Colorado Field Ornithologists

eBird Integrating Birding Hotspots Data

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:47:00 GMT

By the time you read this message, if you use eBird, you will likely be seeing a major
leap forward in birding. For decades, birders often carried three books: a field guide, a
notebook, and a bird-finding guide. The first aided with bird identification, the second
was to record observations, and the third helped find good places to bird.
In the 21 st century, those books moved online. Field guides became apps on our phones
and eBird provided a platform for our checklists. Early in this century in Colorado, a
group of CFO birders developed the County Birding website for finding birding locations
in every Colorado county.

In 2023-24, content from the Colorado County Birding website was integrated into the
Birding Hotspots website, an emerging international bird-finding website. That site
( www.birdinghotspots.org ) provided directions to each hotspot, a description of the
location, tips on how to bird the site which birds to expect, and information on fees,
accessibility, and restrooms. The intent of founders Ken Ostermiller and Adam Jackson
was that eBird would adopt the site.

Last year some content from Birding Hotspots, notably habitat photos, migrated to
eBird. In April 2026, the migration is scheduled to be completed. Hotspot descriptions,
birding tips, and information of fees, facilities, and accessibility will be found on eBird,
making it the most complete birding tool we have had in the field.

Many of you and our CFO predecessors have been major contributors to the evolution
of this birding tool. Much work is needed to build out the location data and you can help
when you see gaps by entering descriptions and tips. This information will also assist
researchers as they use eBird. Thanks to all of you who helped with this evolution.

Birding Tamarack Ranch during the 2014 Convention. Photo by Peter Gent.

Get Involved in Colorado! Adopt a BBS survey route!

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:33:00 GMT

It’s half an hour before sunrise, as you stand beside your car on a quiet rural road. The eastern sky is lightening and birds are singing. You have just begun your first three-minute-long point count at stop #1 of your Breeding Bird Survey route – the first of 50 stops you will visit today. Lark Bunting is singing, three Horned Larks are larking, Mourning Dove, Western Meadowlarks, a pair of Western Kingbirds, and there’s a Say’s Phoebe calling near that farmhouse. It is going to be another fun survey!

Thus begins one person’s volunteer effort for the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) . The BBS is a long-term, large-scale, international avian monitoring program initiated in 1966 to track the status and trends of North American bird populations. Each year from late May to early July skilled birders collect bird population data along roadside survey routes. Each survey route is 24.5 miles long with stops situated 0.5-mile apart. At each stop, a 3-minute point count is conducted and every bird seen or heard within a 0.25-mile radius or heard is recorded. Routes are surveyed just once each season, following the same roads and making the same stops each year. Over 4100 survey routes in the continental U.S. and Canada provide an index of population abundance that is used to estimate population trends and relative abundances at various geographic scales. See what it is all about here in this video: Ups and Downs in Colorado

Colorado hosts 136 BBS survey routes distributed all across the state. Many routes have faithful observers who have been covering them each year for many years. Other routes experience a natural turnover of observers, as one retires from the route and another birder picks it up. And some routes have not been surveyed at all for several years. Colorado now has 9 “vacant” routes that need skilled volunteer observers who can commit to adopting a route for at least three years. (See list below)

Requirements for participation are: (1) access to transportation to complete a survey, (2) good hearing and eyesight, and (3) the ability to identify the breeding birds in the area by sight and sound. Knowledge of bird songs and calls is extremely important, because most birds counted on the surveys are detected by sound. A BBS survey requires about five hours to complete, plus travel to and from the route location.

Can you volunteer to adopt a survey route?

Contact David Suddjian at dsuddjian@gmail.com if you are interested in a route or have questions. Route requests made via the BBS webpage may not be received.

Learn More About the BBS

View Available Colorado Routes

Lark Bunting — Colorado’s State Bird. Photo by Peter Burke.

Bird evolution columnist to debut in winter issue of Colorado Birds

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 22:54:00 GMT

Colorado Birds , CFO’s quarterly journal, welcomes Isabelle Busch to its covey of columnists. Her column, Avian Origins, will explore the evolution of modern birds in a multi-year series.

Busch is a freelance science writer pursuing a master’s degree in ecology at Colorado State University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Washington State University, where she wrote nature articles for the university newspaper.

Before starting her graduate program, she spent a gap year embarking on wildlife-focused adventures. Highlights included observing manatees in Florida, coatis in Arizona, wolves in Wyoming, whipbirds in Australia and penguins in New Zealand. Moving to Colorado and living just five minutes from Dinosaur Ridge took her fossil fascination to a new level; soon, she began delving into the connections between dinosaurs and birds.

Busch met Colorado Birds Managing Editor Peter Burke while birding with Ted Floyd last September. She pitched the idea for a series of columns about bird evolution on the spot. Look for her introductory column, “The Beginning of Birds,” along with her illustrations, in the winter issue of Colorado Birds , coming to your mailbox or inbox in January.

Rosy-Finch Winter Project

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 01:17:00 GMT

One of Colorado’s only endemic breeding birds, the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch , is under increasing stress due to a number of factors that we still don’t fully understand, including habitat loss, climate change, and the decline of alpine habitats. Very little is known about the locations and survival strategies of these birds, which migrate down from high elevations to feed on sparse food sources throughout the state during the winter.

The Rosy-Finch Winter Project is a new citizen science initiative asking community members, feeders, birders, researchers, and others to help close these gaps. Researchers and conservationists can better understand the species’ winter ecology, identify threats to important feeding areas, and guarantee that these habitats are preserved by using a quick-and-easy online survey to report winter feeding locations and rosy-finch sightings.

Every report, from a mountain town feeder or a quick backyard sighting, adds an important piece to the puzzle. The project accepts any and all rosy-finch sightings, regardless of time, date, location, season, or any other factors. Together, we can help fill in this data gap and protect the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch.

Submit your sightings: https://forms.gle/ctYTUjmmTcJ1kXg68

Learn more through their website: https://coloradobirdresear.wixsite.com/the-rosy-finch-winte

Want to share the project with others? Use their simple copy-and-paste outreach template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/153bZZGjZ2inavnglaaVnJc3sY8URM8Fc9CDcj3bHJis/edit?usp=sharing

Have questions? Reach out to colorado.birdresearch@gmail.com or fill out their question-submission form: https://forms.gle/JS7P8Jsf6yNz3RuW6

CFO Grantees’ Research Recently Published in The Journal of Raptor Research

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 00:11:00 GMT

Kirstin R. Chapman and Jennifer S. Redmond, CFO members and grantees of the CFO grant program, recently had their paper published in The Journal of Raptor Research , documenting the first known observation in Colorado of a second clutch laid by a confirmed mated pair of American Kestrels, following a successful first brood. The press release announcing this research is below:

For the first time in Colorado, researchers document a confirmed second clutch laid by American Kestrels following a successful first brood. In North America, this occurrence in wild American Kestrels has only been reported twice in the literature. This Colorado case marks the third reported occurrence. Discovery of the second clutch was made in a suburban backyard outside Denver, where a kestrel nest box equipped with a 24/7 infrared camera provided rare access to post-fledging behaviors.

The banded adult female laid a second clutch of eggs just 16 days after her first brood of five nestlings fledged. The adult male continued provisioning food for the female and their five fledglings, while she resumed incubation duties. Remarkably, one of the male fledglings entered the nest box and rolled and incubated the eggs, a form of helping behavior not previously reported in kestrels. Although the second clutch did not hatch, this occurrence raises new questions about breeding behaviors and nest box monitoring protocols.

The authors recommend extending nest box monitoring one month past fledging to better document second clutches. This is especially important if breeding seasons shift in response to climate change, increasing the possibility of second nesting attempts.

Evidence of a Second Clutch for American Kestrels in Colorado, USA: Behavioral Observations and Implications for Nest Box Monitoring is available at: https://meridian.allenpress.com/rapt/article-abstract/59/3/1/506724/Evidence-of-a-Second-Clutch-for-American-Kestrels

About the journal: The Journal of Raptor Research is a peer-reviewed, international journal dedicated to the dissemination of information about birds of prey, and is the official publication of the Raptor Research Foundation.

The Arvada Kestrel Project nest box program was made possible by the generous support of the CFO Grant Committee.

Anhinga found at Boulder pond draws 100s of birders

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 12:20:00 GMT

The Anhinga discovered June 2 on a pond near Boulder Creek has quickly become a Colorado celebrity, attracting hundreds of birders and passersby in the weeks since she appeared. Local news media spread the word further, with coverage in the Denver Post and on Channel 9 News on June 12.

“I don’t think, in my 48 years of birdwatching, any bird has created as much interest as this. She’s been seen by at least 500 people, and possibly more by now,” said Peter Gent of Boulder, chair of the Colorado Bird Records Committee. He’s seen the Anhinga six times, rushing out on June 2 when the report first came in, and returning since then with friends. “That first day was pure jubilation,” Gent said.

Greg Levandoski of Longmont made the first sighting while driving along 95 ^th Street just north of Boulder Creek . He spotted a large black bird in flight and recognized it from many previous sightings in Mexico and Central America. He’d also recently listened to a friend’s podcast about an Anhinga that turned up at a wildlife sanctuary in Massachusetts.

“I immediately pulled over, in awe of what I was looking at,” he said. He grabbed a camera and took photos as the bird was flying upward. “Shortly after taking the shots, the Anhinga went into a steep dive; I looked around and saw a large falcon, presumably a Peregrine, and quickly looked back to the Anhinga, only to see it disappear into ponds well east of 95th and out of view of the road.” Levandoski uploaded an eBird checklist, not yet realizing it was only the fourth documented sighting of an Anhinga in Colorado. (The Massachusetts sighting was also the fourth documented in that state.)

Proof of the first two known sightings , in Aurora in 1927 and along Coal Creek in what is now Broomfield County in 1931, came when the birds were collected and delivered to the then-Denver Museum of Natural History. The third Colorado sighting of the tropical long-necked “snake bird” was on May 3, 2003, when Glenda Brown spotted a female Anhinga flying a half-mile away over the fields near Barr Lake. “The jizz was wrong for a Cormorant,” Brown noted in her submission. She alerted Randy Siebert , who was nearby with a scope. With an eye on the bird for about five minutes, he confirmed Brown’s identification.

This time, the errant Anhinga settled in, finding plenty to eat in the ponds, which are on private property.

“Around mid-morning, it gets up and flies around, but always comes back to that same pond,” Gent said. On a recent visit, he observed the Anhinga catch and eat fish three times in its species-specific style. “ Anhingas feed on fish exclusively . They catch the fish by spearing it with the bill,” Gent said. “When it comes up, the fish is stabbed on the bill. Then the bird flips its head, throws the fish up in the air and catches it in its mouth. There are four species worldwide in this family. They all do that, and they are the only family of birds that do that.”

The rare visitor has led to a frenzy of birding along 95th. A roadside restoration project under way in the area has been trampled by some birders. “Be mindful of the impact crowds can have when a rare bird is found,” Levandoski noted, to avoid giving birders a bad name.

— Heather McGregor, Colorado Birds science editor

CFO 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award to Nic Korte

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 07:00:00 GMT

CFO recognizes persons of character who have gained the respect of birders in their community through decades of service to birders and birding with the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2025, CFO recognized the Nic Korte with this award. The award was accepted by Nic during the CFO annual meeting held during the 2025 Convention in Grand Junction.

Nominated by Helen Butts & Cary Atwood

It is with great admiration and appreciation that we nominate Nic Korte for the CFO Lifetime Achievement Award. Nic is a dedicated birder, conservationist, and community leader whose contributions to birding and habitat protection span decades and have left a legacy in Western Colorado and beyond.

Arriving in Grand Junction in 1977, Nic Korte has called Grand Junction home for more than 40 years. During that time, he has become a pillar of the birding and conservation community. He is a past president of Grand Valley Audubon Society and has served as the Conservation Chair of the organization for over 20 years, serving on the board for nearly 30. In that time, Nic has been a driving force behind numerous initiatives that support bird conservation, community education, and habitat protection. He has also connected with the young aspiring naturalists in “the Valley” and thanks to him, many are motivated to give back to nature.

Among his many efforts, Nic leads the Grand Valley Audubon Society’s Western Screech-Owl observation project, combining citizen science, conservation advocacy, and public engagement. Through his efforts to monitor and provide habitat, including more than 100 nest boxes, in recent years Grand Mesa County has often had the highest population of this species in the world. His passion for birds doesn’t stop at the U.S. border—Nic has made more than 30 trips to the tropics, immersing himself in avian biodiversity and furthering his understanding of global bird conservation challenges. He chronicled these adventures in his book, Ten Jungle Days , published by Outskirts Press. Likewise, he has lasting connections with communities in Costa Rica and Ecuador.

Nic’s love for birds has deep roots. Growing up in the farmlands of rural southern Illinois, his earliest encounters with the natural world came through hunting and fishing. But a 1956 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia—specifically the well-worn pages of the “B” volume on birds—sparked a deeper interest that has impacted his life and ours. His interest in following the science and health of Western Screech Owls is a significant legacy in Grand Junction.

During his career as a geochemist, among other work he led cleanups of groundwater. Although Nic’s professional career began in geochemistry, it was during his time at the University of Arizona in Tucson that he encountered his first birders and discovered the lifelong hobby that would soon evolve into a passionate calling.

Nic’s outstanding service to the ornithological and conservation communities has been recognized at the regional and national levels. In 2015, he was honored with the Richard G. Levad Award from the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies for distinguished service to the ornithological community. Four years later, he received the William Dutcher Award from National Audubon for his leadership in the birding community of Western Colorado.

Today, Nic continues to share his knowledge and insights through his blog, Birds and More – Birding and Conservation in Western Colorado [LINK: https://birdsandmore.blog/], inspiring seasoned birders and newcomers alike.

Nic Korte embodies the spirit of lifelong birding, blending scientific curiosity, community service, and a heartfelt love for the natural world. His decades of work have made a profound impact on bird conservation and awareness in Colorado and beyond. It is our honor to nominate him for this well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lifetime Achievement Award Nomination Letter

North American Breeding Bird Survey – Get Involved in Colorado!

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 19:13:00 GMT

David Suddjian
Breeding Bird Survey Colorado State Coordinator

It’s about half an hour before sunrise, as you stand beside your car on a quiet rural road. The eastern sky is lightening and birds are singing. You have just begun your first three-minute-long point count at stop #1 of your Breeding Bird Survey route – the first of 50 stops you will visit today. Lark Bunting is singing, three Horned Larks larking, Mourning Dove, Western Meadowlarks, a pair of Western Kingbirds, and there’s a Say’s Phoebe calling near that farmhouse. It is going to be another fun survey!

Thus begins one person’s volunteer effort for the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS). The BBS is a long-term, large-scale, international avian monitoring program initiated in 1966 to track the status and trends of North American bird populations. The BBS was created to monitor bird populations over large geographic areas in response to concerns about how pesticides like DDT were affecting bird populations. Although many concerns over pesticide use in North America have subsided, bird populations continue to be subjected to numerous threats including habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, climate change, land-use changes, and other chemical contaminants. Today, the BBS continues to monitor bird populations across North America and informs researchers and wildlife managers of significant changes in bird population levels.

Each year during the height of the avian breeding season (late May to early July), skilled birders collect bird population data along roadside survey routes. Each survey route is 24.5 miles long with stops situated 0.5-mile apart. At each stop, a 3-minute point count is conducted and every bird seen or heard within a 0.25-mile radius is recorded. Routes are surveyed once each season, following the same roads and making the same stops each year. Over 4100 survey routes in the continental U.S. and Canada provide an index of population abundance that is used to estimate population trends and relative abundances at various geographic scales.

