Colorado Highway 10 - Quiet, Open Space

State Highway 160 to Walsenburg

I drove from Alamosa to Rocky Ford along State Highway 160 this past Tuesday, to catch Highway 10 east in Walsenburg - a bridge between a grower workshop on Monday, and the drive home to Fort Collins. Being that far south in the state, gives an opportunity to pay a visit to another one of the Colorado State University research centers. There was little traffic along the way for a road that does as much up-and-down through the plains as it does right-and-left turns. I didn't intend to stop and look at birds, but when I saw a flock of turkey off to the right in a pasture, I had to make a U-turn. 

Here are the rafter of Wild Turkey that first caught my eye - an abrupt U-turn was required for a better look, than the rush-by 60 mile per hour viewing in 1.2 seconds. The wattle under their chins was back lit by the morning sun, and was highlighted in contrast to their already dark bodies that seemed almost like silhouettes.

Nearly across the road from the turkey, was a reservoir filled with all kinds of ducks. It would have taken climbing a bank and hurdling a fence, with disregard for a PRIVATE PROPERTY sign - VIOLATORS WILL BE ARRESTED, to get a closer look. So, a long-shot and reference to a Colorado duck identification Webpage will have to do for now. Perhaps among these are American Coot, Bufflehead, Greater Scaup, Mallard, Ruddy Duck - cannot tell for sure when using the iPhoto Crop feature, but there are lots of different species here - even Great Egret.

Also along the way, I saw several large groups that appeared to be conventions of Western Meadowlarks gathered together. The collective noun for a group of larks is an exaltation. When I rolled down my window for a picture, there were many singing as a chorus. There were probably more of meadowlarks than any other species I saw that morning: soaring in the sky, singing to the morning sunlight, setting among the tussocks of bunch grasses and cactus.

Pronghorn Sheep were spotted every once-in-awhile - some close to the road, others in herds at a distance, the back-end of some among the sage brush, a small herd near a fence that runs perpendicular to the fence along the road. All seemed to look over their shoulders at me, as if expecting me to be there watching with some more sinister purpose than shooting video camera images.

A listing for the fauna seen that morning, along Colorado State Highways 160 and 10:

Common Raven - jet back, tall and brave against the approaching car, feasting on fresh road kills

Western Meadowlark - many off both sides of the road, sitting on fence wire, or soaring in the sky

American Kestrel - two sitting on electric wires above the road

Mourning Dove - suddenly appearing after the plains, once I was near irrigated fields in the valley

Wild Turkey - gathered in the morning sunlight

Duck and Egret - on the open man-made lake, behind the levees and tall grass

Pronghorn Sheep - antelope  are found in Africa and Eurasia, not the plains of North America

Mule Deer - dark hair and only the sight of their behinds among the shrubs off Highway 160

Vesper Sparrow, or White-crowned Sparrow, or...... whatever sparrow that is - need to stop to see what is sitting on the fence; not good at identification when driving 65 mph

Brewers Blackbird - Jet black colored, and dull black feathered coast, ready for the first freeze that coming night

Otero County Road Crew - preparing the pavement on Road DD near Road 21 for the coming winter

 ______________________
A audio recording explaining collective nouns for groups of birds.