My one week at camp was incredible. We were based out of AllensPark, outside of Rocky Mountain National Park around 10,000 feet. I had an amazing time being in nature, meeting new people, and learning more about birds of the Rocky Mountains. The first day was mostly settling into our group cabin, the Black Bear. That evening we began to start a bird counting list. On that list, we would write how many birds we saw and what species they were. Throughout the entire week we counted 74 species of birds. On the second day, we played fun team building games. I enjoyed these games because they were fun activities that would help get to know the other kids.

Every day at camp we would have these sit spots, this would be our own time to journal about things around us (bugs, flowers, birds, ect…). Some of these sit spots would be in a meadow, some would be by a creek, and some would be in the forest. Mine was in the forest. Last year I was by the creek. To be honest I liked the Creek better, I wish I did that again. The hikes that we did were beautiful, despite the heat. My favorite was the Hidden Room. Although that one was my favorite, all of the hikes were wonderful. We saw so many beautiful and unique birds, such as: the Red Crossbill, Western Tanager, Broad-Tailed Hummingbird, and Downy Woodpecker.

I had an absolutely amazing time at the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies camp, Taking Flight. I am so glad I got to experience it again, and I highly recommend it for young birders such as myself. Once again, thank you so much to Mary and Shep. I hope to see you again next year.

Sincerely

Juniper 2023