Tour Leader Bios
- AMANDA B. WHITE
Amanda B. White is a passionate biologist and naturalist, specializing in ornithology. A graduate of the University of Michigan in 2009, Amanda has over 15 years of birding experience, and has birded extensively in the Midwest, California, Colorado, and Costa Rica. She is also a biologist with Adkins Consulting, co-VP of the Durango Bird Club, and leads birding trips for the DBC, Mesa Verde Birding Festival, and the CNGA. Known for her exceptional ability to identify birds by ear, she thrives on compiling exciting day lists and tracking down endemic species in challenging habitats. A few of her current favorite local birds include pinyon-juniper specialties such as Black-throated Sparrow and Sagebrush Sparrow, high-alpine species such as Brown-capped Rosy Finch and White-tailed Ptarmigan, and looking for Black Swifts on waterfall hikes. Since moving to Durango about 10 years ago, she has recorded ~239 species on her La Plata County list. She loves the Southwest for its habitat, variety and biodiversity, and loves sharing her enthusiasm with other birders. - CATHERINE ORTEGA, Ph.D.
Catherine Ortega, Ph.D. received a B.A. degree in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1991, both from the Department of Environmental, Population, and Organismic Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. As a faculty member at Fort Lewis College from 1997-2009, she taught numerous courses, including, but not limited to, ornithology, wildlife management, and wetland and stream ecology. Dr. Ortega is currently a consultant and writer and has contributed her expertise and energy, in volunteer capacities, to many agencies, organizations, and tribes. She has over 100 publications and is committed to reaching both scientific and general audiences. Currently a consultant, she can be reached at Catherine.P.Ortega@gmail.com. - DAVID P. FAULKNER
David P. Faulkner has a BS from BYU in botany with an emphasis in ecology and natural resources. He did Master’s work in Range Ecology from Oregon State University and research in applying remote sensing to natural resources. Most of his career has been as a natural resource consultant to such diverse organizations as NASA, EPA, United Nations FAO, BLM and USFS, BIA, Lakota Sioux, Ute Mountain Ute and Navajo tribes and several energy companies and private landowners. He has lived in the Cortez area for 40 years and has served with several community organizations including county planning board and the Friends of Hawkins Board. He has also taught classes in plant identification for the Native Plant Master’s program under the Master Gardner and CSU Extension Service. He has conducted several threatened and endangered plant studies and range ecology surveys in the Four Corners area. Since retiring as a Natural Resource Biologist, he is pleased to be able to devote more time to birds and their habitats. - DIANE CHERBAK
Diane Cherbak has a background in food science and engineering, but has been birdwatching for more than 25 years. Her passion grew after moving to Mancos in 2010 and joining the Birding Festival planning committee. She has been chairman of the planning committee since 2012. She has been involved with Cornell’s Project FeederWatch as a citizen scientist for more than 15 years. She became part of the NestWatch network in 2016 and monitors nine nest boxes on her property during breeding season. She has had Western & Mountain Bluebirds, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Violet-green Swallows and Mountain Chickadees use the boxes. - DON MARSH
Don Marsh has a degree in Wildlife Management, but spent most of his working career in Information Technology in California. Don is on the board of the Black Canyon Audubon Society where he is also the Field Trip chair, and on the board of Western Field Ornithologists. In addition to those activities, he stays busy leading birding field trips, conducting breeding bird surveys and volunteering at Ridgway State Park. He is an eBird reviewer for five western Colorado counties and one California county. He enjoys the fact that there is always more to learn about our avian neighbors. His birding highlight for Colorado (so far) is finding the first state record for Varied Bunting. - EMILEE AND STEVE TARNOWSKI
Emilee and Steve Tarnowski are local birders in Montezuma County who like to bird all throughout the Four Corners area. Emilee has a graduate degree in Biology and has been a park ranger at Grand Teton and Grand Canyon National Parks, as well as Aztec Ruins National Monument. Stephen is an attorney who shares Emilee’s passion for the natural world, particularly birds. - ERIC MOORE
Eric Moore is the owner of The Lookout and Arizona Field Optics located in beautiful Prescott, Arizona. Eric has been an avid bird watcher for over 50 years and enjoys teaching classes on bird identification, leading bird walks to help individuals create a connection to nature and equipping individuals with birding gear including quality optics and field guides. Birding is more than a hobby, it is a passion, perhaps even an obsession! - ERIK HENDRICKSON
Erik Hendrickson is a retired National Park Service engineer, and is pleased to call Cortez and Montezuma County his home. His Park Service assignments included Crater Lake, Gateway (in New York and New Jersey), Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone and Denali. He has birded from Unalaska to the Everglades, from the Rachel Carson NWR in Maine to San Diego. He enjoys searching for Black Swift at waterfalls in southwest Colorado and for Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the southeast United States. - JOHN BREGAR
John Bregar retired, worked as a geologist and geophysicist in oil and gas exploration for 32 years. In autumn of 2006, he and his wife Dorothy moved from Calgary, Alberta to Durango, CO, where he enjoys leading wildflower trips, birding trips, and hiking and mountain-climbing trips. John is a past Chairman of the Southwest Chapter of the Colorado Native Plant Society and a past Chairman of the now defunct Southwest Chapter of the Colorado Mountain Club. He currently organizes field trips for the SW Chapter of CONPS and for the Durango Bird Club. - JOHN CAHILL
