Racing the Clock for the Most Mysterious Bird in North America
Dear Friend,
Rosy-finches are a unique group of birds with rare pink markings celebrated by birders across North America. Much of their time is spent in high mountain landscapes—perhaps like you!
A Black Rosy-finch poses on an Alta feeder as part of the project. Credit: Janice Gardner
Because their rugged alpine habitats are difficult for scientists to access, there is little information about this mysterious bird. With climate change threatening mountain country, answering questions about the species is crucial for their future.
That's where our Rosy-Finch Project comes in. If you live in the rosy-finches' range, you may have seen someone holding a clipboard near a feeder, eyes glued to the sky. These are our project community scientists. Every few weeks during the season, they strap on skis (or head to the backyard or community spot) and record whether they see rosy-finches at feeders across the West.
Project partners examine rosy-finches and record crucial data. Credit: Janice Gardner (cropped)
Will you become a monthly donor to conserve rosy-finches in 2021?
These volunteers, along with our donors and partners, have made our Rosy-finch Project better than ever this year.
Check out last season by the numbers:
Gray-crowned Rosy-finch. Credit: Janice Gardner
283 Black and Gray-crowned Rosy-finches captured and banded
12 RFID-enabled bird feeders in northern Utah collected 24,992 data points
91 rosy-finches detected at RFID feeders
High return rate of study birds (27%) from 2019-2020 pilot season
Over 200 project volunteers
Over 250 bird surveys completed
Thank you so much to our volunteers and donors who have been central to these successes. Without you, this work wouldn't be possible.
Kris Purdy, our Rosy-finch Volunteer of the Year, checks a bird feeder for rosy-finches
As we start the 2020-2021 season this month, we're excited to make more happen for rosy-finches. This season marks the beginning of our expansion to include all three species of rosy-finch in our project. We're also seeing participation from more areas than ever before, with Volunteer Feeder Counts being completed in seven states: Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.
Planning for the future of this important project, we are currently working on securing funding for a region-wide conservation strategy for rosy-finches.
Will you make a year-end donation to support the conservation of rosy-finches?
Thank you for allowing our conservation projects to continue. We're grateful for your dedication to Utah's wildlife and lands.
We're also grateful for our partners on this project at Tracy Aviary, Utah State University, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Forest Service, 15+ ski resorts, and conservation organizations including Alta Ski Area and Bridgerland Audubon Society.
Visit the project page on our website to learn more about our conservation work, and please contact us with any questions.
Thank you so much,
Janice Gardner
Conservation Biologist