How many birds can you accurately count in six minutes using sound as well as sight? The ability to correctly recognize birds by ear is a vital skill for our teams, one that takes a lot of effort to master. IMBCR technician Beth Raboin shares how she uses context and associations—and a dash of baseball—as an aid to her auditory memory.
In the flap of a wing, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies’ 2018 Bird Camps are officially over! This summer we hosted over 140 campers, ages 4-17, from all over Colorado. It was a summer filled with laughter, seeing old friends and making new ones, learning and—of course—lots of birds!
205! That’s the number of species counted at our Annual Wildcat Hills Bioblitz. People of all ages came out to explore the Western Nebraska landscape through hands-on learning, and in the process made a wonderful contribution to science.
Water is vital to support people, agriculture and wildlife—and it’s in short supply across the West. Private landowners, conservation organizations, corporations and government agencies are coming together to find solutions in Colorado’s South Platte Basin.
After several weeks of intensive nest searching and observation, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies has confirmed that Baird’s Sparrows are actively breeding at Soapstone Prairie Natural Area—the first time the species has been documented reproducing in the State of Colorado. This remarkable discovery marks an exciting milestone in an already-eventful 2018 summer field season.
As our population grows, so does the footprint for housing, commercial businesses, and food production. Habitat loss is having a big impact on grassland and prairie birds, and private lands are critical to that story. Bird Conservancy is working with diverse partners, including land developers, to lighten our environmental impact and deploy innovative techniques to conserve iconic birds like the Burrowing Owl.
Colorado’s Chico Basin Ranch, southeast of Colorado Springs, CO, is well known as a home and haven for migratory and resident birds. 2018 marks Bird Conservancy’s 19th consecutive spring season of bird banding at ‘The Chico’ and this year did not disappoint with some exciting species observed.
Two large-scale monitoring programs collect data on bird populations every summer in the United States—Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions and the Breeding Bird Survey. How are they different, and in what ways do each program complement the other in addressing the vast information gaps needed to help inform avian conservation?
Dana Ripper, Director of Missouri River Bird Observatory, shares how earlier career experiences at Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (then Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory) are helping foster and support bird conservation in the heart of the Midwest.
Every year in late spring and summer, our field season crew traipses across mountains, prairies and deserts to survey birds under the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program. As this post from our of our field technicians attests, these rugged and remote landscapes don’t always make it easy!
