Tale Feathers: Fall 2025 Transcript

[Eva]: Welcome to Voices of Open Space. I'm your host, Eva Lark, and this is our next installment of Tail Feathers, a mini episode where we explore all things birdwatching and birds with a focus on Boulder County. I'm very excited about today's episode because we have our very first guest from Environment for the Americas. But before we get to meet her, I want to talk about another neighbor species that you can find in your backyard. In this segment, I like to explore a common bird and help you get to know it a little bit more intimately and hopefully motivate you to pay closer attention. So about a month ago, I was at my child's parent evening. They attend Shiny Mountain Waldorf School. Their teacher, Ms. Cherie, the kindergarten teacher, she's a wonderful person to get children connected to nature. And she did the same thing with the parents at this evening talk. She had us each select a clothespin and affix it to the back of our shirt. And on it, each of us had a different bird species. She had the field guides laid out. And this getting to know you activity was really fun because we were trying to guess our bird by talking to each other. Wonderful icebreaker. And afterwards, she invited us to hold the species even closer so that when we left, that we would also pay closer attention to what our bird was doing, where it lived, how it was fitting into the ecosystem. And my species was the northern flicker. It's a really common bird. It's probably one that you've seen in your neighborhood or out on the trail. But it's also a really fascinating bird because, well, one, it's a woodpecker. So it's got these really cool adaptations to allow it to feed and eat and move. And the northern flicker is unusual because it spends a lot of its time on the ground. Most of the time when you think of a woodpecker, they're on a tree. They're either... eating on the tree or they're scuttling around it. But northern flickers are probably the most terrestrial of all of our North American woodpeckers. They eat a lot of ants. They even peck the ground. They're hopping around, they're drilling down into the sand. Their tongue can extend far down into these little crevices to eat insects. They're unlike most birds because their tongue is adapted to either go into the tree cavity or go into the ground to eat an ant. It literally wraps around their skull. When it flicks out, it has a barbed end that allows it to catch the prey. And it has this like sticky saliva that lets it hold it. So it's such a cool bird. And I know I have seen a lot of northern flickers in my neighborhood on the ground. It is the best place to see them. Except for here in the fall, the change of seasons, and our insects kind of disappear, especially in the winter months. So that's another cool thing about northern flickers. They are opportunistic. And so they will actually modify their diet and eat more nuts and berries. You may even see them coming to your feeder. This is really unusual for a woodpecker, but it is one of the things that makes them really fun to watch because they are changing. They're everywhere. You can find them in the mountain trails and parks. You can find them in your neighborhood. But behind that, there's actually a little bit of a darker story. And it's because this is a species that's on decline. For the last 50 years, it has almost declined by 49% across its range. There's a lot of reasons why that could be. There's not one reason. There are two that are probably the most likely culprits. One is habitat loss, especially in certain parts of its range. But the other one is competition with a non-native species. And that's with the European starling. European starlings love to nest in flicker cavities. Northern flickers are a keystone species. If you don't know what that means, it's a species that actually makes habitat for others and for itself. So it drills these big cavities in trees where it will nest, but then a whole host of other bird species will use those cavities and mammal species will use those cavities. Therefore, it's like creating habitat, which is fine, except for the starling is very relentless. And in one study, I read that researchers watched one starling evict the same flicker from seven different nest cavities, literally throwing out all of its nesting material, throwing out its eggs seven different times. That means that flicker probably did not reproduce that year. And if you compound that with how the European starling has expanded its range, you know that this is probably one of the reasons that it is in decline. But despite that, this is one of the most common species in the state of Colorado. You will see it on most outings. And I for sure was really excited when I moved to Colorado because I had never seen so many flickers before. They're very easy to identify because of their size. They're large. They have this beautiful swooping flight pattern. And when they do that, they flash that white rump that makes them really unique and different from most birds that you see. But most of all, I would say that I hear the flickers before I see them. This piercing call is so common. And now that I am taking the advice of my kid's kindergarten teacher, I have seen more flickers than ever. I see them in the morning, the afternoon. I hear them even when I have the car windows down. Flickers are everywhere. So I hope that you will take on the challenge with me. Look for a flicker in your neighborhood. Is it trying to eat insects off the ground? Is it perched on a branch? That's another interesting thing about flickers is most woodpeckers are going to be flush up against the tree, the base of the tree itself. Flickers, when they alight up to a tree branch, they're often on the branch perch, more like a hawk. So I invite you to get to know your neighbor. Check out this local resident species and appreciate all that makes it unique. Speaking of local resident birds, our guest, a resident right here in Boulder County. Welcome to the podcast.

