Oriole (A)
Bullock’s Oriole (A, B)
Scott’s Oriole (B)
Virginia’s Warbler (B)
MacGillivray’s Warbler (A)
Common Yellowthroat (A)
Yellow Warbler (A)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (A)
Wilson’s Warbler (A)
Western Tanager (B)
Summer Tanager (B)
Black-headed Grosbeak (A, B)
Blue Grosbeak (A)
Lazuli Bunting (A)
Painted Bunting (B)
