Guided trip for 2-4 in Clear Creek County in search of the elusive White-tailed Ptarmigan. This full day (approx. 6 hour) trip will be to the top of Guanella Pass in late October or early November of 2024, with a focused effort to spot these birds on their wintering grounds. There is no guarantee you will see any of these secretive birds, but your guide, Sarah Albright of Colorado Parks & Wildlife, knows where to look. Photographers are welcome!

Sarah is a graduate student in the Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology department at CSU Fort Collins currently pursuing a MS degree in Ecology. Before her recent research on burrowing owls, partially funded by Denver Audubon's Lois Webster Fund, she spent the summer of 2019 studying Gray-crowned Rosy Finches in the Sierra and becoming intimately familiar with the alpine flora and fauna there. Striding across snowfields and rock scree squinting through binoculars to count the finches, observing their eating habits, and collecting samples of finch food kickstarted her passion for conservation and mountain science.

Join Sarah on a day in our mountains as she shares her love of alpine birds and knowledge of birding research. While wandering the tundra, she can also share the story of how mountain birds are riding the "escalator to extinction" as well as her personal interest in identifying the impacts of climate change on high altitude species and what steps the scientific community can take to preserve the habitat and ranges of at-risk species.

Participants will work with Sarah to choose a weekend date in October/early November with Sarah mutual availability.

Certificate for this item will be mailed or emailed to winner.