Colorado is one of the most diverse states in the Union. With deserts—high and cool or low and warm—prairies, deciduous, pine and stunted tree-line forests, 14,000 foot peaks with alpine tundra and every habitat in between, Colorado has something to capture everyone’s attention.

April is an exceptional time to visit Colorado. Winter and Spring co-mingle with breathtaking results. Winter still reigns atop striking snow-capped mountains providing a magnificent backdrop to Spring’s first blossoms appearing along river banks and prairies. Like the landscape, avifaunas are also mingled. Winter residents linger along thawing lakes and new Spring migrants/summer residents are arriving each day. This is also the month when grouse gather at communal leks

Five species are to be found on these leks (traditional display or ‘dancing’ arenas) in full display. An extraordinary set of histrionics—tail-raising, wing-fanning, foot-stomping, air-sac inflating, moaning, groaning, cackling, hooting, pacing, spinning and jumping—that has to be seen to be believed. Greater and Gunnison Sage-Grouse, Lesser and Greater Prairie-Chicken and Sharp-tailed Grouse are the lek performing headliners, but we’ll also search for Dusky Grouse and the charming White-tailed Ptarmigan (still garbed in elegant white) as we crisscross the state. Our Colorado ‘Chicken Run’ offers participants the opportunity to see these highly sought, charismatic and often hard to find grouse and prairie-chickens while enjoying the journey.

In addition to these wonderful ‘chickens,’ we’ll search for many of Colorado’s special birds: Brown-capped, Gray-crowned and Black Rosy-Finches in the mountains; Swainson’s and Ferruginous Hawks, Mountain Plover, Long-billed Curlew and Chestnut-collared and McCown’s Longspurs on the prairies; Lewis’s Woodpecker, Williamson’s Sapsucker and Mountain and Western Bluebirds in the foothills and Scaled Quail, Greater Roadrunner, Curve-billed Thrasher, Rufous-crowned Sparrow and Canyon Towhee in the desert. Many other western species and early spring birds will be found along the way and this is a good time to turn up something unusual or out of place. Last year’s tour found several rarities including a first confirmed Colorado record of Cactus Wren!

Interesting mammals are plentiful: prairie landscapes bustle with captivating Black-tailed Prairie Dogs and scurrying ground squirrels. Elsewhere we should find a nice assortment of larger mammals with Pronghorn, Bighorn Sheep, Elk, Mule and White-tailed Deer, Moose, Coyote, Red and Swift Fox being found on previous tours. With a bit of good fortune something rare, like Bobcat or Mountain Lion, may be spotted.