The mountain plovers are back and ready to be feted. The medium-sized shorebird likes to nest in the short grass prairie and fallow fields of Colorado’s Eastern Plains. They return every year in early April, which sparked the annual Mountain Plover Festival.

This year’s event will run April 24-25 in Karval and surrounding areas, including Karval Reservoir and Kinney Lake. The celebration will feature guided excursions and a chuckwagon dinner. Tickets are $75-$450; mountainploverfestival.com.