Boulder Magazine just published a profile of my work as a local community naturalist, “Boulder’s Nature Guru Dave Sutherland.” Check out the link! thebouldermag.com/boulders-nat...

Today I presented Superior with its Bird City designation, making it the newest Bird City in Colorado! The event was part of World Migratory Bird Day celebr in Purple Park. Thanks to all the hard work from people in Superior to make their town a friendly place for birds and creating shared spaces.

Let’s all work to protect migratory birds!

Western Tanagers are back in Boulder! 6 in my back yard! Around Mothers' Day, the front of the migrating wave passes through CO. Most of the migrating pulse continue on (WTanagers breed up into the Yukon, the farthest north of all tanagers) but a few will stick in the Boulder area. Jack Sasson photo

It’s the season when you’ll find shed antlers from deer and elk lying around in the forest. PLEASE leave them! Collecting antlers removes a vital source of minerals and nutrients from the forest. You’ll see how many of the shed antlers have been gnawed on by rodents seeking vital minerals.

"In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans; In one aspect of You are found all the aspects of existence — Kahlil Gibran

Mars is passing through the Beehive Star Cluster over the next few nights! I checked @ 10 pm last night with binocs. Easy to spot the red circle of Mars against the faint cluster of stars. Look up from the crescent moon to find Mars, which looks like a bright star. Photo by FERNANDO MENEZES.

May 1 marks a Cross Quarter Day, halfway between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. This important annual milestone is celebrated as the Celtic festival of Beltane, with traditional May poles, bonfires and baskets or bouquets of flowers to honor spring, fertility and the waxing power of the sun.

Flashback 2022: 5 months after the Marshall Fire - the huge fire that burned over 1000 homes in Superior and Louisville, Colorado. I got there in as soon as they re-opened the trail system to document the land’s recovery - and found this. Deep roots are not touched by the fire. (more below ↓)

In the Northern Hemisphere, the group of stars we call the Big Dipper never sets! The end to stars of the dipper always point to Polaris, the North Star. It’s not actually a constellation - it’s an ASTERISM forming part of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear.

Insects make up about ¾ of all living animals on the planet! And in many ways, they make our lives possible.

At over 15 billion miles distant, Voyager 1 is the farthest a human artifact has ever traveled from the Earth since its launch in 1977. Light travels at 186,000 miles per SECOND. That puts Voyager 1 at a distance of about 1 light DAY - that is… (more below)

Checking out the new Hobbit hole. I was surprised to learn that Hobbits come from New Zealand!

Want to KILL. YOUR. LAWN? Here’s a great resource comparing different native turfs and how to care for them, and strategies for getting rid of the water-hog bluegrass. Lots of suggestions and tips. Wish I had had this when I tried to replace my lawn with buffalo grass - would have saved me grief.

Ancient Wind Ripples! Walking in a Boulder neighborhood, we found this cool paving stone in the sidewalk - 250 million year old Lyons sandstone. It preserves the ridges left by winds that blew across the surface of a sand dune long before dinosaurs walked the earth. MORE below:

First wild iris in my garden this year!

Join me for a free 4 mile wildflower hike on one of the best trails on Boulder’s Open Space! Details and sign up link here: www.davesutherland.co/upcoming-hik...

TOMORROW! See ya there.

Let’s try something here. If you’re feeling kinda blue, let’s create a Waterfall Photo Gallery. Everyone go through your old pics and find a favorite waterfall pic YOU TOOK YOURSELF and share it here. It’s an excuse to revisit your photos and savor the memories. Here’s Havasu Falls in Arizona.

Another old photo i dug out - a Galápagos penguin in a mangrove swamp. This was at Urvina Bay on the west side of Isabela Island. The little pod of penguins swam right up to us in the shallows, without fear, and hung out feeding in the shallows.

Going back through old pictures and found this one: Canyonlands NPark.

2 IMPT conservation bills in US House, contact your rep to support, alert your senators to support * Public Lands in Public Hands Act - HR 7430 congressional oversight before selling public land over 300 acr * Wildlife Movement through Partnerships Act - HR 717 preserve fed $ for wildlife corridors

The ospreys are BAAAAAACK! Happy spring. They are showing up at Boulder-area ponds and reservoirs. Soon they’ll be nesting on the platforms.

