The annual Cortez Christmas Bird Count will be Dec. 31.

Anyone interested in participating should meet at the Cortez Cultural Center at 7:30 a.m., at 25 N. Market Street.

People will be organized into groups then carpool to eight established routes throughout the county to survey for bird species. Novice birders will be paired with experienced birders.

“We will spend most of the day birding to count as many species as we can,” said organizer and longtime birder Ryan Votta.

Participants should dress for winter weather and wear good boots. Snowfall is in the forecast for that day, he said.

People can also participate at home that day by recording bird species visiting outside feeders.

The data will be added to the final count. Bird feeder counters must reside within the 15-mile count area and obtain a data form to document the birds they see at feeders. Contact Votta at rvotta83@gmail.com for information and to obtain the forms.

Recent heavy snow in the mountains has likely pushed a lot of birds south toward Cortez and local bird feeders.

Montezuma County has an “all-star cast of birders” who participate in the bird count, Votta said. It’s an opportunity for novice bird watchers to learn and gain experience, he said.

Areas to be surveyed are area lakes, county roads around Cortez, and Goodman Point.

There have been some interesting bird sightings in Montezuma County recently.

Tundra swans have been frequenting Denny Lake, and there have sightings of sand hill cranes at Totten Lake. A Eurasian wigeon has been seen at the Cortez water treatment plant.

Migrating birds in winter can often be seen at water treatment plants because the ponds are aerated and do not freeze.

“I think the recent cold snap pushed water fowl south looking for open water,” Votta said.

Interesting sightings last year included white-winged doves in Cortez and snow geese.

After last year’s bird count in Cortez, a sighting of a rufous-backed robin at Denny Lake caused excitement in the bird-watching world. A flock of dedicated birders migrated to the lake in January and February to snap a photo and cross the bird off their list.

The rufous-backed robin is from the tropics of Mexico, and the one in Cortez was the first confirmed sighting in Colorado, Votta said.

The bird was found at Denny Lake on Jan. 18 and stayed until Feb. 7, said Cortez birder Brenda Wright. She said at least 175 birders came from several states to see the robin.

The sudden arrival of dozens of bird-watchers to Denny Lake Jan. 21 was dubbed the “rufous ruckus” by lake resident Alan Klein.

He said a “Rare Bird Alert” had been posted on birding sites about the robin.

“I was shocked to see a large group of birders sporting fancy binoculars and long camera lenses in heavy winter clothing tromping around behind my backyard,” Klein posted on Facebook.

Sixteen sightings of the bird were posted to ebird.org in a two-day period, he said.

Votta said it is hard to know what took the tropical robin so far from home. It was mixed with a group of American robins, and may have joined them at some point in their travels.

“That is what people love about birding, you never know what might see,” he said. “There is always the chance of seeing something rare. I think that draws people in.”

The local bird count records birds in a 15-mile radius of Cortez, including orchards, lakes, rivers, open space, neighborhoods, forests and farms. Sightings and identifications are recorded on provided charts. The open agricultural area makes it good habitat for a variety of raptors.

Winter bird counts happen across the nation. The results are submitted to the Audubon Society database and analyzed to improve conservation efforts for bird species and their habitat, and to analyze population trends. As of 2018, there were more 51 Christmas bird counts in Colorado. The Cortez count has been held for 19 years, and continuously since 2007.

Bird counts are a form of citizen science, in which amateur naturalists and experts help contribute to a nationwide database. The annual Audubon winter bird count, which started in 1900, is the nation’s longest-running community science bird project.

The Cortez count ranges between 5,000 and 10,000 individual birds each year. In its 19-year history, the Cortez count has recorded more than 107,000 birds representing 127 species.

Birding has become increasingly popular and even has a competitive aspect, Votta said.

Dedicated birders upload sightings to ebird.org, a citizen science website, and for some it turns into a friendly competition. Local birders search birding hot spots such as Denny Lake, Totten Lake and the west side of McPhee to record different species of birds, and add to their number of sightings on the website.

For more information on birding, check out the Durango Bird Club and Four Corners Bird Club and Audubon Society.

jmimiaga@the-journal.com