BCAS Articles
Nature Almanac: Tiny Divers. . . Buffleheads!
Leaving the cold northland behind, Buffleheads find favorable wintering grounds near open water and in sheltered bays along both coasts.
Boulder author Steve Jones Wins “Nebraska as Place” Award
Boulder author Stephen R. Jones has won the 2023 Nebraska Book Award for nonfiction in the “Nebraska as Place” category for Nourishing Waters, Comforting Sky: Thirty-Five Years at a Sandhills Oasis.
September Nature Almanac: Limpkins Lurk Where They Are Not Supposed to Be
A Limpkin—the tropical wetland bird whose usual home is Florida and Central and South America—visited Colorado this summer for the first time in recorded history.
A Week at Hog Island, Maine
My time at Hog Island was an unbelievable experience filled with remarkable birds, fantastic activities, and the best of people.
August Nature Almanac: Polyphemus Moths Spin Summer Magic
What really captured Cindy's attention were the blue-ringed, transparent eyespots, reminiscent of distant planets, on the moth's wings. This striking feature inspired the name Saturnidae for a family of silk moths found on every continent except Antarctica.
East Boulder Creek Site Management Plan: YOUR Voice is Needed!
Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS) is creating a management plan for the East Boulder Creek (EBC) site. You can provide valuable feedback in Survey 2 by July 31.
June Nature Almanac: What’s Up on the Tundra?
It’s a paradox that forget-me-nots, moss campions, and other alpine flowers usually bloom in June while snowdrifts still cover marsh marigolds and globeflowers in the spruce-fir forest at lower elevations.
May Nature Almanac: Black-headed Grosbeaks arrive in full song from Mexico
As spring migration reaches a climax, many birders in Front Range towns have the opportunity to see transient bird species that stop over in the plains for a day or two before heading to the foothills and mountains of the Rockies. One colorful songbird that we are happy to catch on its migration travels is the Black-headed Grosbeak.
April Nature Almanac: Early Easter Daisies Finally Emerge from their Winter Blanket
As we stood on one sun-warmed limestone slope in a foothills canyon, we could see dozens of fist-sized plants blooming all around us.
From Kentucky Bluegrass to Habitat Hero at my HOA: Involve your community
While some people care about nature, others care about saving money, and others care about public health. My plan needed to be holistic.
Winter Raptor Surveys at White Rocks
Seven teen naturalists and three fellow travelers hiked the White Rocks Trail on a crisp, foggy morning with sunlight filtering through the mist and hoarfrost glistening on the willows.
March Nature Almanac: Marching to a Different Drummer
Different drummers are pounding on trees, metal railings, and the sides of our houses proclaim that it’s spring. Flickers and other woodpeckers are beating out a fanfare—the noisier the better—hoping to ignite romance and deter rivals.
February Nature Almanac: Wandering Waxwings
Our frigid early morning bird walk began just after sunrise, as we looked for some rare visitors to the Colorado Front Range.
A Week on Hog Island
As I stepped off the boat onto Hog Island, I relished in the sound of gulls and the lapping of waves as Black Guillemots floated off the rocky shore. I had arrived!
Teen Naturalists Plot Bald Eagle Roosts and Set Christmas Count Record
Data from these hikes will help inform future trail development within this floodplain, much of which is designated as critical wildlife habitat in the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan.
January Nature Almanac: A Confusion of Warblers
Popular English collective nouns for warblers include a “bouquet,” a “fall,” or a “wrench” of warblers. Or—most apt for Colorado this past autumn—a confusion of warblers. What were those tiny bits of fluff thinking when they settled down here in November instead of migrating south?
December Nature Almanac: Muskrats Cozy up in Winter
There's a steep embankment along Clear Creek where we often see a muskrat munching on a leaf or a clump of pond weed. The muskrat seems unperturbed, nibbling away, while we sit on the opposite bank watching. Then, with hardly a sound, she eases into the water and vanishes below the surface. Her den entrance is located underwater, and she swims unseen from there up to the den floor deep within the embankment.