Birds & Science >
Colorado IBAs
Great Plains Reservoir System
Kiowa County
Size: >5,000 acres
Elevation: 3900 feet
Habitats:
Primary – open water
Secondary – grassland, lowland riparian, shore/bank, wetlands, sagebrush shrubland
Ownership:
State (CO Division of Wildlife)
Private (private individuals)
Land Use:
Primary – nature and wildlife conservation, hunting/fishing, water supply
IBA Criteria: 1, 2, 3, 4 (waterfowl, heronries, shorebirds, gulls, terns, raptors, landbirds)
Site description
Location:
The Great Plains Reservoir System is located in southeastern Colorado.
Vegetative/natural features:
The site consists of a group of reservoirs formed by natural depressions within rolling shortgrass prairie. These reservoirs include Neenoshe, Neegrande, Neesopah, and Neeskah. Since the canals used to fill them originate 60 miles away, near La Junta, the reservoirs are not filled annually.
Ornithological Importance
The site has hosted almost every species ever recorded in Colorado. It was the focal point in Colorado for nesting Piping Plovers from 1989 through 1993, while Least Terns have nested intermittently since the late 1970s. In dry years, broad beaches provide nesting habitat for both Piping Plovers and Least Terns. Riparian growth surrounding the reservoirs provides nesting and migration habitat for landbirds. In optimal years, shorelines for all the reservoirs combined provide the most heavily used shorebird/gull/tern/pelican habitat in Colorado. The southern point of Neenoshe Reservoir is unique in the interior U.S. for hosting seven species of terns: Least, Black, Forster’s, Common, Arctic, Caspian, and Royal.
Breeding species:
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Average #
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Maximum #
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Piping Plover
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0-9 pairs
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9 pairs
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Least Tern
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0-8 pairs
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8 pairs
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Snowy Plover
|
2-10 pairs
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~10 pairs
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American Avocet and Black-necked Stilt
|
2-30 pairs combined
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White-faced Ibis
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10 pairs
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Snowy Egret
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10 pairs
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Cattle Egret
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10 pairs
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Long-billed Curlew
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2-10 pairs
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Swainson’s Hawk
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>10 pairs
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Burrowing Owl
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>20 pairs
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Mountain Plover
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>5 pairs
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Migrant species:
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Average #
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Maximum #
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Franklin’s Gull
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>500 (spring, fall)
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Mountain Plover
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400 (fall)
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Sandhill Crane
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~2,000 (spring, fall)
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Conservation/Management Issues
Serious threats:
- invasive plants (cottonwood);
- non-native plants (tamarisk, Russian olive);
- predators;
- disturbance to birds and beach habitat by cattle;
- hydrologic changes (too much inflow inundates beaches in wet years).
Minor threats:
- cowbird parasitism;
- pollution;
- habitat conversion and development by hunting clubs on leased land.
Efforts to address threats:
Colorado Division of Wildlife institutes periodic closures of the site to public use to protect nesting areas.
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