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Mountain Plover Festival (Karval, CO)
April 26, 2019 - April 28, 2019
Join us at the Karval Mountain Plover Festival for a weekend of bird watching, wildlife viewing tours, entertainment, history, arts and crafts, music, antiques, and LOTS OF GOOD FOOD!
The Mountain Plover is a bird that begins arriving to Colorado’s Eastern Plains in early April. Plovers find the short grass prairie and fallow fields in the area to be excellent nesting grounds. The Mountain Plover Festival is coordinated by the Karval Community Alliance, a non-profit organization founded in 2006. The festival began when Karval community members were looking at economic opportunities for this small community and decided to “bring the bird lovers to the bird” by inviting others to visit and share in this experience.
Bird Conservancy Private Lands Wildlife Biologist Ryan Parker (bio below) is the featured guest speaker for the Chuckwagon Dinner on Saturday evening (27th) where he will share the latest about Mountain Plover research and conservation efforts in SE Colorado. Ryan will also lead a birding tour the morning of Sunday (28th) at the Brett Gray Ranch near Rush, CO. and tours to see Mountain Plover on Wineinger-Davis Ranch on Saturday morning.
Visit the festival website for a complete schedule of activities and to register.
Ryan Parker holding a juvenile Mountain Plover on the prairies of Colorado. This bird was banded with a unique color combination, and will be expected back on its breeding grounds in summer 2019.
Ryan Parker grew up in south-central Wyoming and attended the University of Wyoming earning a dual Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife & Fisheries Biology & Management, and Environment & Natural Resources. He worked for the Forest Service on the Thunder Basin National Grassland in Wyoming for 5 years, and is currently finishing a Master’s in Biology at the University of Colorado Denver. His thesis looks at identifying probabilities of occupancy for Swift Fox, Burrowing Owl, and Mountain Plover and interactions between the three species on Black-tailed Prairie Dog colonies. Ryan works with landowners and partners to promote land-stewardship for wildlife conservation across the rangelands of SE Colorado.