One of my favorite quotes by Aldo Leopold in his book, A Sand County Almanac. A classic read for any upcoming wildlife biologist, nature-lover, or outdoors person. This quote reminds me of the well-known saying “leave it better than you found it”. A saying that had been engrained in me ever since I was just a kid playing in the river behind my house. I am fortunate that I grew up as an “outdoor kid”.
Field Sketching, or Nature Journaling, is a method that can be used to connect with nature through first-hand observations. All you need is a view outside, a pencil, a piece of paper and an open mind.
Once a year each winter, dozens of volunteers congregate at Barr Lake State Park to dedicate their day to a singular purpose: tally every bird of every species seen within a 15-mile diameter circle centered on Barr Lake. This tradition has been taking place every year since 1980 at Barr Lake, but the origins of the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) go back much further.
My name is Emily Munch and I was the first ever Banding Trainee for Bird Conservancy of the Rockies at the Barr Lake banding station this past fall. My role was to learn how to safely extract birds from mist nets and how to identify, age, sex, and band birds.
The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies’ social media posting on August 31 grabbed my attention. Featuring a close up of a Black Swift in hand, the accompanying post announced that the Black Swift Research Team had recently caught three Black Swifts, all of which had been banded 17 years ago in 2005 as adults, breaking the longevity record of oldest known for the species. My heart nearly stopped.
The Bird Migration Explorer reveals migration data consolidated for 458 bird species found in the United States and Canada. It allows users to see the most complete data collected on migratory species in their neighborhoods and where those birds go throughout the year. Read on to find out how Bird Conservancy was involved in the creation of this platform.
Summer camp experiences are needed now more then ever. What is it about summer camps that keep children coming back? Is it the birds? Making friends? The fun games? Or is it the culture of the camp? In this blog we will hear from two campers about what makes Bird Camp special to them.
A BioBlitz brings together community members, students, naturalists, and scientists to find and identify as many birds, plants, insects, reptiles, mammals and other organisms as possible in a short period of time. The result is a snapshot of the biodiversity of a specific place.This year over 68 attendees and ten volunteer survey leaders recorded 70+ species of plants and animals! No matter our level of expertise, we all saw new species and learned new ways to find and identify them, and had a great time exploring this local biodiversity hotspot.
In a world filled with uncertainty, jam-packed schedules and unrealistic expectations, we and our children deserve a place where we can find solace and peace. For many of us, that place is in nature. Unfortunately, many of today’s children don’t have access to safe, natural spaces. At Bird Conservancy, we want to change that by offering a variety of opportunities where families can connect with each other and the outdoors. One way we do this is through our Family and Homeschool Programs. Each month, families come together at our Environmental Learning Center (ELC) at Barr Lake State Park to learn, play and spend quality time together. One month we may go birding by canoe; the next, we may learn all about raptors or create nature art. No matter the topic, curiosity and smiles abound!
Summer camp is a special place. It is a safe place for youth to express themselves, to learn, to make friends and to keep traditions alive. We were gearing up for our busiest camp season to date back in early 2020 when the world was turned upside down and we found ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic. While we tried to stay optimistic about running our Bird Camps in the summer of 2020, the pandemic had other plans. We were in uncharted territory. How could we possibly run a safe summer camp experience in the middle of a pandemic? With careful planning and many new adjustments to ensure the safety of campers and staff, we had our most successful camp season to date! All of the planning and flexibility paid off as we made it through the entire camp season with zero COVID cases and many happy campers and staff.
