We are excited about the 2024 Birding Festival! Save these dates:
May 15 - May 19, 2024
For an idea of the tours, lectures and bird sightings available, take a quick tour through our 2023 events.
Events Scheduled for Thursday, May 18, 2023
Photo courtesy of Charles Haspel
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TOUR #5
Bird Photography – Turning Challenges into Photos
Glenn Dunmire, Field Biologist
6:00 am; $50
The field tour will first visit a local lake to take advantage of early morning light and views of water birds. Then on to McElmo Canyon’s pinyon-juniper habitat and bird feeders with opportunities for photographing birds up close. Finally, the tour will head to open agricultural habitat to view flying/sitting raptors and nests of eagles, hawks, owls and Great Blue Herons.
Techniques shown and/or discussed will include using phone, single lens, mirrorless and point-and-shoot cameras, with and without a spotting scope. Topics covered will include employing optical and digital zoom features, using tripods, capturing action, exploring depth of field, light, and speed techniques, using photos for identification and documentation purposes and protecting gear during travel and inclement weather. Easy. Lunch provided. Approximately 60 miles round trip.
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TOUR #6
Ute Mountain Tribal Park
Don Marsh, Enthusiastic Birder
6:15 am; $75
Combine birding with experiencing Mancos Canyon’s archaeological sites. Saltbush and sage bottomlands invite Sage Thrasher, Burrowing Owl, Scaled & Gambel’s quails and Lark, Sage & Black-throated sparrows. Willows and cottonwoods along the streambed attract Yellow-breasted Chat, tanagers, warblers, Indigo & Lazuli buntings and Blue Grosbeaks. Glyph-inscribed cliffs provide habitat for raptors, swifts, wrens and owls. Bridges may harbor nesting Black Phoebes. Vireos and flycatchers also frequent the pinyon-juniper uplands. (35 species in 2019) Easy. Lunch while overlooking ancient cliff dwellings. Tour fee includes a tip for the Ute Tribal guide. Approximately 50 miles round trip.
Photo courtesy of Diane Cherbak
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TOUR #7
Hartman Draw
Kristina Kline, Wildlife Biologist, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
6:30 am; $50
Rare access to this secluded private property in beautiful Hartman Draw offers a rich birding experience with a diversity of habitats – grassland, marsh, riparian with mature cottonwoods, wetland, wet meadow, pinyon-juniper and sagebrush shrubland. The area attracts Bald & Golden eagles, hawks and other raptors. Explore varying terrain on foot. Other likely sightings include Juniper Titmouse, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Marsh Wren, Wilson’s Snipe, Chipping & Lark sparrows, Ash-throated & Dusky flycatchers, Bullock’s Oriole, Yellow-breasted Chat, Osprey and Wilson’s Warbler. (52 species in 2019) Moderate hike of three to four miles. Lunch provided. Approximately 40 miles round trip.
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TOUR #7.5
Bradfield Bridge
Brenda Wright and Coen Dexter, Colorado Birding Atlas II
6:45 am; $50
Situated on the Dolores River in a migratory corridor below McPhee Dam, the Bradfield Bridge area offers river habitats that entice a broad array of species including Black Phoebe, Peregrine Falcon, White-throated Swifts, Yellow-breasted Chat, Canyon Wren, Lazuli Bunting, Wild Turkey and Belted Kingfisher. Swallows, warblers, raptors, woodpeckers, waterfowl and shorebirds add to the mix. The scenic sandstone canyon may even offer a sighting of river otters. Tours within this region historically have brought some of the UMMV Birding Festival’s highest species tallies. (83 species in 2019) SWA pass required. Easy. Lunch provided. Approximately 60 miles round trip.
Black backed gull. Photo © Tim Reeves
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TOUR #8
Geer Natural Area with Optics Training ½ Day
Eric Moore, Owner, Jay’s Bird Barn, Prescott, AZ; Ryan Crouse, Manager Arizona Field Optics & Jay’s Bird Barn, Prescott
7:00 am – 12:00 pm; $35
Located at the north edge of Cortez, Geer Park’s year-round pond attracts a multitude of waterfowl, wading birds and swallows. Scrub-Jay, Northern Flicker, sparrows, hummingbirds, warblers and finches favor an adjacent arroyo. This park is ideal for learning to use spotting scopes and binoculars with access to an array of Swarovski and Vortex optics. (51 species in 2019) Easy. Approximately 3 miles round trip.
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Birding Festival General Information
- The Ute Mountain Mesa Verde Birding Festival is the major fundraiser for the Cortez Cultural Center. All proceeds benefit the Center.
- All tours require pre-registration.
- A registration fee is required for all tours except as noted. Full registration includes keynote banquet and all lectures. Daily registration includes that day's lectures. Full registration is required in order to qualify for the free early bird t-shirt.
- Unless otherwise noted, tours will return to the Center at approximately 4:00 pm.
- Carpools/caravanning will be used for all tours. Drivers will be reimbursed for gas by passengers at the GSA rate of 66 cents per mile, divided among all participants in the vehicle.
- Tour size is generally 13 or less.
- Cancellations considered on a case by case basis up to 21 days prior to start of Festival. All cancellations subject to a processing fee.
- Availability of restrooms depends on the tour. Nearly all guides scout out restroom locations as well as bird species. Some tours are in parks or other facilities that have established restrooms. Some have outhouses. Others, the only option are bushes. Usually the leader will mention the restroom plan at the beginning of the tour.
- All tours depart from and return to the Cortez Cultural Center.
- Tour times listed are the DEPARTURE time. Please arrive 15 minutes prior.
For Birding Festival information email diane.cherbak@gmail.com
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2023 BIRDING FESTIVAL SPONSORS
We could not provide this event without the support of the following sponsors, partners, and volunteers:
