We’ve been here long enough now to stop ducking the issue of… sparrow identification! America has a plethora of these ‘little brown jobs’, many of which look identical to the untutored eye! So far we’ve managed to see and identify four: White-crowned, Song, Sage, Vesper. Two of these were seen on todays leg from Rangely to Fruita – our overnight stop for the next couple of days. Our journey included a drive up the Canyon Pintado, over the Douglas Pass at 8268ft, down to Highline Lake State Park, before checking in to our La Quinta hotel, which overlooks the Colorado River State Park and the Colorado National Monument. We’ve definitely seen more small birds since we headed down and south – the temperature this afternoon reaching the high 60’s f. As well as sparrows we’ve seen a few new waders, including: Yellowlegs – Greater & Lesser, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet and Long-billed Curlew. The trip list is beginning to look more respectable.