Seven dedicated birders braved strong winds, treacherous roads and temperatures ranging from 2 to 26 degrees on Saturday, Dec. 26, to take part in the annual Cortez Christmas Bird Count, with hopes of some rare discoveries.
Three additional birders offered their tallies within the count circle by watching their bird feeders, and helped add to the total number of 59 species identified in Montezuma County on count day.
Those looking for a few surprises didn’t go home cold, wet and emptyhanded. Among the species that organizer Jason St. Pierre reported were a Prairie Falcon, Say’s Phoebe, Northern Shrike, two Lincoln’s Sparrows and a Wilson’s Snipe.
Many of the reservoirs appeared to be more suitable for ice-fishing than for birding. Totten and Narraguinnep reservoirs, which were active birding destinations just a few weeks ago, showed no signs of waterfowl. A few ponds in Cortez were partially open and held some less common species such as the striking Hooded Merganser, Common Goldeneye and Canvasback.
This year’s bird count marks the 116th year that the National Audubon Society has helped organize counts like the Cortez count. Birders throughout the western hemisphere gather each winter to collect data in close to 2,500 “count circles,” which consist of a 15-mile diameter circle around a chosen center location. For the Cortez bird count, the center lies just a few miles north of downtown and includes parts of Dolores.
The information gathered by participants each year helps scientists monitor bird populations over time, and population change within many species has been linked to a variety of factors including climate change and habitat loss. According to the National Audubon Society, more than 56,000 people participated in 2014 the U.S. alone.
And just who were those brave souls? Organizers Jason St. Pierre and Diane Cherbak led the dedicated group consisting of Randy Bangert, John Bregar, Karel Buckley, Heather Morris, Riley Morris, Bill Hensler, Helen Jarvis Reynolds and Philip Kemp. It was St. Pierre’s first stint as organizer of the Cortez-area bird count.