CFO Big Night, May 23-24

[Ted Floyd]

Hello, Birders. You've probably heard of Big Days and Big Years. Maybe you've done a Big Sit. And the Biggest Week in American Birding is under way right now.

But how about a Big Night? That's right, Colorado Field Ornithologists will be offering this event, perhaps the first in the annals of birding. We'll start at sundown on Saturday, May 23, and we'll wrap up at sunrise on Sunday, May 24. Our itinerary will take us from the Boulder County high country, then down through the foothills, and then into the lowland marshes and open country in the eastern stretches of the county. Worried about sleep deprivation?--Well, our west-to-east route shortens the nighttime hours by about one minute, woohoo!

Possibilities include night-singing grebes, American bittern, black-crowned night-heron, Virginia rail, sora, night-singing Wilson snipes, other sandpipers, barn owl, flammulated owl, eastern screech-owl, northern pygmy-owl, northern saw-whet owl, common poorwill, night-singing Hammond flycatchers and swallows, marsh wren, Swainson thrush and other thrushes on nocturnal migration, ovenbird, night-singing grasshopper sparrows, and a lot more. If we're going to get black rail or Mexican whip-poor-will, or black-billed cuckoo or gray-cheeked thrush, this night is as good as any!

You are not obligated to join us for the entire night. You may come and go as you please. All are welcome; however, if you're a "no heard-only" birder, this outing probably isn't for you. RSVP, by email only, required. Psychological evaluation recommended. To RSVP for the outing, or for more information, please contact me at "tedfloyd57" AT "hotmail" DOT "com."

Ted Floyd

Lafayette, Boulder County