Colorado hosts 136 BBS survey routes distributed across all areas of the state, and reaching all habitats. Many routes have faithful observers who have been covering them each year for many years. Other routes experience a natural turnover of observers, as one retires from the route and another birder picks it up. And some routes have not been surveyed at all for several years. In 2025, Colorado has 40 “vacant” routes (29%) that need skilled volunteer observers who can commit to adopting a route for at least three years.

Requirements for participation are:
(1) access to transportation to complete a survey,
(2) good hearing and eyesight, and
(3) the ability to identify all breeding birds in the area by sight and sound. Knowledge of bird songs and calls is extremely important because most birds counted on the surveys are detected by sound.

A BBS survey requires about five hours to complete, plus travel to and from the route location.

Can you volunteer to adopt a survey route so Colorado can continue to have good coverage for this important and longest-running continent-wide breeding bird monitoring program? If you would like to volunteer for a route or have any questions, please contact state coordinator David Suddjian dsuddjian@gmail.com to get started.

The 2024 Great Boulder Caper Recap

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 19:02:00 GMT

Adapted with permission from Ted Floyd’s COBirds post (Nov. 29, 2024).

The 2024 Great Boulder Caper was great fun. Sixteen bundled-up birders got things going shortly after sunrise this chilly Friday morning, Nov. 29, and four intrepid birders were still Capering well past sundown. A few lone birders, who were just out for the day, joined us for portions of the trip.

The Great Boulder Caper is held annually on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The Caper was originated and led most years by Ted Floyd. This year’s trip was co-led by Elena Klaver and Megan Jones Patterson. You can review the full trip report on eBird .

A few highlights from each stop during the day:

McIntosh Lake, Longmont, CO —4 Snow Geese, 1 Greater White-fronted Goose, 3 Snow Goose x Cackling Goose hybrids, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Eared Grebe, 1 Northern Shrike, and the first of 10 Bald Eagles we would see on The Caper.

Golden Ponds, Longmont, CO —4 more Snow Geese, 1 Ross’s Goose, 1 Bonaparte’s Gull, the first of 5 Ferruginous Hawks on The Caper, 1 Marsh Wren, 1 American Dipper, and 1 Swamp Sparrow.

Lagerman Reservoir, Longmont, CO —85 Northern Pintails, 44 Ruddy Ducks, 1 tardy Least Sandpiper, and 1 light-morph rough-legged hawk.

Swede Lake No. 1, Longmont, CO —a Blue Goose (the dark variant of Snow Goose), 2 more Greater White-fronted Geese, 4 more Snow Goose x Cackling Goose hybrids, and the first of 6 Golden Eagles on The Caper.

In the vicinity of a residence along Old South St. Vrain Rd., Lyons, CO —45 Thanksgiving survivors (aka Wild Turkeys), 4 Steller’s Jays, 4 Woodhouse’s Jays, 1 White-throated Sparrow, and a diverse junco flock (with slate-colored, Cassiar, Oregon, pink-sided, and gray-headed juncos).

Bitterbrush trailhead, Hall Ranch, Lyons, CO —only eagles! 2 bald and 3 golden.

Legion Park overlooking Boulder Reservoir, Boulder, CO —a Horned Grebe and the merganser motherlode; one pod had 1,081 Common Mergansers (direct count by Ted, not an estimate!).
Sawhill Ponds, Boulder, CO—a singing Eastern Screech-owl.

A wonderful Caper! Thank you to everyone who led and participated in trip for the mirth & good cheer. Consider joining the trip in 2025 or starting your own caper tradition in your local area.

Finding a New Bird for The State: Crissal Thrasher

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:59:00 GMT

On November 30th, 2024, Luke Pheneger and Brian Genge were in southeast Colorado. They found and photographed a probable first state record of a Crissal Thrasher. This sighting will be reviewed by CFO’s Colorado Bird Records Committee for official listing. You can find out more about this process here .

Update: On February 24, 2025, Peter Gent, Chair of the Colorado Bird Records Committee, announced that the Committee unanimously voted to accept this Crissal Thrasher record. This increases the Colorado State list by one to 521 species. The Committee thanks Brian Genge and Josh Bruening for submitting reports, which can be reviewed on the CBRC page of the CFO website .

We asked Luke to share their experience of this exciting sighting, and why he keeps coming back to Southeast Colorado. You can view the full eBird checklist , including images of the Crissal Thrasher.

Both Brian and I venture to the southeastern Colorado canyon country more than most Colorado birders. This region is a hidden gem, drawing us back each time due to its astonishing diversity of wildlife and great scenery. Its unique blend of habitats serves as a hotspot for rare and unique birds in the state. The area’s close proximity to locations with resident species yet to find their way into Colorado make it especially appealing.

On this particular trip, we didn’t have any target species in mind. Sean Huntley and I had a productive visit to the area a week prior and we were just hoping for an equally rewarding experience. Before finding the thrasher we had already encountered several special species. Hermit Thrushes, Golden Crowned Kinglets, Mountain Bluebirds, Rufous-crowned Sparrows as well as multiple Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers gave us hope that we’d find something particularly exciting.

While Brian and I were walking the road that leads through the canyon, he said that there was something moving in the bush to our left. Before I could get eyes on the bird he said “It’s a thrasher, let’s make sure it’s a Curve-billed”.

Long-billed Thrasher is one of the species we hope will show up in the southeastern Colorado canyon country, so we always make sure to check our thrashers closely. I snuck around the backside of the bush, but I could still only see part of the bird and could only make out a gray, non-streaked thrasher so I couldn’t be sure of its identity besides knowing it wasn’t a Sage, Bendire’s, Brown, or Long-billed. I then hear Brian rattling off photos and yell “Crissal!”. The thrasher then hopped into my view where I was able to see the prominent crimson undertail coverts, white throat, and white malar stripe of a Crissal Thrasher. These characteristics eliminated Curve-billed and the even rarer Leconte’s or California Thrashers.

Crissal Thrasher was one of the most anticipated additions to Colorado’s state list, however many expected it to show up in the San Luis Valley, not southeastern Colorado.

It’s hard to predict what Colorado’s next new species will be, but Cottonwood Canyon seems like a promising location to look for Black-crested Titmouse, Tufted Titmouse, Nutting’s Flycatcher, Black-capped Vireo or any other southern US specialty.

The Impact CFO and Our Members Have Had in 2024

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 04:32:00 GMT

When members and donors invest in Colorado Field Ornithologists through joining, attending events, donations, or volunteer efforts, CFO, in turn, strives to make the most impact with that support. Keep reading to see what CFO has accomplished so far in 2024 for birds and the habitats they need to survive.

CFO provides research grants every year to advance the understanding and preservation of our state’s birds and the habitats they depend on. In 2024, these grants funded seven research projects.

Successful proposals included “Genoscape and Migratory Connectivity of the Loggerhead Shrike”, “Determining the Correlation Between Bird Health and Oxidative Stress During Spring and Fall Migration”, and “Investigating Song Function in Female Birds Using Red-winged Blackbirds as a Model.” You can view all the past research grant recipients on the CFO website .

Funds raised from the 2024 Colorado Birding Challenge supported the Conejos River Restoration Project. This river is the largest tributary to the Rio Grande in Colorado, both originate in the San Luis Valley. The Conejos system supports wildlife habitat, agricultural production, and outdoor recreation. The Conejos River Restoration Project , a partnership between the Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project and Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, addresses the need for multi-benefit restoration along four miles of the Conejos River.

Conservation efforts to protect birds and their habitats are more important than ever in the years ahead.

As an organizational member of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Wildlife and Habitat Roundtable , CFO is following actions surrounding the updating and review of the Colorado State Wildlife Action Plan . The purpose of the State Wildlife Action Plan is to outline, guide, and prioritize the state’s fish and wildlife conservation needs. It will outline which species and habitats are the most vulnerable.

For the second year in a row, CFO is on the planning committee for the 2025 Partners in the Outdoors conference that will be held in April. The Partners in the Outdoors Conference is Colorado’s foremost opportunity to cultivate common ground, explore best practices of partnering, and design collaborative solutions with diverse voices and stakeholders to conserve Colorado’s outdoor heritage.

CFO returned to Lamar, Colorado this past May for its annual convention . An area that is truly one of the best locations in the state during spring migration. Birders of all levels came together for field trips, social activities, and a scientific session.

One of the highlights was the presentation by Dallas May (of the May Ranch) and Jonathan Reitz. Dallas May is a commissioner for Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the May family has worked closely with CPW for decades. Jonathan Reitz is a wildlife biologist for CPW and has been working closely with the May family to implement strategies that have contributed to the remarkable conservation efforts on the ranch. This includes healthy prairie dog colonies that support Burrowing Owls and allowed for the reintroduction of black-footed ferrets, habitat management for future populations of Lesser Prairie-Chicken, and encouraging beaver activity that enhances Black Rail habitat. The May Ranch and Jonathan received CFO’s first-ever Land Steward Appreciation Award at the convention.

Colorado Birds continues to be the gold standard of regional ornithology journals. Colorado Birds provides in-depth coverage of the identification, distribution, behavior, ecology, and conservation of the state’s avifauna.

In each issue, readers learn about notable bird occurrences throughout the state, practical field identification tips, interesting bird feeding behaviors, plus information on CFO activities. The full archive of past Colorado Birds since 1967 are available online.

CFO continues to support the Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch , coordinated by Denver Field Ornithologists, by contributing towards hiring the professional hawk watch counter. Hawk Watch is a community science project that tracks raptor numbers while teaching participants how to identify migrating birds of prey and observe their behavioral traits. Visitors are welcome at the Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch site during spring migration. Birders of all skill levels are welcome to participate.

Our 2023/2024 Speaker Series presentation (aka Dead of Winter Knowledge Quest ) once again hit a lot of high marks with presentations including Dr. Kyle Horton from CSU on spring migration and Hannah Floyd on how to use iNaturalist. The 2024/2025 season kicked off on November 20th with Eric DeFonso talking about birding in New Zealand. If you missed these presentations, you can view them on CFO’s YouTube channel .

Our newsletter, sent every other month, continues to gain popularity with its mix of CFO event information, birding news, and highlights of resources that CFO has to offer. CFO’s social media presence continues to grow; 7,500 members of the CFO Facebook Discussion Group (it is a private group to avoid spam, all are welcome to join) and nearly 400 followers on Instagram . Follow the CFO Facebook page to get the latest updates on events and other opportunities. We also sponsor the popular COBirds Google group .

These events and resources, and so much more, are only possible through the support of our members and donors. To allow us to continue our mission for birders like you to study, conserve, and enjoy Colorado’s birds, we hope you will continue to support CFO in the future. Thank you.

Research Grants

4th Annual Colorado Birding Challenge

Conservation Outreach

CFO Annual Convention

Colorado Birds Journal

Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch

Dead of Winter Knowledge Quest – Speaker Series

Our Community

Pinyon Jay Community Science Project – 2024 Update

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 22:26:00 GMT

The Pinyon Jay Community Science Project, coordinated by the Great Basin Bird Observatory , is a comprehensive survey of habitats that Pinyon Jays use throughout the year across the western US. The project enlists volunteers as community scientists to monitor habitat usage and document Pinyon Jay behavior. If you are interested but not yet involved, you can learn more, watch a training video, and sign up on CFO’s Pinyon Jay Community Science Project webpage .

Ned Bohman, an outreach biologist with Great Basin Bird Observatory, provided the following update on the project with a focus on Colorado data and he issues a challenge for us all in 2025.

I want to thank all the volunteers from CFO for their hard work and data collecting and to give a brief update on the progress of our program thus far.

First, I thought it would be useful to put all of this volunteering and data gathering into perspective. Thus far, in the life of the program, we have accumulated just shy of 3500 total records, including data from 9 states and over 400 volunteers. There was a total of 1,379 total records submitted to the program in 2023, which means we just about doubled the size of the database last year. Thus far in 2024, we have added 1,231 more records!

In 2024, 10 CFO volunteers submitted 120 records. The vast majority of these records were reports of birds at feeders. In 2023, 20 CFO volunteers submitted a total of 442 records, 228 presence, and 214 absence. In the graph below, you can see a breakdown of the observations from CFO volunteers by behavior type for the year 2023. If you are curious about the geography of data collected in Colorado and across the West, you can always view the map on the project HUB site .

In contrast to the observations from other locations, the majority of reports from CFO volunteers were not of birds flying over. This is great because it tells us information about the habitat and location as it relates to the natural history of Pinyon Jays!

One of the primary goals of this volunteer effort is to link behaviors with specific habitat types and locations. This way we can advise land managers on the importance of different habitat types at different times of year. Armed with this information they can make informed decisions about how to manage habitat and balance other management interests.

The majority of CFO observations were reports of birds at feeders, it is so awesome that so many of you have Pinyon Jays as a yard bird! I encourage feeder watchers to start trying to figure out how the feeders play into the birds’ use of the landscape overall. For example, how often are they coming to your feeder? Where are they coming from and going to? Are birds caching on the property? Do the feeders play more of a role in the bird’s diet in some years than others? Is there a seasonal pattern? All of this information will help us better understand how the birds are using the landscape on a larger scale.

One important (and difficult) thing about researching Pinyon Jays is the scale at which they use the landscape, so your feeders may represent a very small portion of the bird’s home range. Perhaps they are centering their home ranges around areas with many feeders. Perhaps they are adjusting and adapting to less productive Pinyon Pines by increasing their reliance on feeders. Perhaps they are using Pinyon woodlands in areas where volunteers cannot get to them, or have not observed them. Maybe they are using disjunct home ranges and commuting from areas of desirable woodland to feeders. Your data can help us answer questions and fill in data gaps!

In addition to all of the information about feeder use, there were some other interesting observations as well. One observer reported Pinyon Jays flycatching! CFO volunteers also found at least one nesting area. It is worth noting that this is only 1 of less than 5 nesting areas discovered across the whole effort.

When we think about Pinyon Jay nesting season, it is important to point out how sensitive to disturbance Pinyon Jays can be. They will abandon colonies if there is too much disturbance, and too much disturbance can be very minimal from the human perspective. They rely on secrecy to keep their colonies safe. Especially considering the colonial structure of their nests, if a predator were to find one nest, they will quite likely find all of them. Female Pinyon Jays tend to sit on their nests very inconspicuously, only flushing if the nest tree is approached very closely and this can be as little as a meter.

There are certain vocalizations that can indicate potential nesting and these are worth looking out for. Rattles, trills, and whinnies are the most commonly heard and are given by females only and typically in response to their mate. They also make quieter churrs and buzzes that can be heard only from close range. If you hear anything that sounds like this, there is a good chance birds are nesting or at least courting nearby.

Pinyon pine cone mapping has recently been added to the project. We think that tracking the productivity of Pinyon Pine from year to year will be very valuable info. Pinyon pine is a masting species, which means that it produces very different quantities of nuts from year to year. In some years they may produce functionally no pine nuts. In other years, single trees can be covered in hundreds of cones. Because these nuts are the primary food source of Pinyon Jays, we suspect that trends in pine nut productivity could be related to the population decline of the bird.

For those who are already volunteers, you can find the new cone counting protocol and easy-to-use data collection form in your Survey123 app. If you are new to the project and interested in collecting cone data, simply follow the instructions on becoming a data collector . Protocol-specific training will be available in the near future.

Pinyon Jay Community Science data will play a critical role in an upcoming range-wide analysis. GBBO has collaborative plans to use data from the Pinyon Jay Community Science effort, combined with data from other sources, to understand large-scale Pinyon Jay habitat use, trends, and potential causes of declines. This analysis will begin later in 2025, so the more data we can provide the better!

Right now, the project-wide data set contains about 3,800 presence and absence records. We challenge all community scientists to help increase that number to 5,000 by the end of the 2025 breeding season and challenge CFO volunteers, in particular, to double Colorado’s tally from just under 570 records to 1,000 .

