Please join Aiken Audubon in
Colorado Springs as we begin our program year on Wednesday, September 18 with a
program by Jason Beason and his Black Swift research.
When: Wednesday,
September 18th
Time: Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for socializing, coffee and snacks / Program
starts at 7:00 p.m. / Ends approximately 8:30 p.m.
Where: Colorado Division of Wildlife, 4255 Sinton Road, Colorado Springs
- Please use rear entrance. Note that
Sinton Road runs parallel to I-25 on the East side, between Garden of the Gods
Rd. and Fillmore St.
Program Details: Jason
Beason & Black Swifts
Often regarded as Colorado’s
Coolest Bird, the Black Swift is one of the most mysterious bird species in the
western U.S. Despite a very large breeding range from the West Indies and Costa
Rica to the south and Alaska to the north, it is one of the least studied bird
species in the Americas. Until 2012, there was no information about where the
northern subspecies (Cypseloides niger borealis) spent the winter. There are
still many information gaps about the natural history of the subspecies. We don’t
have a thorough understanding of its distribution in North America and we have
no idea of the total population size throughout its range. Most research on the
northern subspecies has taken place in Colorado thanks to a small group of
dedicated citizen scientists.
Jason received a bachelor’s from
The Ohio State University (1990) where he majored in natural resources. After
college, he moved out west and began birding and has worked on a wide variety
of avian research projects involving birds throughout the western U.S. Jason,
his wife Kerry, and their son Otus and daughter Twyla, own and operate Rain
Crow Farm near Paonia, Colorado. They are proud of the habitat they provide for
birds and all wildlife on their farm and their yard bird list is currently at
182 species.
Programs are always free and no RSVP is required!
Hope to see you there!
Christine A. Bucher
President, Aiken Audubon Society
Colorado Springs, CO