Weminuche Audubon invites you to celebrate the beauty of birds with us in two February events.
First up is the Great Backyard Bird Count, four days in February when the world comes together for the love of birds. It is a global event organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society and Birds Canada.
Beginning on Friday, Feb. 14, and extending through Monday, Feb. 17, you can participate by counting birds for as little as 15 minutes or for as long as you like wherever you are and then entering your observations on ebird.org.
Documenting bird populations across the globe before one of their annual migrations helps scientists understand how bird populations are faring.
For more information on the count, see birdcount.org.
Weather permitting, we invite you to join us in the count to look for birds on the Riverwalk on Sunday, Feb. 16. The weather outlook looks good for that day, but not for Saturday. Bring your binoculars and meet at the native plant garden near the Geothermal Greenhouse Partnership domes in Centennial Park at 8:30 a.m. This is a family-friendly event, but please leave dogs at home.
Back from the brink
On Wednesday, Feb. 19, join us in sharing good news stories about two bird species that have come back from the brink in North America.
First up, videographer Darryl Saffer will present his beautiful short film on the limpkin and other wetland waders. The film has already won six international awards. Up until not many years ago, this bird of wetlands and swamps was only seen in the U.S. in central and southern Florida.
According to an article in National Audubon magazine, in 2023 limpkins started showing up as far north as Canada and west as Colorado.
Find out what has fueled this range and population explosion of a bird that not too long ago was considered for threatened status in Florida. Throw your hat in the ring to see who will be the first to spot a limpkin in Archuleta County.
Herb Grover will show his photos of another comeback bird, the whooping crane, taken during a recent trip to Texas.
Whoopers are one of the success stories of wildlife conservation as they were down to about 20 birds in the mid-1940s. Recovery has been somewhat slow, but would probably not have occurred without human intervention.
To get you thinking about the annual Crane Festival in Monte Vista, we will end the meeting with some of Grover’s beautiful photos of sandhill cranes. Take a trip over the hill to Monte Vista for the festival events between March 8 and 10 and be wowed by the thousands of cranes and other birds that stop at the National Wildlife Refuge before heading off to northern breeding grounds.
The public is invited to join us at the Community United Methodist Church on Lewis Street on Feb. 19. We will meet at 6 p.m. to socialize with appetizers and snacks before the meeting starts at 6:30.
Please enter through the side door off the parking lot or let us know to open the main door for handicap entrance. In appreciation for our meeting space, we welcome donations of nonperishable food for the church food bank.
Scholarship
Last is a reminder that Weminuche Audubon is currently accepting applications from area youth between the ages of 15 and 17 for a scholarship to attend Bird Conservancy of the Rockies “On The Wing” camp in June.
This weeklong camp centered near Rocky Mountain National Park is an incredible experience open to youth with an interest in birds and exploring the outdoors.
Please see the scholarship tab on our website, weminucheaudubon.org, or email us at weminuche.audubon@gmail.com for further information on the camp and directions to apply.
Don’t miss out on this awesome opportunity. The application deadline is March 1.
