The weather has been glorious along the Colorado Front Range this week, with temperatures well above normal. The unseasonable warmth has been great for walking, biking and hiking but not so much for birding.
At this time of year, as autumn gives way to winter, birds are focused solely on survival; all of the activity related to breeding, nesting and raising young are in the past (and potentially in the future). When the weather is mild, they can easily hang out in the thickets, tall grass, shrubs and cattails, finding plenty of seeds, berries and insects (or larvae or eggs) to fuel their metabolic requirements. They have no need to search the driveway or the feeding area unless heavy snow blankets their natural habitat; in addition, mild conditions reduce their caloric needs and negate the importance of activity to stay warm. Finally, in this region of the country, heavy mountains snows send a variety of avian species to the adjacent lowlands, a phenomenon that is currently on hold.
Here along the Front Range, mediocre birding is the least of our concerns. Unless the current weather pattern shifts soon, the winter mountain snowpack will be significantly reduced and the water supply for the urban corridor will take a major hit. Yes, some things are more important than bird counts.