It’s a big job, but having a large data set will make this analysis much stronger and more authoritative. We’ll keep everyone posted on progress through the project’s HUB website once the breeding season gets underway.

Ned Bohman, Outreach Biologist
Great Basin Bird Observatory, Reno, NV

Pine Cone Mapping – A New Addition to the Project

Challenge for 2025

Conservation Actions: Fall 2024

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 21:27:00 GMT

In the past months, the CFO Conservation Committee has been engaged in the following actions.

Conejos River Restoration

The 2024 Colorado Birding Challenge raised over $13,000 for the Conejos River Restoration Project . Part of the project was to protect and enhance the habitat along the Conejos River in southern Colorado. Birds of particular conservation concern in this area are the Southwest Willow Flycatcher and the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Recent updates on the project can be found on Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project .

Partners in the Outdoors

For the second year in a row, CFO is on the planning committee for the 2025 Partners in the Outdoors conference that will be held in April. This year the theme is Resilience: Building Strength and Sustainability for the Future of the Outdoors .
The Partners in the Outdoors Conference is Colorado’s foremost opportunity to cultivate common ground, explore best practices of partnering, and design collaborative solutions with diverse voices and stakeholders to conserve Colorado’s outdoor heritage.
CFO’s representative is on the Keynote Address and Sessions subcommittee. More details will be forthcoming as the conference approaches in the springtime. Do you have an idea for what should be discussed? Session proposals for the conference are due to CPW by November 25th!

Dolores Canyons National Monument

Colorado Field Ornithologists has joined the effort to protect the Dolores River Canyonlands by supporting its designation as a national monument. This initiative aims to encourage Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper to advocate for President Biden to take action. The campaign has garnered widespread support, including from Audubon Rockies and several local chapters . You can learn more and sign the petition on the Protect the Dolores website .

Colorado’s State Wildlife Action Plan

The purpose of the State Wildlife Action Plan is to outline, guide, and prioritize the state’s fish and wildlife conservation needs. It will outline which species and habitats are the most vulnerable. From there, CPW can determine which conservation actions they and other Colorado organizations can take to address the primary threats. This is necessary for CPW to receive federal State Wildlife Grants.

North American Grassland Conservation Act

On October 8, 2024, the North American Grasslands Conservation Act was introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Nancy Mace (R – S.C.), Sharice Davids (D – Kan), Brian Fitzpatrick (R – Penn) and Mike Thompson (D – Calif).
Once passed, the legislation will be one of the most significant steps for grassland conservation efforts in the 21 ^st century. More than 70 percent of America’s tallgrass, mixed grass, and shortgrass prairies have vanished, followed by the precipitous decline of grassland bird populations – more than 30 percent since 1966. Additionally, grazing lands that have sustained generations of ranchers are dwindling and species from bobwhite quail and pheasants to monarch butterflies and elk are struggling to navigate landscapes they used to call home. Learn more about the North American Grasslands Conservation Act, learn how you can take action, and see who has endorsed the bill at actforgrasslands.org .
The CFO Conservation Committee will discuss and vote on endorsement at an upcoming meeting.

Thank you to everyone who volunteers their time and effort on the CFO Conservation Committee working for the health and long-term conservation of wildlife and habitats throughout Colorado. If you are interested in being part of CFO’s conservation efforts, please contact us .

Compiled by Philip McNichols, Chair, CFO Conservation Committee

A map of the proposed Dolores Canyons National Monument. The Protect the Dolores group says the map is an initial proposal and that the boundaries could change depending on many stakeholders’ input. Map from Protect the Dolores .

Colorado Birding Challenge Results are In!

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 17:51:00 GMT

This article contains updated information and slight modifications from its original post to COBirds on 16 September 2024.

Colorado Birders,
I know you are all on the edge of your seats waiting for news about the Colorado Birding Challenge ! Without delay, here are the 2024 results.

THE CHALLENGE
First-place honors go to The 100 Percent Confirmed by Merlin Team ! Michael Dougherty and his team birded in Grand County (par 63) and counted a whopping 94 species, 31 over par!

Honorable Mentions:
* The Flock Finders, led by Kristin Tallis in Jackson County, reported 95 species, 25 over par.
* Owl Show You Some Birds, led by Kathy Kay, reported 115 species in Weld County, 19 over par.
* One Big Holiday, Ryan Votta’s team, found 98 species in La Plata County, 18 over par.
* The Marvelous Spatuletails, led by Bryan Gieszl, dug up 77 species in Pitkin County, 17 over par.
* The Weld-winged Warblers, led by Edward Landi. Birding Weld County they were the only other team to get into triple digits with 111 species, 15 over par.
* The Gilpin Goshawks, Nathan Pieplow’s team found 62 species in Gilpin County, 11 over par.

THE GREEN CHALLENGE
In first place, The White-bearded Helmetcrests, Nick Komar’s team, biked 27 miles in Larimer County tallying 85 species without burning hydrocarbons!

THE UNDER-25 CHALLENGE
We heard from several individuals that school responsibilities prevented them from participating this year.

BIRD YOUR OWN WAY
Thirteen teams participated in this non-competitive category representing nine counties. Thanks to everyone for your efforts including The Chaffee Chasers, Davis’s Deck-a-thon, The Conejos Cuckoos, The LS Bird Nerds, The Tuesday Birders, the Roving Boulder County Oscines, and The Beak Geeks!

Of course, the true winners are the Conejos River Restoration Project and the CFO programs that benefit from all the participating teams and their supporters.

There were 26 registered teams that birded in 15 counties. The Challenge raised over $16,325, and the eBird data generated by each team is valuable to researchers and policymakers.

It is not too late to make a donation to the challenge !

Thanks to Colorado Field Ornithologists for hosting this event, and to the other members of the Colorado Birding Challenge Committee Mark Minner-Lee, Nick Komar, Sondra Bland, and Chuck Hundertmark.

Best,
Peter Burke
COBC Committee Chair

Why are You Birding? — Colorado Birding Challenge 2024 Participant Profiles

Sat, 24 Aug 2024 14:13:00 GMT

CFO is holding the Colorado Birding Challenge on September 14, 2024. The Colorado Birding Challenge is a fun, county-based birding and conservation event held during the most exciting times of the birding year. The Challenge was created to provide an annual flow of funds to support specific bird conservation projects.

What is being supported this year? The Conejos River is the largest tributary to the Rio Grande in Colorado, both originate in the San Luis Valley. The Conejos system supports wildlife habitat, agricultural production, and outdoor recreation. Restoration of this system is particularly important for the Southwest Willow Flycatcher and the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo in Colorado.

What initially drew you to birding?
I started birding around the age of 5 after finding a field guide and sketching the birds I saw in it. My passion was cemented after a trip to see Gunnison Sage-Grouse lekking. They’re still my favorite bird!

We see that you’re a rising high school senior. Do you plan to go to college and, if so, what do you plan to study in college?
In college, I plan to study biology (preferably with a concentration in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology). I want to be a field ornithologist and study evolution in birds!

Why are you participating in this year’s Colorado Birding Challenge?
I actually didn’t know about the Challenge until this year! I came across it while registering for the CFO Convention, and it seemed like a great opportunity!

Tell us a little more about your Birding Challenge team. Do you have a name for your team? Where do you plan to bird that day? Do you have any particular birds you are targeting to see that day?
My team is composed of me, Kieran Schnitzspahn, and Archer Silverman (team name: Northern Saw-that Owls). We’re all young birders and are planning to bird in Clear Creek County, where we’ll be targeting high-elevation montane specialties and migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. It should be a really fun day!

What initially drew you to birding?
I got into birding in 1983, when I had an unknown orangey bird in my cherry tree in Lyons. I called a friend, John Vanderpoel, for ID, but he pretended he had no idea, and suggested I get a bird book and binoculars. Bullock’s Oriole, of course, and that was that.

You live close to the recent Stone Canyon Fire. Did you see any impact on birds and wildlife during and after the fire?
We got evacuated for three days due to the two fires, but the house was never in any danger. There is only one road into our neighborhood, so they are quick to close it and get us out if anything threatens. We all have a to-go bag, and are not surprised when it happens. I have not noticed any impact here on birds or wildlife.

Why are you participating in this year’s Colorado Birding Challenge?
I was Treasurer of CFO from 1992 to 1996, so am prone to keep my hand in to support the organization. I was Chief Financial Officer at People’s Clinic and Emergency Family Assistance (both charities in Boulder) for most of my career (after I quit moving pianos).

Tell us a little more about your Birding Challenge team. Do you have a name for your team? Where do you plan to bird that day? Do you have any particular birds you are targeting to see that day?
We are registered in the “Bird Your Own Way” category for the event, as we will follow no rules. I usually name the team something like “Sittin’ on Our Butts”, or “I Promise We Won’t Walk”. We MAY stroll down the driveway, but probably will just sit on the deck all day. No real target birds, except for the Pinyon Jays, and maybe an errant Clark’s Nutcracker.

I like to have people up to the deck to watch birds, so this fund-raiser is a good excuse to invite the Boulder Bird Club, my neighbors, and random friends up for the day. I’ll get 25-35 people probably, from 6 AM to 8 PM, and we’ll be lucky to see or hear 35 species, mostly in Larimer County, My property boundary on the south is the Boulder County line so we may have some Boulder County fly-bys.

Owen Robertson

Raymond Davis

CFO 2024 Landowner Appreciation Award

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:43:00 GMT

CFO recognizes those who graciously allow access for birders to see significant rarities or interesting birds on their property with the Landowner Appreciation Award. In 2024, CFO recognized the Phillips Family, long-time managers of Chico Basin Ranch, with this award. The award plaque was accepted by Linda Hodges on behalf of the Phillips Family during the CFO annual meeting held during the 2024 Convention in Lamar.

Nominated by Linda Hodges, on behalf of Aiken Audubon

March 19, 2024
CFO Friends,

On behalf of Aiken Audubon, I would like to nominate the Phillips family for CFO’s Landowner Appreciation Award. Duke III, Duke IV, and Tess Leach have managed Chico Basin Ranch since 1999.

In 2000, the family sought out Rocky Mtn Bird Observatory (now Bird Conservancy of the Rockies) to initiate a bird banding station on the ranch. RMBO/BCR has continued the station and education program over the many years, which has been funded by the Phillipses.

At the same time, free rein of the entire 87,000-acre ranch was offered to the birding community, for a small daily fee. This is the only Colorado State Land Board property where such open access has been allowed, which shows what a remarkably generous policy it is. Chico is known as a migratory oasis, with 355 bird species recorded on the property, making it the state’s largest hotspot. Numerous birders – including Europeans – have been privileged to see such species as LeConte’s Sparrow, Sprague’s Pipit, Acadian Flycatcher, at least five species of owl, and numerous warblers on the ranch. All thanks to the belief of the Phillips family that the land is to be shared.

700+ birders visit Chico annually, along with an additional 2000 schoolchildren who are introduced to our avian friends and taught about habitat and its preservation. Leading the way is the Ranchlands, which practices holistic and regenerative land management, and has won numerous awards, including:

Aiken Audubon has been fortunate to have an excellent relationship with the Phillips family, and we’ve been thanked for our patronage with chuckwagon meals on the ranch. Ranchlands has not only welcomed numerous birding festival trips to the property, it has also financially supported the local Pikes Peak Birding and Nature Festival. In addition, when needing an overview of the ranch and its habitat – to better advocate for Chico’s protection – we were given an aerial tour. Not many ranchers would be so accommodating.

It’s truly difficult to express how hospitable the Phillips family has been to the birding community, as well as how greatly they’re appreciated for their sustainable grazing practices by the larger ranching community. In November of 2023, when Ranchlands bid to retain the lease at Chico, 24 organizations and individuals wrote letters of support, stressing the “exemplary”, “unparalleled”, and “progressive” work the Phillipses have done at Chico. Supporters included the Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, and Audubon Rockies.

Aiken Audubon can think of no landowner more deserving of your Landowner Appreciation Award than the Phillips family, and we are grateful for the opportunity to nominate them.

With thanks for your consideration,
Linda Hodges, on behalf of Aiken Audubon

CFO Awards are selected by the CFO Board of Directors based on nominations for CFO members and community members. Learn more about CFO Awards and the past recipients on our Awards page .

Landowner Appreciation Award Nomination Letter

COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE, 2019: Partner of the Year
PALMER LAND TRUST, 2019: Environmental Stewardship Award
COLORADO ASSOCIATION OF CONSERVATION DISTRICTS, 2017: Conservationist of the Year
SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION, 2017: Leopold Conservation Award Nominee
COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE, 2008: Landowner of the Year
SOCIETY FOR RANGE MANAGEMENT, 2003: Excellence in Rangeland Conservation Award
Aiken Audubon has been fortunate to have an excellent relationship with the Phillips family, and we

CFO 2024 Directors’ Award

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 22:00:00 GMT

The CFO Directors Award is given in recognition of significant contributions to Colorado Field Ornithologists and to efforts that CFO supports. This year a plaque was presented to Nick Komar at the Annual Meeting of CFO during the 2024 Convention in Lamar.

Nominated by Chuck Hundertmark

Longtime CFO member Nick Komar joined the CFO Board of Directors in 2017, serving on the Field Trips Committee.

He became president in 2019 succeeding David Gilillan and served in that role until the 2023 annual meeting.

In early 2020, less than a year into his presidency, CFO was confronted with the emergence the Covid-19 pandemic. This prevented the organization from conducting its most important signature event, the annual convention.

In responding to the challenge posed by the pandemic, Nick led CFO through a series of bold new programs, initiating the Colorado Birding Challenge , beginning an online speaker series , initiating the field workshop series , strengthening the Conservation Committee, and initiating a strategic planning session. One outcome of that was transition of the CFO website to a CRM which better facilitates communication with members and registration for events.

Nick’s prior experience with nonprofits includes serving on the board of the Fort Collins Audubon Society (a local chapter of NAS) and Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (now called Bird Conservancy of the Rockies). He also founded the Quetzal Foundation, a nonprofit that is no longer active, and a student organization called the Biological Scientists for Social Responsibility.

He co-authored the popular book titled Wild Birding Colorado: The Big Year of 2010 published in 2011. Nick leads many field trips and identification workshops for birding organizations in Colorado. He also guides professionally for Partnership in International Birding and his own tour company, Quetzal Tours, specializing in tours to Central and South America. A dedicated eBird user, Nick has promoted use of eBird as a community science tool to CFO members.

CFO Awards are selected by the CFO Board of Directors based on nominations for CFO members and community members. Learn more about CFO Awards and the past recipients on our Awards page .

Nick Komar CFO Directors’ Award Nomination Letter

CFO 2024 Land Steward Appreciation Award

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 21:47:00 GMT

The CFO Board of Directors created a new CFO award recognizing outstanding land stewardship in Colorado. As recorded in the 2024 board meeting minutes, the Land Stewardship Appreciation Award recognizes individuals or entities who support significant conservation initiatives on Colorado land they own or manage, seeking to maintain habitat that benefits Colorado’s birdlife.

The inaugural Land Steward Appreciation Award went to the May Ranch, a family-owned ranch near Lamar, CO. Plaques were presented to Dallas May and Jonathan Reitz at the Annual Meeting of CFO during the 2024 Convention in Lamar. Many members of the May family were also in attendance.

Nominated by Peter Burke

I nominate the May Ranch as the recipient of the inaugural CFO Land Stewardship Award. The ranch is operated by four generations of the May family who purchased the land in 2012 after leasing it for decades. At nearly 20,000 acres, the land would support a herd of up to 1,200 cattle, however, the Mays limit the herd to roughly 600 head to, “maintain a sense of balance and harmony with nature.”

