Colorado is a great state to bird in. With nearly 500 species and a habitats ranging from sand dunes to 14,000ft peaks to prairies, Colorado has everything a bird or birder is looking for. You will not get bored in any season in this wonderful state.
BIRDS TO LOOK FOR IN CO: White-tailed Ptarmigan, Gunnison Sage-grouse, Greater Sage-grouse, Blue Grouse, Mountain Plover, Black Swift, Northern Pygmy Owl, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Clark's Nutcracker, Gray Jay, Pinyon Jay, Townsend's Solitaire, MacGillivray's Warbler, Lazuli Bunting, Brewer's Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Gray-crowned Rosy-finch, Brown-capped Rosy-finch, Black Rosy-finch, Cassin's Finch
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION! Top spots around the state:
Barr Lake State Park: located just west of D.I.A. This is a premier birding location and one of the best migrant traps in the state. With nearly 400 species of birds seen here, you can't go wrong. Host to the Barr Lake Birding Festival in the fall, this location attracts hundreds of birders year round as well as the birds. The nature station has a feeding area with an adjacent viewing area, which attracts many birds in the winter months. A banding station about a half mile along the trail from the nature center allows birders the chance to view birds close up. The gazebo is a prime spot to watch roosting Great Blue Herons and egrets in the summer months, as well as to watch the mating displays of the Western Grebe in the spring time. Bald Eagles are seen here commonly. Habitats here include open water, dense and light riparian, marsh land, and open fields.
Chatfield State Park: located just south of Denver. This is another of the states premier locations and garners many a great migrant and rarity in spring and fall migrations. Multiple state firsts have been seen here. This is a large park, with habitat ranging from open water to a river to dense riparian habitat to open fields. Chatfield boasts a bird list of over 300 species. Chatfield also boasts the states most reliable breeding locations for Least Flycatcher and American Redstart. Due to the large size of the park, there are a few locations that offer a better birding experience than others.
-Kingfisher Bridge: located at the southern end of the park. A great location for birds. Belted Kingfisher is commonly seen here and this is a great location for ducks and gulls. Rarities are regularly found in this location.
-The Sand Spit: just north of the marina. This is considered one of the two best spots in the park. A large mudflat can be found here and is a great spot to find sandpipers. The trees in the area are very productive as well. This is also a good location to set up a scope and scan the lake for gulls, terns and waterfowl.
-Plum Creek Delta: nearby The Sand Spit. This is another great location to scan the mudflats. Be careful though, the mud can be very treacherous to cross. This location also has dense riparian habitat and is good for warblers, vireos and flycatchers. This is the best spot to find the American Redstart and Least Flycatcher.
Waterton Canyon**CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE** : just to the south-west of Chatfield. Waterton is a great area for birds. As you start on the trail, you will pass by the Oriole Tree as it's known, as there are always one or two Bullock's Orioles to be found in it. Passing the tree, you will pass by some dry water storage ponds as you make your way to the dense riparian/deciduous forest area of the canyon. The trail will split and encircle the deciduous forest. To the left, the trail meanders along the river, offering good birding for warblers, flycatchers and waterfowl. The trail to the right is a good spot to find Lazuli Bunting, Spotted Towhee and sparrows. The deciduous forest that is between the two trails is an excellent spot for birds as well. Yellow-breasted Chat frequent the trees and shrubs, more often heard than seen. Hummingbirds flit through the trees and woodpeckers, warblers and chickadees are seen too. Once you pass up the forest, you enter into the scrub-oak habitat of the canyon. The trail follows the river and the canyon wall rise up on either side. Here you will find Western Scrub Jay, Sage Thrasher and American Dipper, as well as other scrub-oak specialists. The canyon is also an excellent spot for swallow and swifts.
Standley Lake: in Westminster/Arvada. This is one of the Great Lakes of Denver. A lake up there in size with Barr, Chatfield and Bear Creek. This can be a hit or miss birding spot, really depending on how much time you spend there and how far you are willing to walk to different habitat spots. The lake is surrounded by open fields with a scattering of trees along the edges. Tree clusters are also found throughout the park, and are good for warblers and chickadees. The south side of the lake is a good spot to find warblers, sparrows and meadowlarks as you walk the trails. The north side holds many of the same as well, but is also known to hold Orioles. The lake has a resident pair of nesting Bald Eagles, which are commonly seen on birding trips. The open fields around the lake attract many raptors and sparrows. The lake itself brings in a multitude of waterfowl and gull species. In fall and early winter, the lake is known for thousands of birds dotting its surface. A good number of rarities have been seen here. A Long-tailed Jaeger has been found here as well as Nashville and other uncommon warlbers.
BIRDS TO LOOK FOR IN CO: White-tailed Ptarmigan, Gunnison Sage-grouse, Greater Sage-grouse, Blue Grouse, Mountain Plover, Black Swift, Northern Pygmy Owl, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Clark's Nutcracker, Gray Jay, Pinyon Jay, Townsend's Solitaire, MacGillivray's Warbler, Lazuli Bunting, Brewer's Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Gray-crowned Rosy-finch, Brown-capped Rosy-finch, Black Rosy-finch, Cassin's Finch
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION! Top spots around the state:
Barr Lake State Park: located just west of D.I.A. This is a premier birding location and one of the best migrant traps in the state. With nearly 400 species of birds seen here, you can't go wrong. Host to the Barr Lake Birding Festival in the fall, this location attracts hundreds of birders year round as well as the birds. The nature station has a feeding area with an adjacent viewing area, which attracts many birds in the winter months. A banding station about a half mile along the trail from the nature center allows birders the chance to view birds close up. The gazebo is a prime spot to watch roosting Great Blue Herons and egrets in the summer months, as well as to watch the mating displays of the Western Grebe in the spring time. Bald Eagles are seen here commonly. Habitats here include open water, dense and light riparian, marsh land, and open fields.
Chatfield State Park: located just south of Denver. This is another of the states premier locations and garners many a great migrant and rarity in spring and fall migrations. Multiple state firsts have been seen here. This is a large park, with habitat ranging from open water to a river to dense riparian habitat to open fields. Chatfield boasts a bird list of over 300 species. Chatfield also boasts the states most reliable breeding locations for Least Flycatcher and American Redstart. Due to the large size of the park, there are a few locations that offer a better birding experience than others.
-Kingfisher Bridge: located at the southern end of the park. A great location for birds. Belted Kingfisher is commonly seen here and this is a great location for ducks and gulls. Rarities are regularly found in this location.
-The Sand Spit: just north of the marina. This is considered one of the two best spots in the park. A large mudflat can be found here and is a great spot to find sandpipers. The trees in the area are very productive as well. This is also a good location to set up a scope and scan the lake for gulls, terns and waterfowl.
-Plum Creek Delta: nearby The Sand Spit. This is another great location to scan the mudflats. Be careful though, the mud can be very treacherous to cross. This location also has dense riparian habitat and is good for warblers, vireos and flycatchers. This is the best spot to find the American Redstart and Least Flycatcher.
Waterton Canyon**CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE** : just to the south-west of Chatfield. Waterton is a great area for birds. As you start on the trail, you will pass by the Oriole Tree as it's known, as there are always one or two Bullock's Orioles to be found in it. Passing the tree, you will pass by some dry water storage ponds as you make your way to the dense riparian/deciduous forest area of the canyon. The trail will split and encircle the deciduous forest. To the left, the trail meanders along the river, offering good birding for warblers, flycatchers and waterfowl. The trail to the right is a good spot to find Lazuli Bunting, Spotted Towhee and sparrows. The deciduous forest that is between the two trails is an excellent spot for birds as well. Yellow-breasted Chat frequent the trees and shrubs, more often heard than seen. Hummingbirds flit through the trees and woodpeckers, warblers and chickadees are seen too. Once you pass up the forest, you enter into the scrub-oak habitat of the canyon. The trail follows the river and the canyon wall rise up on either side. Here you will find Western Scrub Jay, Sage Thrasher and American Dipper, as well as other scrub-oak specialists. The canyon is also an excellent spot for swallow and swifts.
Standley Lake: in Westminster/Arvada. This is one of the Great Lakes of Denver. A lake up there in size with Barr, Chatfield and Bear Creek. This can be a hit or miss birding spot, really depending on how much time you spend there and how far you are willing to walk to different habitat spots. The lake is surrounded by open fields with a scattering of trees along the edges. Tree clusters are also found throughout the park, and are good for warblers and chickadees. The south side of the lake is a good spot to find warblers, sparrows and meadowlarks as you walk the trails. The north side holds many of the same as well, but is also known to hold Orioles. The lake has a resident pair of nesting Bald Eagles, which are commonly seen on birding trips. The open fields around the lake attract many raptors and sparrows. The lake itself brings in a multitude of waterfowl and gull species. In fall and early winter, the lake is known for thousands of birds dotting its surface. A good number of rarities have been seen here. A Long-tailed Jaeger has been found here as well as Nashville and other uncommon warlbers.