Carter Hill/Ramsey Canyon Rds.
Seasons
Checklists
Location
If traveling from Condon, take Hwy. 19 12 miles south to Mayville. Carter Hill Rd. will be a left turn at Mayville. If coming from Quinn Rd. after birding Wehrli Canyon Ln., go straight through the stop sign at Mayville across Hwy. 19 onto Carter Hill Rd. Once on Carter Hill, you will follow it east for approx. 4.8 miles then turn left on Ramsey Canyon Rd. heading north. Take this road until it meets back up at Dyer State Wayside/Hwy. 19 where you will find restrooms and a picnic area.
Directions
Habitat and Birds
Immediately east of Mayville there is some scrub brush along the road which is attractive to sparrows, quail and such, but as soon as you top the first hill you break out into open grassland. Then you turn north through more open grassland. However, where the road turns west again and heads downhill, you enter a narrow brushy canyon which becomes brushier the further one travels down it, until by the time you reach Dyer State Park, the entire hillside to the south is brushy. It is loaded with birds: Rock Wren, Lazuli Bunting, Spotted Towhee, to name a few. Swainson’s and possibly Ferruginous Hawk might be found along this route as well. A Short-Eared Owl was seen at the intersection of Carter Hill and Ramsey Canyon roads. Mountain Bluebird, Northern Shrike, Rough-Legged Hawk have been seen. Both of these eBird hotspot locations are under birded.
The eBird hotspot for Carter Hill Rd. is just the first 4.8 miles to the turn at Ramsey Canyon Rd.
eBird hotspot for Ramsey Canyon Rd: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L3481475
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