[Lauren]: Hi, thank you.

[Eva]: We'd like for you to introduce yourself, your pronouns, your name, who you are.

[Lauren]: Well, I'm Lauren Szabo. My pronouns are she, her. I am a new resident to the Boulder County area. I'm a lifelong learner. I'm a very curious person, and I'm very thankful to be working with an organization that is very friendly. Education focused. So I am excited to talk about some birds today. Hopefully learn a little bit about birds because I'm more in the backyard birder category where I'm still learning a lot.

[Eva]: I think that's the great thing about birding is we're always learning. Even scientists and researchers, we're still learning new things about even common species every

[Lauren]: day. And there are a lot of really great species out here that I'm learning about. I feel like every time I turn my head, there's a new one. Well,

[Eva]: before we get into our interview, just for the people listening at home, I thought I'd go into how we met each other, which was really just a couple months ago. Professionally, our lives are brought together because of the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Foundation. For those who don't know, a nonprofit that supports our community and our Parks and Open Space Department, bringing it together. So I work for Boulder County Parks and Open Space, and you work for...

[Lauren]: Environment for the Americas.

[Eva]: which was given a grant this year for a wonderful program. I was wondering if you could share a little bit about what that program is and give listeners at home insight to it.

[Lauren]: Environment for the Americas is an incredible organization. It's small but mighty. Our mission is to connect diverse people to birds and nature. We are inspiring the next generation of conservationists. doing all kinds of things. So this looks like research, trainings, outreach, education, and most of all and biggest of all, we are the home of World Migratory Bird Day. And that is a celebration of birds and their incredible migratory journeys that they're making thousands of miles.

[Eva]: Yeah, we'll be talking a little bit about migratory species because it's fall. This is the time of year when lots of birds are on the wing. When is the World Migratory Bird Day hosted? What time of year?

[Lauren]: There's two. There's one in the spring and then there's one in the fall, like you just said. So the big one that we celebrate, at least here in Boulder County, is in the third weekend of May. We typically host it at Walden Ponds, which is a fantastic spot for birding.

[Eva]: Yeah, Walden for sure is one of my favorite birding spots here in Boulder County. Well, the grant that was given by the foundation was for an internship program. And I was very fortunate to work with one of the interns at Walden. We were hosting a birding big sit and one of the interns came to learn from what I was doing with this inclusive program, but also to participate. Can you tell us about the intern program that was started this year?

[Lauren]: This program was called the Accessible Outdoor Experiences internship. We had a few local interns who were really assessing the Boulder County Parks and open space to make sure that they are accessible and they are inclusive and evaluate some of the programs or even lead programs of their own that were designed, again, for everyone, including people with disabilities who might have a harder time finding a place to join and spend time in nature or might feel like there are barriers that they're afraid to approach or overcome without a guide. If you have been to a place where you've never been before, you might feel like you have a lot of questions and that even might be a barrier to anyone. So the interns developed skills as a naturalist. They led their own bird walks. They led programs and activities for anyone to join and specifically for our local groups that serve the disability community.

[Eva]: Wow, what a wonderful program. I know the young man that worked with me, he was using the Merlin app because he has vision impairments. And I thought, what a wonderful way to adapt a program and rely on technology like the Merlin app that can help you identify bird sounds. Have you ever used that app before?

[Lauren]: I have. Thank goodness for the Merlin app. I don't know all of these birds by sight. Again, a backyard birder. I don't know to an expert level. Anyone can use the Merlin app and get some info and start maybe seeing some patterns of who's showing up in their local area. And that was a really great tool for both the interns to learn how to use, but then also share with people who have never gone birding before and feel like they're empowered to keep going on their own.

