COLORADO AND WYOMING 23 May–7 June 2009 Leaders: James P. Smith and Peter Basterfield

This tour combines some of the more difficult North American species, including rosy-finches, longspurs, grouse and woodpeckers, with some of the most stunning scenery in the whole of the USA. Many mammals, butterflies and wild flowers will also be seen on this tour .

Day 1 Scheduled flight from London to Denver, Colorado, followed by a short drive to Fort Collins for a three-night stay.

Days 2–3 We will drive up into the Rocky Mountains National Park. As we rise in altitude we can expect to see Band-tailed Pigeon, Red-naped and Williamson's Sapsucker, Cordilleran and Hammond's Flycatchers, Clark's Nutcracker, Steller's Jay, Townsend's Solitaire, American Dipper and MacGillivray's Warbler. It is however the Trail Ridge Road, above the tree line, that we are heading for. Here we will look for White-tailed Ptarmigan, American Pipit, Horned Lark and Brown-capped Rosy-finch. As we rise through the various life-zones Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel, Colorado and Least Chipmunks and Yellow-bellied Marmot can be found and, with all this potential prey about, raptors are quick to take advantage and Golden Eagle and Prairie Falcon can be seen as high as the tundra. Some of the lakes in the area have excellent picnic sites with good birding and species we may see include Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler, Dark-eyed (Gray-headed) Junco, Pine Grosbeak, Cassin's Finch and the very tame Gray Jays. Both days will be spent in the mountains at altitudes of up to nearly 11,000 feet, birding and enjoying the superb views. One evening we may look for Common Poorwill.

Day 4 Today we will drive through the Pawnee National Grassland where both Chestnut-collared and McCown's Longspurs breed alongside Horned Larks, Lark Buntings, Cassin's Sparrows and the declining Mountain Plover. Again there will be plenty of mammals about including Pronghorn, Coyote, Badger, Mule Deer, and Black-tailed and White-tailed Jackrabbits. In addition there are Thirteen-lined and Spotted Ground Squirrels and Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, whose holes are sometimes utilised by Burrowing Owls. These smaller mammals and rodents attract birds of prey including Ferruginous and Swainson's Hawks. The gently rolling hills, cliffs and riparian woodland support Great Horned Owl, Common Nighthawk, Eastern and Western Kingbirds, Blue Jay, Northern Mockingbird, and Bullock's and Orchard Orioles. We continue to head north into Wyoming for a two-night stay at Laramie.

Day 5 In the morning we will visit a similar grassland habitat looking for any species we may have missed. In the afternoon, we will visit Lake Hattie Reservoir, where we will look for breeding White-faced Ibis, Snowy Egret, Blue-winged, Cinnamon and Green-winged Teals, American Wigeon, Redhead, Wilson's Phalarope and Caspian Tern.

Day 6 We head west into the Rocky Mountains again, this time into the Snowy Range. As well as many species previously seen, we may see Dusky and Olive-sided Flycatchers, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches and Pine Siskin. At Lewis Lake we will again be at around 10,000 feet. In the afternoon we will continue west to Rock Springs for a one-night stay.

Day 7 Heading north, our first stop will be in the sagebrush country around the Big Sandy and Eden Valley Reservoirs where Greater Sage-grouse, Sage Thrasher and Green-tailed Towhee can be found. Continuing north, our next stop will be the New Fork and Green River Lakes. This is not only an extremely beautiful area but the birds are also excellent, with Black-headed Grosbeak, Fox Sparrow and Red Crossbill all possible. Eventually, we will arrive at the town of Jackson on the very edge of the Grand Tetons for a four-night stay.

