Winter in Northwest Colorado

Hello Friends,

I’m sorry to say that this winter in the Yampa Valley is officially a bust. We are experiencing the lowest snowpack in 50 years and the ground is covered in mud and slush instead of deep powder. This is unfortunate for us and the vegetation and wildlife we share the land with.

Speaking of climate, I have a photograph that is being featured in an upcoming event in Steamboat Springs. The Western Resilience Center (WRC) is hosting an event: INSIGHT: ART FOR CLIMATE ACTION at the Wildhorse Cinema + Arts center from March 3-29. On Thursday, March 5 at 5:30, the artists (including me) will be on hand for the opening celebration. The piece I submitted is a beautiful boreal owl (pictured below) printed on wrapped canvas in 12 x 18. It will be sold for $400 with proceeds going to benefit the WRC’s mission to build a sustainable and resilient Yampa Valley Region.

This boreal owl visited us twice this winter. Our house is at 6,800 feet and is in oak scrub and cottonwood riparian areas with interspersed sagebrush scrub. This habitat and elevation is not typically occupied by boreal owls so we were very surprised to see it.

Here is the description that will accompany the piece: Boreal Owl (Aegolius Funereus)

Habitat loss and climate change are the two biggest threats to boreal birds, especially in the southern regions. Boreal forests are expected to be among the hardest hit by climate change. Forests in Colorado dominated by Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir are considered “boreal like”, mirroring those of their northern counterparts. The boreal owl prefers elevations around 9,500-10,000 feet for nesting, breeding, and brood rearing. Warmer temperatures and loss of habitat will likely extirpate the boreal owl from the southern tip of its range, which includes Colorado and Utah.

Steller’s Jays and Woodhouse’ Scrub-Jays are regular visitors at our house in winter. A mixed flock of these jays alerted me to the presence of the boreal owl when I heard them loudly scolding her for entering their territory.

Grouse Season 2026

We are fully booked for the upcoming grouse season. It’s incredible to think that this business that I started halfway through the lekking season of 2025 has gone from a 2:00 am hair-brained scheme to a successful business in one year. I’m so thankful to all of you for making this a reality. I have a wait-list going for this spring if you want to try for this season or, lets plan ahead for 2027 and get you on the books now!

Fall Travel Edition

Andean flamingo seen in the San Pedro de Atacama desert from October.

Hello Friends,

There isn’t much going on bird-wise in our neighborhood this time of year but I was fortunate enough to take two trip this fall and saw some wonderful birds along the way.

Chile

In October, my wife Emily and I travelled through northern Chile. Starting in Santiago, we travelled south to the Pirque region to check out their Mediterranean flora and fauna. From there we visited the San Pedro de Atacama desert and finished off our trip with a stop in Vina Del Mar and a pelagic birding trip out of Quintero.

Andean Condor, 1 of 12 that we saw south of Santiago.

Moustached turca, a Chilean endemic.

Vicuna at 12,000 feet in the Atacama desert.

Many colored rush-tyrant, a wetland beauty found along the coast.

Inca terns were a highlight of the pelagic.

 Rio Grande Valley Texas

After a few days of recovering from our Chile trip, I hopped on another flight to attend the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival in Harlingen Texas. This was my second trip to the RGV and a chance to revisit the south Texas specialties and gulf coast favorites.

Green jays are a crowd pleaser in south Texas.

Roseate spoonbill seen off South Padre Island.

Bobcat at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. I saw TWO bobcats that day!

Plain chachalacas are wherever you find feeders.

Collared peccaries (Javelina) are common in the RGV.

Book Now for Next Grouse Season

We are filling up quickly for the 2026 grouse lekking season. April is mostly booked, but we have dates available in late March and throughout May. And don’t forget that we offer lodging in Hayden, saving you time commuting and providing a little extra sleep before those early morning lek tours!

Fall 2025

Juvenile American pika seen while backpacking in the Zirkel Wilderness area in early August.

Hello Friends,

For those of you that have been with me from the beginning, you may have noticed the rebranding of my business. Antigone Wildlife Tours was the name I originally came up with while contemplating what to do with myself after leaving my 9-5 job behind in April. I wanted a name that represented my passion for the birds we share our ranch with and the Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) seemed the perfect fit. Both to represent my love and respect for the bird, but also the inspiration behind the name, Antigone, the Theban princess known for her loyalty. Alas, once I realized that I needed to be recognized by the algorithm for people to find me, I came to the conclusion that I needed a name people would find organically that immediately represented my business and Colorado Grouse Tours was (re)born. I’m excited to share with you my new logo:

Fall has begun in the Yampa Valley and the birds are busy preparing for winter. Fledgling chicks are moulting into their adult plumage, this year’s batch of raptors are learning to feed themselves, and the hummingbirds are mostly gone. Birding has picked up with fall migration well under way. We are seeing lots of warblers and shorebirds moving through including nice numbers of Wilson’s warblers.

I recently revisited some of my trail camera videos of lekking sharpies from this spring and started to get excited for next spring. If you haven’t seen the sharp-tailed grouse dance, have a look at my YouTube page to get some close-up footage. (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuscFUQOj6Z3Vs6KYH8Wn4w)

Speaking of next grouse season, we are excited to announce that we have added a lodging option to our grouse lek tour! We have a modern, clean, and spacious 3 bedroom home conveniently located in the town of Hayden. The house sleeps 4 and includes coffee, continental breakfast, pick-up, and late check out (after the tour ends).

One of the great horned owls that nested on the Howe Ranch this spring.