[Eva]: In this segment, one way that we want to explore getting to know each other, and that's by telling a spark bird story. For those who don't know, a spark bird is a bird, a group of birds that really got you hooked or like made you pay closer attention. Do you have a spark bird or spark bird moment that you'd like to share with

[Lauren]: us? My spark bird felt like one that was less common than most people's because it's not super cute. And I feel like many spark birds are really cute birds. But my spark bird really hooked me because they have such a hopeful and inspirational story and one that really shows how interconnected we are. And that's why my spark bird is the California condor.

[Eva]: Wow, that's a charismatic bird, though to your example, it's not the most pretty bird.

[Lauren]: Well, it's a vulture. So they look kind of funky. They've got the darker feathers, a completely bald head, which just doesn't come off as cute, but it is very useful. They are culturally regarded as a bird that is associated with death because they eat carrion or carcass of a deceased animal. The bald head is great because it's really easy to clean. You don't have to be washing. I mean, I have long hair. I have to wash my hair constantly. It's a real chore. The birds are cleaning all of their feathers, maintaining this beautiful chest of feathers, but it would be challenging to get your head clean.

[Eva]: So this is a common bird. Where did you encounter a California condor? Well,

[Lauren]: part of my career has been doing wildlife education with the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. They are home to a bunch of California condors, which growing up in San Diego, I saw all the time at the zoo when I went there. Until I started working with them, I didn't fully understand the story behind them. That was something that really blew my mind. And once I started leading tours, talking to guests and sharing their story, I was absolutely captivated because this is a bird that became critically endangered. There were only 22 left. total, worldwide. In the early 1980s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department determined we've got to take action, gathered all of the remaining birds and brought them into human care. And that was in a handful of organizations that included the San Diego Zoo. They got permission to do a propagation program. That is why we had them at the safari park. What was incredible was that within even 10 years of the program, they were able to release their first zoo-hatched condor back into the wild. Today, they've had over 250 hatched, and the population is well over 500. More than half are flying free and have been released into their natural range. A true success story. And I was lucky enough. I always hoped I might see one in the wild. I really did. I was lucky enough that when a very good friend of mine and I went to the Grand Canyon, we were walking down. Most of the time you're looking ahead at the vast hole in the ground in front of you, which is gorgeous. And everyone ahead of us was looking back. We thought, what are they looking at? What the heck is going on here? We come around a corner. Sure enough, there's a condor sitting right there. Oh,

[Eva]: it was sitting, not even flying.

[Lauren]: Not even sitting. I feel like I'm going to tear up. It was so magical. I genuinely feel like I'm tearing up because I really, really had told their story so many times to people. This is an incredible bird. You're in their range. You could see one, but I had never seen one. And so I was really hoping that day would come. Seeing it completely relaxed. It was just sitting on a ledge. I was really hoping it might spread its wings as they do to warm up. It was already a very warm day to see its number tag as they all have number tags on their wings as a source of identification. And they were just relaxing. And at some point we continued on, but it was an incredible moment.

[Eva]: Thanks for sharing that. Yeah. I'm sure walking away from this majestic bird that you've kind of idolized because you've worked with it, it's probably hard to do.

[Lauren]: I mean, I just couldn't believe that it really happened. I feel like it's hard to go to the Grand Canyon and have the Grand Canyon get overshadowed. It just doesn't really come up ever for people. But that day was so, so special. It just was a testament to they are in the wild. They are thriving because of what people have done to help protect them, to help make a space that is safe for them to be re-released, to thrive. That is an incredible part of their story. Also at the beginning of the story, which is what people were doing was not helping them. Right. They were being threatened with habitat loss. They were subject to a lot of what was in what they were eating, which included lead from lead bullets, DDT pesticides in the area. From ingesting that, either not be able to reproduce or when they laid an egg, the shell was too thin and so it would never hatch. That is overall what caused their numbers to dwindle down. Today, we know that people took a very strong stance and made a lot of waves, took advocacy to get rid of things like lead bullets and DDT. And that is helping not just condors, that's helping all kinds of wildlife. And it's helping us too.

