Birds & Science >
Colorado IBAs
Adobe Creek Reservoir
Bent and Kiowa Counties
Size: 3,000 acres
Elevation: 4100 feet
Habitats:
Primary – open water
Secondary – grassland, shore/bank, lowland riparian
Ownership:
State (CO Division of Wildlife, School Board, State Land Board)
Private (Fort Lyon Canal Company, individuals)
Land Use:
Primary – nature and wildlife conservation, hunting/fishing, water supply
IBA Criteria: 1, 3, 4 (waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, terns), 5
Site description
Location:
The Adobe Creek Reservoir is located near the town of Las Animas in southeastern Colorado.
Vegetation/natural features:
The site consists of a lake with an island (known as "Tern Island"), surrounded by shortgrass prairie.
Ornithological Importance
In most years, "Tern Island" is the primary Least Tern nesting site in the state of Colorado. In fact, more Least Terns have nested and fledged at this site than at all other Colorado sites combined. Piping plovers have also nested here in the past (4 nests in 10 years), and may do so again in future dry years. The site serves as a significant migration and staging location for thousands of shorebirds, hundreds of gulls, and up to 100 Black and Forster’s Terns.
Breeding species:
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Average #
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Maximum #
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Piping Plover
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0-1 pair
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Snowy Plover
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0-5 pairs
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Mountain Plover
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2-4 pairs
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Long-billed Curlew
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2 pairs
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Least Tern
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4-22 pairs
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22 pairs
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Burrowing Owl
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>10 pairs
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Migrant species:
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Average #
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Maximum #
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Sandhill Crane
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(fall/spring)
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Mountain Plover
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200 (fall)
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Long-billed Curlew
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40 (fall)
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Peregrine Falcon
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4 (fall/spring)
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McCown’s Longspur hundreds
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(spring)
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Chestnut-collared Longspur hundreds
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(spring)
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Research and educational activities:
A Colorado Division of Wildlife biologist monitors nesting terns and plovers at the site each year.
Conservation/Management Issues
Serious threats:
- invasive plants (cottonwood);
- non-native plants (tamarisk, cockleburs);
- hydrologic changes (e.g., loss of nests to inflow of water).
Minor threats:
Potential threats:
- pollution;
- loss of state’s lease of lake with irrigation company.
Efforts to address threats:
The state cut invasive trees and vegetation from the island in 1993 and 1995-1997, and applied herbicide to the new growth.
Management details:
The Colorado Division of Wildlife leases Adobe Creek Reservoir from the Fort Lyon Canal Company. This lease is currently up for renewal, and may not be renewed. The surrounding prairie, a patchwork of State Land Board land, Colorado Division of Wildlife land, and land owned by private individuals, is grazed by cattle. "Tern Island" is State School Board land and is not grazed. Boating is permitted on the lake, however, CDOW sets up temporary closures of "Tern Island" to protect nesting terns and plovers. Buoys and signs notify people of these closures. Adobe Creek Reservoir is a Colorado Watchable Wildlife site.
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