That philosophy is readily apparent. The Mays take pride in the American Beaver population that slows the flow of the Big Sandy Creek, creating habitat for diverse wildlife including the threatened Black Rail, which is abundant on the ranch. Thriving prairie dog colonies made May Ranch one of the few private properties approved for the release of endangered black-footed ferrets. Declared extinct in 1979, today this cousin to European and Asian polecats is part of a captive breeding program managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The ferrets feed primarily on prairie dogs, which are plentiful on the May Ranch. This results in large numbers of unoccupied burrows and may explain why Burrowing Owls are so plentiful on the ranch. There may be as many as 2,000 owls on the May Ranch, making it one of, if not the, densest populations in North America.

A fire burned 9,000 acres of the May Ranch in 2022, further testing the May family’s resolve for balancing the needs of nature with their financial obligations. Among the many challenges wrought by the fire was the loss of more than 60 miles of fencing, valued at roughly $1.5 million. The Mays are replacing those barbed wire fences with a unique, three-wire fence that includes a white, high-visibility top wire to ensure animals see the fence, and a non-barbed lower wire, to prevent injuries to deer, pronghorn and other animals that choose to pass under the fence rather than jump over it. One of many voluntary actions to minimize the impact of ranching on wildlife.

The May Ranch has been designated as an International Important Birding Area by the National Audubon Society. In 2021, it won a Leopold Award, given to those who, “inspire others with their voluntary conservation efforts on private working land.”

A Unique Partnership in Conservation

Dallas May is a commissioner for Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the May family has worked closely with CPW for decades. Jonathan Reitz is a wildlife biologist for CPW and has been working closely with the May family to implement strategies that have contributed to the remarkable development of this land. Working together, they built underwater structures to simulate beaver dams, slowing the flow of water that in turn supported the formation of marshland habitats used by many birds, most notably Black Rails.

Using novel “regenerative grazing” practices that simulate the historical movements of American Bison across the land, stomping on weeds and fertilizing native grasses, the May Ranch is cultivating the original prairie ecology of the West. The Denver Botanic Gardens conducted an audit of the May Ranch and documented 90 species of plants found nowhere else in Prowers County.

The prairie ecosystem supports thriving prairie dog towns that in turn are a food source for other predators. Apart from black-footed ferrets, the ranch is home to a naturally balanced community of coyotes, bobcats, badgers, swift foxes and more. Despite this, Dallas May claims that there hasn’t been a single incidence of cattle predation on his ranch in over four decades.

Dallas May has shown that cattle ranching can not just coexist but thrive together with nature. His willingness to partner with CPW and jointly develop, test and implement ranching practices and land management techniques supporting outstanding cattle production while preserving the land and safeguarding endangered and threatened species.

Colorado Field Ornithologists would like to recognize the May Ranch for its outstanding land stewardship and present awards to Dallas May and Jonathan Reitz for their unique partnership that has achieved such outstanding results.

CFO Awards are selected by the CFO Board of Directors based on nominations for CFO members and community members. Learn more about CFO Awards and the past recipients on our Awards page .

May Ranch Land Steward Appreciation Award Nomination Letter

Abstracts being accepted for the 2024 CFO Convention Science Session

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 16:00:00 GMT

Deadline: February 28th, 2024

The annual convention of the Colorado Field Ornithologists will be held in Lamar, Colorado from Thursday, May 2 through Sunday, May 5, 2024.

CFO will host a Science Session on Saturday, May 4 at the Historic Cow Palace Inn in Lamar. This is a great opportunity to share studies or research about Colorado birds with the members of CFO that support the scholarships and grants program, and with the birding and ornithology community of Colorado.

Topics of interest include ongoing research on Colorado birds or their habitats, advances in field identification of Colorado birds, and new information regarding the status, distribution, and conservation of Colorado birds, among other topics.

CFO grant recipients , both current and past, are especially encouraged to apply.

Abstract Submission

We invite abstracts for presentations to be given during the science session on Saturday, May 4th from 1:00-4:30pm. Speakers will have 15 minutes to present their topics. Abstracts should be 200-250 words and include a title, name of presenter(s), affiliation, email address, and a picture if possible. Presentation abstract submissions must be received by February 28th, 2024 for consideration at grants@cobirds.org .

Everyone presenting papers must register for the convention. There are both daily rates and a reduced fee for students. Full conference registration includes the welcome picnic, daily guided field trips, social, and the science session.

Travel Awards

Applications for travel stipends to help offset the costs of conference attendance will be accepted for student/youth attendees. Email requests for support to grants@cobirds.org .

Please share this opportunity with anybody that you think would be interested in presenting at the Lamar 2024 CFO meeting!

CFO Grants & Scholarships Committee – Sondra Bland and Kaily Meek

Fire recovery on the May Ranch – Lamar, CO

Sun, 14 Jan 2024 19:58:00 GMT

Fire is now a concern for Coloradans every month of the year ( Western Fire Chiefs Association ); how will the landscape and wildlife fare? In April 2023, a 9,000 acre wildlife in SE Colorado burned portions of the May Ranch near Lamar, Colorado. In August, Michael Booth from the Colorado Sun visited with Dallas May to see the recovery of the land and wildlife since the May wildfire.

Dallas May will be the keynote speaker at the 2024 CFO Convention in Lamar from 2-5 May, 2024. Learn more about the conservation activities on his family’s Audubon-certified beef ranch, including black-footed ferret reintroduction, black rail populations, and supporting the expansions of beaver dams (credited with helping mitigate wildfire effects).

Read the full article and see the impressive before and after pictures of the wildfire recovery on the Colorado Sun website.

Dallas May spreads his broad shoulders as wide as his grin.

“It’s all back,” he beams.

Two lucky weeks of monsoon rains focused over Lamar and Prowers County have pumped life back into May Ranch…

From A Colorado ranch lost 9,000 acres to a wildfire in April. So how does it look in August? Michael Booth. Colorado Sun . August 15, 2022

Pinyon Jay Community Science Project – Volunteer Profiles

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 23:21:00 GMT

In CFO’s 2023 Year of the Pinyon Jay, we’ve seen remarkable growth in participation in the Pinyon Jay Community Science Project . Before 2023, there were only a handful of reports in Colorado, but in 2023 we’ve seen nearly 100 reports come in from around the state! This increase comes as a result of the trainings led by Great Basin Bird Observatory (GBBO,) Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Colorado Field Ornithologists (CFO).

We would like to introduce you to two people who have participated in this project here in Colorado. In these Q&A’s you’ll find out why they got involved, what participation has meant to them, and, as a side note, their favorite Colorado bird (besides the Pinyon Jay.)

First, meet Carol Ortenzio, who lives on the Western Slope.

How did you find out about the Pinyon Jay Community Science project?
When CFO announced the project in 2022, I went to the Great Basin Observatory website and checked it out. I saw the need, knew I could help, and I signed up immediately.

Have you ever observed Pinyon Jays before the project?
I have had Pinyon Jays coming to my yard and feeders since we moved here from the East Coast in 2004. I also see them on the Colorado National Monument near my home.

Why were you interested in getting involved with this project?
When we first moved here, the Pinyon Jay flocks were new to me. I enjoy watching their activities around my yard. The number of birds varies from a few to about 70. Because I get so many to the yard (at one time I had 110 birds!), I knew this project was for me. I had no idea of the decline in the jay population. I enjoy being a Citizen Scientist. I am happy to be involved & able to collect data relatively regularly.

What was your experience with this project?
Collecting the data for the survey is simple and gives me an excuse to concentrate on the jays (not that I need one). The most common behavior in my experience has been feeding, from eating at the feeders & off our pinyon trees, to food begging & courtship feeding. I have also seen young birds learning about life at the feeder. We have a good number of healthy pinyon pines in our yard. When the pinyon seeds are ready, the Pinyon Jays feed actively.

I have learned a lot about Pinyon Jay behavior since starting the project. I have become alert to their calls and enjoy viewing them, whether at my home or while out hiking.

So we now know you have an affinity for the Pinyon Jay, but what is your other favorite bird in Colorado, and why?
The Gambel’s Quail, aka “My Chickens”. I have an active breeding population in my yard and neighborhood. I get so much pleasure from viewing them all year long, but my favorite time of year is when the chicks are born. Those little guys are so adorable AND amazing to watch. When I first moved to Colorado, the Gambel’s Quail was on my wish list to see. I remember being so excited when I saw a few run across the road as we pulled up to our new home. Now we have more than I could ever have dreamed of seeing.

Now we move on to the Front Range, where we meet another Pinyon Jay Community Science Project participant – Dana Hiatt.

How did you find out about the Pinyon Jay Community Science project?
Last winter, a gracious homeowner on the west side of Loveland invited a group of us birders to watch a small flock of Pinyon Jays feeding at his bird feeder. Afterward, a friend in the group suggested that we take the GBBO training and start monitoring for the project, so I did.

Thank you Everett and Lynette for allowing us to access private property for monitoring the Pinyon Jays in Loveland, we couldn’t do this without you!

Have you ever observed Pinyon Jays before the project?
I had not observed Pinyon Jays before I started watching them for this project. I grew up in Southern Colorado, so it seems likely that I may have seen or heard them at some point before I started birding as a teenager.

Why were you interested in getting involved with this project?
It made me sad to learn that Pinyon Jays might be listed as an endangered species. They are so beautiful, gregarious, and noisy that I wanted to help if I could.

What was your experience with this project?
I have had a great experience with the Pinyon Jay project. The app is so easy to use, it literally takes less than 30 seconds to do an “absence” report, and not much longer to report “presence”. I have found jays on Monarch Pass, south of Buena Vista, near Craig on a Quetzal Tours trip, and, most amazingly, the flock from last winter has reappeared on the west side of Loveland, so I have been able to watch them almost weekly since the first of October. The flock has more than tripled in size, so I hope that means that the Pinyon Jays had many successful nests this spring. I have watched jays flying in large and small flocks, eating at feeders, and foraging on the ground and in trees. And of course, much vocalizing. I hear them before I see them, usually.

So we now know you have an affinity for the Pinyon Jay, but what is your other favorite bird in Colorado, and why?
It is difficult to choose a favorite bird in Colorado. I still like watching House Sparrows! One would be the Wild Turkey for sure. They are so showy and fun to photograph, and practically ubiquitous in Northern Colorado. Such a great success story for conservation.

CFO thanks Carol, Dana, and the many volunteers who participated in the Pinyon Jay Community Science project in 2023. Being a field ornithologist is just this, observing the avian community around us, learning new things, and contributing our observations to local, regional, or global community science projects.

Want to find out more about this ongoing project and how you can participate? Check out the Pinyon Jay Community Science Project on our website.

Barr Lake Vegetation Removal Update

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 22:58:00 GMT

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies provides the following update on the vegetation removal along the shores of Barr Lake that started in fall 2023. CFO thanks Bird Conservancy of the Rockies for their ongoing efforts at Barr Lake.

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies met with FRICO (Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Company) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff to discuss mitigating damage to critical bird habitat at Barr Lake. FRICO’s work along the shore, berm and ditch are expected to take place over the next couple of years and extend along a large segment of the eastern shoreline. They are removing trees that are close to the berm, vegetation in the ditch, changing the slope of the berm and adding riprap for bank stabilization.

Bird Conservancy has banded and released over 45,000 birds of 123 species over the past 35 years at Barr Lake, an invaluable stopover for migratory and resident birds. FRICO has agreed to work with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and us to minimize the impact on the habitat and the upcoming spring migration season and assist with revegetation over the next several years, as well as helping mitigate the loss of large trees with nesting platforms. This will include looking at planting shrubs and other native, water-loving plants along the shoreline to help with nesting and migratory bird habitat.

We want to thank the bird and conservation community and our partners with Colorado Field Ornithologists; Denver Field Ornithologists; Audubon; Wild Birds Unlimited-Fort Collins, Longmont and Denver area stores; individuals and other organizations who are raising their voices and providing awareness for this critical place for birds.

For additional background information on this project, view this 2.5 minute video from 9 News from September 21, 2023.

Colorado State Wildlife Areas – Usage and Changes

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 16:46:00 GMT

In August 2023, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commissioners approved modifications that include changes that impact access to State Wildlife Areas (SWAs). With the changes to the SWAs, questions have arisen about purpose, site access, and what has changed. These changes are detailed in the 2023 Colorado State Recreation Lands brochure (see pages 1 and 3 in brochure). It is an excellent guide to SWAs!

The brochure includes updates to prohibited activities at SWAs. Source: CPW 2023 brochure pg. 3 .

Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages 42 state parks, all of Colorado’s wildlife, more than 300 SWAs, and many recreational programs. Colorado SWAs are managed for conserving wildlife and wildlife-related recreation. Colorado State Parks are managed for historical conservation and outdoor recreation.

That distinction can sometimes get blurred. Both are considered enterprise organizations with funding coming from different sources.

SWAs are primarily funded by hunting and fishing license purchases and excise taxes on the purchase of hunting and fishing equipment. In 2021, the Colorado State Wildlife Area pass has also contributed to SWA management funds.

State Parks are funded by use fees, including the Keep Colorado Wild pass available through voluntary vehicle registration renewal options. You can learn more about the Keep Colorado Wild pass in the July 2022 CPW podcast: 1.31- Keep Colorado Wild Pass – 10 minutes .

For more on the funding of CPW, see the Funding page on their website .

CPW wildlife revenue for fiscal year 202-23. Source: CPW funding webpage .

First established in 1881, there are 350 SWA throughout Colorado that were originally acquired and are managed to primarily restore, manage, conserve, and enhance wildlife and wildlife habitat; and to support wildlife-related recreation which includes hunting, fishing, and, since 2019, wildlife viewing.

The focus in these areas is on conservation programs:

Increased human population and growth of urban areas, as well as recreation pressures, on these properties are beginning to become incompatible with the original intention of keeping SWAs for wildlife. More residents are using SWAs as parks and open space.

A Colorado State Wildlife Area Pass was implemented in 2019 to augment hunting and fishing licenses to support wildlife area conservation and remove barriers to access. The intention was to reduce barriers for non-hunters/anglers and still meet the legal related to requirements related to the properties and funding. The pass cost is the same as a fishing license. Since its inception about 11,000 passes have been purchased.

SWAs in Colorado. All dots represent SWAs, red dots indicate those areas with an active alert at the time of publication. Source: CPW SWA map .

A working group was established at the direction of the CPW Director and Commissioners to fully review SWAs and their regulations. There was wide variation in definitions, regulations, and detailed information across the SWAs. For example, there were 18 definitions governing campfires and many different definitions of water vessels.

Two categories of regulations were created. General regulations applying to all SWAs and special regulations applying to individual SWAs that add to or supersede the general regulations based on needs or requirements.

Also created was an internal tool for CPW to categorize areas into four tiers (buckets) of wildlife properties as an aid in understanding the value and usage of the properties:

The Commission approved the proposals after a public comment period. During the public comment period, 191 members of the public provided comments. There were 51 comments about specific properties and 140 regarding the general changes. This resulted in some modifications to the proposal.

The current status, after approval, is that there is one lawsuit by Friends of Animals, an animal rights group. Concerns of recreation groups are being reviewed by the Commission. Further details will be forthcoming.

There are a variety of views on public lands, hunting and fishing. As an organization, CFO does not take a position on this. CFO provides this information to keep the community updated on the current status of SWA regulations.

Enjoy the outing!

Philip McNichols
Chair, CFO Conservation Committee

Funding

Usage

2023 Changes

Critical Habitat for wildlife
Important to wildlife recreation
Multi-use possibilities with potential for increase in recreation
Questionable SWA Status – Wildlife Managers will continue review for future potential changes

Buy a Colorado State Wildlife Area pass (annual or day options available) or have a valid fishing or hunting license for anyone 16 years or older. (The vehicle registration tag is only for State Parks and not SWAs.)
Check the regulations for all SWAs and the specific SWA you will be visiting. Note if hunting is allowed.
If hunting is allowed in the SWA you are visiting, review the dates for hunting and always wear orange or other bright colors. Be safe, don’t look like a moose, elk, deer, etc!

