Bird Call: Popular Colorado Springs festival offers more than 60 …

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. For bird lovers, that is, when the arrival of spring brings waves of new, and sometimes unexpected, migrating birds to the Front Range. And here to celebrate every last house finch, Western tanager, white-tailed ptarmigan, burrowing owl and curve-billed thrasher is the eighth Pikes Peak Birding and Nature Festival with more than 60 field trips, workshops, seminars and more for new and experienced birdwatchers and birders.

The event isn’t until May 18-21, but early bird registration opens at 10 a.m. Saturday. And if you’re serious about your winged creatures, you’ll set an alarm for 9:59 a.m. to go online to pikespeakbirdingandnaturefestival.org.

Some of the field trips will sell out within 20 to 30 minutes, says festival co-chairperson Jessica Miller, but others will likely be available until registration closes April 30. With a £35 early bird price tag for the entire festival, it’s a birding bargain, which was important to festival founders, who wanted to keep the event accessible.

Bird Call: A great horned owl love affair

“This is the cheapest birding festival I’ve ever seen,” said Miller, who’s also the Fountain Creek Nature Center supervisor. “We want to connect people to this important, rewarding natural resource. Birding doesn’t need to be an exclusive club.

And the Front Range and El Paso County is such a nice area for birding. It’d be a shame if we didn’t throw some sort of celebration in May to celebrate all the birds coming up this flyaway.” Our region is a gorgeous salad bar of possibilities for birds, with its wetlands at Fountain Creek Regional Park, the creek system, forests and plains.

Last year, folks at the festival were able to spot nine new species, including a black-necked stilt, red-bellied woodpecker, Eastern phoebe and black-throated green warbler. There was even a white ibis sighting, the first record of the species in El Paso County. “Last year’s festival, over all the field trips, we recorded 182 species,” Miller said. “That’s a really nice number over three or four days.”

Sign Up for free: Peak Interest

Your weekly local update on arts, entertainment, and life in Colorado Springs!

Delivered every Thursday to your inbox.

Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

Some of the festival’s most popular field trips take participants to private or restricted properties they can’t go on your own, such as Brett Gray, Horse Creek and Hanna ranches. Several trips are scheduled to Chico Basin Ranch, which is open to the public, but might be better to attend with a knowledgeable guide, Miller says.

1:19+8 Curious, observant, dancing queens: Meet the East African crowned cranes at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Big Sits are a new addition.

They operate exactly how they sound — bring a lawn chair or folding chair, binoculars and prepare to sit and bird for a few hours at three locations: Big Johnson Reservoir and Bluestem Prairie Open Space, Chico Basin Ranch and Fountain Creek Nature Center. A lot of birds can fly by in that stretch of time. Another addition is a two-part program about mountain lions with David Niels, a mountain lion tracking expert.

He’ll give a presentation May 19 on all things lion, then lead a group of 10 hikers on a May 20 field trip at Aiken Canyon Preserve to look for evidence of the big cat.

Colorado parrot rescue, sanctuary home to more than 300 birds

Resist getting bummed out if you don’t get your top choice of field trips, Miller says. Birds are everywhere, and the weekend will still be a bird lover’s paradise. “We keep the cost low so if you’re maybe not into birding yet but want to be led around by experienced guides you’ll get a nice snapshot of what birding is over a weekend.”

Contact the writer: 636-0270

Tags:

click-4-warranty listed on couponmatrix.ukevri listed on couponmatrix.ukl-occitane listed on couponmatrix.uksaga-holidays listed on couponmatrix.ukt-h-baker listed on couponmatrix.ukvivobarefoot-uk listed on couponmatrix.uk
click-4-warranty listed on couponmatrix.ukKeep your car protected quickly and affordable with Click4Warranty, the insurance provider with over fifteen years experience working for UK drivers. With three levels of cover available to match budgets of all sizes, you could bump up your policy at minimal expense by using a Click4Warranty discount code from Groupon. Whatever parts of your vehicle you’re seeking to insure and whatever mileage your four wheels have already covered, rest assured you’ll find the policy to match at Click4Warranty. The team at Click4Warranty want new customers to have plenty of leeway when it comes to confirming their policy, which is why each policy now comes with an extended 21 days cooling-off period once taken out. A customer can cancel their policy if you have any second thoughts during this period, with a full refund guaranteed – whatever your reason for cancelling. This gives every driver ample opportunity to research other providers if needed – though we doubt you’ll find a price more competitive than Click4Warranty’s. There are many reasons why drivers should choose Click4Warranty to protect their vehicle. The brand offers no maximum mileage limit on policies for one, whilst the ability to knock the cost of cover with a Click4Warranty voucher code is a sweet bonus too. Top it off with the fact that any parts covered in a policy that fail an MOT will be covered too and you can easily see why so many opt for Click4Warranty for quick, effective protection.
evri listed on couponmatrix.ukSending packages all over the world without breaking the bank is exactly what you should expect from Evri. Formerly branded as Hermes, Evri operates a swift and secure delivery network through thousands of affiliated stores, personal couriers and locker drop-offs. Shipping to over 190 countries worldwide, Evri International is the easiest way to get your parcels where they need to go. Be sure to utilise an Evri discount code when sending items off to secure an even better price on deliveries in the UK and round the globe. With a mobile app, easy tracking and an accessible returns system, Evri can handle every request you need from your parcel courier.
l-occitane listed on couponmatrix.ukL’Occitane is the world famous, award winning body, hair, skincare and fragrance store that can add a touch of glamour to your beauty regime. The company was founded in Provence, France by Olivier Baussan in 1976. He sold locally sourced distilled rosemary oil in markets until the first shop was opened in 1981. Now the company has grown to over 2,700 worldwide locations but it's roots are still deeply French, using key ingredients from Provence where it all started. With the L'Occitane discount code you can enjoy the product range for less. L'Occitane offers a great choice in beauty care tonourish your hair, moisturise your skin and leave you looking and feeling like you frequent luxury spa's on a regular basis.
saga-holidays listed on couponmatrix.ukWhether you're searching for a beach getaway, safari adventure or an escorted tour, Saga Holidays has the perfect holiday package for every over 50's traveller. From Italy and Turkey to Australasia and the Caribbean, start your journey to your dream destination with one of our Saga Holidays discount codes and enjoy a great-value package for less. Over 96% of customers would book with Saga Holidays again - isn't it time you experienced the luxury and excitement too?
t-h-baker listed on couponmatrix.ukA little piece of luxury never hurt anyone… TH Baker sells beautiful jewellery and watches from names like TAG Heuer, Gucci and Michael Kors, and with a TH Baker discount code you can nicely cut down the price of your order! Visit the website to browse the different collections and soon enough you’ll be dripping in diamonds and looking like the star you really are in no time.
vivobarefoot-uk listed on couponmatrix.ukAcquaint your feet with a more fluid form of walking and running with Vivobarefoot – the shoe company that specialises in minimalist designs. By cutting away air bubbles and cushioning, your feet are allowed to move more naturally – a choice that Vivobarefoot ensures better health and exercise quality. To try it out for yourselves, pick up your first pair with a Vivobarefoot discount code from Groupon and ensure you’re getting them for the lowest price possible.