Birding Man Adventures

08/06/2024

Check out our new blog post at https://wix.to/vgXw5r9 highlighting our newest tour, Reduced Mobility Birding!

Don't let physical challenges hold you back from connecting intimately with nature

08/02/2024

Fun birding with yesterday!

07/29/2024

Summers are for backpacking trips…

07/17/2024

Caught this male Gambel’s Quail (Callipepla gambelii) on a fence post courting females in his covey foraging in the brush below him on a recent trip to Fruita. This species undergoes wild population swings in response to annual climatic changes. After a wet winter and spring, ample green vegetation will produce bigger clutches and more chicks. Dry winters result in less food and low fecundity.

06/30/2024

The Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhynus cyanocephalus) is a nomadic bird of open pinyon-juniper woodlands and scrub oak. Because it moves around so much, it can often be tough to find and photograph. I had to hike to the top of a hill and wait to see the birds fly across the landscape, at which point I followed them into a steep gully and was able to get close enough to snap this photograph. This species is a fun challenge for photographers!

06/21/2024

Caught this breeding Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorous) in a Boulder hayfield the other day. In addition to having one of the coolest names of any bird, these grassland obligate songbirds migrate up to 12,500 miles to and from southern South America every year. Like other grassland birds, this species is rapidly declining due to loss of habitat.

06/14/2024

Last night we attended Denver Audubon’s Soaring Soirée, an annual event that raises funds for the organization’s educational and conservation programs. I donated one of my tours to the Pawnee Grasslands as part of the auction. We enjoyed catching up with DA staff, getting to know fellow volunteers and donors, and hearing great talks from Director Nicole Bopp, School Programs Manager Kristen Peterka, and Bald Eagle researcher Dr. Reesa Conrey.







.audubon

06/13/2024

Check out my blog post https://wix.to/9Ek1zTz

Sometimes it's not about how much your guide knows, it's about how your guide makes you feel.

06/10/2024

Aquila chrysaetos, the magnificent Golden Eagle, is a sight to behold. Soaring out over cliffs, canyons, and open grasslands, look for white windows on the underside of the wings and a distinct white and black band on the tail of the juvenile Golden Eagle to separate it from a juvenile Bald Eagle. Immature Bald Eagles are also much more streaked on the belly and underwings than immature Golden Eagles. Pictured here is a mature adult Golden Eagle.

06/07/2024

Virginia’s Warbler (Leiothlypis virginiae) is a migratory songbird that can be found in the spring and summer across restricted parts of the western US. Its preferred habitat is brushy hillsides with scattered pines and dense oak/pinyon woodlands at altitudes ranging from 6,000 to 9,000 feet. It builds its nest on the ground, but its incubation period and nesting habits are still not well studied.

05/23/2024

We were able to find this vagrant Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens) during our recent Denver Audubon Birdathon. Black-throated Blues breed in Eastern hardwood forests and winter in the Caribbean. Somehow this little dude got blown off course and found himself in a thicket between two mesas.

05/20/2024

I’ll be leading a mindful birding retreat May 31st - June 2nd at the Drala Mountain Center in the northern Colorado Rockies. Explore meditation and mindfulness techniques that will deepen and enhance your connection to the natural world. You can see program details at the link in bio.

05/07/2024

Franklin’s Gulls (Leucophaeus pipixcan) riding the chop of waves on a windy afternoon. This long-distance migrant winters on the coast of western South America and breeds in the northern Plains region. They have been referred to as the “Rosy Gull” for a subtle wash of pink that forms on the breast feathers during the breeding season. They look very similar to the Laughing Gull, a well-known denizen of beaches in the southeastern United States. Look for white spots on the tips of the primary feathers in Franklin’s Gull. The Laughing Gull lacks these, having plain black primary wing tips.

05/02/2024

I had the pleasure of meeting photographer J.R. Peal who took this cool photo of a Great-tailed Grackle standing on top of my Jeep. Great -tailed Grackle was first recorded in Colorado near Gunnison in 1970. It is now rapidly spreading and increasing in numbers.

05/01/2024

Angela Kennedy Dibala and I are once again participating in Denver Audubon’s annual Birdathon, a 24-hour event where teams compete to find as many bird species as possible. Of course, we also try to raise money for Denver Audubon, as it is the organization's biggest fundraiser of the year. Donations help to fund school, family, and community conservation programs in the Denver metro area. Next Wednesday, May 8th, we’ll venture out to several protected areas in the Denver metro area to find as many bird species as we possibly can.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to our team “Talk Birdy To Me” so we can continue to support the great work Denver Audubon is doing for nature conservation. Please go to
https://denveraudubon.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/denveraudubon/campaignTeam.jsp?campaignId=466&teamId=96& to support us. A little goes a long way. Thanks so much!

