Grassland birds are declining faster than any other group of North American birds. The key to reversing these declines may lie on their wintering grounds in northern Mexico. Writing from Chihuahua, biologist Erin Strasser provides a preview of RMBO’s second season studying the overwintering ecology of Baird’s and Grasshopper Sparrows in the Mexican grasslands.
t was a quality over quantity kind of season for banding Northern Saw-whet Owls this fall. While banders in North and South Dakota caught fewer owls per night, they recovered a total of 10 owls, or birds banded at another station or during a different season. Where were the owls first banded, and when? Read this post to find out (hint: one was first banded more than 1,300 miles east!).
While winter won’t officially arrive until December, it’s already snowed here in Colorado and temps are routinely dropping below freezing at night. David Menough, owner of Wild Bird Unlimited of Arvada, offers tips on helping our avian amigos stay warm and toasty during the frigid, frosty winter.
“Another nest has failed.” This is the recurring news that technicians monitoring Aplomado Falcons in Chihuahua, Mexico, have reported over the last 18 years. Private Lands Wildlife Biologists Roberto Rodríguez and Pedro Calderón report from Chihuahua on last season’s monitoring of this iconic, grassland species and efforts to conserve its dwindling habitat there.
While winter won’t officially arrive until December, it’s already snowed here in Colorado and temps are routinely dropping below freezing at night. David Menough, owner of Wild Bird Unlimited of Arvada, offers tips on helping our avian amigos stay warm and toasty during the frigid, frosty winter.
Whew! The dust has finally settled after another fun BBQ for the Birds. Held Oct. 5 this year at the Old Stone House in Brighton, Colorado, the event was an opportunity for Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory to thank its members and raise funds for conservation and education programs.
Now that fall is upon us in the Rockies, RMBO biologists and technicians are finishing proofing data gathered this summer under the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program. It’s not glamorous, but with proofing data comes the confirmation of cool new species for the program. Biologist Nick Van Lanen reports on the summer field season and species detected for the first time during IMBCR surveys.
How many mosquitoes can a little brown bat eat in an hour? Do bats really get caught in people’s hair? Educator Maggie Vinson answers these questions in her write-up of the WILD About Bats workshop, held earlier this summer to inform citizens and educators about this diverse and ecologically important suite of mammals.
In early June, a LightHawk pilot and his wife volunteered their time and plane to help Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory with a census of Ferruginous Hawks and Golden Eagles nesting in the panhandle region of western Nebraska. How many birds were spotted on their nests? Wildlife Biologist Angela Dwyer offers results from the surveys, used to gauge population stability for these species.
A wide variety of people love to feed a wide variety of birds, and these nature-lovers, in turn, have a wide variety of attitudes about squirrels. Some folks want the best recipe for squirrel stew, while others want to know how to keep the blue jays out of the squirrel feeder. Scott Menough, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited of Denver, offers tips on protecting your bird feeder from pesky critters.
