2017Dec
December in Colorado – Day Three
On December 10 (Day Three of our Colorado birding tour), we were met early by Marcel Such who is a student at Western State Colorado University in Gunnison and the four of us (Marcel, Jeff Kietzmann, Christian Hagenlocher, and I) headed to the west end of Blue Mesa Reservoir (created
December in Colorado – Day Two
On Day Two of our Colorado birding tour, Jeff and I were met at our hotel early (5 a.m.!) by Christian Hagenlocher who currently lives and works in Buena Vista. Christian is a terrific birder and knows this part of Colorado like the back of his hand. In the darkness,
December in Colorado – Day One
Many of our Colorado birding tours are focused on north-central Colorado to well-known hotspots including Rocky Mountain National Park and the Pawnee National Grasslands. In early December, we organized a custom three-day trip that ventured south and west for some of Colorado’s other regional specialities. Jeff from Florida had a
2017Sep
Fall Birding in Colorado
Visiting birders to Colorado tend to fall into two main categories: Many come in April for a Colorado “Chicken Tour” to enjoy the grouse, prairie-chickens, and ptarmigan. Another major wave of birders visit in the breeding season (May-July) for the great variety of Colorado specialities. But the fall season also
Cassin’s Vireo – An Exercise in ID
Cassin’s Vireo is an interesting bird here in Colorado. In 1997, the American Ornithologists Union determined that the former Solitary Vireo was actually three separate species and now we have Blue-headed Vireo, Plumbeous Vireo, and Cassin’s Vireo. The default breeding species among this trio in Colorado is the Plumbeous but
2017Mar
Who Was Woodhouse?
Nice video of Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay in Colorado by Colette Micallef
2017Jan
Our Disappearing Great Plains
The World Wildlife Fund issued an alarming press release this past November stating that “In 2014 the Great Plains lost more acres of grasslands than the Brazilian Amazon lost to deforestation.” According to the WWF report, 53 million acres of America’s Great Plains “have been lost since 2009, threatening important
9 Favorite Colorado Birding Resources
There are many excellent resources for learning about Colorado’s great birding opportunities. Here is a list of 9 of my personal favorites. I don’t intend this to be an exhaustive list–just a sampling of the books and online resources I use most often. And I would be remiss if I
Young Birders Make Colorado History
On December 16, 13-year-old twin young birders, Jack and Ryan Bushong discovered a Purple Sandpiper in Summit County, Colorado. This was the first recorded occurrence of this species in Colorado. In subsequent weeks, an estimated 400 birders braved snow and cold to get a glimpse. You can read more in