Monitoring Colonial Waterbirds in Colorado What is ColonyWatch? ColonyWatch is a project that involves private citizens, wildlife managers, and other interested parties in monitoring colonial waterbirds in Colorado. ColonyWatchers gather information about colony size and locations. Resource managers, to effect long-term conservation, use this information. Which birds are monitored? All of the ColonyWatch species are waterbirds. The following species are monitored by ColonyWatch: • Eared Grebe • Western Grebe • Clark’s Grebe • American White Pelican • Double-crested Cormorant • Great Blue Heron • Great Egret • Snowy Egret • Cattle Egret • Black-crowned Night-Heron • White-faced Ibis • Franklin’s Gull • California Gull • Black Tern • Forster’s Tern Who are ColonyWatchers? Current participants include wildlife biologists whose professional duties include monitoring colonial waterbirds, members of non-profit conservation organizations, landowners whose properties host colonies, and people who live near a colony and already watch it regularly. ColonyWatch participants often are able to combine other skills with interests with bird conservation. Several boating enthusiasts and fishermen monitor grebe and heron nesting sites. Some bird-watchers contribute counts of cormorant nests from their favorite birding location. What skills and training are required? Anyone who enjoys birds and is concerned with their conservation can be an effective ColonyWatcher. Some colonies require careful, scientific, monitoring methods, but the vast majority requires only the ability to recognize the birds and to follow a simple monitoring protocol. Anyone who has an interest can acquire the necessary skills, and technical support is always available from the project coordinator and Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. What is the time commitment? ColonyWatchers devote anywhere from an hour or so to several days monitoring a colony. A large colony containing several species may require a number of visits, each of several hours duration. Most of the colonies are small and many can be surveyed in a single visit. Most ColonyWatchers take responsibility for a single colony, but some have adopted up to a dozen. To volunteer or for more information, please contact the project coordinator: Jason Beason Special Monitoring Projects Coordinator Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory 39405 Lund Road Paonia, Colorado 81428 (970) 527-4625 Email: jason.beason@rmbo.org		(Bill Schmoker) (Jeff Birek) (Bill Schmoker) (Jeff Birek) (Bill Schmoker)