Bird-watching in Mesa Verde National Park

Turkey vultures soar between April and October, large flocks of ravens hang around all summer, and ducks and waterfowl fly through Mesa Verde from mid-September through mid-October. Among the park's other large birds are red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, and a few golden eagles. The Steller's jay (the male looks like a blue jay with a dark hat on) frequently pierces the pinyon-juniper forest with its cries, and hummingbirds dart from flower to flower. Any visit to cliff dwellings late in the day will include frolicking white-throated swifts who make their home in rock crevices overhead.