[Eva]: Yeah, absolutely. The whole food chain. You were just seeing the major impacts at the top of the food chain and something like a condor that's a scavenger that's eating literally all the dead things out there. And also legislation was passed like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. All these laws and protections were put in. But it's very interesting to think that it went down to such the brink of extinction and has now not fully recovered because 500 is just a fraction of what its historic population would have been.

[Lauren]: Today, they are found in many of the areas of their original range, but it is far more limited. If you are lucky enough to see them, they are pretty easy to spot. These are massive birds. So if you are wondering if you've ever seen one before, maybe you live in an area where you can see turkey vultures as well, you might be able to know the difference because first, the condor is hulking, like absolutely massive. Their wingspan, almost 10 feet across. which I'm almost six feet tall, so it's me plus a two-thirds amount on top. That's an insane wingspan, which is very helpful because they are not a bird that's, you know, darting and dashing around. They're not flapping their wings a ton. In fact, they're flapping their wings almost none. So they can travel great distances just gliding and soaring. There was a study out of the University of Missouri, St. Louis in 2020. It was looking at their cousin, the Andean condor. They put this really cool device on their wing to help measure how many times they were flapping their wings. Now this bird getting off just the ground, they can be up to 25 pounds. So if you've ever held a toddler or even like joyfully toss them into the air, that took a lot of effort on your part to do. So it's going to take a lot of effort for the condor to get off the ground. So that's where they're using all of their energy. Over the course of their flight, they're only flapping their wings 1% of the time. So 99% of the time, they're just hanging out in the air using the heat to their advantage. The rising thermals are pushing them up and keeping them up like an airplane. Their wings are so long and their feathers are closely knit together. That they're just staying up.

[Eva]: One of the things I love about vultures, turkey vultures, black vultures, condors, this amazing like soaring on the thermals. And like you said, they're hard to miss because they are, all of them are large compared to like backyard birds that we're used to seeing. Do you think that we'll ever see a Californian condor here in Boulder County?

[Lauren]: I mean, dream scenario.

[Eva]: There have been records of condors in the state of Colorado because, as you were saying, this is a bird that is being reintroduced and they're expanding their range. So maybe in our lifetime, who knows?

[Lauren]: I mean, I will be keeping an eye out. I encourage everyone to be keeping an eye out. Again, if you see a big, dark-colored bird, bald head, kind of pinkish, reddish head, you are looking at a vulture, step one. Step two, is it a condor? They do have a bright white patch around. on their wings so turkey vultures don't have that that's going to probably be your second dead giveaway i mean dead giveaway also kind of a pun if you're just around and in the prairie or the plains out here and something has passed you might start noticing some of those scavengers that i mean that could bring in a condor

[Eva]: Speaking of rare birds, our next segment, we're going to kind of go into some notable sightings. Okay. So if you want to stick around. Yes,

[Lauren]: please. What are we seeing out here?

[Eva]: One of the recent sightings that was seen is at Dodd Reservoir, and it was a neotropic cormorant. Now, Dodd Reservoir, have you ever heard of Dodd before? I don't know where that is. It's actually in Niwot, essentially between Longmont and Boulder. And most people don't know it's an open space because there's not a elaborate trail system, but there's a parking lot, a viewing area where you can look around. east across the lake it was a historic ranch and the farmers harvested ice from the lake itself but now it's open space property and it's a great one for birding it's just this little place kind of on the side of the road you can pull off and look at the ducks and the birds and this neotropic cormorant which is also out of range should not be

[Lauren]: here you say neotropic and I'm not getting a neotropic vibe here in boulder

[Eva]: Especially in October, November, where the temperatures are cold. But yeah, this is mid-October. It showed up. Not where it's supposed to be, but not unprecedented. This is a bird that's been seen in Boulder County before. But it's unusual. And it stuck around for weeks. So many people could go and see it. And the great thing about this cormorant is it was actually swimming with double-crested cormorants. Oh, wow. So you can easily tell the difference. Neotropic cormorants are smaller. They have a kind of a noticeable white V. They have a longer tail. And the size difference alone, when you saw them swimming side by side, they made it easy for us. Those other cormorants were like, let me come over and show you how little this thing is, that you could easily spot it. So it was a really cool sighting. Have you seen a neotropic cormorant before?

