Trip Leaders: Megan Jones Patterson, Steve Jones & Courtney Rella. See trip leader bios, below.
Date: Sunday, January 18th
Time: 8:30-11:00 am
Location: Prospect Park, Wheat Ridge, CO
Participant Limit: 15 Teen Naturalists. A waitlist will be available if the trip fills.
On this trip, we will observe and photograph wild ducks and other waterbirds while we learn about duck morphology to help with identification and duck behavior. Below Golden, CO Clear Creek flows through Prospect Park, and thanks to the generous releases of warm suds from the Coors Brewing factory, it does not freeze over in winter, providing great habitat for ducks and other waterfowl that spend the colder season in Colorado.
Hooded Mergansers, goldeneyes, shovelers, and other ducks gather very close to the trail, allowing for unusually close viewing. Participants should plan to carry a digital camera and binoculars. Digital cameras and binoculars are available to borrow for the outing. If you want to borrow one or both, please reserve these while signing up with Dave.
Registration Required: To register or for any questions, contact Dave Sutherland, dsutherland4747@gmail.com (720) 626 1797
Where to Meet: Meet at Prospect Park in Wheat Ridge. A digital map will be sent in your confirmation email.
Learn more about Boulder County Audubon’s Teen Naturalist program or send questions to Dave Sutherland, dsutherland4747@gmail.com or (720) 626-1797.
Who Can Participate?: Outings are open to unaccompanied students in sixth grade and up, as well as younger students accompanied by parents. New participants are welcome at any time.
Transportation: Participants must provide their own transportation to teen naturalist trips. A participant list will be shared if participants want to coordinate carpooling among themselves. If you don’t want your contact information shared with other participants, please include this when you register.
Trip Leader Bios
Megan Jones Patterson has a lifelong interest in the intersections of science, outdoors, and education, often with birds being the focal point. She has a doctorate in animal behavior, researching the display behaviors of manakins in Costa Rica. Education and work have allowed Megan to enjoy birding around the globe; she loves living here in Colorado, where there is great avian diversity. Megan's current contributions to field ornithology include volunteer bird banding, raptor monitoring, and submissions to eBird. Megan has volunteered with BCAS in various capacities for nearly a decade and is on the board of Colorado Field Ornithologists.
Courtney Rella is a dedicated volunteer and advocate for bird conservation and environmental education, with a strong focus on raptors and avian ecology. She serves as a docent and educational outreach volunteer with the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, where she works with permanently disabled raptor ambassadors for enrichment and to engage the public through learning and conservation messaging. She is also involved with the Denver Field Ornithologists as a field trip leader and conservation board member, with Bird Conservancy of the Rockies as a raptor nest monitor, and with Longmont Raptor Watch contributing data to long-term research and species protection initiatives. Her interest in birds also sparked a passion for photography, which she uses as another way to observe, document, and share the beauty of avian life. She additionally supports avian research as a bird banding station data volunteer, assisting with the collection and management of data critical to understanding bird populations and migration patterns. Through these roles and interests, she demonstrates a deep commitment to wildlife conservation, citizen science, and environmental education.
Male Ruddy Duck. Photo by Gerhard Assenmacher.