Shared Birds and Migratory Connectivity – Raptor Migration Project

Beason, Jason

In 2012, the Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (formerly Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory) and the National Park Service initiated a project to investigate the migration patterns of ospreys and peregrine falcons at Rocky Mountain National Park. The goal of the project was to deploy satellite tracking units on each species to investigate migratory connectivity between Rocky Mountain National Park and protected areas in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Satellite tracking units were successfully deployed on two ospreys in 2013. We were unable to capture a peregrine falcon despite several attempts in 2013 and 2014. Both ospreys were tracked to Mexico along the Gulf of Mexico coast. One osprey over-wintered at Laguna Madre which is recognized as a site of international conservation importance and included in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. The other osprey over-wintered near Tamuín in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí. We report the pre-migratory movements in Colorado, migration routes, and wintering areas for both ospreys. The results of this project represent the only thorough documentation of Colorado osprey migration. Although the sample size is small, this information may be representative of the osprey population occupying the southern Rocky Mountain region.