The Chicken Run April 13-23, 2015
Colorado Birds are wonderfully diverse here! For total number of species, Colorado ranks about sixth among all 50 states, give or take a place or two depending on whose list you are considering. Our tour is designed to allow us to spend time birding the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Colorado Plateau, each day emphasizing the western birds you seldom or never see on the east coast. We plan the tour to allow at least two opportunities for each of the many target bird species. Some days will be birdier than others, and some days will afford more new birds than others. But every day will be a complete natural history experience! Greater Prairie-Chicken Lesser Prairie-Chicken Sharp-tailed Grouse Gunnison Sage-Grouse Greater Sage-Grouse Dusky Grouse White-tailed Ptarmigan Three-toed Woodpecker Williamson s Sapsucker Red-naped Sapsucker Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Black Rosy-Finch McCown s Longspur Chestnut-collared Longspur White-winged Junco Sage Thrasher Brewer s Sparrow Mountain Plover
Day 1 Flights to Denver D Fly: into Denver, arrive midday or earlier. Birding En Route: Drive from Denver towards the west, including searches for Williamson s Sapsucker, White-tailed Ptarmigan, and rosy-finches. Welcome Dinner. Night: Buena Vista. Day 2 Buena Vista to Gunnison Birding: Loose schedule to search for area target species between Buena Vista, Black Canyon, and Gunnision National Park areas. Target Dusky Grouse. Night: Gunnison. Day 3 Gunnision Lek to Grand Junction Visit to Lek: Gunnison Sage-Grouse. Birding En Route: Crested Butte, Colorado National Monument, rosy-finches, and Pinyon Jays. Night: Grand Junction. Day 4 Grand Junction to Craig Grand Mesa. Target Red-naped Sapsucker and Sagebrush Sparrow to the north. Scout the Sharp-tailed and Dusky Grouse leks. Night: Craig. Day 5 Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek Visit to Lek: Sharp-tailed Grouse near Hayden followed by a Dusky Grouse try. Birding En Route: Scout the Greater Sage-Grouse leks heading east past Steamboat. Night: Walden. Day 6 Greater Sage-Grouse Lek Visit to Lek: Greater Sage-Grouse in Coalmont or Delaney Butte depending on scouting reports. Birding: Drive east to Poudre River, Cameron Pass, Moose Visitor Center. Evening Grosbeak and American Dipper. Night: Fort Collins. Day 7 Birding in the Grasslands Birding En Route: Through Pawnee National Grassland s west section. McCown s Longspur and Mountain Plover. Night: Wray. Day 8 Greater Prairie Chicken Lek Visit to Lek: Greater Prairie-Chicken. Birding En Route: Through grasslands. Frequent stops for target birds. Night: Lamar. Day 9 Lesser Prairie Lek Visit to Lek: Lesser Prairie-Chicken. Birding: Lamar to south of Denver. Target desert birds. Night: Castle Rock (hotel location may change to accommodate targeted birds). ~ Continued ~
Day 10 Castle Rock to Denver /D Birding En Route: Towards Denver including chances again for Williamson s Sapsucker, White-tailed Ptarmigan, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Ducky Grouse, and the rosy-finches. Loose schedule to search for missed species. Night: Denver and a Farewell Dinner. Day 11 Departures Fly: Out from Denver in the morning. B DISCLAIMER: This trip spends a great deal of time driving. Colorado is a big state and has a lot to offer, and the drives are usually quite scenic, but it requires a lot of time in the vehicle. James Restivo has been leading tour s for Connecticut Audubon for a number of years and is now a veteran guide. His resume of tours includes Nebraska's Platte River, New Hampshire's Connecticut Lakes, Pennsylvania's Hawk Mountain, and Massachusetts' North Shore. Before his introduction to CAS EcoTravel, he spent time working with The Nature Conservancy in central Texas on various projects including banding and nest monitoring of Black-capped Vireos, habitat control for Golden-cheeked Warbler, and a management program for prescribed fires. Also, his experience includes bird banding and mist-netting work in Alaska and California. James has traveled throughout North America in search of birds, and touts a world-wide life list of approximately 1,500 species. Phil Rusch grew up in Mystic, Connecticut and spent his teenage years working at the Pequotsepos Nature Center, where he caught the birding bug. He graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1985 with a degree in Biology. While a student at UConn, he spent 3 ½ years working in the vertebrate research collection. An avid hiker, as well as birder, Phil has climbed the New England 4000 footers and the New England 100 Highest peaks. He has traveled extensively in the lower 48 states including Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and the six New England States. Phil is employed at the University of Connecticut as a renovations project manager and lives in nearby Chaplin with his wife and daughter. Other qualified leader/drivers will be added as needed.
