Grazing options can be limited in the high country, when snow lingers in high-elevation pastures and areas can get too waterlogged for cattle. To increase grazing options on a ranch in the Middle Park area of Colorado, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory helped to implement a project that will deliver water to an area of the ranch not previously suitable for grazing, allowing the rancher to keep cattle off other areas of the ranch that provide key habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse.
Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory and partners recently put the final touches on a wetland restoration project that adds 3.2 acres of seasonal, shallow-water wetlands. Private lands biologist Colin Lee writes about the project and the birds it benefits.
With summer waning, RMBO has completed its sixth season of conducting surveys under the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program. How many birds were counted? What new and rare species were detected? Biologist Nick Van Lanen answers these questions and offers a wrap-up of another successful summer survey season.
On July 25, 35 volunteers gathered along the Navajo River in southern Colorado to plant more than 200 native trees on two private properties. RMBO biologist Martin Moses writes about the project and the use a handy new tool: the water jet stinger.
Earlier this year, RMBO hosted forums to gauge feedback on a new Decision Support Tool. The tool helps compare management options that ensure the economic viability of grazing lands with the habitat needs of sagebrush-dependent songbirds and grouse.
RMBO is partnering with the University of Colorado-Denver to support a graduate research project to better understand how Mountain Plovers utilize habitat during the nesting cycle. Biologists will study their foraging habits by tracking adult plovers using radio-telemetry. CSU student Jamie Osterbuhr writes about this research, taking place in the crop fields of western Nebraska.
“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.
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.
Did you know that roughly 60% of the land area in the United States is privately owned? That amounts to a lot of land, about 1.43 billion acres. These lands not only provide the food, fiber, energy and timber that make our nation hum, but harbor some of the most important habitat for birds. Released yesterday, the State of the Birds 2013 report, with contributions from RMBO, focuses on these private lands and their importance for successful stewardship of birds and their habitats in the U.S.
RMBO’s field crew discovered its first Mountain Plover nest of the season on May 8. After the cold start to spring, this newly laid nest with a clutch of three eggs was an important find. Biologist Larry Snyder writes about the find and RMBO’s plover nest conservation program on the RMBO blog.