Colorado Birding

Greater Prairie-Chicken areas - Yuma County
Aliases:
Ownership: None Listed
Description: The sandsage prairie just north of Wray contains the vast majority of Colorado's Greater Prairie-Chickens. This species only displays on private land in Colorado. Several groups operate tours to see the chickens on their leks in spring, and this is by far your best shot at seeing the birds. If you are dead set against paying for a tour, you can look for the birds along the county roads north of Wray and east of US 385 just after dawn in April and May. The chickens are easy to hear from the road but often difficult to see—most of the leks are on the far side of the numerous hills! No matter how close the birds sound, DO NOT LEAVE THE ROADS. The landowners patrol these roads at this time of day and year. They have a reputation for being very gracious to birders who have respected their property boundaries—and rightfully hostile to those who haven't. Please keep the reputation of the birding community sound.

Habitat: Grassland/Prairie, Yucca
Elevation:
Directions: To get to the densest concentration of leks, drive north on US 385 from Wray about eleven miles and turn right (east) onto CR 45. This road winds around, eventually looping south to become CR PP, which goes all the way south to US 34 east of Wray. Chickens could be seen all along this route, though the northern half is better. Other leks might be seen along the adjacent stretch of CR RR and along roads KK and 42, south of CR 45.
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