HOT July Weekend!
July 22, 2024
A couple weekends ago temps got over 100 degrees along the front range, so Don and I took a quick camping trip up to the Steamboat area to escape the triple digits and get out into nature. We have been preoccupied at home, so it was nice to get away for a couple days. We also needed to get out and collect our trail cameras, two of which had been up since Memorial Day weekend and the other one since last October!
We got up bright and early on Saturday morning and headed for the hills around 5 am. We arrived at our first stop just outside of Kremmling a little after 7 am. We were greeted by some Big Horn Sheep!
Big Horn Sheep outside of Kremmling, CO
It was already busy with people, but once we got out on our hike to the cameras, the singing birds took over. Our hike had now turned into a birding outing (haha). We stopped and watched for a bit and were delighted to see a Gray Flycatcher (rare for the area), heard Clark’s Nutcrackers & Mountain Chickadees calling, and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds zooming around! We retrieved the trail cameras, then had Black-throated Gray Warblers singing on our way back to the car.
A Gray Flycatcher with its distinctive tail-dipping behavior that makes it stand out from other flycatchers!
It was a nice start to the morning, now off to set up our camp north of Steamboat! We made our way back to Kremmling and stopped for coffee at Big Shooter Coffee, which is highly recommended! Along the way to Steamboat, we enjoyed lots of mountain views and fields full of wildflowers! It was a bluebird day and a perfect time to get out of the city. Traffic was fairly light heading towards Steamboat, and it got even lighter once we got to where we were going to set up camp.
(above, some of the many wildflowers we saw while driving to Steamboat and along our hike, click to enlarge each photo)
After setting up camp and taking a lunch break, we packed up to go to the trail head to retrieve our third camera. For this hike, we follow game trails out to a big meadow that is usually full of elk and deer. Or at least all the signs of them being there! The hike is so peaceful as you cross several streams and meander through the ever-changing scenery of sagebrush flats, lush grassy meadows, aspen and pine forest, and steep rocky hills, all while following worn paths that the animals use to access food and water sources, day after day. Along the way, we walked through more wildflowers, were bombarded by a huge flock of White-Crowned Sparrows, were tortured by lots of buzzing flies and mosquitos, and threatened with far-off thunder clouds. Pure, rugged nature.
Along the trail on the way to get the trail camera, after getting through the sagebrush, there are lots of willow bushes! Now where’s the moose?!
As we made our way through the landscape, we came across evidence of a deer or elk bed, enjoyed seeing fish and tadpoles in the streams, listened to and tried to identify the different birds calling, and examined the insects on the flowers. I also nearly stepped on a tiny frog that was hanging out on some moss in a wet spot in the middle of the meadow. It was too quick for me to photograph, but it was the first frog I’d seen at that elevation. After doing some research, I believe it was a wood frog!
(click on each photo to enlarge)
About halfway to the trail camera, Daisy decided she didn’t want to hike anymore. I stayed behind with the dogs and we hung out in the shade with some water, listening for birds and waiting for any critters to pass by, while Don hiked up with steep part of the trail to the big meadow where the camera was.
(click on each photo to enlarge)
After retrieving the camera, Don made his way back down and met us by the water where the dogs got to enjoy some heat relief. We then made our way back to the trail head and decided we would drive around a bit to look for more birds and wildlife before heading to camp for dinner.
(click on each photo to enlarge)
Due to how hot the temperature still was in the late afternoon, we didn’t expect we’d find too many critters out… so we took our time driving up some of the forest roads in the area, found different places to stop, then got out and just listened. In one area in particular, the amount of birds calling was amazing! We heard Western Tanagers, Dark-eyed Juncos, American Robins, Mountain Chickadees, Swainson’s and Hermit Thrush, Chipping Sparrows, Canada Jays, and Violet-green Swallows, along with a Golden-crowned Kinglet! It was really cool to hear all these mountain birds singing and surrounding us. I was hopeful I’d get a close up glimpse of any of them, but alas, they all evaded me! I was particularly hoping to get a photo of a Western Tanager….
