CFO Conference Pueblo 2022: Highlights from a First Timer

[Patricia Cullen]

This was my first experience with the CFO convention and so I thought I would review it for those that could not attend. 

 

The convention offered a variety of ways to engage with the Colorado birding community-- field trips, conference talks, a guest speaker and a silent auction fundraiser of nicely framed bird prints from a large donated collection of art. 

It was both a satisfying  social experience and a valuable bird learning experience for me.  I thoroughly enjoyed the synergy of  DFO, CFO, Boulder Bird Club and other new friends birding together  and teaching quite a few newcomers the finer points of finding rails, birding in a snowstorm, and taking advantage of the Pueblo location to explore stellar Colorado birding locations. 

Some of the highlights for me were finding 20 Evening Grosbeaks perched up in tall trees

near the Beulah Post Office during the winter storm! Driving with Van Truan and many west slope birders,  in his Suburban and learning about where owls roost at 8000 feet above sea level,  in the San Isabel National Forest, watching a Piping Plover run and forage on the edge of John Martin Reservoir, and hiking the hogback trail in Lathrop State Park and hearing Bewick's Wrens and Juniper Titmouse calling and singing. 

It was also gratifying to listen to young ornithologists talk about their research work

with passion and thoroughness, and I feel hopeful that we have strong nonprofits

that are working together to understand the fragile ecosystems of the prairie and grassland birds and mountain birds alike, with a common purpose of conservation. 

Patricia Cullen

Longmont, CO