John Cahill is a park ranger at Mesa Verde National Park, specializing in education and interpretation. He has led monthly bird walks at Mesa Verde for the 2024 and 2025 summer season. Ranger John has four years of experience with the National Park Service, including two years at Mesa Verde. Prior to this, he worked at zoos and aquariums as an interpreter. His favorite bird is the Black-capped Chickadee! - KURT HILLMAN
Kurt Hillman is a retired geological engineer. He took his first bird trip in 2017, got the bug and dove headfirst into birding. He has since birded in 20 countries and on 6 continents, with the seventh continent to be added later in 2025. He moved to SW Colorado in 2021 and is treasurer for the Durango Bird Club. He is an avid bird and night sky photographer. - LINDA RACZEK
Linda Raczek is a retired naturalist, children’s author and attorney. She trained as a raptor/bird rehabilitator with the National Audubon Society and obtained a wildlife rehabilitation permit when she moved to Cortez in 1988. She managed the Hawkins Preserve for the Cortez Cultural Center for several years and has been involved in the Ute Mountain Mesa Verde Birding Festival since it began in 2005. The Festival is what makes living in Cortez great! - MELISSA MAY
Melissa May is an enthusiastic birder who has been living and birding in the Four Corners region for 11 years. She has an MS in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Penn State, where she ironically did not take a single ornithology class despite it being her main passion. As Executive Director for the Mountain Studies Institute, she has the pleasure of promoting environmental research, restoration, and citizen science in the San Juan Mountains, and is excited for this opportunity to connect more people with the beautiful habitats and birds of southwest Colorado. - MIKE THOMPSON
Mike Thompson is an eBird reviewer for SW Colorado and has an active, passionate interest in local birds and population trends. With roots as a 6th generation Coloradoan and having lived in McElmo Canyon for the last 20 years, the ability to make local, meaningful contributions to avian science through platforms like eBird has developed into an obsession. Learning from birds provides essential balance to his life and career as a Professional Geologist which is focused on mineral development, environmental compliance, and mine reclamation projects throughout North America. When not eBirding SW Colorado or working, expect him to be exploring far reaches of Grand Canyon or Alaska. - PAUL MOREY
Paul Morey has worked in the natural resources field for 30 years researching and managing a wide array of animals including songbirds, raptors, coyotes, and wolves. He is currently the Chief of Natural Resources at Mesa Verde National Park where he oversees the wildlife, vegetation, and physical sciences program. - RYAN VOTTA
Ryan Votta, originally from northwest New Jersey, became fascinated with birds at a young age. On his seventh birthday he received his first pair of binoculars and his first bird book, Peterson’s Field Guide to Eastern Birds. After this, he was hooked and has been passionate about birds and the outdoors ever since! Career wise, Ryan started with New Jersey Fish & Wildlife as a fisheries technician at a warm and cool water aquaculture facility. While with NJ Fish & Wildlife he had the opportunity to assist with breeding migratory bird surveys, waterfowl observations and banding, and black bear den work. In April of 2015, he accepted a job offer from Colorado Parks & Wildlife where he currently serves as the Assistant Manager of the Durango Fish Hatchery. Ryan is an active member of the Durango Bird Club, and is the compiler for the Durango and Cortez Christmas Bird Counts. He is an avid eBirder and is also one of our local eBird reviewers. In his spare time, he also enjoys fishing, camping, boating, hiking, and traveling. Ryan enjoys meeting folks that share his enthusiasm for birding and the outdoors. - TYLER LAUSTEN
Tyler Lausten is an avid photographer and is captivated by flight. He turned to birds after a trip to Denali National Park in 2019 and hasn’t looked back. Residing seasonally on a ranch in southwest Colorado, he is always on the lookout for hawks, owls, and other wildlife. Favorite raptors include Northern Goshawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Pygmy Owl, and Great-horned Owl. Spring is a fantastic time for migrating raptors, and he looks forward to showing them on the tour.
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Birding Festival General Information
- The Ute Mountain Mesa Verde Birding Festival is the major fundraiser for the Cortez Cultural Center. All proceeds benefit the Center.
- All tours require pre-registration.
- A registration fee is required for all tours except as noted. Full registration includes keynote banquet and all lectures. Daily registration includes that day's lectures. Full registration is required in order to qualify for the free early bird t-shirt.
- All lunches provided by Once Upon a Sandwich unless otherwise noted.
- Unless otherwise noted, tours will return to the Center at approximately 3:00 pm.
- Carpools/caravanning will be used for all tours. Drivers will be reimbursed for gas by passengers at the GSA rate of 66 cents per mile, divided among all participants in the vehicle.
- Tour size is generally 13 or less.
- Cancellations considered on a case-by-case basis up to 21 days prior to start of Festival. All cancellations subject to a processing fee.
- Availability of restrooms depends on the tour. Nearly all guides scout out restroom locations as well as bird species. Some tours are in parks or other facilities that have established restrooms. Some have outhouses. Others, the only option are bushes. Usually, the leader will mention the restroom plan at the beginning of the tour.
- All tours depart from and return to the Cortez Cultural Center.
- Tour times listed are the DEPARTURE time. Please arrive 15 minutes prior.
For Birding Festival information email diane.cherbak@gmail.com
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