The Colorado Birding Trail
Several years ago (mid 2010’s?) a whole slew of partners both governmental, non-profit and private land owners came together to create what is now the Colorado Birding Trail. It is a collection of “trails” in various parts of the state. Each “trail” is a collection of sites focused on that particular region that allow people to go to view birds. Each trail is usually made up of federal land, state wildlife areas, and private property that have given permission with in a set of guidelines for access. It’s pretty cool! Following these trails you will probably head to some places in the state you wouldn’t otherwise go.
Trails in Baca County Colorado
Comanche Trail
“There are places in the Comanche National Grasslands where you can stop your car by the side of the road, get out and spin 360 degrees, without seeing a single sign of human presence anywhere besides the road. And if you continue to stand there as night falls across the prairie, you likely won’t hear a single motor, nor see artificial light on the horizon. Come morning, with the Lesser Prairie-Chickens dancing and the Cassin’s Sparrows skylarking, you’ll think the shortgrass and yucca stretches on forever–until you get in your car and drive a mile down the road, to the edge of an unexpected cliff, where you’ll stand on the lip of a rimrock band and look three hundred feet down to the stream that carved this gorge out of the grasslands, where a herd of bighorn sheep might be watering. Some places on the plains are an acquired taste, but this is not one of them. This is what Southeast Colorado is all about.” (taken from the Colorado Birding Trail Website)
Two Buttes Trail
“Among Colorado birders, this area of Prowers and northern Baca Counties is nearly synonymous with migration. Isolated from each other by miles of high prairie, the city parks and cemeteries of Lamar, Granada and Holly, the woodlots and stream corridors of the private ranches in the area, and the magical canyon at Two Buttes State Wildlife Area are magnets for tired birds passing through in spring and fall. Add to this the prairie-chicken leks, the huge seasonal concentrations of Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes, the pronghorns and the deer, and the subtle prairie scenery, and you’ve got a top-flight destination for naturalists of all kinds.” (taken from the Colorado Birding Trail Website)
Other Southeast Colorado Birding Trails Include
Prairie Canyons Trail – Including the canyons along the Purgatorie River to the west and north of Baca County.
The Plover Trail– Along the Arkansas Valley from La Junta east to John Martin Reservoir and a bit to the north.
The Pronghorn Trail – Along the Arkansas Valley from La Junta west to Fowler including sites to the north and south along that corridor.
The Snowgoose Trail – This trail follows the playas and sites north of Lamar up towards Eads and Sheridan Lake.
All links in this post can be found at https://coloradobirdingtrail.com