Our Colorado native Bee Balm is Monarda fistulosa and it is available in nurseries. It’s a good dry shade plant, although it will happily accept more water (under my downspout, the Bee Balm has attained epic proportions). Easy to grow from seed, and transplants easily. Thanks Michael Morton Photo.

Guess who’s BAAAAAAAAAACK in Boulder? They’re awake for the season. It would be a good time to take down your bird feeders for spring…..

I’ve posted more free nature hikes in the Boulder area through mid-May. Sign up, or show up! See you out there! www.davesutherland.co/upcoming-hik...

Colorado skunks…..

Gardening season is now upon us! Here’s a scene from my 0 water xeriscape - much lusher than our typical vision of a “xeriscape" If you live in Colorado, consider growing a native xeriscape like this. it laughs at any weather Colorado throws at it. It feeds the ecosystem. Oh, and it’s pretty too!

Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Monteverde Costa Rica

Sharing from @donnanespoli "This little cackling goose came in last night after getting hit on the head with a golf ball. We gave pain and anti inflammatory drugs which seemed to help. The goose will be transferred to Greenwood for further care.” THANK YOU WILDLIFE REHABILITATORS!

No longer extinct in the wild! Good news from the Curaçá region of NE Brazil. In 2000, the last known wild Spix Macaw disappeared, leaving the entire world population of this gorgeous parrot at around 200 captive individuals scattered around the globe.

Cedar Waxwing Quest: We found ‘em! I joined my friend Michael Morton (who has a real camera) to search for the fabled waxwings that have been hanging out at Walden Ponds recently. They seem to be at Walden at the corner in the trail by the water treatment plant, by the chain link fence.

Honoring snakes on St. Patrick’s Day with this little green Eyelash Viper in Costa Rica. Snakes are cool and a vital but misunderstood part of our ecosystems. St Pat could have driven them to my house! 😂.

What would a lunar eclipse look like if you’re on the moon? Last night, the Blue Ghost lunar lander snapped this view (first eclipse imaged from the moon), as we were all looking up at a red moon. That’s a total eclipse of the sun, with the disk of the Earth creating the diamond ring effect.

Happy Pi Day, 3.1415926. So today, March 14 at 1:59 pm and 26 seconds, everyone wherever you are, must stand up and scream “Happy Pi Day!” AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS.

Next month we’re offering 2 free chances to visit the historic Roosa-Bock cabin, the enigmatic little stone house near Wood’s Quarry at the base of the Third Flatiron in Boulder. Details on my web site: www.davesutherland.co/upcoming-hik....

Here’s a couple male Resplendent Quetzales at the Curi Cancha reserve in Monteverde, Costa Rica. The male on the left is eating an aguacatillo fruit - we saw 5 of them in this one tree. They would come and sit quietly, then suddenly fly up and snatch a fruit and perch again.

Fruit bats filmed with my phone in SloMo mode - Bijagua Costa Rica.

Tomorrow night I’m giving a free talk at NoBo Public Library about how you can turn your yard into a wildlife garden with native plants. It’s free! Hope to see you there. Thanks @monkmoose for the pic!

The mantis jokes never quit…..

Río Celeste waterfall in Volcán Tenorio National Park, Costa Rica.

You know hope hasn’t died when, like clockwork, the Bluebirds return to the Front Range. Go look for them at places like the South Mesa trailhead off Eldorado Springs Rd, or the Joder Ranch trail. They are hanging out at Rabbit Mountain. Where else are you seeing bluebirds?

When your soul feels broken, go for a hike in nature and be mindful. It will help! ❤️

Thursday 8 AM and OMG there’s a mountain lion in the back yard! Urban central Boulder. Sorry for the bad phone photo, but it’s all we had time for. Then it was over the gate and off across the street between the neighbors’ houses.😍😮😃

The 2025 theme for World Migratory Bird Day is “Creating shared spaces.” We can all help birds - and many other creatures like the insects they feed on - more welcome in human spaces. I’m giving a free slide show on March 4 at North Boulder library about how to create bird-friendly gardens!