Colorado can be inhospitable in mid-april. You should expect anything from glorious to cantankerous; tee shirts one day and winter coats the next. Our trip can even have summer (90 degrees plus) and winter (below freezing) on the same day. Some years we never wear anything heavier than a light jacket; other years we have blizzard conditions and impassable mountain roads. But inclement weather in April is always ephemeral! As general advice, expect daily temperatures from the low 50s to mid 70s. Wind can be completely absent or a dominating nuisance. You will be anywhere from 4,000 to 12,000 feet above sea level, at which elevations sunburn and dehydration occur very quickly. One should wear long pants and light-weight, long-sleeved shirts as a basic defense against biting flies and mosquitoes, prickly plants, wind chill, and sunburn. Wear lightweight walking boots as daily footwear and a widebrimmed hat as a primary defense against a sunburned face. Use sunscreen and sip water throughout the day. All lodgings will be in high quality hotels, in many cases the best non-chain hotels with local flavor. When such is not available, Holiday Inn, Marriott, Best Western, Days Inn, or similar will be used. All rooms have private bathrooms and have been reviewed for cleanliness and comfort. In some areas, lodgings have been chosen because of their interesting design and/or location on an interesting landscape. A complete list of the hotels will be given to you with your final information package and can be left with a family member or friend. Transportation in Colorado will be in a four-wheel-drive vehicle to assure access to mountain roads. $5,485. $4,885. The above costs is based upon a minimum of four paying participants traveling together. If there are fewer, a surcharge will apply. This group is intentionally kept small (four participants/two driver-guides/one large four -wheel-drive vehicle) to allow for maximum flexibility while birding and sightseeing, and safety.
CAS Membership: $50 Single or Family. SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT: $625. ESTIMATED AIRFARE: $335 from Hartford. Rates are estimated at the time of publication and can change. All passengers will be notified should any change occur. Land Transportation: All ground transportation with the group in Colorado. Two driver-guides will escort each vehicle for safety with long drives. Accommodations and Meals: All hotel and lodge accommodations based on two people sharing a room. Single rooms may be available at a supplementary cost, but are not guaranteed. Meals as indicated in the detailed itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner). Note: Some of the lunches may be picnic style and bottled water is included. Miscellaneous Fees: Hotel taxes and park entrance fees are included. Should you decide to deviate from the set itinerary, you could incur additional costs (i.e., transfers, accommodations,etc.). Passport and visa fees, airfare, airfare taxes, airport taxes, baggage charges, medical insurance, travel and baggage insurance, porter s tips, any activities not specified in the tour itinerary, those activities listed as optional, meals not listed in itinerary or while in transit, gratuities, and all items of a personal nature such as laundry, medical expenses, alcoholic beverages, and room service. The trip is not strenuous, and anyone who is reasonably fit and in good health should be able to participate. You will, however, have long flights and will be spending many hours in a vehicle. Land travel will sometimes be over very bumpy and dusty roads. The maximum altitude you will reach is more than 8,000 feet above sea level. If you have any questions about your ability to participate in this trip, please contact Connecticut Audubon Society EcoTravel for more information. You should be aware that medical services or facilities may not be readily available during all or part of your trip. This could include emergency medical care, presence of physicians, or adequate medication.
A deposit of $1,000 is required upon booking your trip, payable to Connecticut Audubon Society (CAS) along with completed reservation form. The balance is payable 120 days before the departure date. CAS will provide an invoice for final payment. Payment in full is required when bookings are made less than 120 days before the departure date. Space is subject to cancellation if payment is not received on time. must be made to Connecticut Audubon Society in writing and sent to: Connecticut Audubon Society EcoTravel, PO Box 903, Essex, CT 06426. At the time we receive your written notification, the following per person charges apply: 120 days or more before departure: $300 cancellation fee, plus Connecticut Audubon Society s costs, as well as fees that are charged by the suppliers providing the services included in your tour, and/or the airlines providing the air transportation. 119 days or less before departure or anytime after departure: NO REFUND. Refunds for services that are voluntarily not used by you cannot be made. Connecticut Audubon Society EcoTravel PO Box 903 Essex, CT 06426 Include your name(s), mailing address, email address, phone, name of the trip for which you are signing up, and payment. 860-767-0660 or toll free at 800-996-8747 or email us at: ecotravel@ctaudubon.org Each participant must be covered by medical insurance. We strongly urge you to evaluate your risk and to take out insurance on your trip. It is vital for you to realize that if you experience a delay or find it necessary to cancel or cut short your trip for any reason, you will lose part or the entire sum you ve invested in it (see the section Deposits, Cancellations and Refunds in the trip brochure). Connecticut Audubon Society EcoTravel can supply you with insurance information.
Travel insurance helps to minimize the risk of monetary losses you would incur in the event of a delay of your departure due to weather, airline strike, missed connection, etc., your inability to travel for reasons such as illness, injury, unforeseen financial complications, and other personal circumstances, or if you were required to cut your trip short for medical or any other reasons. There are restrictions and limitations on any insurance program. For this reason, please read carefully the information provided to you by Connecticut Audubon Society, which outlines their program of trip cancellation, baggage, and medical insurance. Trained agents are available to answer your questions, so don t hesitate to call the toll free number in their brochure. It is to your advantage to apply for insurance at the earliest possible time, so don t delay in making a decision.