Once a year each winter, dozens of volunteers congregate at Barr Lake State Park, Colorado to dedicate their day to a singular purpose: tally every bird of every species seen within a 15-mile diameter circle centered on Barr Lake. This tradition has been taking place every year since 1980 at Barr Lake. The 2023 Christmas Bird Count will take place on December 31.
If you’d like to participate email Colin Woolley, Banding Manager and Barr Lake CBC Compiler.
Our banding trainee position strives to provide technical bird banding experience to foster future ornithologists. While learning these skills the trainee also becomes part of the community at the banding station. Lauren is our second banding trainee at the Barr Lake banding station. Read on to hear more about her time at the station.
As I look back on my seasons as a Camp Director and counselor before that, the moments I think of most often are the moments in between the big things. They’re the glue that holds it all together and cements the impact had by camp on my life. This summer at Bird Camp is no different. I’ve included a few of our favorite stories of awe, wonder, and dirt that wove together the whole of what we did this season.
Join Bird Conservancy of the Rockies in this opportunity to get out and go birding around Barr Lake, seeing what different birds stop over throughout the year. This program is intended for ages 10 & up but all skill levels are welcome to attend. Binoculars and field guides will be available to borrow for the duration of the program.
Scholarships are available. Please complete this FORM BEFORE you register and wait for a reply from a Bird Conservancy staff member.
Registration is required and space is limited. Please CLICK HERE to register today!
This program takes place at Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Environmental Learning Center located at 14500 Lark Bunting Lane Brighton CO. Please note, a $10 Daily or Annual Colorado State Parks Pass is required for entry into the park at all times.
Our community of practice is to be an organization that welcomes people of all backgrounds, beliefs, colors and creeds to join in, benefit from and contribute to our mission. We strive for inclusivity of all persons regardless of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other status.
Throughout the years one school and teacher has created a legacy of coming out to our programs twice a year. Chuck Hart at Zion Lutheran in Brighton, CO has been attending our program with his students for over 20 years. Read on for a conversation with Chuck.
Celebrate connecting people of all abilities and disabilities to birds and the natural world! It will be a morning of birding, banding, journaling and engaging. We will be leading bird tours, visits to our bird banding station, helping you to create your very own nature journal, and teaching people how to engage with nature in ways that are most comfortable for them.
All activities will be stationed outside of the Nature Center at Barr Lake State Park (13401 Picadilly Rd, Brighton, CO 80603). Tours and banding station visits will include crossing a moderately inclined foot bridge and traveling as far as participants are comfortable but no more than a half mile on a hard packed, gravel trail. Benches are available along the way to take a break if needed. We will have binoculars and adaptive equipment available to use. The adaptive equipment helps people with seen and unseen challenges be able to see birds on an iPad rather than have to look through a scope or binoculars.
We will remain flexible throughout the morning and all activities will be available throughout the morning. We will also have Barr Lake State Park’s two track chairs and an ADA shuttle available to assist any visitors experiencing mobility challenges. Accessible bathrooms are available in the Nature Center.
Registration is not required for this amazing opportunity! Grab some friends and join us for an amazing morning out in nature!
Join us for a guided birding tour at Barr Lake State Park. We will take a leisurely walk that will include crossing a moderately inclined foot bridge and traveling as far as participants are comfortable but no more than a half mile on a hard packed, gravel trail. We will have binoculars and adaptive equipment available. The adaptive equipment helps people with seen and unseen challenges be able to see birds on an iPad rather than have to look through a scope or binoculars.
The tour will meet outside the Nature Center at Barr Lake State Park (13401 Picadilly Rd, Brighton CO 80603). There are accessible bathrooms available at the Nature Center and there will be benches along the way to rest if desired.
This birding tour is intended for all ages and abilities. No birding experience is necessary. Come and learn about the magic of birds in a beautiful setting! This program is provided at no cost to participants thanks to the support of Adams County Open Space.
This program takes place at Barr Lake State Park located at 13401 Picadilly Rd, Brighton CO. Please note, a $10 Daily or Annual Colorado State Parks Pass is required for entry into the park at all times.
Our community of practice is to be an organization that welcomes people of all backgrounds, beliefs, colors and creeds to join in, benefit from and contribute to our mission. We strive for inclusivity of all persons regardless of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other status.
Mindful birding is an inclusive practice for all abilities, all ages, and all needs. It is naturally a comfortable and welcoming environment for underrepresented individuals as well as participants who have physical and mental challenges, and those with special learning needs. There is no level of competition or level of experience expected.
Mindful Birding combines observing birds with mindfulness techniques, creating a practice that incorporates heightened awareness. Labeling or identifying birds is not the primary focus, instead, the intention is slowing down and noticing, using birds as our guides. This style of observation invites self-exploration, reciprocity, and an acknowledgment of our physical and emotional responses while within the practice.
The guiding principles of Mindful Birding are:
Dr. Barbra Patterson will be leading this Mindful Birding Workshop outdoors at Bird Conservancy’s Environmental Learning Center (14500 Lark Bunting Lane, Brighton CO 80603). This workshop will be held outside, please dress and prepare for the weather. There are mildly sloping ADA hard packed gravel trails around the Environmental Learning Center which will be utilized. There are also ADA accessible indoor and outdoor restrooms available on site.
Registration is required and space is limited!
Bird Conservancy educators will lead accessible tours out to our Bird Banding Station where participants will have the opportunity to see birds up close and personal and learn about the process of bird banding. Tours will be appropriate for people living with a broad range of both seen and unseen disabilities.
Tours will begin outside of the Nature Center at Barr Lake State Park (13401 Picadilly Rd, Brighton, CO 80603). Access to the banding station requires crossing a moderately inclined foot bridge and traveling approximately .3 miles on a hard packed, gravel trail. If you would like any assistance navigating this please let us know.
Advanced registration is required. Please contact [email protected] to reserve your spot today!
The Red Crossbill, Loxia curvistra, is a peculiar finch found among the spruces, firs, pines, and hemlocks of coniferous woodlands. The Red Crossbill is one of three of the 17 finch species in North America that have an unusual, but spectacular beak. Per their name, the crossbill has a crossed bill. You may be thinking, what does having a crossed bill have to do with the journey of a crossbill? Everything.
