Nat/Sci In-Person: Fall Bird Migration

The Other Migration: Birds on the Move in Autumn
Four In-Person Sessions
Thur., Oct. 31, Nov. 7, 2024, 7-9 pm MT
Bird-Watching Field Trips, Sat., Nov. 2, 9, 9 am-1 pm

Complex, dynamic and fascinating. Three words professional birders have used to describe the fall migration of birds. The spring dispersal is better known. But the southbound passage of birds, particularly in Colorado, is a spectacular mix of all three of those words and more. Take, for example, the sheer span of the fall migration. Amazingly, some “fall” migrants appear in Colorado around the time of the summer solstice, and others are still wrapping up their travels as late as the winter solstice! Join Colorado birding expert Ted Floyd for two lectures and two field sessions covering the broad horizon of fall migration. Begin with an overview of which birds migrate and when. Get to know the different species and how migration strategies differ between young and adult birds. Explore the general phenomenon of migration and get answers to the questions you’ve asked since childhood: Why do birds migrate in the first place? How do they know where to go? And what adaptations allow them to fly hundreds or even thousands of miles in a relatively short time? As Floyd answers those and other questions, he shares a primer on evolutionary biology to help you better understand the relationships among the birds seen on field trips.

In addition to appreciating the science behind bird migration, you also get to see the practical tools and new resources the pros use: digital recorders and cameras, smartphones, apps, and software such as eBird and iNaturalist. Plus, see how they’re used on the field trips—within a 90-minute drive of campus—as you experience direct contact with up to 100 bird species. Record your sightings and upload your data to global databases scientists use to monitor and protect bird populations. Come away with a fresh understanding of one of nature’s most remarkable and mind-boggling annual rituals.

Ted Floyd is the long-time editor of Birding, the flagship publication of the American Birding Association, and the author of many articles and books, including the Field Guide to Birds of Colorado (3rd printing, 2021) and How to Know the Birds (2019). He has taught college courses in ecology, evolution, entomology, conservation biology and other topics.