Adopt a species and enjoy a gourmet interlude with nature!
We hope you will join us in our first Boulder County Audubon Species of Concern-a-thon. Adopt one or more locally rare or threatened species and enjoy a personally catered (by Board members) trip into the bird's natural habitat. All contributors will receive a year-end update of the species' nesting activities in Boulder County. Those who wish may sign up to monitor nests in future years. Thanks for supporting Boulder County Audubon and your local species of special concern!
Print and return the pledge/registration form.
Adoptable Species of Concern and Schedule of Trips:- Bald Eagle (rare nesting) with Steve Jones. Sunday, May 31, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. We'll get clear views of nesting bald eagles in Weld County, then continue on to Barr Lake to scope out bald eagles, pelicans, ducks, and prairie songbirds from the marsh boardwalk. Enjoy a sumptuous picnic brunch at Barr Lake accompanied by yellow warbler, oriole, and kingbird song. 303-494-2468; curlewsj@comcast.net. $60
- Burrowing Owl (rare and declining) with Deb and Chris Abrahamson. Sunday, June 28, 4-8 pm. On an early summer evening, we'll explore 3 or 4 burrowing owl colonies in Weld and Adams County. This year's juvenile owls should be visible as they begin their fledging antics. We'll enjoy a picnic dinner at nearby Barr Lake State Park followed by a boardwalk ramble to view songbirds, waterfowl, and raptors. 303-565-9742; cabrahamson@hotmail.com. $50
- Osprey (isolated and restricted) and Northern Harrier (rare nesting), with Mark and Sue Ponsor. Saturday, June 13, 4-8 pm. Enjoy a summer evening at Boulder Reservoir observing the only recently active northern harrier nest in Boulder County. With luck, we might see a mid-aid food exchange. After gourmet snacks, we'll watch the nesting ospreys and learn about their comeback at Boulder Reservoir. There's also a good chance that we'll hear and/or see American bitterns. 303-530-2229; s.ponsor@comcast.net. $45
- American Bittern (rare and declining) and Green Heron (rare) with Petrea Mah. Sunday, June 14, 6am to 10am. Relax in the early morning quiet and be thrilled by the intriguing call of the American bittern as we stroll Walden and Sawhill Ponds. Observe the silent work of the great blue herons on nest with their young while keeping an eye out of the green herons. Waterbirds of all types abound on this trip and the early morning music of their song will create a perfect mood music for a brunch created by a professional chef. 303-494-4121; petreamah@comcast.net. $40
- Flammulated Owl (isolated and restricted) with Steve Jones. Wednesday, June 24, 6-10:30 p.m. After a gourmet picnic at dusk, we'll stroll down a remote foothills canyon to listen for poorwills, nighthawks, and reclusive flammulated owls. Expect vibrant wildflower displays as we explore the diverse streamside plant communities where these little owls thrive. 303-494-2468; curlewsj@comcast.net. $35
- Barn Owl (rare nesting) with Pam Piombino and Carol Cushman. Saturday, August 1, 5-10 p.m. Start this evening at Carol's home where we'll feast on Pam's Egyptian "mezzes" (Persian word for oriental finger food) and Carol's cake and ice cream. For several years a pair of Swainson's Hawks and American Kestrels have nested within view of the dining table. After dinner, it will be on to Boulder Reservoir to look for nesting osprey, owls, and perhaps wood ducks. Lastly, we will visit one or two known nesting sites in northern Boulder County to hear and, with luck, see this most lovely of owls. cushmanr@colorado.edu (303) 604-2250. $30
- Bobolinks (isolated and restricted) with Linda Andes-Georges. Saturday, May 30, 6-11 a.m. One of the best singers of the “blackbird” family, and one of the spiffiest with its backwards tuxedo and creamy beret, our bobolink lives on the westernmost edge of its natural range. It likes moist (but not marshy) mature hayfields, and Boulder County still has a few good ones. We are in exclusive company, as only three counties in the state had confirmed bobolink nesters in the last breeding census. Enjoy a catered (nibbles and sparkly refreshments) field trip to search for this species of concern in Boulder’s sweet grassy meadows, amid the song of meadowlarks and migrating sparrows. andes-georges@comcast.net. $20
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