Evelyn Horn
1 book in the catalogue, published 2004.
Evelyn Horn is a Colorado birdwatcher whose journals became Following the Sandhill Cranes in Colorado, the one book of hers that Western Reflections Publishing carries. It was published in 2004. The book follows sandhill cranes and the other birds of western Colorado through the seasons, and it is the only entry under her name in our catalogue.
About Evelyn Horn
We know Evelyn Horn mainly through the book. Its subtitle, Enticed into Birding, and the Open Library note that it comes from her journals suggest a watcher who began as a beginner and kept notes as she learned. The record also notes a bibliography and an index. We have not found a verified biography, birth year or career history, and we will not guess at one.
There is one outside mention worth passing on. A March 2013 commentary on KVNF public radio in Delta County reports crane counts credited to an Evelyn Horn at Fruitgrowers Reservoir and in Hart's Basin, including 8,263 cranes counted over the season so far. The commentary does not mention the book, so we can only say the name matches the place the book describes.
What the books share
Everything in this book comes back to birds and the places they pass through. Horn writes about sandhill cranes, and about the grebes, pelicans, jays and dippers she met along the way, mostly in western Colorado. Hart's Basin in Delta County is named in the description, and the contents page also follows the cranes along their migration route to Cochetopa Pass and to Bosque del Apache in New Mexico. The shape is seasonal, from spring through a full year and back to spring. It reads as personal observation rather than reference, and that is why a birdwatcher could pick it up and recognize their own mornings in it.
The subjects this author is catalogued under. Open Library record.
Next steps for readers of this author
Planning a spring crane trip
Read the state species page for the migration windows it gives, then open the Monte Vista refuge page for its viewing information. Dates and access rules change, so check both again the week you travel.
Following the cranes south
Cranes that cross Colorado winter farther south, and Bosque del Apache is one of the best known winter stops. Its page is a good starting point for a winter trip that continues what a Colorado spring began.
Starting your own crane notebook
Horn's book grew out of journals, and the same habit works for any beginner. Use the coalition's identification page, then record the date, place, count and weather each time you watch, and compare seasons.
Go deeper
Evelyn Horn's journals follow sandhill cranes through western Colorado and along their migration route. These refuges and conservation groups are good places to learn when and where cranes gather, and to see the birds yourself.
Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge
Its site describes arriving to the calls of sandhill cranes, with wetlands and meadows set against the San Juan Mountains, and carries a wildlife viewing and events listing.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife: Sandhill Crane
The state species page. It says virtually the entire Rocky Mountain Population stops in the San Luis Valley in spring and fall.
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
A New Mexico refuge that, according to its website, is known for tens of thousands of cranes, geese and ducks wintering there each year.
Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition
A nonprofit with an identification page for Colorado's greater sandhill cranes, plus festival and crane viewing information.
Good to know
How many books do you publish by Evelyn Horn?
What is her book about?
Is there a biography of her?
Writers like this one are how the list was built
We have published Colorado and Western writers since 1996, and every submission is still read by a person. Send yours, finished or half written.