Alamosa and Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuges are adjacent refuges in southern Colorado. Alamosa is on the upper end of the Rio Grande while Monte Vista is just west of there. They share some interesting features and wildlife. From an 80-foot bluff at Alamosa, visitors can get an eagle’s-eye view of one of the last unspoiled stretches of the upper Rio Grande. Seventy or more bald eagles gather here in March and April to feast on winter-killed fish in the frozen oxbows of the Rio Grande. In addition, golden eagles, northern harriers, Swainson’s hawks, and rough-legged hawks hunt in the adjoining meadows. Beavers, muskrats, and cliff swallows all use the river resources for their homes. The beavers and muskrats build their homes right in the river or in the riverbank while cliff swallows gather mud from the riverbank to build their nests on any convenient vertical surface. At Monte Vista, sandhill cranes are the story. As many as 10,000 of these magnificent birds leap, bow, and flutter their wings in their curious courtship dance every spring. A 3-mile auto-tour route and 12 miles of county roads take the visitor to many of the 100 or so small ponds surrounded by the majestic Rockies that make up Monte Vista Refuge. Both Monte Vista and Alamosa are home to mule deer, bobcats, coyotes, elk, and pronghorn antelope, as well as a host of waterfowl, herons, and egrets. Prairie and peregrine falcons are also found here. Both refuges offer excellent opportunities for wildlife observation photography, and hiking.
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