[Lauren]: So I have seen a cormorant, also not where I thought I would see a cormorant. A couple years ago, I was scuba diving in San Diego. You can go down into this canyon in La Jolla. It's a very famous location. I'm going down there. I'm with my friend. We're cruising along. I'm looking for things you might see underwater. I don't know, a lobster, an octopus. fish. As I'm swimming behind my friend, something zooms in front of me. I'm like, oh, okay. You're thinking seal, dolphin, any marine mammal. And I look closer and it's a bird. And I mean, it's crazy to be 70 feet underwater and feel like you're in the way. I was like, oh, excuse me. as it's just zooming around and then zooms back up to the surface and I'm trying to get my friend's attention with like hand signals I'm like what is the signal for bird I'm like bird it wasn't until we got to the surface that i go what was that she goes oh that was a cormorant really why was it 70 feet underwater not near the top where it might dive down come back up How does that work? Because for scuba diving, you have to be very careful. If a human is going down underwater, all that water pressure is being put on you. You're getting more nitrogen in your body. And then when you go back up, you have to go back up very slowly. Otherwise you get decompression sickness, but people normally call it the bends. How did it not get the bends? What are the cormorant bends? And I've tried to figure out why this is, done a light amount of research and mostly just been like, okay, so I'm just going to call this a mystery because it doesn't make any sense.

[Eva]: Well, I knew we were going to talk about cormorants today because I was going to talk about this neotropic cormorant. So I did do a little research using the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website. Cormorants, or divers, as they're called over in the UK, are known for diving and sometimes up to 100 feet. So it's pretty amazing because, like you're saying, that would be extremely hard.

[Lauren]: That's insane. People can't even, without advanced certification, go 100 feet. And you're saying these birds just, they just zoom down there. They just pop down there real quick.

[Eva]: And they're not like fish. Their lungs can't collapse. They don't have like those type of adaptations, but they do have adaptations for diving. They have dense bones, unlike most birds that need hollow kind of light air bones so they can fly. They have the ability to become like waterlogged so that they can dive deeper. But the more interesting is the physiological adaptations they have where literally their blood and their muscles can store more oxygen.

[Lauren]: So they just have an increased amount of oxygen compared to what any person could do.

[Eva]: They can also store carbon dioxide to where we need to expel our breath. They don't have that same need because they can store it longer, but they have these adaptations because they have evolved to dive. And certainly we have not evolved to go that far down, but we've been able to figure it out through technology.

[Lauren]: So for them to be able to go that quickly down underwater, I mean, do you know how fast they can swim or dive? Because that still seems like an awfully long time to have to hold your breath.

[Eva]: One thing I read is that birds don't pop straight up. Like when we dive down and we want to get to the surface and we're swimming, we go straight up usually. Most birds are going at an angle, so they're actually slowing their upward momentum for that pressure equalization. They also have these special blood vessels that help with the equalization. The other interesting thing I read is that there's still some mysteries around it.

[Lauren]: I'll say.

[Eva]: Because we know X, Y, and Z, but we don't know everything. So there's probably even more research that will come out in the future about how they can do it that way. quickly because we have just a basic understanding. But every species of bird is adapted to whatever they're eating or whatever their feeding behavior. That's still in the mystery category, as you

[Lauren]: say. Oh my gosh. I feel like cormorants are this like special bird that, have you ever heard that would you rather question where it's like, would you rather fly or be able to like live underwater? And I just feel like they're doing both. True.

[Eva]: There are a host of birds like puffins, cormorants, that can kind of adeptly do both. They can fly long distance. They can dive. This reminds me of an adaptation they have is they can slow their heart rate when they dive, and they can shunt the blood so it only goes to their critical organs. Oh, my gosh. That's not something we can

[Lauren]: do. No. Not

[Eva]: yet. So you have to keep your scuba gear for now.

[Lauren]: For now, which is really expensive. So if there's any ways I can opt in to the cormorant physiology, that'd be great. Save me thousands.

