Colorado Birding

Pinos Creek - Rio Grande County
Aliases:
Ownership: None Listed
Description: A paved road passes through a sequence of dry scrub, pinyon/juniper, and cottonwood along Pinos Creek and then becomes an all-vehicle gravel road climbing up through thin forests to Summitville, offering a wide variety of habitats and birds en route. Along the way watch for Great Blue Heron, Yellow and Wilson's Warblers, Willow and Cordilleran Flycatchers, Western Wood-Pewee, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Nighthawk, Sharp- shinned and Red-tailed Hawks, Black-headed Grosbeak, Bullock's Oriole, Western Tanager, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Northern Flicker, Downy, Hairy, and Lewis's Woodpeckers, Red-naped Sapsucker, Spotted Towhee, Vesper Sparrow, Warbling Vireo, Red Crossbill, Pine Grosbeak and Gray Jay. Band-tailed Pigeon is possible. Local owl experts believe that Boreal Owl is present in the higher area, which is usually closed by snow in winter.

Habitat: Pinyon-Juniper Forest, Stream, Streamside Willow, Lowland Riparian, Mixed Conifer Forest, Mountain Meadow, Spruce-Fir Forest
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Directions: On the west edge of Del Norte, turn south from US 160 on CR 14, to FR 330.
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