The Staples, Snacks and Splurges of Colorado’s Hungry Birds

When: May 28, 7:15-8:45pm

Where: Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder

In this presentation we will attempt to describe the wild foods of Colorado’s birds.  They have their tried and true “go-to” items and they are champions of opportunism.  The true joy of birding is the sense of discovery. Studying what birds eat is fun and full of surprises. It has long been the presenter’s contention that the skills and tools possessed by birders can be applied to more than “what is it?” and “how many are there?”  The gaps in published bird life histories are MANY and we can fill them by living up to what the world calls us – “bird watchers”.  By carefully observing a bird for just a few minutes beyond identification, we can gather valuable information on habitat, feeding habits and other behaviors.  With our phones, point-and-shoots and mega-cameras we can document these things.  And all are potentially useful to conservation.  Let’s do it.

Dave Leatherman was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He spent summer days with an insect net in hand and thinks he began birding at age 9. His spark was a male Blackburnian Warbler in a lime green maple near the Ohio State football stadium that looked just like its half-inch depiction in the first edition Peterson Field Guide. He attended Marietta College on a basketball scholarship and graduated with a biology degree in 1971. He studied insects at Duke University’s School of Forestry, receiving a master’s degree in 1974.  His first and only job was as forest entomologist for the Colorado State Forest Service from 1974-2005. Helping private landowners deal with mountain pine beetle dominated his career. In retirement he has stayed active collecting insects for CSU’s Gillette Museum, and as a photographer, teacher and speaker.  Long a member of the Colorado Field Ornithologists, he was editor of the “CFO Journal” (now “Colorado Birds”) and has written 56 installments of his column “The Hungry Bird” in that journal from 2010 to present. His favorite birds are shrikes, warblers and crossbills. He has been fortunate to be part of four Colorado First State Records (Slaty-backed Gull, Tropical Parula, Brown-crested Flycatcher and Couch’s Kingbird).  Two big thrills in 2023 were getting to lay eyes on the Red-faced Warbler in extreme southeastern Baca County and the Ramah Reservoir Limpkin. He has three married boys (Matt, Nathan and Grant), all living in the Denver area and four grandchildren (Trey, Alyvia, Tallen and Trendon). If you wonder why he’s always reporting birds from Lamar, it is habitat for both good birds and Janeal, his long-distance partner of 27 years.