A Birder's Guide to Colorado

by Harold R. Holt

Colorado has a wonderful diversity of birds, offering exciting specialties and serendipitous finds to birders from every part of the continent. Most people associate Colorado with its Rocky Mountains - easily accessible right up to the tundra in every season of the year. Winter-plumaged White-tailed Ptarmigan, the same color as snow - as shown in the author's cover photograph from Guanella Pass - is high on any birder's wish list, but on the way up to see it, you will also find the three species of rosy-finch and an excellent variety of jays, woodpeckers, and winter finches. The Rockies is but one of the bird habitats for which Colorado is well known. The Eastern Plains, at their best on Pawnee National Grassland, offer such breeding specialties as Mountain Plover and McCown's and Chestnut-collared Longspurs. In April you may watch Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chickens on their strutting grounds. The Western Plateaus and Valleys, which comprise the western third of Colorado, have their own specialties - Sage and Sharp-tailed Grouse, Chukar Gray Vireo, Black-throated and Crace's Warblers, and many more.

Genres: Birds

392 pages, Spiral-bound

First published February 1, 1997

Reviews

[Pj · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this small-publisher printed book! Found it at my used bookshop for $2- JACKPOT!
It is also sort of a travel guide as well. Describing, not only where the birds are in different regions in Colorado, but candid directions of exactly how to get there.
If you have explored the area of Campo return to Highway 287 and drive west on Road M (3.0 miles north of Campo) to Road 5 (20.0 miles) This is the starting point for a loop of Carrizo and Cottonwood Canyons. For more of the confusing places were a hand drawn detailed map. Off the beaten track type thing! You know, before the days of Android Auto when finding your way was half the adventure!

Now, of course, it being written in 1985 the list added in the front of the book regarding 'new names' for certain species have certainly changed by now. Any birder will take that in account. Also, is a list of all the birds with viewing timeframes and regions (again, birders know things may have shifted). Authors added a list called 'Birds of Particular Interest' and their locations. Added in the back of the book are references to older dated books and lists of mammals, amphibians, turtles, lizards, snakes, and a nice index. This small publisher also published Birder's Guides to:
Southeastern Arizona, Florida, Texas Coast, Churchill, Southern California, and the Rio Grande Valley of Texas

This one is a keeper alongside my BACK ROADS OF COLORADO by Boyd Norton!

[Scott Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ABA bird finding guides are always of consistent high quality & helpful information. This guide is no exception in this regards. I have primarily birded the Western part of the state (Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Colorado National Monuments, Grand Junction/Grand Mesa areas); all well-covered in this guide.