Wildlife management, including non-game wildlife
Threatened and endangered species protection
Habitat restoration
Wildlife recreationists

The Importance of Your Donations

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 21:47:00 GMT

Thank you to everyone who donated to CFO in the past year. Coming together for a common goal is not only seen in the avian world but also through the efforts we make to support our feathered friends. Your donations helped Colorado Field Ornithologists make an impact for birds and birders in multiple ways throughout the state in 2023. Here are a few ways your donation made a difference.

Pinyon Jays are iconic, but declining, members of the pinyon-juniper woodland community across the intermountain west. From 1967–2015, their population levels fell an estimated 83.5%

In light of this, CFO teamed up with the Great Basin Bird Observatory (GBBO) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) on the Pinyon Jay Community Jay Project . This effort focused on training people to go out into the field and collect and record data on Pinyon Jays. We held five online trainings in partnership with these organizations, with strong attendance for each.

In fall 2022, when the Pinyon Jay Community Science Project started, the GBBO Pinyon Jay database had two records for the state of Colorado. By mid-August 2023, 279 Colorado records have been submitted by 44 observers to the GBBO database.

While 2023 may be ending, this project does not. You can still sign up and report your Pinyon Jay observations.

The Year of the Pinyon Jay was reflected as well in our 3rd annual Colorado Birding Challenge . This year 28 teams raised $23,241 for conservation in this year’s Challenge.

These funds primarily supported the determination of breeding colony locations and the critical surrounding habitat for Pinyon Jays. This work was critical for agencies to minimize impacts in wildfire mitigation plans now in development. Researchers from South Dakota State University, partnered with the BLM, USFWS, and CPW to identify locations of Pinyon Jay colonies and to further map areas of high-quality nesting habitat across southwestern Colorado, ensuring woodland management is consistent with Pinyon Jay recovery.

CFO held its annual convention jointly with Western Field Ornithologists (WFO) at Copper Mountain Ski Resort in Summit County this past July. There were 237 people registered for the joint convention, more than either organization typically has at its annual conventions.

WFO conventions place greater emphasis on science presentations than CFO conventions, so this year we had two half days of presentations. A new addition to the convention was the well-received BioBlitz which utilized iNaturalist to document taxa (not just birds!) seen during the convention.

Wildlands Restoration Volunteers organizes thousands of volunteers each year to complete more than 150 conservation projects throughout Colorado. This year CFO coordinated with them to encourage our members to participate in habitat and trail restoration projects at some of our favorite birding hotspots, as well as make a difference for threatened species such as the Greater Sage-Grouse.

CFO supported the Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch , coordinated by Denver Field Ornithologists, by contributing towards hiring the professional hawk watch counter. Hawk Watch is a community science project that tracks the raptor numbers while teaching participants how to identify migrating birds of prey note observe their behavioral traits. Visitors are welcome at the Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch site during spring migration. Birders of all skill levels are welcome to participate.

In 2023 we had three Speaker Series presentations. In January, Anton Morrison from the Denver Zoo spoke on Birding at Denver Zoo (Diversity, Connection, Conservation). In February, we heard from Dr. Richard Reading on the African Vulture Crisis. In March, the presenter was Erin Gelling, Executive Director for Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition who spoke on Conservation of Sandhill Cranes in NW Colorado. If you missed these presentations, you can view them on YouTube .

Our newsletter, sent every other month, continues to gain popularity with its mix of CFO event information, birding news, and highlights of resources that CFO has to offer. CFO’s social media presence continues to grow; 6,900 members of the CFO Facebook group (it is a private group to avoid spam, all are welcome to join) and nearly 800 followers on Instagram . Follow the CFO Facebook page to get the latest updates on events and other opportunities.

These events and so much more were only possible because of your support of CFO. Thank you. To allow us to continue our mission for birders like you to study, conserve, and enjoy Colorado’s birds we hope you will continue to support CFO in the future.

The Year of the Pinyon Jay

3rd Annual Colorado Birding Challenge

CFO Annual Convention

Colorado Birds Journal

Wildlands Restoration Volunteers

Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch

Speaker Series

Our Community

Mindful Birding

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 18:00:00 GMT

By Crystal Reser
Denver Audubon Master Birder and Mindful Birding Leader

Just like a growing group of people today, I LOVE Birds! Hiking into a forest; walking a nature trail; visiting a park; reveling in glimpses of feathered friends or hearing a new birdsong; it’s a joy for me and I cherish these moments. The pandemic saw a huge growth in people identifying themselves as birders, and people are spending more time outdoors. It makes sense in today’s world of high stress and anxiety. Studies show that time spent in nature helps us physically and psychologically. But here’s the problem. Our outdoor spaces are being “loved-to-death” and we’re harming birds and their habitats. As conscientious, caring stewards for birds, I propose we take a close look at how , we birders, interact with our natural spaces. I think we can do a better job.

I’ve been on field trips with groups of beginning to expert birders and collectively we’re all making mistakes. In my experience, participants immediately begin talking, waving and pointing, walking off the trail, making lots of noise… you get the picture. It seems folks are there for a social event and not really considering the bird’s perspective. Or, we’re so determined to get a glimpse of a bird we go raging down or off the trail, totally unaware of the habitat. Have you noticed our trails are getting wider and wider?

Let’s consider “pishing” and the use of recorded birdsongs and calls. Playback certainly has a role in scientific research. However, because of the rapid rise in the number of birders the last few years, it is imperative that we employ playback responsibly when we’re out birding. In my opinion, too much playback or phishing in a non-research environment can cause stress to birds and should be limited or completely avoided in the field. Let’s take a closer look at the bird’s perspective and how we can improve.

One of the best books I’ve come across to teach a bird’s perspective is Jon Young’s book, What the Robin Knows . As birders visiting wild spaces, Jon urges us to be more aware of how our actions often cause defensive behaviors in animals. In Jon’s words, we create a zone of disturbance . The book teaches us instead, to create a routine of invisibility . If we are mindful of our own presence and take measures to reduce our impact, we promote animal baseline behavior and ultimately promote their survival. Baseline behaviors allow birds to conserve energy and help them survive day to day. Animal defensive behaviors, however, cause a depletion of energy and threaten a bird’s ability to survive. Defensive behaviors are outside a bird’s normal routine and are a response to threats in their environment. Yes, like those large, loud, gangly groups of humans, strange threatening noises, unwarranted recordings of a territorial call, etc.

Mindful birding and nature awareness practices are the answer! These practices allow us to quiet our busy minds, tap into our senses and feel a deeper connection with nature.

Here’s how I do it. First, set the intention for yourself (or the group if leading others) on a birding walk. Consider the goal of being in nature to see and hear birds and wildlife on their terms. Limiting the number of people in one group is a good first step. Techniques can be as simple as limiting talking, whispering only, and turning off electronics. To help the habitat, watch where you’re placing your feet and stay on the trail. If you must go off trail, step on rocks or carefully maneuver your feet around the vegetation. Walk slowly, with awareness of everything around you. Turn off your thinking brain and really see and hear with your full attention. Look and listen for what’s near you and what’s far away. Notice shapes and colors and textures. Listen for the quietest sound. Stop often. Close your eyes and listen. Sniff the air. Sit down, stay quiet, and see what comes to you. These are all things I do. I’ve had many experiences of birds coming toward me by practicing these techniques. My senses have become sharper and my powers of observation stronger. Ultimately, I feel I’ve become a better birder and a better advocate for birds and nature as a whole.

These simple techniques I’ve described expand our zone of awareness and this zone becomes larger than our zone of disturbance. Birds and other animals will be more apt to stick around and consider us as part of their norm, and we lessen the stress placed on them by our presence. Jon Young states, “the more we adopt a respectful, aware attitude, whether in the yard or the woods or the jungle…the more respectfully we are treated in return”. If we are serious about protecting birds and their habitat, we also must look at our behaviors and our impact, and start paying closer attention. I believe simple mindfulness and nature awareness techniques should be a part of any birder’s practice in the field. It’s good for the birds we love, and good for us too!

Changes Coming Soon to Chico Basin Ranch

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 20:51:00 GMT

Linda Hodges, Conservation Chair for Aiken Audubon , recently sent this alert to Aiken Audubon members about the changes that are going to be taking place for visiting Chico Basin Ranch . Reprinted here with permission from the author. Please read this thoroughly if you plan to visit this ranch in the future.

Some of you may be aware of the deliberations between Aiken Audubon and the Colorado State Land Board (SLB) over the past few years, regarding access to Chico Basin Ranch.

We’ve come to an agreement, though it will go into effect sooner than anticipated. Below are some of the conditions of Aiken’s layered lease with the SLB. Though the lease was recently approved by the SLB Board of Commissioners, we do not yet have a contract.

The lease and the changes listed below will go into effect on March 1, 2024. This is earlier than we, the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, and Ranchlands anticipated.

· Access: Birders will have access only 10 weeks of the year; 5 weeks each during spring and fall migration. The dates will coincide with Bird Conservancy of the Rockies’ banding operation. A few Aiken members will be able to visit the ranch one day/month during the off-months in order to maintain a year-round count of bird species.

Hours of access: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. only
Number of birders: Limited to 20 per day
Locations open to birders: Banding Station, Headquarters, and Rose Pond. Specific parking areas will be designated. Access to other parts of the ranch will not be allowed.
Reservations: Birders will be required to register and pay in advance via a registration system to be administered by Aiken. The daily fee has not yet been determined.
Time Frame: Aiken will hold a five-year lease, though either party may cancel at any time.

Again, the lease was approved by the State Land Board Commissioners on August 9th, but a final contract has not yet been presented to Aiken. We will keep you posted, but urge you to visit the ranch this migration season, while access is not yet limited.

2023 CFO-WFO Joint Convention Wrap Up

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 19:44:00 GMT

This year, CFO held its annual convention jointly with Western Field Ornithologists (WFO) at Copper Mountain Ski Resort, Summit County, July 19-23. There were 237 people registered for the joint convention, far more than either organization typically has at its annual conventions.

Activities included staples for CFO conventions, including the welcome picnic on Wednesday afternoon. Full-day field trips were offered on Thursday and Sunday, with half-day field trips on Friday and Saturday exploring local and distant areas of central Colorado.

County-busting trips went as far afield as Grand and Jackson counties, while local trips to Loveland Pass and other high-elevation sites presented opportunities for Colorado specialties like White-tailed Ptarmigan and Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. Many trips were successful in locating Cassia Crossbills, another mountain specialty only recently discovered in Colorado.

WFO conventions typically place greater emphasis on science presentations than CFO conventions, so this year we had two half days of presentations. A new addition to the convention was the well-received BioBlitz which utilized iNaturalist to document taxa (not just birds!) seen during the convention.

On Saturday night, long-serving board member Sue Riffe was awarded the CFO Board of Directors Award for her service.

Thank you so much to the many vendors who participated this year, as well as the volunteers who helped organize this convention. Further details on the convention, including a list of the science presentations, will be in the next edition (Fall 2023) of the Colorado Birds journal .

Doug Faulkner, 2023 CFO Convention Committee Chair

Growth in Participation and Reporting in the Pinyon Jay Community Science Project: August 2023 Update

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 09:00:00 GMT

CFO members and other Colorado birding groups and individuals have joined in the Pinyon Jay Community Science Project , co-sponsored by CFO. From the kickoff in late fall 2022, the efforts and results have been quite amazing. The goal is to document Pinyon Jay sightings and activity using the database developed by Great Basin Bird Observatory (GBBO).

As a species, the Pinyon Jay has been declining in population range-wide. From 1967–2015, population levels fell an estimated 83.5%. In 2022, Defenders of Wildlife petitioned the US Fish and Wildlife Service to have the species federally listed as threatened or endangered species.

Since initiating the Pinyon Jay Community Science Project, GBBO has provided four trainings, while Colorado Parks and Wildlife have held one training . Attendance at the online trainings was extremely strong. At the joint convention of CFO and Western Field Ornithologists in July 2023, three field trip groups sighted different Pinyon Jay flocks exhibiting a variety of behaviors including foraging and young begging.

In fall 2022, when the Pinyon Jay Community Science Project started, the GBBO Pinyon Jay database had two records for the state of Colorado. As of today (18 August 2023), 279 Colorado records have been submitted by 44 observers to the GBBO database. This is a very strong start for the first eight months of the project!

In the coming year, we will have more information on the progress of the Defenders of Wildlife petition for threatened/endangered species status. You can join the Pinyon Jay Community Science Project and start contributing your observations of Pinyon Jays (or even the absence of Pinyon Jays from appropriate habitats) today.

Philip McNichols, CFO Conservation Committee Chair

Volunteers needed for birds surveys in Rocky Mountain National Park

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 22:36:00 GMT

The wildlife team at Rocky Mountain National Park is seeking additional support in conducting bird surveys this August . These surveys are vital to park operations and allow them to identify important bird habitats that will be protected during fuel mitigation projects, trail projects, etc.

The hope is that they will recruit some volunteers this summer that can be trained to complete these surveys, and that these volunteers may return next summer for more consistent work conducting the surveys.

From the RMNP volunteer listing:

Rocky Mountain National Park is seeking experienced birders to assist with survey work in the backcountry.

This volunteer position will support the park’s compliance with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Volunteers will conduct surveys in the backcountry to identify trees that birds use for nesting, which will include long days of hiking off trail, climbing over trees, and hiking on steep and uneven terrain. Trees with bird nests will be marked and avoided during fire mitigation efforts. Knowledge of birds is preferred but training opportunities may be available. Work will be scheduled a few days in a row for a few weeks in July-August.

Volunteers should be avid hikers. Work will be done in varying weather conditions.

In your application, please include information about your experience as a birder.

New Species Added to the Colorado State Bird List in the Past 6 Years

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 23:07:00 GMT

At the joint conference with Western Field Ornithologists in July 2023, Peter Gent, chairman of the Colorado Bird Records Committee present a talk on the species that have been documented in Colorado for the first time over the past six years.

These species include Golden-crowned Warbler (2018), Fork-tailed Flycatcher (2018), White-tailed Kite (2019), Yellow-green Vireo (2019), Varied Bunting (2020), Ruddy Ground-Dove (2020), Yellow Grosbeak (2021), Cassia Crossbill (2021), Rufous-backed Robin (2022), Yellow Rail (2022), and Limpkin (2023).

Peter also poses questions about Cassia Crossbill and Yellow Rail and makes a prediction of where our next new species will come from.

CFO 2023 Directors’ Awardee: Sue Riffe

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 01:01:00 GMT

The CFO Directors’ Award is given in recognition of significant contributions to Colorado Field Ornithologists and to efforts that CFO supports. A plaque was presented to Sue Riffe at the Joint CFO/WFO Convention in Summit County.

Sue Riffe has been a CFO Board Director and the Field Trip Committee Chair since 2017. She has planned and orchestrated all the field trips for the annual CFO conventions during each of those years (CFO didn’t have a convention in 2020 and 2021). To accomplish that Sue has scouted birding sites in each area where the year’s convention was to be held, developed descriptions for each trip for the convention, and recruited leaders for each of the trips for each day of the convention. As Field Trip Committee Chair, Sue has also been a critical part of the Convention Committee and helped plan each convention.

When the COVID-19 pandemic derailed plans for the CFO convention in 2020 and 2021, Sue organized CFO’s first-ever dispersed shorebird workshop in 2021 to fill the gap or opportunities for members to get together on field trips. In developing this workshop series, Sue emphasized the need to have field trips and learning opportunities across the state of Colorado to serve CFO’s membership and the Colorado birding community. An online shorebird identification presentation by Eric Hyness (watch the workshop) was followed by field trips at locations around the state where migrating shorebirds were likely to be found in August and September. This became the model for a new type of event offered by CFO: the Colorado Field Workshop Series . Sue again planned the 2022 series with a focus on hummingbirds. Scott Rashid presented the ID workshop (watch) and field trips included visits to hummingbird banding stations around Colorado. Both year’s events were enjoyed and appreciated by members and the Colorado birding community.

