The Journal
The annual Ute Mountain-Mesa Verde Birding Festival focuses this year on waterfowl, waders and shorebirds during its Local Lakes Tour on Thursday, May 12.
The tour on incorporates bodies of water ranging from Denny Lake to McPhee Reservoir and lakes on Summit Ridge and holds potential for observing flotillas of grebes and ducks, mergansers, Common Loons, avocets, Black-necked Stilts, herons, egrets, terns and gulls, sandpipers, and American White Pelicans. Eagles, hawks, and even Osprey also frequent the lakes while shoreline habitats entice smaller species like jays, finches, sparrows, towhees, and warblers.
Full registration for the festival includes daily lectures by well-qualified regional birding experts as well as the Saturday evening banquet and presentation by keynote speaker Chris Parish. Daily festival and tour registrations are available too.
Pre-registration is required for tours and the Saturday banquet. For a nominal fee, the general public may attend lectures and Saturday’s keynote presentation. Online registration is recommended, but walk-in registrations are accepted at the Cortez Cultural Center.
Details about festival activities are available at www.utemountainmesaverdebirdingfestival.com. For additional information, contact the Cortez Cultural Center, 970-565-1151.