Salt Lick Trail

Every morning, I've had the opportunity to bird right across the street from where I'm staying.  I just found out today that this trail is Salt Lick.  It's filled with childhood memories and great birding.

The trail has unfortunately been plagued, as has much of the front range, by a wood boring beetle that has killed most of the pine.  At the beginning of the trail, they just last year took down all the pine and left the timber in piles.

I thought this would be a huge problem, which is certainly is, but birds have adapted and in fact, some of the best birds of the trail were seen in this area.

The trail wind down from here to a beautiful creek that's filled with the sounds of Lincoln and White-crowned Sparrow, as well as Wilson's Warblers.

Wilson's Warbler Habitat

White-crowned Sparrow

Wilson's Warbler

Every where I went, I was followed by the high-pitched trill of Broad-tailed Hummingbirds.  I also had a   Rufous Hummingbird but couldn't get a shot of it. 

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

The trail continues West into some higher elevation and ultimately into a Wilderness Area that goes on forever.  I followed the river most mornings, and found a trail that went through some nice Aspen.

This area is filled with birds.  I found this guys near the edges.

And one of my favorites.

Red-naped Sapsucker

I'm off to cook some breakfast for the crew.  Eggs, sausage and steel-cut oats are sounding better than posting.  More to come.

Sell