Over all the years Sue has been an active and constructive participant in board discussions. Most notably, Sue is always a positive and affirming voice celebrating the successes of the board and each of its members. The CFO board recognizes Sue Riffe for her dedication and commitment to CFO.

Colorado Birds Summer 2023 Available Now!

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 20:45:00 GMT

The Summer 2023 issue of Colorado Birds is now available to all CFO Members! You can read through CFO News, review notable sightings from last winter in News From The Field , check in with Dave Leatherman’s latest edition of The Hungry Bird , learn from Birding by Ear and Field Marks , and more!

To read the digital copy, log into your account by clicking Member Login (desktop/tablets: top right corner of this window; mobile devices: last item in the menu). Then navigate to the Colorado Birds webpage (under Learn) and read the newest journal.

Printed journals will soon be arriving in the mailboxes of members who subscribe to the print journal.

BioBlitz at CFO-WFO Joint Convention

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 14:56:00 GMT

During the 2023 CFO-WFO Joint Convention, we will be holding a BioBlitz using iNaturalist to see how many total avian and non-avian organisms convention attendees can collectively document in Colorado.

What is a BioBlitz?

The goal of a BioBlitz is to document as many types of living organisms as possible within a specified time period. Our specified time period will be Tuesday, July 18 at midnight to Saturday, July 22 at 5 pm .

How do I participate?

To create an observation, take pictures or audio recordings of whatever non-human organism catches your eye and upload this evidence as an observation to the app.

How do I use iNaturalist?

iNaturalist provides a great online overview on how to use their app and there are video tutorials if you prefer to learn that way. Want to learn in person? Join Hannah Floyd’s Friday morning workshop (FRWS2) on iNaturalist. Ask at the convention info table for more information.

I can win prizes!?

The top five participants who upload the most iNaturalist observation to the “CFO-WFO 2023 project” while in Colorado between Tuesday, July 18 and Saturday, July 22 at 5 pm, will receive prizes.

A prize will also be rewarded to the participant who uploads the highest diversity of taxa during the same window.

Attend the CFO-WFO Joint Convention. (Registration closed 23 June 2023)
Download the iNaturalist app for free on your smartphone or tablet.
Search for and join the iNaturalist project “ CFO-WFO 2023 “.
Start observing!
To create an observation, take pictures or audio recordings of whatever non-human organism catches your eye and upload this evidence as an observation to the app.

Submit a Colorado Bird Records report using your eBird checklist!

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 15:04:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce that there is now a new fast way to submit records to the Colorado Bird Records Committee (CBRC) using an eBird checklist with good photographs or audio files.

At the CBRC website , click on ‘Documentations’ in the main menu, then select the “Submit eBird Record” option. If you are not already logged into your CBRC account, you will need to do so before proceeding. Please note that this account is different from your regular CFO account and you may have set different login information for it.

The Submit eBird Report page requires you to input a few necessary details, such as the species, date, and location of observation. Use the ‘Link to eBird Checklist’ box to paste the full URL for the eBird checklist that has your observation. Add an additional description of your checklist, if you wish. Then click “Submit” to go to the second and third pages where you can upload photos and/or audio recordings. Please include at least one diagnostic photo or audio recording so that it is part of the CBRC database (and not just the eBird database).

That’s it: it should only take 2 to 3 minutes to submit the record.

Hopefully, this will encourage more people to submit their sightings of rare birds in Colorado to the CBRC as well as eBird. The list of birds considered rare is under ‘Documentations’ and ‘ Review List ‘.

Have a record that isn’t in eBird? You can still report it using the “Submit a Report” option under the Documentations menu item.

Peter Gent, Boulder.
Chairman CBRC.

CFO has a new President

Sat, 24 Jun 2023 14:55:00 GMT

Dear Colorado Birding Community,

The Colorado Field Ornithologists held its annual meeting via Zoom on Monday. I am pleased to announce that the CFO membership approved the new slate of officers which includes the transition of Kyle Carlsen from Acting Secretary to Secretary and CFO Vice President Chuck Hundertmark becomes President.

I will remain on the board in the role of Past President. I look forward to officially welcoming Chuck as the new CFO President at the Joint CFO-WFO Annual Convention to be held July 19-23. I hope to see you all there at Copper Mountain Resort, either at the Welcome Picnic or on a field trip, or at the Presidents’ Social on Friday night which I will co-host with other former CFO presidents and Chuck, or at one of the other exciting activities planned during this convention.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as President of CFO these past four years. I am confident that Chuck will provide excellent leadership for CFO in the years to come.

Nick Komar

Colorado Birding Challenge held May 20, 2023 to Benefit Pinyon Jay Conservation.

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 07:44:00 GMT

Thirteen teams competed for glory during the third annual Colorado Birding Challenge, raising money for Pinyon Jay Conservation in Colorado. An additional thirteen teams participated in the “Bird-your-way” category throughout the month of May 2023. Fun and excellent birding were had by all but equally importantly over $23,241 has been raised for conservation. Competition categories included Automobile, Green, and Youth.

The winner of the Youth category is The Ruffled Feathers, comprised of three young brothers. Ezekiel, Ellison, and Wayland Lynum were driven by their mother Erin Lynum over a route in Larimer County that produced 70 species. The route included Rocky Mountain National Park, Watson Lake, and grasslands near Soapstone Prairie. Erin wrote, “my boys just completed their day of birding and were so excited to set a new personal record. They even found and ID’d several birds they had never seen before.” Highlights for the team included Eastern Screech-Owl, Sandhill Crane, and Indigo Bunting. The Lynums have a strong streak going having won the Youth category in 2022 as well. In 2024, we’re looking for more youth teams to join Challange and take on The Ruffled Feathers.

In the Green category, two bike teams and a hiking team squared off against each other. Leading the peloton were the Chaffee Chasers, comprised of Sally Waterhouse and Greg Mihalik, hiking in Chaffee County. They amassed 79 species which represented 70.5% of the par value assigned to Chaffee. One of the more interesting species they found was a female Blackpoll Warbler. Runners up in the Green category were the White-bearded Helmetcrests who tallied 68% of par in Larimer County and the Monkey Wrench Gang who found 49% of par in Mesa County.

Nine teams participated in the Automobile category of the competition. The 2023 winners are Birds R Us, comprised of Kelly Ormesher and Valentina Roumi. They observed 102 species in Sedgwick County, representing 87.5% of par for the northeast-most county in Colorado. Their winning effort began at 4:45 AM and ended at 5:41 PM. Highlights included White-rumped Sandpiper, Green Heron, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Ferruginous Hawk, and Broad-winged Hawk. Team captain Kelly drove 11 hours from Missouri to participate. Valentina scouted the area for two days leading up to the competition on May 20. Their hard work paid off. Runners up in the Automobile category were Team Aeronautes in El Paso County with 80.5% of par and Tiny but Mighty in Broomfield County with 70.5% of par.

Congratulations to all participants and thank you to all donors that helped make the 2023 Colorado Birding Challenge a success.

Nominate Someone You Know for the 2023 CFO Awards

Tue, 02 May 2023 15:17:00 GMT

CFO honors individuals and organizations for service to Colorado’s avian diversity with CFO annual awards . These awards will be presented at the 2023 joint convention with WFO from July 19th – 23rd at Copper Mountain in Summit County.

Any CFO member can make a nomination for an award, so we’d like to hear from you ! Is there someone you know who has made a positive impact on birds and their habitats in Colorado? We have three awards for which we are currently soliciting nominations. If you would like to nominate someone for one of these awards, please fill out this form by Tuesday, May 9th.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is intended to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to research or conservation of Colorado birds or service to the Colorado birding community.

Director’s Award recognizes significant contributions to Colorado Field Ornithologists and to efforts that CFO supports.

The Landowner’s Award is given to thank private landowners who graciously allow access for birders to see significant rarities or interesting birds on their property.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Director’s Award

Landowner’s Award

Help Record Rare Birds in Colorado with the Colorado Birds Records Committee

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 17:29:00 GMT

The Colorado Bird Records Committee (CBRC) was started by Jack Reddall in 1972 and has been in existence for 50 years. The aim is to document rare birds that are found in the state of Colorado. This aim is a little different from eBird, which documents all species of birds submitted by observers whether they are rare or not. The review and oversight of records sent to the CBRC also differ from eBird in that the record is voted on by 7 of the 9 committee members, and a vote of 7-0 or 6-1 is required for the record to be accepted. A record can go through three rounds of voting. Frequently records provoke vigorous discussion among the committee members. I thank all the past and current CBRC members for their time and service to the CBRC ( view all current members ).

On the website, you can find a list of the species that the CBRC would like documentation of any observations of, as well as instructions on how to submit a report and the submittal form . The form is longer and asks more questions than submitting to eBird, but it is easy to add photographs or sound recordings at the end before the record is submitted. Each person submitting a record receives an email that the record has been received by the CBRC. This documentation is important for verifying the records and to help future ornithologists when there are questions about past observations in light of future insights, as there were with the split of Chihuahuan Meadowlark in 2022 .

Past CBRC decisions on individual species are also available for view . On the same page, you can download a checklist of the 519 species that have been documented in Colorado. The CBRC deliberations are summarized in Records Committee Reports that are published in Colorado Birds . Eighty-two reports have been published so far and you can read them all . Near the bottom of the right-hand column of the reports page is an article by Tony Leukering on “ Writing Bird Descriptions: Ruling Out Other Species “. It was written in 1994 but still applies today.

Peter Gent, Boulder.
Chairman Colorado Bird Records Committee

Youth & Student Scholarships for 2023 CFO & WFO Joint Convention — Copper Mountain in July

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 02:41:00 GMT

CFO and WFO are happy to announce that applications for youth and student scholarships to attend the joint CFO-WFO convention at Copper Mountain , Summit County, Colorado on July 19–23, 2023 are now open. The convention will have a variety of youth/student-specific events including a pre-convention camping trip, field trips, socials, and more.

Youth/Student Scholarships from Colorado Field Ornithologists

CFO Youth Scholarships provides financial help to young Colorado birders to attend summer camps, workshops, and training programs (including the CFO convention) that introduce them to science and nature through the study of birds. Scholarships typically range from $200-$800.

Deadline: Rolling deadline but please submit at least 2 weeks prior to the event you wish to attend.

Youth/Student Scholarships from Western Field Ornithologists

The Student Programs Committee of Western Field Ornithologists is happy to announce that application forms are available for scholarships to attend the WFO annual conference at Copper Mountain Resort, Colorado, July 19–23, 2023.

Up to ten scholarships will be offered: eight for students in grades six through twelve, and two for college students working toward a bachelor’s degree. Each scholarship provides funds for most expenses and fees associated with the conference, including registration fees; a full-day field trip for both Thursday and Sunday (as space allows); box lunches for the full-day field trips; and a student reception.

The application deadline for this year’s scholarship program is March 31, 2023.

Upcoming Training for New Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch Volunteers

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 23:42:00 GMT

Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch is seeking volunteers to monitor raptor migration on Dinosaur Ridge from March 1 through May 14, 2023 (volunteers can choose the days they volunteer during this window). The Hawk Watch site is on a segment of the Dakota Hogback formation west of Denver. The site is accessed from the Stegosaurus parking lot off Interstate 70 and Jefferson County Route 93. A fairly steep half-mile trail leads from the parking lot to the monitoring site.

Training will be provided by Denver Field Ornithologists (DFO) and a designated counter will be on the ridge every day to provide on-site support and expertise. Everyone is welcome! Volunteer observations are critical for understanding the health of raptor populations and the data collected will help inform conservation efforts. By observing raptors in flight, volunteers have the opportunity to learn from experts and develop their identification skills in the field.

If you are interested, sign up for the Hawk Watch Introductory Meeting on Wednesday, February 22 at 7 PM (MST). This orientation and training session will be conducted via Zoom by David Hill, co-chair of DFO’s Hawk Watch Committee. David will provide essential information on what it means to be a volunteer along with an introduction to raptor identification skills. To register, contact Dave via email at davidhill2357@gmail.com . Dave will send you a link to the Zoom meeting.

An On-Site Orientation for Volunteers will be held on Saturday, February 25 at 9:30 AM (MST). This in-person session will be held at the monitoring site on Dinosaur Ridge and will enable new volunteers to get familiar with the trail up to the ridge and will introduce both new and returning volunteers to this season’s counters who will be up on the ridge to provide ongoing support and training. Register for this session on the Workshops page of the DFO website. Note: all participants must fill out a release of liability form in order to attend this training session. The release of liability form can be found on the DFO website.

Hawks on the Wing: Seeing Beyond the Field Marks with Flight-based Identification is the last of the three training sessions. It will occur on Wednesday, March 1 at 6:30 PM (MST). Josh Haas, a nationally known photographer, videographer, and educator, will join us via Zoom for a webinar that will feature video of hawk species, as well as side-to-side comparisons of hawk species seen on Dinosaur Ridge during spring migration. This session is open to all new and returning volunteers and to anyone else who would like to improve their raptor identification skills. Register for the webinar on the Upcoming Programs page of the DFO website.

Emma Riley, raptor biologists with a degree in wildlife biology from Colorado State University, returns this year as the chief hawk counter. She will oversee the daily count Wednesday through Sunday. Aarohi “Ro” Borman, a recent graduate of Colorado State University with a bachelor’s degree in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, will perform that same duty on Saturday and Sunday. DFO volunteers Ajit Anthony and Carol Cwiklinski will cover Monday and Tuesday. Multiple sets of eyes are essential in order to collect complete observational data. In addition to spotting and identifying migrating raptors, volunteers introduce passing hikers to birding and to the excitement of seeing birds of prey in flight.

Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch is a collaborative effort between DFO, Hawk Migration Association of North America, Denver Audubon, Jefferson County Open Space, Colorado Field Ornithologists, and Nature’s Educators. Each of these organizations plays a key role in making Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch possible, contributing funding, expertise, leadership, and volunteers to the effort. It is one of dozens of community science counts on raptor migration routes across the country.

For more information about the Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch, visit the Hawk Watch page of the DFO website or email David Hill at davidhill2357@gmail.com . For questions about volunteering, contact Janet Peters at j.f.peters58@gmail.com .

2022/2023 Global Avian Flu Outbreak in Colorado

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 21:44:00 GMT

Dead geese are scattered on the ice of local lakes and reservoirs. Egg prices are over $7 per dozen and the shelves are still bare. Friends and social media posts are recommending removing our songbird feeders. What is going on?

Since the winter and spring of 2021/2022 there have been outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza around the globe. These outbreaks occur in most years but the extent of the current outbreak globally and in North America has been extensive (see recent outbreaks recorded by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations ). Outbreaks can affect both wild and domestic birds. Rarely it is also passed to humans – which is a reason you should not handle sick or dead birds.

Avian influenza, or avian flu for short, is an infectious disease in birds caused by Influenza Type A viruses (the same type as the most common human flu viruses). Some species of birds, including many waterfowl and aquatic birds, are reservoirs of the viruses and they can carry the disease without showing overt signs of being infected. There are both low pathogenic (LPAI) and high pathogenic (HPAI) categories of avian influenza based on the viruses impact on commercial poultry. The viruses are separated into different groups based on their surface proteins. The current virus is an H5N1 subtype. So you may see news stories referencing anything from “bird flu” to “HPAI” to “H5N1” but the stories are likely all referring to the same thing.

