All Aiken programs are now taking place on Zoom until further notice. Instructions for each meeting are emailed the week before the meeting and we are offering registration via EventBrite. To receive emails, sign up for our email list! Or just email [email protected] for instructions. Hope to see everyone – virtually – very soon!
All of our meetings are now recorded and can be viewed on our YouTube channel here.
No Boundaries for Wildlife: Saving Tropical Birds in the Pikes Peak Region
Nic Korte is a forty-year resident of Grand Junction, Colorado. He has been the Conservation Chairman for Grand Valley Audubon for more than two decades. Simultaneously, he has led a Western Screech-Owl project that has engaged several hundred Grand Valley citizens and has resulted in record counts of this small native owl. His volunteer work in the conservation community culminated in his being the 2015 recipient of the Richard G. Levad Award, awarded by the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies which recognizes individuals who “have provided distinguished service to the ornithological community, made scholarly contributions to the field of ornithology and/ or have enthused others about conserving birds and their habitats.” In July 2019, nominated by Audubon Rockies, Nic received the William Dutcher Award from the National Audubon Society for his “leadership in the birding community of Western Colorado for over four decades and his continual voice for the environment, birds, and the conservation challenges they face every day.” In 2020, Ten Jungle Days, Nic’s paean to the tropical rain forest combined with memoir and thoughts on the future, was published by Outskirts Press.
Nic Korte has journeyed to the American tropics (Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Panama) more than 40 times and has personally documented sightings of more than 2000 species of birds. He has had the good fortune of many marvelous experiences but has also witnessed much destruction and loss. These observations have resulted in his upcoming presentation entitled “There are no boundaries for wildlife: Saving Tropical Birds in The Pike’s Peak Region.”
All Aiken programs are now taking place on Zoom until further notice. Instructions for each meeting are emailed the week before the meeting. To receive emails, sign up for our email list! Or just email [email protected] for instructions. Hope to see everyone – virtually – very soon!
Aiken Audubon nature art program featuring Christine Hubbell
Have you ever wondered how artists create realistic paintings of birds and plants? Join Christine Hubbell for a brief journey through one artist’s artistic process. Christine will describe the stages of creating a Long-eared Owl illustration for the Pikes Peak Birding and Nature Festival, including working with reference photos, composing, sketching, and rendering. There will be time for questions, a demo, and a bird sketch-along! 60 minutes via Zoom. Be sure to have a few pieces of paper (or sketchpad) and pencil handy so you can have a hands on experience!
All Aiken programs are now taking place on Zoom until further notice. Instructions for each meeting are emailed the week before the meeting. To receive emails, sign up for our email list! Or just email [email protected] for instructions. Hope to see everyone – virtually – very soon!
7th Annual Cheyenne Habitat Hero Workshop: Nature’s Best Hope
The 7th Annual Cheyenne Habitat Hero Workshop will be held as three, free, 1.5-hour webinars January 12-14 from 12–1:30 pm.
The keynote speaker on January 12 at noon is Douglas Tallamy, author of the national bestseller, Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. Tallamy will discuss simple steps that each of us can—and must—take to reverse declining biodiversity and will explain why we are nature’s best hope. 
On January 13, Jim Tolstrup, director of the High Plains Environmental Center in Loveland, Colorado, will talk about “Successful Gardening with Native Plants of the High Plains.”
On January 14, Laramie County Master Gardener Michelle Bohanan will present an explanation and demonstration of the winter sowing technique, a way to start native plants in protected mini greenhouses (like milk jugs) left outdoors in winter. For full details, see the agenda.
Cost: Free
Register here
Donations to support Audubon Rockies’ Habitat Hero program and the Cheyenne Habitat Hero Committee’s education and planting projects can be accepted during registration. Donors may choose to accept a packet of seeds as thanks.
This workshop is presented by Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon Society and Audubon Rockies and sponsored by Laramie County Master Gardeners and Community Wildlife Habitat Project-West Edge District. Habitat Hero is an Audubon Rockies program that encourages people to grow landscaping that will support birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife. Details on how to apply for Habitat Hero certification can be found here.
For more information, contact Barb Gorges, 307-287-4952, [email protected].
Mountain Bluebird. Photo: Richard Pick/Audubon Photography Awards
Celebrate Save the Eagles Day at Fountain Creek Nature Center
Come join us!
All Aiken programs are now taking place on Zoom until further notice. Instructions for each meeting are emailed the week before the meeting. To receive emails, sign up for our email list! Or just email [email protected] for instructions. Hope to see everyone – virtually – very soon!
Aiken Audubon programs are free and open to the public. They are held at Bear Creek Nature Center, located at 245 Bear Creek Road, Colorado Springs, 80906. Coffee, snacks, and socializing begins at 6:30 pm and programs begin at 7 pm.
Aiken’s weather cancellation policy: Sometimes inclement weather may cause us to cancel an Aiken meeting. If this happens, a decision will be made by 1 pm on the meeting date. Notification will be placed here our website, on our Facebook page, and sent out through our email notification list. In addition, a message will be posted on the CoBirds Listserv, which many Aiken birders subscribe to. If there is any doubt, please do not hesitate to contact any Aiken board members via telephone. Always, your safety is first so use your own judgement when coming to a meeting.
Finally, if you would like to present a program at one of our meetings, or have suggestions for a speaker and/or topic, please contact us at [email protected].