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.
August and hot can be used interchangeably in Colorado. As summer heats up, you may be asking yourself, how can I help our avian amigos stay cool? David Menough, owner of Wild Bird Unlimited of Arvada, offers tips on selecting, placing and attracting birds to a birdbath.
Grassland bird populations have declined more steeply than any other group of North American birds. Since 2006, RMBO has partnered with the City of Fort Collins to inventory and monitor grassland birds on city-owned properties near the Colorado-Wyoming border. These properties represent some of the most significant grasslands in northern Colorado and support populations of more than 20 high-priority bird species. Communications Coordinator Teddy Parker-Renga writes about a day in the field surveying birds on these properties and discusses the impact of the Mountains to Plains Region project.
The shortgrass prairie surrounding RMBO’s Environmental Learning Center provides important habitat for birds and other wildlife. Unfortunately, non-native weeds have invaded the landscape. During field trips to the center this spring, students helped restore the prairie by removing weeds. Educator Emily Snode writes about this service learning component of RMBO’s education programs and the awesome help of all of these Weed Warriors.
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.
The 2013 spring bird banding season was an eventful one, with a total of 1,341 birds banded between RMBO’s stations at Chico Basin Ranch and Chatfield State Park. Plus, both stations had a recovery!