[Eva]: Well, next we're going to talk a little bit about what's on the horizon in the birding world. And it is fall, but winter's coming. Eventually they'll be snow on the ground, ice. And with that, our fall birds are leaving. Resident species, most of the breeding species that are migratory have left. And now this time of year, we're getting a lot of birds that are flying through. So these are birds that nested farther in the tundra. And now they're finally on their migratory path. One bird that if you're here in the front range of Colorado, I'm sure that you've heard their bugling call. Let's just take a moment and listen to their sound and then we'll talk about them. So. So that's the call of a sandhill crane. Have you seen one before? I haven't seen one. Have

[Lauren]: you heard one? Only from the Merlin app.

[Eva]: Well, in the fall, this is a bird that you can kind of rely on. It is going to often be heard before it's seen, but it is in large flocks. I often am looking towards the foothills and they will use those mountains as like a path to go south. Oh. This summer year, it's great to be listening for them. They're still migrating. They're going down to their wintering grounds. Some aren't even going that far, just into New Mexico and some a little farther afield. But there are a lot of birds on the wing right now. And there are a lot of birds arriving because even though it's chilly to us, to some birds, we are actually a nice little winter reprieve. So there are things like rough-legged hawks, forgiveness hawks, ducks, ducks and more ducks. Hence my duck shirt today.

[Lauren]: I happen to notice.

[Eva]: I'm feeling I'm calling the ducks south. As some of the reservoirs and ponds streams start to ice farther north, they're going to head south here into Colorado. And they'll stay here unless our ponds and reservoirs freeze. And then again, they'll keep moving south. But we can be a really nice climate for these species in the wintertime.

[Lauren]: Very nice. I was going to ask if this is more like the stopover spot on the way more south. I guess if you've got it good here in Colorado, why keep going?

[Eva]: And for many of them, they will stay here in big numbers, especially duck species, but also things like tundra swans and northern shrikes. They're going to come here for our nice mild winter compared to maybe where they're at in the summer months where it's like the Canadian tundra. Coming to Colorado for winter seems pretty pleasant.

[Lauren]: Yeah, I'd have to say.

[Eva]: That being said, though, winter birding is sometimes a challenge. Have you done a lot of winter birding before?

[Lauren]: Well, winter birding in San Diego is not the same as winter birding in Colorado. First, many species are arriving. For example, there's a lot of Canada geese, you know, pelicans even, that I would see gathering at some of the water areas in San Diego. Here in Colorado, I feel like I'm gearing up for my first true winter experience with birding and just spending time in nature in winter. So we will see.

[Eva]: I will say that winter is one of my favorite time of year for birding. Really? Yeah, because there's a concentration of birds. An interesting thing about Colorado, I'm from the East Coast, and so it's different birding out here. Often, you have to go farther afield. You gotta hike more miles, you gotta go to more locations to see wide diversity of birds. And in the winter, you can go to one reservoir And there's 40, 50 species. They're all there. All in one place because that's where the food is. That's where the food source is. Even birds like hawks, they're going to fly by. This is where they're going to catch their lunch. Grab one of those ducks that's hanging out. So I kind of like it because it's a deep concentration of birds. If you are new to winter birding, go with an expert or go with a group. One of the best ways is coming up in December and that's called the Christmas Bird Count. Have you ever done a Christmas Bird Count before? So

[Lauren]: I've heard of it, but this year is going to be my first experience with the Christmas bird count. I'm not totally familiar with the ins and outs.

[Eva]: This will be the 126th year.

[Lauren]: Oh my gosh.

[Eva]: Started a long time ago, and it came out of this holiday tradition called the Christmas side hunt, where folks would come together, they would take sides, they would shoot every bird they saw. Yeah, indiscriminately, just hundreds, thousands of birds. And then whoever had the bigger stack won. Well, this was also around the time that we saw bird species in sharp decline. Think about, this is like when birds are going extinct, like Carolina parakeets or passenger pigeons. These are birds that were even more in number than condors, and they just are getting decimated because of these hunts. And so a group of folks came together and decided to kind of spin this side hunt idea and make it a Christmas bird contest. count so instead of shooting them we'll count them and now it's one of the longest running community science projects in our country so if you participate this year you'll be part of this 126 years of bird conservation legacy it's like a snapshot of where birds are and what they're doing just in this December 14th is when it starts it kind of runs through into the beginning of the year What

[Lauren]: an incredible turnaround just to go from strictly hunting to something that's actually helping us get a clearer picture of what bird species are doing, where they are. Is this taking place in specific locations or is this international?