Outbreaks occur when an HPAI strain causes severe disease and high mortality in some species of birds. Avian flu is not new or unique to 2022 and 2023 – in fact, my first job after graduating college was to survey for avian flu in shorebirds in 2006. The current outbreak in North America, and Colorado, is more virulent than past outbreaks on this continent.

Detection of HPAI in wild and domestic birds by county in Colorado. Blue Counties = Positive wild bird cases. Red Counties = Positive domestic bird cases. Purple Counties = Positive cases in both domestic and wild birds. Map from Colorado Department of Agriculture .

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza is particularly deadly to domestic poultry. To prevent spread in the agricultural industry, millions of birds have been culled globally in the last two year. The impacts are showing up on supermarket shelves. This impact has driven much of the news coverage of this outbreak.

As of January 5, 2023 HPAI had been detected in over 5,500 wild birds but only 75 detections in songbirds across the US. There were 13 species of songbird and 103 species of non-songbirds in which HPAI has been detected. Many of the non-songbirds include waterfowl (ducks, geese, swans, etc), aquatic birds (herons, shorebirds, seabirds, etc), game birds (grouse, turkeys, etc), and raptors (hawks, eagles, falcons, owls, etc). You can see all the detections on the USDA APHIS website .

The impact on wild birds in Colorado has mostly been limited to morbidity and mortality in geese, ducks, and raptors. There is ongoing research into the extent of the outbreak and impacts on overwintering waterfowl and raptors.

For more information, visit Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s avian influenza webpage . For a quick overview, read the informational flyer from Colorado Parks and Wildlife that includes more information; recommendations for hunters and falconers; and links to additional information.

What about my feeders?
If you are like me, I’ve seen a lot of different advice on what to do about my bird feeders during the outbreak. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and All About Birds, published an article specifically on this topic, after consulting with Dr. Julianna Lenoch, director of the USDA APHIS National Wildlife Diseases Program.

They report, “… there is currently low risk of an outbreak among wild songbirds, and no official recommendation to take down feeders unless you also keep domestic poultry, according to the National Wildlife Disease Program. We do always recommend that you clean bird feeders and birdbaths regularly as a way to keep many kinds of diseases at bay.”

Consider reading the full article for more details of the data and research this recommendation is based on; more information on what to do if you keep backyard chickens, check nest boxes, or are a wildlife rehabilitator; and a list of North American species in which HPAI has been detected during 2022-2023. (The article was originally published April 20, 2022 and updated January 5, 2023.)

While humans can get sick and even die from avian influenza including the H5N1 strain, it is quite rare. The only observation of a human getting H5N1 influenza from birds in the US in 2022 was here in Colorado (source: CDC ), however, that involved an individual directly working with poultry that were infected. The individual recovered.

While currently, this virus is not very transmissible between birds and people or among people, new mutations could make the virus more transmissible or virulent. You should avoid contact with any sick or dead bird that you suspect may be infected with avian flu.

If you walk around an area where there is a lot of bird poo, especially if you see dead birds, you may want to consider cleaning your shoes before returning home or moving to another location. Similarly, anyone with pet chickens or other birds should be vigilant about handwashing. More information for those with backyard chickens can be found on the USDA website .

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) recommends that if you find three or more dead wild birds in a specific area within a two-week period, or if you see live birds showing signs of disease, you should contact your local Colorado Parks and Wildlife office (details below).
If you find sick or dead birds and suspect avian influenza, please report the instance. Please do not approach or touch sick or dead birds. The individuals collecting birds for testing have appropriate personal protective equipment and qualifications to do the retrieval. Retrieval is much more complicated and unsafe for staff to remove carcasses from the ice but they are working on solutions.

Regardless of your method of reporting, please have the following information ready when submitting a report:
* Date of observation of sick/dead bird(s)
* Is ≥ 1 carcass intact & fresh (< 48 hrs)?
* Is ≥ 1 carcass accessible (not on ice)?
* Location (body of water, park, or address; county; and GPS coordinates, if known)
* Estimated total number of sick and dead birds
* Species (if not sure of exact species, report as specific as you can, e.g. “Cackling or Canada Goose”, “owl”)
* Age of bird(s) (or unkown)
* Sex of bird (s) (or unkown)
* Any additional comments
* Reporting party contact information (name, phone number, email; optional)

You can find a list of CPW offices here . CPW’s website says that they will not be able to respond to all calls as they are focusing responses based on surveillance and management priorities.

Courtney Rella is assisting in collecting reports of sick and dead birds to contribute to CPW’s ongoing data collection. Reports with the information above can be sent to dr.cawtney@gmail.com . If you do report to Courtney, you do not need to separately report to CPW as the data are combined. Reporting to Courtney reduces calls to CPW and allows for reporting over the weekend when CPW staff are not in the office to take calls.

Reports of dead or sick birds can help us better understand how Colorado avifauna is being affected by this avian flu outbreak

What Is Avian Flu?

Impacts on Domestic Birds

Impacts on Wild Birds

Can Humans Get Bird Flu?

What to do if you find Sick or Dead Birds

“Keep Colorado Wild” Pass available in 2023

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 22:38:00 GMT

Beginning in January 2023, when your vehicle registration comes due, you can include a $29 Colorado State Park pass through the DMV.

Support state parks while enjoying our feathered friends
Not only does the “Keep Colorado Wild” pass help support our state parks, the fee also helps support search and rescue teams, avalanche safety programs, wildlife conservation efforts, and accessibility options.

How it works

The “Keep Colorado Wild” pass will be tied to your vehicle registration. To get access, you’ll need to present your registration card upon entry into the park. The park pass is optional, you can decline the additional fee when registering your vehicle. If you use multiple vehicles on your travels around Colorado, you’ll need to include the pass on each registration. Compared to the $120 family pass, which allows you to transfer your pass between vehicles, $29 per vehicle is not a bad deal for most families.

The “Keep Colorado Wild” pass does not replace the other state park passes available, including specialty passes such as Columbine, Centennial, Blue Spruce, Independence, Volunteer, or Military Passes. If you use one of these passes, you can decline the “additional “Keep Colorado Wild” fee when registering your vehicle.

You can find out more on the Colorado Parks & Wildlife website.

A New Crossbill for Colorado

Sat, 10 Dec 2022 22:24:00 GMT

The Red Crossbill ( Loxia curvirostra ) has nine subspecies across North America, with eight recorded in Colorado ( learn more in Benkman 2007 Colorado Birds ). A tenth subspecies was elevated to the species level in 2017 and became Cassia Crossbill ( Loxia sinesciuris ). The Cassia Crossbill is the first “call type” or ecotype within the North American Red Crossbill complex to be formally designated as a distinct species (learn more about the species on Birds of the World ).

Middle Park is your best bet for finding Cassia Crossbills in Colorado, but you’ll need sharp ears to tell them apart from the other Red Crossbills of the state.

Once thought to occur only in Cassia County, Idaho, Christian Nunes and Nathan Pieplow have both written about their experiences identifying Cassia Crossbills in Colorado. In 2022, eBird shows seventeen days on which the species was reported in the state.

While Christian’s article brought to light the presence of Cassia Crossbills in Colorado, Nathan’s article provides a nice little twist. Both are articles are short and well worth reading.

You can find recordings of Cassia Crossbill flight calls in Christian Nunes’ eBird checklist from July 2021 and more data including images and recordings on eBird . If you’re interested in recording bird songs, start at the Macaulay Library’s resources page .

The Bottom Line
While this means you might be able to add a new species of crossbill to your life list, Cassia Crossbills can only be separated from Red Crossbills by their flight call.

Locations of Cassia Crossbill reports in eBird as of 12 December 2022. Screenshot from eBird.

Red Crossbills. Photo by Elaine R. Wilson .

Unique Sighting: Thick-billed Kingbird

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMT

The afternoon of September 21, 2022 was very gray with some rain. Linda Chittum and Ada Jones were driving country roads near Mack, Mesa County, Colorado looking for any birds that may be around on a dreary day. They saw 21 species that day but one was a clear highlight. Read on to hear Linda Chittum describe finding a Thick-billed Kingbird ( Tyrannus crassirostris ).

The Sighting
We were driving down a quiet county road and had stopped at the top where there are some cottonwoods to look and listen a few minutes. Nothing caught our attention so we started driving down the hill slowly. We spotted birds perched in a cottonwood snag on the left side of the road. Even without binoculars, there was an obvious outlier; I asked Ada to stop.

My binoculars on the bird, viewed from the back, it was immediately recognizable as a kingbird. A dark cap with no terminal white tail band immediately ruled out Eastern Kingbird, plus we both thought it looked large. It turned its head and, wowza!, the large bill was obvious. A second shift and the yellow belly was visible. Camera in hand, I jumped out of the truck because I knew this was good sighting. As I moved down the road I got a better angle on the bird confirming the yellow belly and huge bill. At that point I knew it was a Thick-billed Kingbird.

It flew down the road a short distance and we both heard it call. The call immediately ruled out any further consideration of Tropical or Couch’s Kingbirds (as did the huge bill). We proceeded to keep eyes on the bird, taking what photos I could, and also taping its calls. After I felt comfortable that I had sufficient evidence of the sighting (you never know when they are gone forever!) I called a local birder who I knew lived relatively close and from there the news hit the local birding grapevine. For hours we remained at the location keeping tabs on the bird and waiting for local birders to arrive in order to assist them in seeing the bird.

The habitat where we found the kingbird is a mix of a cottonwood grove at the top of the hill and in other scattered locations, various smaller trees and shrubs including some Russian olive, tamarisk and juniper and plenty of open sparsely vegetated land. The favored location of the kingbird during its stay was near a small private pond surrounded by some cottonwoods and willows. There is an irrigation ditch that runs adjacent to the top section of road that was flowing and seemed to serve as an attractant of a good variety of species as identified by other birders during subsequent visits.

We were aware of the previous county record of TBKI during a CBC years ago but knew it is a good bird anywhere outside of southeastern Arizona or southwestern New Mexico. We enjoy the exploration of birding, new places and new birds and finding a rare one is always exciting. In addition, it’s neat to see how many people were able to subsequently see the bird and frequently count it as their lifer!

Meet Linda Chittum and Ada Jones
Linda Chittum and Ada Jones began birding seriously around 2010. They moved to the Western Slope in mid-January 2022 and have enjoyed birding Colorado’s Western Slope since then. They have birded around the United States and abroad. Prior to their move to Colorado, they lived and birded in New Mexico and Virginia. During family visits, they’ve also enjoyed birding the Front Range and plains over the years.

While living in Virginia, they birded Cape May, Maine and Newfoundland, and did plenty of pelagic trips out of Hatteras, North Carolina; Lewes, Delaware; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. They have also enjoyed observing birds in Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Florida, California, Arizona, and other states. While traveling for work Linda has been able to do opportunistic birding in Nicaragua, Chile, Argentina, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Brazil, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Italy, San Marino and Croatia.

The Thick-billed Kingbird is surely among the notable birds they’ve found and they are no strangers to the chase; some rarities in the east include Whiskered Tern, Barnacle Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Tundra Bean-Goose, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, White Wagtail, Swallow-tailed Kite, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, and Northern Lapwing among others. Linda was lucky enough to be aboard a Seabirding pelagic trip out of Hatteras for an exciting Yellow-nosed Albatross!

Thick-billed Kingbirds in Colorado
Thick-billed Kingbirds have only been recorded in Colorado on three previous occasions. According to the Colorado Bird Records Committee , the previous sightings have been in Jefferson (1992), Elbert (2004), and Mesa (2018) counties. The 2018 Mesa county record was only a few miles from where the kingbird showed up this year. The last report of the Thick-billed Kingbird on eBird was on October 5th, 2022. The long stay of this rarity meant that many Colorado birders were able to see this fantastic species.

Colorado Birds Fall 2022 Available Now!

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 13:00:00 GMT

The digital Fall 2022 issue of Colorado Birds is now available to all CFO Members! You can read through CFO News, review notable sightings from last spring in News From The Field, learn about Eric DeFonso’s exciting discovery of Colorado’s first Yellow Rail in over 100 years and, of course, check in with Dave Leatherman’s latest edition of The Hungry Bird to see why cankerworms just may be the perfect bird food!

Save the Date: 2023 Annual Convention

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 07:30:00 GMT

We’re heading to the mountains in 2023! Colorado Field Ornithologists is pleased to announce that the 2023 convention will be held Wednesday, July 19th through Monday, July 24th at the Copper Mountain Convention Center in Summit County, Colorado.

In 2023 CFO will be partnering with Western Field Ornithologists to bring you this convention and present five days of:

Your family or friends will want to come along even if they aren’t into birds! There is a lot that Copper Mountain has to offer all of you. Check out all the summer activities and amenities available at this resort.

Save the dates and get ready to add those montane birds to your list!

Further details about this convention will be announced later this Fall.

Field trips throughout the high country
Informative workshops and science sessions
Fun gatherings including the Welcome Picnic and Saturday night banquet
Events just for young birders
A bustling exhibit hall
An expanded silent auction

Request for Proposal: Colorado Birding Challenge Beneficiary Program

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 21:24:00 GMT

Colorado Field Ornithologists is now inviting applicants to submit proposals to be the beneficiary of the 2023 Colorado Birding Challenge. Proposed projects should have a lasting benefit to Colorado birds or the habitats on which they rely.

More than $75,000 has been raised and donated for conservation efforts through the Challenge since 2021. Learn more about all past Colorado Birding Challenge events and their impacts.

Please see the 2023 Beneficiary Application for more details.

The deadline to submit a proposal is Friday, November 18, 2022.

Unique Sighting: Yellow Rail

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 02:19:00 GMT

Last month Eric DeFonso was at Monte Vista NWR in the San Luis Valley. He heard a bird making a ticking sound. Thinking this may be a Yellow Rail, he made several sound recordings and sent them to Nathan Pieplow, who confirmed that yes, this was a Yellow Rail. Hear a recording by Nathan Pieplow submitted to eBird.

How unique and historic is this discovery? This singing Yellow Rail was only the second ever recorded for Colorado! The Colorado Bird Records Committee documents the first observation in 1906.

As more observers went to search for the Yellow Rail, a second, and possibly a third, singing bird was found in the same marsh. The sighting even made local news with The Colorado Sun running an article on July 18. Two CFO field trips to the San Luis Valley gave others the opportunity to experience this bird, rare in our state. Thank you to Eric DeFonso and John Rawinski for leading those trips.

This image is of a Yellow Rail by Sparrow Claw seen on 24 May 2018 at Munuskong WMA, Chippewa, Michigan. Macauley Library ML102078561.

New Meadowlark Species! Chihuahuan Meadowlark Includes the Lilian’s Subspecies

Tue, 09 Aug 2022 17:00:00 GMT

The 63rd Supplement to the Check-list of North American Birds from the American Ornithological Society was published on August 3, 2022 in Ornithology . Included in the changes was the split of Eastern Meadowlark ( Sturnella magna ) into Eastern and Chihuahuan Meadowlarks ( Sturnella lilianae ). Chihuahuan Meadowlark includes the Lilian’s subspecies from Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico ( Sturnella l. lilianae ) and another subspecies from western Mexico ( Sturnella l. auropectoralis ).

The proposal for this split was written by Johanna Beam, and is based mainly on a paper published in 2021 in Ornithology on which Johanna is the lead author. Johanna grew up birding around Colorado and the research for this paper was done when Johanna was an undergraduate student in Biology at CU Boulder. She is now a PhD student in Biology at Pennsylvania State University. Johanna is a Colorado young woman that all Colorado birders should congratulate and take pride in.

