El Paso County’s Kane Ranch Open Space provides a fun location for summer birding with prairie grasslands and a dry creek bed lined with tall cottonwoods.
While it’s getting to be that quiet time in the breeding season, we’ll hope to find a variety of summer residents still present. We’ll start with a walk out into the open
grasslands, searching for Burrowing Owl, Sage and Curve-billed Thrashers, Cassin’s and Lark Sparrows, Lark Bunting and Dickcissel. We’ll then return to the entrance area and turn our attention to the cottonwoods along the creek bed and the shrubby field adjacent to the parking area, where we might find three species
of kingbirds (Eastern, Western and Cassin’s), Bullock’s Oriole, Lazuli Bunting, Blue Grosbeak and other breeding and resident species. Total walking distance may be up to three miles round-trip, but at an easy birding pace on a mostly flat trail.

Kip Miller will lead this outing. Please contact him at kipGmiller@gmail.com to register. Group size limited to 12. Meet at the Kane Ranch Open Space parking lot. (Directions will be provided to all registrants.)