Birdwatchers will begin flocking to Cortez next Wednesday, May 8, hoping to add to their life lists, pick up birding tips, and meet some fine-feathered friends.
The Ute Mountain Mesa Verde Birding Festival will include five days of events, capped by a banquet with keynote speaker Mark Obmascik, author of The Big Year. In birding parlance, a "big year" is a year-long informal but intense competition by birders to see, or sometimes hear, as many species as possible within an agreed-upon geographic area. In Obmascik's book, three young men crisscrossed North America, competing for a record.
The Big Year was made into a movie starring Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. On Friday evening, a screening of the film will be held at the Mancos Public Library, along with a pizza party. Reservations are required.
For most festival-goers, though, the highlight of the event is the possibility of seeing new birds.
Montezuma County is an attractive birding location because of its wide range of habitats, from the riparian areas of the San Juan and Dolores Rivers and other bodies of water, to the high desert canyons and mesas of the Colorado Plateau and on up to the high peaks of the La Platas. From the tiny and reclusive Lucy's warbler, reliably found in only one spot in Colorado, to sharptail grouse, dusky grouse and the controversial Gunnison sage grouse, to peregrine falcons and both bald and golden eagles, and on to other birds that are common here but may be "life birds" - first-time encounters - for birders who have come from other terrain, the festival's bird list can reach 100 or more species.
The May window also offers good opportunities to see migrants on their way from their wintering grounds in Mexico, Central America and even the far reaches of South America to breeding grounds north of here. By next weekend, hummingbirds and warblers should have returned in larger numbers, and flycatchers, from ubiquitous Western kingbirds to the smaller species that can be difficult for a beginning birder to differentiate, will be arriving as well. The birding festival will provide enthusiasts with information and support to hone their identification skills.
Birds offer valuable information about the health of the region's ecosystems. For example, the population of jays has shrunk with the loss of pinon habitat, and the West Nile virus also took its toll. Low water and fewer kokanee running up the Dolores River from McPhee resulted in smaller numbers of eagles wintering along the river. As the climate warms, bird populations move both northward and higher in elevation. Wildfires can destroy crucial bird habitat.
Some of the tours, led by expert birders, visit sites in and around Cortez. Other tours head to the La Plata Mountains, Dolores River Canyon, Mancos Valley-Summit Ridge area, Farmington lakes, and even Pagosa Springs for an overnight birding and history excursion via the Old Spanish Trail. Some tour habitats can offer birders 60 to 80 species. Registration for the tours is limited, so sign up soon. Snacks, water and lunch are included in each tour's registration fee.
A series of interesting afternoon and evening activities enhance this year's festival. Kim Potter, wildlife technician for the White River National Forest, will present Wednesday evening's lecture, "Small Montane Owls of Western Colorado." Thursday's afternoon and evening programs feature a slide presentation by Professor Tim Reeves, Farmington's San Juan College, about "Rare and Unusual Bird Species in the Four-Corners Area," and a program about Bluebirds and the Colorado Bluebird Project" by Kevin Corwin from Denver. Friday afternoon and again on Saturday morning, Debbie Ackley, a Colorado Springs volunteer with the Colorado Bluebird Project, provides materials and instructions for "Building and Placing Bluebird Houses." Nesting boxes may be purchased after the workshop. For a full schedule, visit the festival's website.
The Colorado Field Ornithologists will hold their spring meeting in Cortez the weekend after the Ute Mountain Mesa Verde birding festival.
Old Spanish Trail tour combines birding, history
This year's Ute Mountain/Mesa Verde Birding Festival gives 'trail fanatics' and birding enthusiasts an opportunity to pursue their passions with Birding the Old Spanish Trail.
The two-day excursion, May 9-10, follows the Old Spanish Trail trade route between Cortez and Pagosa Springs. Mark Franklin, Old Spanish Trail Association (OSTA) board member and an avid Durango birder, leads the tour. In experiencing the terrain through which the historic Old Spanish Trail passed, participants visit the only site in Colorado known for Acorn woodpeckers. Other birding hotspots around Navajo Reservoir and along the San Juan River also offer a variety of bird species. An overnight stay in Pagosa Springs allows time to enjoy the famous hot springs before retiring.
The westward leg of the tour, via U.S. Highway 160, includes a guided stop at Chimney Rock National Monument, home of nesting peregrine falcons. More birding occurs along the historic Piedra River before the tour returns to Cortez by mid-afternoon on Friday.
According to Linda Raczek, a volunteer involved with the birding festival for several years, 'This is one of the most inviting and unique tours the bird fest has ever offered. It appeals not only to birders, but also to locals with an interest in history and archaeology.'
Spanish explorers and prospectors began following old trails into the Four Corners region during the 18th century. In 1776, the well-known Dominguez-Escalante expedition documented a route that became part of the Old Spanish Trail linking Santa Fe and southern California. Regional landmarks along the OST include the San Juan River, Animas Park (Durango), Sierra de la Plata, Mancos Valley, the Dolores River, the Great Sage Plain, and the Colorado River near today's Moab, Utah. The original trail, now labeled as the Main Branch, and two alternate branches were designated as the Old Spanish National Historic Trail in 2002.
Learn more about the Old Spanish Trail through OSTA's website at www.oldspanishtrail.org. The annual OSTA conference rotates among six western states. Cortez will host the 2013 OSTA conference, May 31-June 2.
Scope it out
May 8-12, 2013
$50 festival registration includes reception, lecture's and Saturday night's keynote speaker.
See individual tours for pricing.
All tours start at the Cortez Cultural Center, 31 N. Market, Cortez.
Bring water, jacket, hat, binoculars, camera and field guide.
For more information or to register, call 565-1151, or visit www.utemountainmesaverdebirdingfestival.com.
The Colorado Field Ornithologists Convention will be held in Cortez the following weekend.
