Every year at this time, we get calls from people who have spotted a baby bird out of its nest and want to know what to do. They’re concerned, and rightfully so. We all love our feathered friends and want to see their little ones survive and prosper, so we put together this blog post to share some useful insights and resources with you.
Variety keeps life exciting. This is not only true in our personal experiences, but in the way we present our backyard habitats to those creatures we are attempting to entice to these feeding areas. David Menough, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited of Arvada , offers tips on a variety of attractors you can use to entice more diverse populations of birds.
Since many bird species that breed in the Rockies and elsewhere in the western U.S. winter in Central America, it’s important for RMBO and partners to support and advance conservation abroad. In March, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory coordinated a landmark meeting in San Vito, Costa Rica, to determine the conservation status of the birds of Central America.
Spring migration is under way. Just as the birds return north, so do the RMBO scientists who study them on their wintering grounds. Back home in Colorado, biologist Erin Strasser offers preliminary results from a second season studying winter survival and habitat use of Baird’s and Grasshopper Sparrows in the Chihuahuan Desert grasslands.
Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory is testing the effectiveness of different types of fence markers to help Greater Sage-Grouse avoid collisions with fences. Field crew leader Taylor Gorman and biologist Nick Van Lanen write from frigid Sublette County, Wyoming, on the importance of markers for reducing grouse mortalities and report on progress of RMBO’s study thus far.
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.
In November of 2013, RMBO and the local birding community lost an extraordinary friend, Jim Duggan. In April, 50 of Jim’s friends gathered at RMBO’s Old Stone House to dedicate a bench in his honor. Board chairman Larry Modesitt writes about the ceremony and Jim’s lasting gift to RMBO.
When you hear the word “pollinator,” what image comes to mind? It’s likely a honeybee or bumblebee sitting on a flower, or perhaps a butterfly, or maybe even a hummingbird lapping nectar. However, did you know that insects such as flies and beetles can also be pollinators?
Spring is right around the corner, and you know what that means … spring migration and bird banding! We’re getting prepared and excited for the upcoming banding season. But before we get the mist nets out for another season, we wanted to share some birdy highlights from the fall (a little late, we know, but better late than never, right?).
Spring is right around the corner. If you’d like to share the beauty of this miraculous time of year with your family, now is the time to get your birdhouses ready. Birds begin looking for suitable nesting sites now. David Menough, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited of Arvada, offers do’s and don’ts for selecting the right birdhouse.
