Perhaps the best high desert birding destination in western Colorado, this area is nearly in Utah! The canyons in the Rabbit Valley area south of I-70 lead to the Colorado River through scenic and varied terrain, while Brewster Ridge to the north takes you into the heart of the Grand Valley desert country that straddles the state line. Vegetation ranges from riparian along the river to saltbush-greasewood, sagebrush, and pinyon-juniper woodland and combinations of all the above. Rabbit Valley specialties include Gray Vireo, Black-Throated Sparrow, Pinyon Jay, Rock Wren, and Gray Flycatcher. More difficult to find to downright lucky are Chukar, Burrowing Owl, Long-billed Curlew, Cassin's Kingbird, and Mountain Plover. Brewster Ridge provides the best opportunities in Western Colorado for Scott's Oriole, and is probably the most reliable place in Mesa County for Northern Mockingbird. Pronghorn antelope, Ord's kangaroo rats, white-tailed prairie dogs, and leopard lizards add variety for visitors. Additional attractions in the Rabbit Valley area include petroglyphs in McDonald Canyon (along a two-mile trek to the Colorado River) and the "Trail Through Time" where you can see dinosaur fossils in place in the rock along the trail. Convenience store/gas stations are located in Mack and Loma, nine and 13 miles east respectively on I-70. Highline State Park north of Loma has a nice shady campground. For motels and restaurants, you'll need to go further east to Fruita and Grand Junction.

Habitat: Sagebrush, Pinyon-Juniper Forest,

Directions: Take I-70 west to Exit 2. For Rabbit Valley, turn left and go south, several different roads take you through the area. Four-wheel drive with decent clearance is recommended if you plan to go very far. For Brewster Ridge, turn right of I-70, then at the trailhead for the "Trail Through Time," turn left, paralleling I-70 as you climb a gravel road that tops out on a ridge above I-70. Begin looking here for Black-Throated Sparrow, then stay right into the scattered junipers and look for Scott's Oriole. If you don't spot orioles here, come back out of the juniper area and proceed north until you come to the paved M.8 Road (old US 6&50, the main road to get to Salt Lake, Reno, or Las Vegas before I-70 was built). Turn right (east) to 1.8 Road, turn left, and go a mile of so and turn right on 2 Road which takes you up Brewster Ridge. Once you reach the top, take 2.8 Road north out Brewster Ridge and look for Scott's Orioles near scattered junipers. You should be able to find a Mockingbird in this area as well. Four-wheel drive is not necessary for Brewster Ridge in dry conditions. All bets are off if there's been significant recent rain, or if you are receiving significant rain.

Acknowledgments: Hotspot information was originally compiled on Birding Colorado, a service of Colorado Field Ornithologists. CFO thanks all the original contributors.