2010 ABA Young Birder Camp Colorado — June 26 – July 3, 2010
June 26 – July 3, 2010
Woodland Park, Colorado
For young birders ages 13 - 18
Camp Cost, $695
Join ABA and young birders from across the continent as we explore the prairies, riparian areas, reservoirs, wetlands, mountains and alpine habitats of southern Colorado! The Woodland Park area is a great launching site to many different habitats teeming with Colorado birds. Our home away from home will be the Catamount Institute's mountain campus set in mixed conifers and aspen with willow-laden drainages leading to and from a couple ponds, all in the shadow of Pike's Peak. We'll keep our schedule fairly flexible to take advantage of local weather conditions and bird availability but the week will include the following highlights:
- A field trip into the 50,000 acre Hayman Fire of 2001, where we will learn the effects of fire on bird communities and how to conduct a Breeding Bird Atlas. We hope to find American Three-toed Woodpeckers, White-breasted, Red-breasted, and Pygmy Nuthatches, MacGillivray's and Virginia's Warblers, Western Bluebirds, Violet-green Swallows, Plumbeous Vireos, and Western Tanagers.
- The Arkansas River Valley and Pueblo Reservoir for Scaled Quail, Western and Clark's Grebes, and American White Pelicans, among others. This trip will include an illustration workshop at the Pueblo Raptor and Nature Center. The raptors may pose for a photo or two as well.
- The San Luis Valley and the Great Sand Dunes National Park with a chance for Gunnison Sage-Grouse, White-faced Ibis, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, numerous waterfowl and raptors, and a possible Black Swift.
- Mountain reservoir photography and digiscoping workshop with Mike Freiberg and Bill Schmoker of Nikon Sport Optics.
- Chico Basin Ranch and surrounding prairie for Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Curve-billed Thrasher, Virginia Rail, Cassin's Sparrow, Lark Bunting, and maybe Burrowing Owl and Mountain Plover.
- Garden of the Gods Park for Prairie Falcon, White-throated Swift, Canyon Wren, Western Scrub-Jay, Green-tailed Towhee, and Broad-tailed Hummingbird and then up to Pike's Peak for a chance at White-tailed Ptarmigan, breeding Brown-capped Rosy-Finches and American Pipits and maybe a Golden Eagle or Northern Goshawk.
- A visit to some ponderosa pine research sites in search of Flammulated Owl, Western Screech-Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, and Northern Saw-whet Owl.
Young Birders and counselors will be camping outdoors. Tents, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags are provided. The Catamount Institute's mountain campus has a great education building with fireplace, a two-story building with wrap around deck containing the kitchen with upstairs dining, and a heated bathhouse with separate sides. There will be four counselors, evenly split by gender, with separate camping areas for boys and girls. In addition, there is an on-premises care-taker and the site is five miles from a new hospital.
Fees for the camp are $695. This cost includes a Saturday, June 26 pickup at Colorado Springs Airport and Saturday, July 3 return to the airport, transportation during the camp, outdoor lodging and camping equipment, snacks and all meals (a light breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner at camp daily, dinner on the 26th and breakfast on the 3rd), adult birder instruction and supervision, all entrance fees and educational activities and programming. To register or for further information, please call 1-800-850-2473 (x-240), 719-884-8240, or e-mail cclouse@aba.org. We hope to see you there!