The Bird Conservancy (formerly Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory) collaborated with a graduate student at Oxford University to study the impacts of natural gas well pads and their associated roads on the distribution of sagebrush-obligate songbirds. The student, Max Mutter, writes about the experiences leading up to the study and shares a key result.
Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory is assisting federal and state partners in studying Golden Eagles breeding in Nebraska and Colorado. We are learning where these eagles go using satellite telemetry, as well as their nesting success, habitat use, and survival rate and mortality factors. Find out where one Golden Eagle traveled during a 10-day period this June!
Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory biologists are back in Colorado after a fruitful winter studying grassland birds on their wintering grounds in northern Mexico. Before digging too deep into the data, biologist Erin Strasser offers a preliminary look at what they learned during season three of this study.
In late March, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory facilitated a workshop in Panama to assess the conservation status of the birds of Central America. The results, though preliminary, show that 52% of all birds assessed have experienced strong or severe population declines in Central America.
The Bald Eagle nesting season is in full swing in the Rockies. Citizen scientists with Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory are busy monitoring nesting activity across Colorado. Outreach biologist Jeff Birek reports that volunteers with Bald Eagle Watch have already observed at least 20 eaglets in nests across the state, including two at Barr Lake.
Native plants can add much to the home garden and landscape. Natives are beautiful, enhance yard biodiversity and attract many birds, small wildlife and pollinators. Get tips on selecting native plants for your lawn and create resilient, lovely, wildlife-friendly habitat.
Spring is nearly here, and with the changing seasons comes the spectacular migration of birds. We’re getting prepared and stoked for the upcoming bird banding season. To whet your appetite, we wanted to share the birdy highlights from the fall bird banding season. Enjoy!
Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory’s third season of studying survival and habitat use of Baird’s and Grasshopper Sparrows is under way on their wintering grounds in the grasslands of northern Mexico. Writing from Chihuahua, biologist Erin Strasser shares an update on capturing and tracking sparrows, insights gained so far this season and captivating photos from the field.
The Greater Sage-Grouse represents a special part of our country’s sagebrush steppe ecosystem. Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory is testing the effectiveness of different types of fence markers to help these grouse avoid collisions with fences. Field crew leader Taylor Gorman and biologist Nick Van Lanen offer insights from the first season of this study before heading back into the field.
To offer a day of service on Martin Luther King Day through citizen science, RMBO hosted its 3rd annual Christmas Bird Count for Kids on Jan. 19 at Barr Lake State Park. Educator Tyler Edmondson recounts the stellar day of birding and highlights the species observed by budding young birders.
