The Annual Ute Mountain Mesa Verde Birding Festival provides a popular venue for visiting southwestern Colorado during the second weekend in May. Nestled between alpine and mesa forests and scenic desert canyons, the Four Corner’s intriguingly diverse landscapes, and mild climate, have drawn people to the region for generations. Ancestral Pueblo farmers dwelled in places now known as Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, and Canyon of the Ancients. Today’s meadows, pastures, cultivated fields, historic orchards, stock ponds and reservoirs establish habitat for a wide-spectrum of migratory and resident birds. Some species, such as Lucy’s Warbler, are found no place else in Colorado.

Hosted by the Cortez Cultural Center, the UMMV Birding Festival draws upon the expertise of regional wildlife specialists who volunteer as tour guides and guest lecturers. Each year new tours, and repeat favorites, explore an array of birding hotspots that attract avian species from loons and grebes to sparrows, grosbeaks, and finches. Overnight tours within easy driving distance offer different environs and the prospect of encountering species not found within the Cortez area.

Southwest Colorado’s first birding records date to the 1880s. Tours that combine birding with regional archaeology, ecology, and history take UMMV birders into the realms of gulls, shorebirds, waterfowl, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, Bald and Golden eagles, elusive owls, woodpeckers, flycatchers and phoebes, American Dipper, towhees, crossbills, and colorful bluebirds, tanagers, and warblers. The festival’s birding tally has climbed to 180 species.

The UMMV Birding Festival designs activities and tours to fit a gamut of abilities, ages, and interests. Early evening lectures, social hours, a bird-themed art show, and banquet add to the festival’s five days of enjoyment — learning, socializing, and most importantly birding.

Schedule of Events:

Tour 8
Upper Dolores River And Twin Spruce Ponds State Wildlife Area
Ryan Votta, Asst. Manager, Durango Fish Hatchery, Colorado Parks & Wildlife

5:45 Am – 3:00 Pm; $55
This Tour Will Begin With Quick Stops At Narraguinnep And Mcphee Reservoirs Which Are En Route To The Town Of Dolores. We Will Use Our Scopes To Scan For Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Gulls, And Grebes. Moving On To Dolores, We Will Spend About An Hour At One Of The Best Places To Bird In Montezuma County, The Dolores Ponds Ebird Hotspot. The Diverse Habitat At This Location Offers Riparian Areas Where The Dolores River Enters Mcphee Reservoir, Pinyon-Juniper, Red-Rock Cliffs, And A Series Of Shallow Ponds. We Will Listen For Singing Canyon Wrens, And Hope To Spot Interesting Species Like Peregrine Falcon, Black-Throated Gray Warbler, And Cliff Swallow. From Here We'll Follow Hwy 145 Along The Scenic Dolores River Making Several Stops On Our Way. Lunch At Twin Spruce Ponds Swa Where We'll Look For Spotted Sandpiper, Orange-Crowned Warbler, And Steller's Jay. We Will Finish The Tour At The Rio Lado Wetlands Hoping To Encounter American Dipper, Fox Sparrow, And Macgillivray's Warbler. Swa Pass Included. Moderate Amount Of Walking, With About 7-8 Stops Throughout The Day. Lunch Provided. Approximately 95 Miles Round Trip.
Birding Friends, Lower Yellow Jacket Canyon, Photo By Erik Hendrickson
Photo Courtesy Of Erik Hendrickson

Tour 9
Ponderosa: Old & New
Don Marsh, Senior Systems Analyst, Retired And Ebird Reviewer

6:00 Am – 3:00 Pm; $55
This Tour Focuses On The Vast Ponderosa Forest Habitat Located North Of The Town Of Dolores. First Exploring A Healthy Ponderosa Forest, Then A Rare Remnant Of Old Growth Ponderosa, And Finally A Lakeshore Nearby Will No Doubt Produce A High-Species Day Of Birding! The Boggy Draw Area Is A Great Place To See Red Crossbill, Red-Naped Sapsucker, White-Breasted-, Pygmy- And Red-Breasted Nuthatches, Dusky Flycatcher, Even The Occasional Sora In The Small Pond/Marsh Area. Farther North, The Group Will Visit Mcphee Park, A Dedicated Remnant Of Old-Growth Ponderosa From Pre-Lumbering Days. This Pocket Of Massive Trees Has The Feel Of A Redwood Grove, Harboring Many Cavity Nesters—Swallows, Wrens, Bluebirds—As Well As Less Common Williamson's Sapsucker And Grace's Warbler, And Other Species In The Oak Underbrush, Such As Green-Tailed Towhee. In Both Areas, Keep An Eye Out For Raptors, Such As Accipiters And Owls. The Final Destination Will Be House Creek Campground, Which Is Located On Mcphee Reservoir, And Offers A Chance To See Sparrows, Migrants, Shorebirds, And Waterfowl. Basic Restrooms Available At Two Of The Locations. Hiking At Each Location Is More Of A "Stroll", Easy To Moderate But Up To 2 Miles Total. Lunch Provided. Approximately 60 Miles Round Trip.
Bradfield Bridge Tour At The Birding Festival, Photo By Linda Raczek
Photo Courtesy Of Linda Raczek

Tour 10
Montezuma Land Conservancy

Rsl Ranch In Lost Canyon And The Lakes At Summit Ridge
John Bregar, Oil & Gas Geologist/Geophysicist, Retired

6:15 Am – 3:00 Pm; $55
Lost Canyon Lies Tucked Between Haycamp Mesa And The Flat Lowlands North Of Mesa Verde. This Riparian Corridor, Which Served Early Ranchers And Loggers As The Historic Route For A Narrow-Gauge Railroad And The Galloping Goose, Attracts Passerines And Flycatchers. The Beautiful Stands Of Ponderosa Forest Are Home To Grace's Warbler, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers And Accipiters. Summit Lake State Wildlife Area And Puett Reservoir Attract Waterfowl And Shorebirds. The Willows And Trees Surrounding The Lakes Harbor Warblers, Sparrows, Flycatchers, Bluebirds And More. Swa Pass Included. Easy Road And Trail Hiking. Lunch Provided. Approximately 75 Miles Round Trip.
 
