Aspen Sister Cities has exchange programs around the world for ski patrol, medical doctors, students and artists, but for the first time ever, they launched a birding exchange with Bariloche, Argentina.
Five women from the Roaring Fork Valley flew to South America in November to learn about birdlife, ecosystems, conservation, migration and birding networks for four days.
One of the participants, Rebecca Weiss, is a longtime naturalist with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. This month’s trip was Weiss’ first exchange with Aspen Sister Cities, and it was the biggest birding-focused outing she had ever been on.
Weiss said migratory birds have connected North and South America, as well as Aspen and Bariloche, for millennia.
“There are some birds that use Colorado for their habitat part of the year and migrate to South America and spend time in Argentina,” she said.
“So, it's kind of funny. We've sort of joked that the birds have had this exchange all along, and we humans are just figuring it out.”
One bird species that has already left the Roaring Fork Valley for the winter is the turkey vulture, but the exchange group saw several of them during their trip since it’s spring in Bariloche.
“So, it was kind of cool to see a familiar friend, so to speak,” Weiss said.
Bariloche is located right in the divide of rainy areas and a rain shadow — a dry area of land on the side of a mountain range that’s sheltered from wind.
Weiss said the group was putting in 12-hour days in the field. They saw all of Bariloche’s key habitats and several nest sites for species like conrods, waterfowl and marsh birds.
The group ended up spotting at least 100 new species, and while in the Patagonian rain forest, Weiss found a rare species, a moment that became one of the highlights of her trip.
“The Magellanic woodpecker is unbelievably large,” she said. “If you can visualize Woody Woodpecker from the cartoons, this bird is Woody Woodpecker.”
“The male Magellanic woodpecker has red plumage on its head, and in the cloudy light of the Patagonian rainforest, the red feathers on this bird's head are lit up as if it's a light bulb.”
Weiss said female Magellanic woodpeckers have less color, but they do have a curly crest that sticks up right off the top of their head.
These woodpeckers also drill huge holes into the trunks of the Southern beech trees to create a cavity in which they lay their eggs and raise their brood. Weiss said the group was fortunate enough to find two of these nesting sites.
The birding group from Bariloche will visit Aspen in early May, which Weiss said is prime birding time for migratory species, like warblers, turkey vultures, tanagers and Grosbeaks.
However, Aspen can still be trapped by snow during that time of year with Independence Pass and Maroon Creek Road still closed. Instead, the group will be on the lookout for subalpine species.
They may also take a trip to Grand Junction to see some desert birds, as well as some of the different ecosystems.
As for future birding exchanges, Weiss said she thinks it is completely possible, since there is a large birding community in Aspen, as well as Bariloche.
“I feel like it was a huge success, and we can't wait to pull out all the stops for them in May,” she said. “I'm hopeful that it'll gain traction.”
“It was really interesting to share things that we have in common, and then differences too, and be inspired and learn from that.”
Weiss also hopes to give a talk on her experience at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies in the coming months.
