ELDORA - The Indian Peaks Bird Count ran its 44th breeding bird count during June and the first two weeks of July.

A dedicated group of skilled volunteers hike and drive roads and trails within a specific area counting birds they see and hear. There are normally 30 to 45 participants. Eight of them have been involved since the count started in 1982.

This year approximately 160 hours were spent in the field, covering 215 miles of road and trail. The counts are sponsored by the Boulder County Nature Association (bcna.org).

The count is structured like a traditional Christmas Bird Count, with a 7.5 mile radius count circle that spans from just below Castle Rock in Boulder Canyon to just over the Continental Divide, north to above Ward, and south to below Rollinsville. Lifezones are dominated by upper montane, subalpine, and alpine habitat.

A total of 5,383 birds were counted, just above the 40-year average of 5,150. Some of the most common (followed by number seen and general habitat) were American Robin (519; almost all habitats), Broad-tailed Hummingbird (443; almost all habitats), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (338; dense, closed-canopy forests), Gray-headed Junco (325; forest openings and edges), Mountain Chickadee (254; all forests), Yellow-rumped Warbler (209; mostly closed-canopy forests), White-crowned Sparrow (203; willow shrub wetlands, mostly in the subalpine, and krummholz at treeline), Warbling Vireo (200; aspen groves and willow shrub wetlands), Pine Siskin (171; conifer forests), and Lincoln's Sparrow (169; willow shrub wetlands and riparian areas).

This year 113 species were seen, which beat the old record of 112. A first-time find was Northern Parula, a type of warbler normally found well to the east in Kansas. It was seen in the Sugarloaf area. 

A number of species that were rarely found on the count in the early years are now a regular and growing part of the local avian community. Some are associated with water—Canada Goose, Great Blue Heron, Common Merganser, Double-crested Cormorant, Osprey, and Bald Eagle.

We are getting the spill-over from their population increases down on the plains with the many bodies of water associated with agricultural and urban areas.

A number of species that are more common at lower elevations in the Foothills and lower montane are also becoming more common on the count. This is what I call "upward mobility."

Turkey Vultures appear to be increasing throughout the United States and are increasing in the count circle. Wild Turkeys were first seen in 2000 and are now a regular part of the local avifauna.

Cliff Swallows are finding human structures to their liking for their colonies. Nederland and Rollinsville are their primary haunts. Yellow Warbler, Say's Phoebe, Pygmy Nuthatch, Black-headed Grosbeak, MacGillivray's Warbler and Green-tailed Towhee all appear to be moving up in elevation.

On the declining side of the ledger are some of our waterfowl species: Green-winged Teal and Ring-necked Duck. They were two of our most common breeding waterfowl species in far western Boulder County until around the turn of this century.

Green-winged Teals have been absent on 7 of the last 9 counts, while Ring-necked Ducks have been seen on only half of the last 8 counts. The most likely explanation is that their continental breeding range has moved north. This pattern has been documented for many avian species, likely due to climate change.

For both species, most of their breeding range is in Canada. The Southern Rocky Mountains (that's us) is on the very southern tip of their range and they are becoming less common here.

Another bird with likely declining numbers is the Wilson's Warbler. These small yellow birds (black crown on males) are denizens of willow shrub wetlands (sometimes called "willow carrs"), like those at Tucker Open Space and at Brainard Lake.

Possible explanation? Moose are a possibility. They heavily browse willow shrubs and can cause a dense stand of willows to become structurally more open. Wilson's Warblers favor dense stands of willows.

Possibly taking advantage of the moose browsing are Lincoln's Sparrows, who like a more open structure to the stand and appear to be increasing. This needs more study, but is being noticed by those who have spent 40+ years studying birds in willow carrs.

I want to thank the following people for participating in the 2025 Indian Peaks Breeding Bird Count: Linda Andes-Georges, Bev Baker, Maureen Blackford, Connie Sayre Brandau, Alex Brown, Diane Brown, Gillian Brown, Patricia Cullen, Catherine Collier, Brian Collins, Mike Figgs, Audrey Godell, Sarah Goodman, Dave Hallock, Paula Hansley, Jim Holitza, Steve Jones, Kathryn Kay, Nan Lederer, Holden Maxfield, Lisa McCoy, Carron Meaney, Timo Mitzen, Bonney Sayre Moody, Naseem Munshi, Carol Newman-Holitza, Mark Pscheid, Jeannie Reynolds, Matt Reynolds, Peter Ruprecht, Susan Spaulding, Cara Stiles, Mike Tupper and Jeff Yegian.