Tour 11
Among The Ancients
Stephen Tarnowski, Montezuma County Birder

6:30 Am – 3:00 Pm; $55
High Desert And Sage Landscapes Surrounding Remnants Of Ancient Dwellings Offer Bird-Rich Habitats. Open Fields Around Lowry Pueblo Are Ideal For Spotting Buteos, Eagles, Falcons, Horned Lark And Bluebirds. Intermittent Pinyon-Juniper And Cottonwood Stands, And Rocky Side-Canyons Entice Say's Phoebe, Gray Vireo, Woodpeckers, Titmice, Wrens, Flycatchers, Warblers, Towhees, Black-Throated, Vesper, Lincoln's & White-Crowned Sparrows And Perhaps A Loggerhead Shrike Or Cassin's Kingbird. Stop At A Private Ranch With Riparian And Pinyon-Juniper Habitats. Easy. Lunch Provided. Approximately 75 Miles Round Trip.

Tour 12
Happy Valley Draw & Hawkins Preserve ½ Day
David Faulkner, Natural Resource Biologist, Retired

6:45 Am – 11:30 Am; $30
On The South Edge Of Cortez Is Public Access Via A Gravel Drive To An Old Wastewater Treatment Plant, A Surprisingly Pleasant And Productive Spot For Birding. Orioles And Finches Can Be Found In The Residential Cottonwoods At The Top Of The Drive; And There Is Pj And Rocky Outcrops Walking Down The Drive Towards Mcelmo Creek Where We Might Find Wrens, Gnatcatchers, Or Bushtits. The Broad Base Of Mcelmo Canyon At This Location Is A Sagebrush And Saltbush Plain, With Sparrows, Finches, Corvids, Small To Large Raptors And Vultures. The Abandoned Buildings And Fences Serve As Perches For Say's Phoebe And Other Flycatchers. There Is A Smattering Of Wetland, And The Narrow Riparian Corridor Along The Creek Might Hold Warblers, Black-Headed & Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Swallows, Yellow-Breasted Chat And Maybe Other Surprises. Moderate, Up To Two Miles Walking. Approximately 4 Miles Round Trip.
Numerous Small Birds Are Spotted At The Birding Festival. Photo By Diane Cherbak.
Photo Courtesy Of Diane Cherbak

Tour 13
Denny Lake & Totten Reservoir ½ Day
Eric Moore, Owner, The Lookout, Prescott, Az

7:00 Am – 11:30 Am; $30
Some Of The Best Birding Around Cortez Is Close To Home. Denny Lake Is Within City Boundaries, And Totten Reservoir Is Just Outside. City Parks Have Always Been Ideal Places To Look For Birds. At An Age When They Couldn't Afford Binoculars, Roger Tory Peterson And His Friends Famously Climbed Trees In New York City's Central Park Before Dawn In Order To Be In Position To See Migrating Songbirds. Ken Kauffman Once Described The Ideal Birding Hotspot As Having A Mix Of Dry Uplands, Wetlands, A Body Of Water, Trees, Shrubs, And Fields With A Wide Walking Path (All Features Which Attract Birds, Except The Path, Which Is Just Nice For Birders), And Denny Lake Park Has All Of These. Totten Reservoir, Which Dates To 1907, Has The Record For Most Species Of Birds Observed In Montezuma County In The Ebird Database, With 236 Species. Denny Lake Isn't Far Behind, With 196 Species. Both Denny And Totten Attract Birds All Year Round, But They Are Especially Productive In Spring. They Are Just Nice Places To Go And Close To Town With Lots Of Fun Birds To See. Swa Pass Included. Easy. Approximately 4 Miles Round Trip.
Black-Capped Chickadee, Photo By Diane Cherbak
Photo Courtesy Of Diane Cherbak
Lecture
"Birding 101 Workshop"
Erik Hendrickson, Engineer, National Park Service, Retired

3:30 Pm – 4:30 Pm; Free
Prior To The Birding 101 And 201 Field Trips, A Birding Workshop Will Be Held In A Classroom Setting To Go Over Some Basic Information About Birding, Especially How To Look For Birds, And Where To Go To Find Them. The Two Most Essential Items For Birding Are Binoculars And A Field Guide. The Workshop Will Include A Discussion On Binoculars; Including How To Focus, How To "Get On" A Bird, And What Kinds Of Binoculars Are Available. Review The Many Field Guides Available, Discuss Their Different Features, Strengths And Weaknesses, And How To Use A Guide In The Field. Spend Time Learning About Where And When To Look For Birds, Focusing On Birding Hotspots In Southwest Colorado, And Touching On Places Famous For Birds But Further Away. Learn When To Look For Birds:  Yes – It's Best To Get Up Really Early In The Morning, But There Are Birds Every Time Of Day. Learn About Which Seasons Are Best (With Lots Of Emphasis On Spring And Fall Migration). The Workshop Will Talk About Other Resources For Birders:  Apps For Smartphones, Books, Magazines, Websites, And Birding Organizations. Learn A Little About The Science Of Birds (Ornithology) And How It's Related To Birding (Some…), And Really Emphasize How To Make Birding Enjoyable For Everyone, However They Want To Look For Birds.

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