MAY AND SUMMER FIELD TRIPS  by Margie Joy

Spring migration is at its height during May and the Pueblo area is a great place to enjoy it. We welcome everyone to join AVAS field trip leaders and members as we try to see every bird that passes through our area this spring.

Saturday, May 10   Birdathon and Pueblo County North American  Migration Count

    Dave Silverman will be conducting his annual spring Pueblo County North American Migration Count (NAMC). Many AVAS members use this count to generate pledges for Birdathon. See SeEtta Moss’s President’s Message on page one concerning the importance of our Birdathon. Also see on page six the article about the North American Migration count for Pueblo County.

    This trip will begin at 8 a.m. at the Lake Beckwith Dam parking area in Colorado City and continue for the full day. Colorado City & Rye areas will be covered in the morning, and Pueblo riparian areas in the afternoon. Our itinerary this year may have to be flexible due to water conditions. Lunch will be at Rye Mountain Park around noon, so bring your lunch if you plan to bird all day.

    Contact Dave at 489-3565, in Rye, for more information.

Saturday, May 24 Beginning Birders, Pueblo City Park 

    Meet Mark Yaeger at 8 a.m. at the duck pond near the pavilion in Pueblo’s City Park for another of his popular Birding for Beginners trips. Mark will lead the group around City Park until 11 a.m., looking for resident birds and spring migrants. Learn where to find birds and how to get a closer look at them using binoculars. Many of the popular field guides will be available to help new birders identify what they find. Come prepared with hat, sunscreen and water to spend a delightful spring morning outdoors. 

    Contact Mark  at 545-8407 for more information.

Sunday, June 15 Annual Butterfly Count 

    Steve Cary of the New Mexico Division of Natural Resources will again conduct this annual butterfly count on the Colorado-New Mexico border east of Raton. Part of a nationwide butterfly count, this event covers Sugarite Canyon State Park (NM) and Lake Dorothy State Wildlife Area (CO). Meet in the parking lot at Lake Dorothy SWA at 8 a.m. and plan to spend the day enjoying one of the most beautiful areas in both states. Bring binoculars, field guides, and a butterfly net, if you have one. Travel south on I-25 from Pueblo to Raton, NM, then east on State Hwy 72 to Sugarite Canyon SP and Lake Dorothy SWA. Overnight camping is available. Contact Clif Smith or Pearle Sandstrom-Smith at 543-6427 for more information. 

Saturday, August 16 Wet Mt. Valley August Field Trip

    Join co-leaders Dave Silverman and Jane Pedersen for this annual AVAS event, which has been held every August for the past 19 years.

The group will meet on the south shore of Lake DeWeese, just north of Westcliffe, at 8:00am.

   The trip has yielded over 100 species every year except for one, with a record of 112! Target birds include Golden Eagle, 3 species of hummingbird, Lewis’ Woodpecker, Williamson’s and Red-naped Sapsucker, Steller’s, Scrub and Piñon jays and Mountain Bluebird, Sage Thrasher, Virginia’s, Townsend’s and MacGillivray’s Warbler, Western Tanager, Green-tailed and Spotted Towhee, Black-headed Grosbeak, Bullock’s Oriole, Cassin’s Finch and Red Crossbill. A “Checklist of Birds of the Wet Mountain Valley” is available.

    Lunch will be in the Brush Creek area of the valley.  Participants should bring binoculars and scopes, a lunch and snacks, including beverages, as there will be no stores once out of Westcliffe. Dress for changeable Colorado mountain weather, although the day is generally sunny and warm.

    For more information, contact Dave Silverman at 719-489-3565.