04/30/2024

There are only two spots left on this year’s trip to Ecuador! Join our small group October 1st - 11th to explore the paramos, cloud forests, and jungles of the Andes with local guides who are working to preserve wildlife habitat on their land. You really won’t want to miss this! See link in bio for more info. Pictured: Toucan Barbet near Naranjal on the western slope.

04/26/2024

The almighty Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) has made an incredible adjustment to living near human habitations. It’s not uncommon to find them in the city hunting small birds like pigeons and doves. You may notice fewer birds mobbing a Cooper’s Hawk than you would with larger Buteo hawks like Red-tailed hawks. This is because of their bird hunting prowess and their ability to suddenly turn and kill a member of the mob.

04/23/2024

Happy Earth Day! I feel so lucky to be able to explore this beautiful planet and all its wonderful creatures. Let’s do all we can to protect it.

04/16/2024

Evening Grosbeak male in the dappled light of an Aspen forest.

04/09/2024

Now is the time to find Cinnamon Teal (Spatula cyanoptera) in Jefferson County, Colorado. We found this pair today at a small lake in the Denver Metro Area. The male and female both have powder-blue patches on the forewing, similar to a Blue-winged Teal. Its bill is relatively large, developed for straining seeds, aquatic vegetation, zooplankton, and insects. I think of it as a cross between a Blue-winged Teal and a Northern Shoveler. Unlike other dabbling ducks, Cinnamon Teal also has nesting populations in South America.

04/06/2024

Interested in a naturalist-guided journey to Ecuador? Inquire at the link in bio for more information on our trip this October!

Birding and wildlife tours from Denver, Colorado

03/27/2024

Here are some of our favorite photos from a recent birding trip to Palawan island in the Philippines.

03/22/2024

Sweet tour out in the fresh fallen snow near Red Rocks with .giralo and her sister Jemma last week.

03/16/2024

Calling all birdwatchers! Join us on this year’s Mountain Chicken Chase (April 19 - 24) to discover Colorado’s 5 species of mountain grouse. This unconventional adventure will take you through subalpine forests, alpine tundra, montane valleys and sagebrush steppe during peak grouse mating season. This tour is designed for nature lovers of all skill levels. 5 nights of lodging, transportation (to and from Denver), guide, all meals, permits and fees for just $1,500. Max of 7 participants. Register by April 1 at the link in bio.

03/08/2024

In February, Angie and I traveled to the Philippines to visit her family in Luzon and go island hopping in Palawan. We were able to pick up 40 life birds during our time in Palawan, thanks to the help of our amazing guides Stephen Luboc and Erwin Idonga. This post is about much more than birds though. It explores "last chance tourism," the ugly realities of modern-day travel, and what we can do as individuals to make a postiive impact through travel. Check it out at https://wix.to/IUDYC8c

My wife Angie was born in the Philippines and lived there in the Eastern Visayan Region for close to ten years. In 2018, I made my first trip to the Philippines with Angie to visit her mother and half siblings on the island of Samar. On that trip, we traveled through Manila, Cebu City, and explored....

03/04/2024

Coyote on the hunt

02/25/2024

I’m getting amped for the annual Sandhill Crane staging at Colorado’s Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge. Consider attending this year’s Monte Vista Crane Festival March 8 - 10 and experience one of nature’s masterpieces.

02/20/2024

A quiet morning stroll on a bleak midwinter day turned up this juvenile female Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus). How do I know it’s a juvenile female? She has dark chocolate brown eyes while the juvenile males have greenish-yellow eyes. The eye color of both sexes changes to a bright yellow by the time they mature.

02/15/2024

North America’s only aquatic songbird, the American Dipper or Water Ouzel (Cinclus mexicanus) is one of my favorite mountain birds. It’s always a treat to find this river dweller splashing around in some pristine riffle, using its wings like flippers as if it were some miniature penguin. Watch for the repeated opening and closing of the nictitating membranes over its eyes, an effective protection for the hazards of underwater hunting. I’d agree, it’s not the most photogenic bird, but what it lacks in beauty it makes up for in spirit.

02/12/2024

Join us for this year’s Colorado Lek Trek from April 16th - 24th to to find all seven species of Colorado’s grouse! We’ll find lekking Greater Prairie Chickens like the one pictured above in eastern Colorado near Wray. If you’d like to learn more or have any questions you can DM me or email me at [email protected] for more information.