Days 8–9 The valley called Jackson Hole is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in the whole of North America. We will spend these two days visiting a number of sites both in the valley and in the mountains. There are many new species to look for and these include Trumpeter Swan, Barrow's Goldeneye, Ring-necked Duck, Sandhill Crane, Clark's and Western Grebes, Long-billed Curlew, Broad-tailed, Calliope and Rufous Hummingbirds, Belted Kingfisher, Black-backed and Three-toed Woodpeckers, Blue and Ruffed Grouse, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee and Brewer's, Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds. Taking the tram to the summit of Rendezvous Mountain, we will look for Black Rosy-finch and Rock Wren, whilst one evening we will look for the magnificent Great Gray Owl in the forests.

Day 10 Today will be the non-avian highlight of the tour for some: a visit to Yellowstone National Park and, in particular, Old Faithful Geyser. There are not as many birds in the park as in the Jackson Hole area, but the mammals are easier to see and range from Bison, Elk and Moose to the possibility of Black Bear, or even Grizzly Bear. There could still be a few new birds to see, however, and these may include Harlequin Duck, Bufflehead, Mountain Bluebird, Cliff, Northern Rough-winged, Tree and Violet-green Swallows and Hermit and Swainson's Thrushes.

Day 11 Sadly, we have to leave the Grand Tetons and head south again. We will stop at birding sites en-route, including Seedskadee National Wildlife reserve, where we will look for Great Blue Heron, California and Ring-billed Gulls and Forster's Tern. Near to our overnight stop, we will visit the Flaming Gorge on the Green River where Bewick's Wren, Juniper Titmouse, Ash-throated and Gray Flycatchers, Western Scrub-jay, Plumbeous Vireo, Black-throated Gray Warbler and Sage Sparrow can all be found. Overnight in Rock Springs.

Day 12 Continuing south back across the state border into Colorado, we pass close to Dinosaur National Monument. Red-tailed Hawk, Golden Eagle, American Kestrel and Peregrine all in occur in this arid and remote country. Along the Green River, Western Wood-pewee, Marsh Wren and Yellow-breasted Chat breed. We continue south across more spectacular landscape, culminating in the Douglas Pass at 8268 feet, until we arrive at Grand Junction for a two-night stay.

Day 13 Today we will explore the country to the south of Grand Junction. Two places in particular will be visited: Colorado National Monument and Box Canyon Falls in Ouray. Species which can be found at the former site include Gambel's Quail, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Cassin's Kingbird, Bushtit, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Virginia's Warbler, Gray Vireo, Pinyon Jay and Black-throated Sparrow. Box Canyon is a speciality site for Black Swifts, which can be seen at close quarters on their nests and, with some perseverance, swirling overhead with the more common White-throated Swifts. Our last site of the day will be the Black Canyon of Gunnison to look for the rare and local Gunnison Sage-grouse.

Day 14 We head east across the great continental divide until we reach the road to Mount Evans which, at 14000 feet, is the highest road in North America. We will slowly walk the trail to the top (all of 64 feet in altitude!), looking for White-tailed Ptarmigan and Brown-capped Rosy-finch and admiring the profusion of wild flowers. Returning to the main highway we continue east. At Dillon Reservoir, however, we take the Loveland Pass road where we will experience our final Rocky Mountain birding before dropping down through five different life-zones until we reach the mile-high city of Denver where we spend our last night.

Day 15 There may be time for some local early morning birding to look for Burrowing Owls before returning to the airport for our early afternoon overnight flight back to the UK.

Day 16 Morning arrival in London at the end of the tour.

General Information The climate can vary from very cold in the mountains to quite hot in the grasslands. There will be a moderate amount of walking, mainly on good trails, but at altitude this can be quite tiring. There are no special medical requirements and insects are not a major problem. Visas are not required. Distances are quite long but the roads are good and driving is relaxed, with plenty of opportunities to stop for food and drink. Accommodation standards are good with all motel rooms being spacious and having 2 beds, en-suite shower and WC, air-conditioning and TV. Food is relatively cheap and we will be taking breakfasts and evening meals together at restaurants at the discretion of the leader. Food is excluded from the tour cost; allow about $20 per day depending on your requirements.

Group size Minimum number for tour to go ahead: 8; maximum group size: 9 with 1 leader, 16 with 2 leaders.

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