Colorado Shortgrass Bird Research 2016

[Amber Carver]

Volunteers are needed for Colorado Shortgrass Bird Research this summer.  This will be the third year of a long-term project comparing the effects of different grazing regimes on ground-nesting birds.  Project collaborators include the University of Colorado Denver, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, and the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies.

The project involves minimally invasive rope-dragging, nest monitoring, and trapping.  It takes place at the Central Plains Experimental Range in Weld County, about 10 minutes north of Nunn off Highway 85.  Volunteer responsibilities primarily involve rope-dragging, recording data, and assisting in the trapping effort.  Volunteers will not handle eggs or birds, but they will witness science in action as the project technicians complete these tasks.

Guaranteed species include Lark Bunting, Horned Lark, and McCown’s Longspur.  Other likely possibilities include Common Nighthawk, Grasshopper Sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow, and Cassin’s Sparrow.  If you volunteer often enough, you will likely see Burrowing Owls (including chicks), Ferruginous and Swainson’s Hawks, and Golden Eagles.  We have great spring wildflowers, and there’s a chance to see swift foxes.

There are a few hazards, including infrequent but regular prairie rattlesnakes, cryptic and potentially ankle-twisting animal burrows, and copious cacti.  I have been involved with this project for two years, and so far injuries have been limited to those involving cactus spines in knees and hands.  But it's worth noting that these hazards exist in case you are not comfortable working in that kind of environment.

We are looking for both short- and long-term volunteers and welcome any help we can get.  If you are interested in spending some time on the shortgrass steppe and aiding a long-term research project, send your full name, location, and availability to the email address below.  Also indicate your physical fitness.  Rope-dragging requires walking 5-8 miles per day over uneven hilly terrain, but half-day rope-draggers will be accepted.  There’s also the option of taking an auxiliary role, walking behind the rope-dragging team and watching for birds.  Trapping involves walking no more than a mile, carrying light-weight gear, and observing bird behavior through binoculars.

To sign up or request more information, contact Amber Carver at amber....@ucdenver.edu.  A small per diem, travel reimbursement, and on-site lodging may be available pending funding.

Visit the project Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cperbirds/ to see pictures from past years.

Thanks!

Amber Carver

Littleton, CO