CA Birder Looking To Network With CO Birders (Larimer, Boulder Cos.)

[John Oliver]

Birders,

Next week I will arrive in Colorado to begin work at Rocky Mountain National Park. During my time here in Colorado (May-October), I will be based out of Estes Park on the east side of RMNP (Larimer Co.), but I will not have my own vehicle (or a driver's license). On my days off, I'll naturally want to take advantage of Colorado's diverse landscape to seek out as many birds as possible. I've done the math, and from the Front Range east, there are about a dozen possible life birds for me to see during my time in the state, plus numerous non-lifers that I've seen only a few times before, in some cases quite a long time ago.

Anyway, since I won't have my own means of getting around on my days off, I'm hoping to network with some local birders in the area near Estes Park (plus nearby Fort Collins and Boulder) so that I might have the opportunity to explore some of Colorado's great birding spots and/or chase rarities if and when they show up. Obviously, I will be more than happy to contribute gas money to any birder that offers to drive me around, though just having an extra set of eyes and ears on an outing is a benefit in itself. Anyone who's interested can contact me and I will share what species I'm hoping to see while in the state (lifer or otherwise). If any Estes Park, Fort Collins or Boulder area birders would be offering to carpool with me around the state on days that happen to work out for both of our schedules, send me an email, and hopefully we can start planning trips for the weeks after my arrival.

Thanks,
John Oliver
La Crescenta, CA

[Dave Cameron]

I was coincidentally birding for a few days in that part of the state for the past few days, but usually not that far North (I'm in Denver). But if you send me your target list, I might have general suggestions for locations for your targets.

- email is davednvr7 at msn dot com