About the Great Sand Dunes National Park:
http://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm
Map:
http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Alamosa+CO&sll=37.774446,-105.509777&sspn=0.033243,0.055017&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Alamosa,+Colorado&ll=37.782926,-105.516043&spn=0.033239,0.055017&t=h&z=14
Location: Great Sand Dunes NP - Pinyon Flats Campground- Alamosa, Colorado
Observation date: 6/7/10
Number of species: 4
Pinyon Jay - Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus 2
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pinyon_Jay/id
Common Raven - Corvus corax 2
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/common_raven/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/bank_swallow/id
We arrived at the Great Sand Dunes NP at around noon on Sunday, June 6th. Entry fees for the park were waived ofr the day, so that was a nice welcome. Very few campsites remained, but we were able to secure a walk-up tent site in the Pinyon Flats campground. It was a relatively warm day, not too hot, so after setting up camp we decided to go down to Medano Creek and relax for a bit.
As we left Medano Creek a thunderstorm began rolling in at about 4:00 pm from the west. It was amazing to watch the storm creep over the dunes; the contrast between the storm and the sunny day was remarkable. As the sky began to darken we made the decision to head back to the campsite.
After the rain passed a small group of Bank Swallows flew around the campgrounds looking for food. Periodically, they would land on a dead tree near our campsite, where they would chatter to one another before they took flight again. This was the first time for me to see Bank Swallows - now 173 on my Liflelist.
The Pinyon Jays could be seen toward the outskirts of the campground. After a lengthy observation and even lengthier discussion, Shelli and I determined that the blue birds were Pinyon Jays. Huzzah for 174!
I spotted several large Corvids flying around the campgrounds. They were much larger than the American Crows I see on a regular basis. I determined them to be Common Ravens - a new Lifelist addition! 175!
-Top photos courtesy of Shelli.
-Pinyon Jay photo courtesy of Jay and Kevin McGowan, via Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "All About Birds" site
-Common Raven photo courtesy of United States National Park System, via Wikipedia
-Bank Swallow photo courtesy of Lang Elliot, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
-SPQ 6/16/2010
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