In 2015 Johanna found some Lilian’s race meadowlarks on the north side of McIntosh Lake in northwest Longmont, and submitted record 2015-089 to the Colorado Birds Record Committee. You can read all the Committee records for Eastern Meadowlarks . There are 26 records going back nearly 50 years. At least 3 refer explicitly to the Lilian’s subspecies: 2005-22 from near the old Campo lek in Baca County, 2006-103 from the Colorado City cemetery, and 2015-089 from McIntosh Lake in Longmont. Other records, especially 2003-33 and 2012-47 from south Baca County, may well also refer to the Lilian’s subspecies. This will be determined by the Committee in the near future, so that the new Chihuahuan Meadowlark will be well documented to have occurred in Colorado and added to the Colorado state list.

Wondering if you have seen or heard a Chihuahuan Meadowlark? Nathan Pieplow , author of The Peterson Field Guide to Birds Sounds , says “it’s not uncommon for the three meadowlark species to learn each other’s songs, so song alone is not sufficient to identify them. If you are hearing a bird that sounds like a Chihuahuan Meadowlark, you’ll need recordings of the “dzert” call and/or good photos of the bird (the face and, especially, the spread tail) in order to rule out the other two species.”

Species splits like this one highlights the importance of maintaining and expanding the Colorado Birds Record Committee database of rare and unusual bird sightings in Colorado. If you have any observations (particularly those with photographic or audio recording evidence) of other observations of Eastern Meadowlarks, especially those that may be the Lilian’s subspecies, please submit a report to the Records Committee .

Written by Megan Jones Patterson and Peter Gent

Sturnella range map showing the ranges for Western Meadowlark ( S. neglecta ) and the subspecies of Eastern Meadowlark (S. magna). The subspecies S. m. lilianae and S. m. auropectoralis are now recognized as the Chihuahuan Meadowlark.

Image from Beam, J. K., Funk E. R., Taylor, S. A. (2021). Genomic and acoustic differences separate Lilian’s Meadowlark (Sturnella magna lilianae) from Eastern (S. magna) and Western (S. neglecta) meadowlarks. Ornithology 138:1-13.

Colorado Field Ornithologists to Donate Nearly $40,000 to Help Restore Habitat for the Endangered Gunnison Sage-Grouse

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 21:08:00 GMT

On Friday, July 8th at 3:00 pm Colorado Field Ornithologists (CFO) will present a check for nearly $40,000 to the Gunnison Basin Sagebrush Ecosystem Alliance (GB-SEA.) This presentation will take place at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre Trading Post in Morrison, CO.

This donation was raised from the Colorado birding community earlier this year through CFO’s Colorado Birding Challenge , with the goal of protecting the habitat of the endemic Gunnison Sage-grouse (with an Endangered Species Act listing as threatened) and other sagebrush-dependent birds, from the devastating effects of cheatgrass invasion.

Associate Professor Patrick Magee of Western Colorado University will accept the donation on behalf of the GB-SEA.

This initiative hopes to prevent the disappearance of sagebrush from the Gunnison Basin, and the extinction of one of Colorado’s most iconic bird species. The Gunnison Sage-grouse attracts hundreds of ecotourists to the Gunnison River Valley each spring to view the dancing of the male grouse as they compete for the attention of the females. The population has dwindled to just a few thousand birds. The invasion of cheatgrass from Asia represents a significant threat to the survival of the grouse.

Patrick Magee acknowledged this donation, stating, “GB-SEA and all our partners in Gunnison Sage-grouse conservation are so grateful to CFO for selecting the Gunnison Sage-grouse as the recipient of its fundraising effort this year. We are also deeply appreciative of all the birders and the donors who contributed to the Colorado Birding Challenge. This unique and beautiful species has a tiny global range, a small population (less than 3,000 individuals in the world), and numerous threats (habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, human disturbances, climate change, drought….) to its population and habitat that make it especially vulnerable to extinction. The funding from CFO will add value to our recovery efforts, especially as we try to stop the growing threat of cheatgrass invasion in the Gunnison Basin.”

He added, “Cheatgrass is a non-native invasive species that produces thousands of seeds per plant that reside in the soil waiting to germinate. The grass is named because the seeds “cheat” their way around the ecosystem by hitching rides on the socks and legs of mammals that disperse the seeds deeper into the sagebrush often along trail systems. Once established, cheatgrass growing between sagebrush plants builds up fuel for wildfires that burn the sagebrush and regenerate thicker stands of cheatgrass – it’s a coup that will overthrow the Gunnison Sage-grouse’s 850,000-year reign in the sagebrush.”

GB-SEA will use the funds to coordinate the complex network of property owners and state and federal agencies working together to fight the cheatgrass invasion in the Gunnison Basin.

Compelled by the serious threat of cheatgrass, community members, university scientists and natural resource agency employees have come together to form an active coalition. GB-SEA’s goal is to educate practitioners and the public on necessary and imperative actions the community can take in combating cheatgrass including sharing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) best practices, facilitating seminars and workshops, and coordinating restoration efforts. Comprised of individuals from diverse backgrounds, this group aims to delineate the most effective practices to prevent cheatgrass expansion in the Gunnison Basin.

Gunnison Basin Sagebrush Ecosystem Alliance

Unique Sighting: Slaty-backed Gull

Sat, 02 Apr 2022 22:01:00 GMT

By Nick Komar

On Saturday, March 26, 2022, CFO jointly sponsored a field trip with Denver Field Ornithologists to search for an adult Slaty-backed Gull that had been found earlier in the week at Boyd Lake, Larimer County, by Josh Bruening. This rare gull had been found on Sunday, March 20, but was not very cooperative for observers, spending little time in one location and constantly moving around the various lakes of Larimer County. On the morning of Thursday, March 24, it was observed for 4 hrs at Kyger Reservoir, near Windsor, Colorado. With the hopes that it would return to that location on other days, CFO and DFO joined forces to quickly organize a field trip for Saturday, March 26, thinking that the bird may not yet be ready to return to its migration path toward Siberia.

So at 1 PM on Saturday afternoon, 30 trip participants gathered at Kyger Reservoir. The gull was not present but trip leaders Nick Komar and Chris Gilbert entertained observers by reviewing gull identification tips and studying the 6 or 7 species of gulls that were present. Meanwhile, a team of six spotters, organized by Sue Riffe, spread out to the many other gull destinations in Larimer and Weld counties to find the special bird. At 3:30 PM the phone rang. One of the spotters, Joe Kipper, had discovered the Slaty-backed Gull lounging with other gulls five miles away at Horseshoe Lake near Loveland, Colorado. The wild gull chase was on. Soon over 50 observers gathered to appreciate this large charcoal-backed gull with bright pink legs. At first the gull was sleeping in the distance among a flock with hundreds of California Gulls. However, it eventually flew towards the horde of observers and bathed near the shoreline, offering excellent views and great comparisons with other dark-backed gulls such as Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Slaty-backed Gull has been documented in Colorado less than five times, with the first being discovered also at Horseshoe Lake in March 2000. Could this be the same bird? Who knows.

We were thrilled that so many Colorado birders were able to experience this rare Asian gull in our own backyard.

Slaty-backed Gull in the News

Sat, 26 Mar 2022 14:55:00 GMT

A rare seagull that originates in Siberia and winters in Japan has been spotted in Larimer County, and birders are scrambling to catch a glimpse before it returns to its breeding grounds in the Arctic Circle.

The Loveland Reporter-Herald published an article on CFO/DFO’s joint Wild Gull Chase field trip on March 25, 2022.

Read the full article or sign up for the March 26th field trip .

Welcome to the New CFO Website

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 17:59:00 GMT

CFO has an updated website with new membership and event registration systems! The website includes more resources for improving your birding skills and connecting with the Colorado birding community. This new system will provide you with an easier way to register for events and stay up to date with CFO.

Click through the menu and find all the new information and features of the new site.

New to CFO?

Welcome. You can create your account by joining CFO ( learn more about membership ). Or if you want to register for an event as a non-member, an account will be created for you as part of the registration process (see upcoming events ).

Activate an Existing Account

If you have previously been a member or registered for an event with CFO, you already have a CFO account that has been moved to this new platform. You will need to log in and select a new username and password for your account. Instructions can be found at cobirds.org/account-faq/ .

The trickiest step is first clicking on Member Login in the top right and then selecting “Having trouble logging in?”. You then enter your email and you’ll get an email sent to you to set up the rest.

With our new platform, each person who is a member or wants to register for an event will have their own account. CFO now offers a household membership for only $15 to be added to any individual membership (print or digital). Learn more about household memberships .

New User Accounts

Live in a household with more than 1 CFO member

President’s Message – January 2022

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 12:00:00 GMT

These past three months since my last presidential message have seemed relatively uneventful. However, it only seems that way because of few public events. In the final quarter of 2021, we hosted just one identification workshop/field trip, and one public speaker. However, behind the scenes we have been actively developing a three-year strategic plan, modernizing our organizational structure and upgrading our website with a major overhaul, including the establishment of a customer relations management system to facilitate serving our community and positively impacting the planet. We are gearing up to forge ahead full steam, without looking back. As we say goodbye to 2021, and hello to 2022, many of you are working on New Year Resolutions. I am doing the same for CFO. I hope you will join me in making the following resolutions reality in the upcoming year:

I’m looking forward to a great year for CFO. Now that most of us are vaccinated, I hope to see more and more of you attending our in-person events and joining our working committees.

Nick Komar
CFO President
president@cobirds.org

Let’s reach out to all of Colorado’s field ornithologists – amateurs and professionals alike – and invite them to join us as CFO members. We estimate that less than 20% are current CFO members.
Let’s double the number of field observers and donors that participate in the second annual Colorado Birding Challenge on Saturday May 7, 2022.
Let’s have the best CFO Convention ever (after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic) May 19-22 in Pueblo!
Let’s spend more time observing birds in our local patches and entering the data into eBird so that our observations can have scientific and conservation value and reduce our carbon footprint for the benefit of our planet’s ecosystems. Think globally, act locally!

CFO Grant Recipient Update: Angela Theodosopoulos

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 22:00:00 GMT

 Research Season 2021
This past research season, I spent my time studying breeding Mountain and Black-capped chickadees in Boulder County. The work involved monitoring 368 nest boxes that my team and I have established in the area. We banded more than 250 chicks with USGS bands! We also collected morphometric data to help us determine how healthy the chicks were, and I took blood samples from both chicks and their parents to test for blood parasites.

This past year I discovered that chickadees in Boulder are experiencing infections with SGS1, a highly invasive strain of the avian malaria parasite ( Plasmodium relictum ) that has not previously been reported in Colorado. Avian malaria is a wildlife disease that affects birds that is caused by Plasmodium parasites. By conducting genetic testing, I found that SGS1 was likely introduced to Colorado from Europe. The findings will be published in Biology Letters and included in an article for Audubon. While we don’t currently know how chickadees respond to these infections, it is certainly a conservation concern.

Next research season I will explore the events that led to SGS1’s introduction to Colorado and the United States in collaboration with my colleagues at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the Smithsonian Institution and Lund University. Funding provided by Colorado Field Ornithologists allowed me to conduct my field research between May and July of 2021. The data that I collected will play an integral role in the completion of my dissertation. Thank you so much to all of the donors who made this work possible. Further, I’m incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to mentor three undergraduate researchers and train them in field ornithology skills. This was important to me because I was unable to work with a field crew in 2020 due to COVID. While I won’t be working with chickadees this next research season, I will certainly continue my work studying birds and applying field ornithology skills as I help train the next generation of researchers.

Lamar 2016 CFO Convention Wrap Up

Fri, 20 May 2016 08:20:00 GMT

May 5-9, 2016

The stunning Golden-winged Warbler at Stulp Farms… A Greater Roadrunner sneaking behind a cholla… Cassin’s Sparrows skylarking at sunrise…and well over 200 other species during a long weekend of birding and field ornithology in southeastern Colorado in early May of this year. And the best thing of all: So many people got to see many of these great birds. We smashed our previous attendance record, with 228 pre-registrations for this year’s convention. We’re still figuring out how many walk-ins, VIPs, and so forth participated, and we may never know for sure! It’s safe to say that more than 250 people were directly involved in this year’s convention.

The proceedings got underway Thursday evening, May 5, at Willow Creek Park, where we were welcomed by CFO President Doug Faulkner and Lamar Mayor Roger Stagner. Doug and Roger were commendably winsome, witty, and brief, and the picnic dinner, provided by Phil’s Grill out of Cheyenne Wells, was fantastic. The barbecue sauce was so good, we wondered if the ingredients were entirely legal. Even the vegetarians were well pleased, and that’s saying something for an eastern Colorado barbecue! Phil’s Grill will be a tough act to follow. The birding was good too: Mississippi Kites, White-winged Doves, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers were at Willow Creek Park that Thursday evening.

A highlight on Friday, May 6, was a well-attended Student Mixer, hosted by CFO board members Christy Carello and Ted Floyd. Our venue was Brew Unto Others, a coffee shop in Lamar, and store manager Rachel Marks rolled out the red carpet for us: all-you-can-eat pizza, fruit, veggies…even drinks! Another Friday highlight was our ever-popular quiz program, Jeop-birdy, hosted by the incomparable Christian Nunes, CFO Vice President. And this year, the A/V equipment even worked. More or less.

The Saturday afternoon scientific paper session was stimulating, inspiring, and at times entertaining. Abstracts will appear soon in CFO’s quarterly journal of ornithological record, Colorado Birds. Many folks remarked on the gratifying contributions from so many young people: a high school senior, undergrads, and grad students. The three oldest presenters were forty-somethings

Our Saturday banquet, business meeting, and keynote address were held at the Elks Lodge on the south end of town. After dinner, Gloria Nikolai and Amber Carver were welcomed by the CFO membership to the CFO Board of Directors, and continuing Director Christy Owens was appointed CFO Secretary; outgoing Directors Larry Modesitt and Mike Henwood were thanked for their service to CFO. “Pass the hat,” an annual fundraiser to support young ornithologists, raised more than $1,000. Awards were presented to folks who have made major contributions to the cause of birding, field ornithology, and avian welfare in Colorado: Jane Stulp, John Stulp, Janeal Thompson, Gale Tempel, Paul Tennery, Karen Downey, and Duane Nelson were among those who received awards—and extended standing ovations. Following dinner and the presentation of awards, our keynote speaker, Dr. Garth Spellman, delivered a superb overview of the history of the bird collection at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, including an exhortation to birders to get involved with the museum’s science and outreach.

Field Trips! They were wonderful, a mix of fabled birding destinations and sites brand-new to the birding community. Long day trips ventured all the way to and indeed beyond the state line, and pleasant walks in town were consistently productive. Birders enjoyed arrival trips and departure trips; “chase trips” and “slacker trips”; field workshops and specialty trips; “all-taxa” excursions, cultural sidelights, and good ole fashion bird walks. And oh! The birds! Lesser Prairie-Chicken…Black Rail…American Golden-Plover…Ruddy Turnstone…Vermilion Flycatcher…Scissor-tailed Flycatcher…Carolina Wren…Gray-cheeked Thrush…Painted Bunting…

Thank you! The CFO board extends heartfelt thanks to the many folks who graciously gave their time and money—and in some cases, blood, sweat, and tears—to the cause of our excellent field trips. It is no exaggeration to say that we couldn’t have a convention if we didn’t have field trip leaders. To those of you led groups through rattlesnake-infested deserts and mosquito-filled marshes, down lonely stretches of blacktop and bumpy dirt roads, to lonely outcroppings and stinking sewage ponds: Thank you! CFO also thanks the various vendors who demonstrated the newest birding gear, answered birders’ questions, and promoted the cause of birding.

See you in Steamboat! The 2017 CFO convention will be held in beautiful Steamboat Springs, Routt County, northwestern Colorado, next June. Please check this site as details become available in the months ahead.

For more on this and other recent and upcoming CFO conventions, use #CFOConvention for all social media. And check out eBird profile for full checklists for all CFO field trips.