Hello, Birders.

Peter Burke, Duane Nelson, and I were guests at the Beatty Canyon Ranch 
(PRIVATE), Las Animas County, the past two days, Friday-Saturday, May 31-June 1.

As we arrived late yesterday afternoon, Peter and I were greeted by a GREATER 
ROADRUNNER carrying nesting material; it immediately joined another roadrunner. 
A cool start to a great visit.

Next, Peter and I birded some cottonwoods, where the highlight was a bare 
minimum of 5 SUMMER TANAGERS. We probably saw more than that. Also present were 
at least 11 MISSISSIPPI KITES, 3 RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS, and 2 EASTERN PHOEBES; 
thus, birds with a Midwestern bent. But we also saw birds with a canyonlands 
bent: 4 BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRDS, 2 WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS, 1 LADDER-BACKED 
WOODPECKER, 5 ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS, 3 CASSIN'S KINGBIRDS, 1 JUNIPER 
TITMOUSE, 2 CANYON TOWHEES, and 2 LESSER GOLDFINCHES.

Duane then found us, and we proceeded to a campsite.

Early the next morning, we woke up to GREAT HORNED OWLS, COMMON POORWILLS, and 
COMMON NIGHTHAWKS. Next, we were expertly and invigoratingly guided by Duane 
up, up, up to the top of O V Mesa. Our trek gave us encounters with such 
goodies as 1 GRAY VIREO, 3 RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROWS, 4 BLACK-THROATED SPARROWS, 
and 1 glorious HEPATIC TANAGER. Also nice were 8 PINYON JAYS and vast marauding 
hordes of ROCK WRENS and BEWICK'S WRENS.

Peter and I then made a quick check again of the cottonwoods, where we added a 
LEWIS'S WOODPECKER and enjoyed repeat appearances by Red-headed Woodpeckers, 
Mississippi Kites, and Summer Tanagers. On the drive out, we saw a SCALED 
QUAIL, a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE, 2 WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS, and a CURVE-BILLED THRASHER.

Thanks to Steve Wooten, to the Beatty Canyon Ranch, and to The Nature 
Conservancy in Colorado (TNC-Colorado) for their vital stewardship of wonderful 
habitats for birds in Las Animas County. This mini-expedition was sponsored by 
TNC-Colorado and Colorado Field Ornithologists.

Ted Floyd
tedfloy...@hotmail.com
Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado                                       

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