[Eva]: In the Americas, so basically North America, Mexico, you can join one of these count circles. All over the country, there's actually a map. If you go to the website, there's an interactive map that shows you every count circle, and you can click on them, the circles near you, and it'll give you the contact information, how to join, what date it will be, and then you can participate. You can reach out, and as a new Christmas Bird Count participant, you will be given a team to join. They'll give you... contact name and say join this team of one to five individuals or more and you'll go around and count your little path. There are also people who if you can't get involved in actually going out and birding you can be a Christmas bird count bird feeder counter. So you could just be giving your data from your bird feeders at home and that's really great for those people that maybe aren't physically able to go outside don't have the transportation but they can still be involved in this count. And it's really fun. You get to learn a lot about new places to go birding because you're going to be going with a local resident that is like, this is what we do every year. And here's this little reservoir, this little park, even like unusual places like ditches or streams that have just historically been productive. You kind of get this like insider knowledge of winter birding.

[Lauren]: Well, and I love that you get to meet some, I don't know, your own community that maybe you would not have met otherwise.

[Eva]: And every count circle is a little different, but usually there's a compilation dinner. It's kind of changed a little bit since COVID, but pre-COVID, it was always like, let's get together, share our results. Some are still virtual now, which has pros and cons. Of course. We go through this whole checklist of birds and everybody that saw it on their run, you know, participates. And then you get to be like, oh, you're the one person that saw the northern strike. Great. Now it's on the list. That's also kind of a fun part of sharing your bird sightings together. And that could either be in person or virtual. It really is up to the count leader. But it is another way to meet new community members, to get to know each other and just kind of share in the joy of being a part of this larger community project. Well,

[Lauren]: that's incredible. I can't wait.

[Eva]: I have a few tips for you. So winter birding.

[Lauren]: Jackets.

[Eva]: Absolutely. I always like to say keep your hands, feet, and head warm. The rest will follow. Definitely you want your gloves, wool socks, something on your head. You could even have a little hand warmer. The other piece, though, in Colorado, a lot of times you're getting in and out of your vehicle. So then you want to make sure you have a vehicle that can warm you up. Those cars that have the heated seats. Oh, yes. I literally wanted heated seats just for birdwatching. I'm like, so in the winter, if I don't want to get out, I can like look through the window.

[Lauren]: Yes. And I'm guessing that just having binoculars is always a...

[Eva]: Oh, absolutely. But when you go on these Christmas bird count circles, you can also share things like spotting scopes that maybe you don't have, but the leaders usually will. That's another way that you can kind of get involved. And I'll also mention one other way, if you can't do the Christmas bird count, because it is the holiday time, a lot of people are busy. We do have these really amazing Boulder County Parks and Open Space raptor trips where we lead you around to look just for wintering raptors. So harriers, fruganus hawks, bald eagles, golden eagles, rough-legged hawks, of course, red-tailed hawks in all of their different varieties. Of course. And then smaller things like falcons and kestrels. So it's a really fun day. Sometimes we can get all the raptors, which is really fun. But those are free, open to the public. You can go to discover.boldercounty.gov to sign up for one and join us.

[Lauren]: Well, that sounds fun. Maybe I'll see you there.

[Eva]: And who knows? You may even find the next rare bird. But if you get a condor, you have to call

[Lauren]: me. I mean, straight away. If that happens, everybody will be hearing about it.

[Eva]: Well, thanks, Lauren, for being our very first guest on our podcast for birds and bird watching. I hope you keep up the good work with the Environment for the Americas and keep us posted on what you're seeing out

[Lauren]: there. Absolutely. And likewise, it was a pleasure joining you all and chatting about birds today.

[Eva]: Thanks so much. Thanks. We hope that you've enjoyed this episode of Tail Feathers, where we explore all things birds and birdwatching. We'd like to thank Longmont Public Media, and we hope that you follow us on social media and tune in to wherever you like to listen to podcasts.