[cobirds] Volunteer at the CPER

Hi, All!

I am in need of volunteers for my nest-searching and monitoring project at the Central Plains Experimental Range in Weld County (10 minutes north of Nunn).  Our primary tasks include rope-dragging and nest checks.  I need volunteers who are strong and have good stamina.  We walk 5-7 miles per day, dragging 100' ropes over the grassland.  The ropes have a tendency to get snagged on small bushes, so it's also important to have upper body strength.  The terrain is uneven, and weather alternates between hot and raining.  We don't work in the rain but sometimes get caught by surprise.  Rattlesnakes exist here, so you must also be comfortable walking through their hunting grounds.

The reward is getting to see Lark Bunting, Horned Lark, McCown's Longspur, and Brewer's Sparrow nests up close.  We're just getting into wildflower season, and there are lots of interesting species.  You may also get the chance to see prairie specialists such as thirteen-lined ground-squirrel, pronghorn (with babies), and black-tailed jackrabbit.  If you are here on a day when I am trapping and banding, you will get to see a McCown's Longspur in the hand.  Other interesting bird species include Cassin's Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Ferruginous Hawk, Common Nighthawk, and Eastern Kingbird.

If you are keenly interested in volunteering but are not sure that you're strong enough to drag ropes, we also have areas that must be searched without ropes, due to the density of shrubs.  These areas are particularly good for Brewer's Sparrow, and we find their nests by systematically walking the area and tapping lightly on the bushes.  I also have a limited need for observers who can walk behind the rope-dragging team and call out when a bird flushes from the grass.

I am especially in need of help NEXT WEEK because one of my technicians is leaving to attend a field course, and I'll be short-handed for the week.  If you can help for even half a day (8-12), that will really benefit the project.  Feel free to contact me with questions regarding the project and logistics.

Thank you so much,

Amber Carver

University of Colorado Denver

(based out of Littleton, CO)

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