We enjoyed listening and seeing a curious mule deer and some police car moths. I also caught a flash of the Canada Jays and Violet-green Swallows, but we decided we should head back towards camp since it was getting late and the mosquitos were starting to get a little too friendly with us.
We were nearly to the end of our drive when I thought I saw a Sandhill Crane! We stopped, but I immediately saw it was a Great Blue Heron instead. The Heron was posing so nicely on the water, with its reflection, that I had to get a photo. Then, as sunset was just beginning, I thought I saw a bird I didn’t recognize in the tree. We stopped and backed up a bit, hoping the bird wouldn’t fly away. THERE HE WAS! A Western Tanager!!! He was almost glowing with the way the lighting hit his yellow feathers, and he was singing so beautifully. I was so happy to snap a few photos before we left him there, singing away.
What a wonderful way to end the evening, now back to camp!
(click on each photo to enlarge)
The next day, we picked up camp and got on the road to explore another favorite area just outside of Walden. We stopped at the Araphao National Wildlife Refuge and drove the auto tour loop. We spent a couple hours looking at the birds and seeing if any new ones had made it to the refuge. Believe it or not, Fall Migration has already started and I was hopeful we would get a glimpse of one of the earlier migrators heading back south. We didn’t end up getting any “lifers” on this trip, but we did get some great looks at the American Coot cootlings and a Brown-headed Cowbird fledgling being fed by a Savanah Sparrow parent! We also got a great size comparison of the American Avocet, Greater Yellowlegs, and Lesser Yellowlegs that were all hanging out and feeding together. There were lots of young birds to see too! It was quite peaceful by the birds, so much so we even snuck in a little nap before heading towards home and ending our day in Rocky Mountain National Park.
(click on each photo to enlarge)
We made our way over to Rocky Mountain National Park. The sky was turning and rain was on the way! We were hoping to see some elk and moose babies and I was hoping to find the Kinglets again. Instead, the wildlife decided to be elusive and we struck out on the west side of the park. We decided to start heading home before it got too late. Going up over Trail Ridge Road is always fun though, and with the rain clouds and impending sunset, it was beautiful! There were a handful of elk grazing on the high elevation alpine, and plenty of tourons running out onto the delicate plants to get a closer look at them. But still, we weren’t seeing much wildlife. As we got down towards the east side of the park, it was just past 6 pm. We decided to give Bear Lake Road a try; maybe a moose or elk was feeding in Sprague Lake!
We got to the lake and unfortunately there were no moose or elk (sad face). We did a quick loop of the parking lot and as we were getting ready to head back out, I saw a different bird that I didn’t recognize. I hopped out to get a better look and maybe get a photo, but it flew off! As I was looking around for it, something else caught my eye - A MINK! I can replay the moment in my head in slow motion, but in reality, it all happened in a split second. I am still mad I didn’t get my camera on it fast enough though. A mink ran right by me on the shore of Sprague Lake, maybe 10 feet away. I was the only one who saw it, and it quickly disappeared into the water and grass along the shore. I was hoping it would pop out again, but it didn’t…sigh…but what a cool sighting anyway! It is the second time I’ve seen one, what a treat!
After that, we made our way back out towards the park entrance but decided to stop one more place where we have had some really good wildlife and bird sightings. We were in for a treat. The area was hopping with birds. Immediately we could hear Broad-tailed Hummingbirds zooming by, then the distinct call of the Western Wood Pewee and Green-Tailed Towhees. Then, a tiny House Wren was spotted foraging on the ground under a huge rock. It saw me and took off, then landed and started carrying on with song. A Western Wood Pewee pair was nesting in a huge Ponderosa Pine near the parking lot, and one of the adults let me get a really nice portrait photo (see below). A charismatic ground squirrel also posed for me. And last but not least, Longs Peak made an appearance through the rain clouds.
On our way out of the park just past sunset, we also caught a glimpse of a mule deer doe with her twin fawns and a beautifully layered look at Moraine Park. Still the best way to spend an evening, high in the mountains immersed in nature!
