It’s hard to believe Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat used to be a gravel pit.
These days, the 100-acre refuge, at 5201 St. Vrain Road in Boulder County, attracts plenty of wildlife, including a large number of migrating birds that come for five on-site ponds knit together with 2.9 miles of flat, scenic trail.
Even on a cold December morning, it’s worth bundling up to see what’s fluttering through the reclaimed wetlands. Not far from Longmont’s municipal airport, Pella Crossing, a mile south of Hygiene, on the east side of North 75th Street, delivers a similar scene – industrial strip mines transformed into a peaceful haven.
Feeling unseasonably hopeful, I once took my young kids birding at Walden Ponds. The hobby requires a certain level of patience and quiet – not exactly our family’s strong suits. Despite near-constant reminders, my offspring produce their own special calls: a cacophonous blend of screeches, giggles, and bickering that clears a marsh faster than you can say :white-tailed Ptarmigan.” Still, after scattering every sparrow in sight, we caught an unexpected break on the drive out.
“Look,” my husband said, pulling over near Wally Toevs Pond. There were two golden eagles perched on a utility pole, primary feathers ruffling in the cold breeze. I fumbled for my phone, snapped a terrible, zoomed-in photo, and then, finally, we all fell silent.
Car birding
When I told lifelong Colorado birder Peter Burke about this, he wasn’t remotely surprised: “Golden eagles,” he explains, “like to nest on cliffs in the mountains, but they come down here for the winter and often perch on telephone poles while hunting prairie dogs.”
Burke, who founded the guide company Rocky Mountain Birding and currently edits the quarterly journal Colorado Birds, approved of our drive-by-birding technique. In fact, car birding is one of his go-to strategies.
You’re less likely to flush a bird this way. “Humans have the profile of a predator,” he notes. But cars? They’re more like big, slow cows – not particularly threatening.
As a bonus, you’ll be warm in your car on a chilly day. The main message I got when I called up a handful of Colorado’s expert birders is that you truly don’t have to travel far from Denver, especially once the temperature drops.
For some species, we’re south
As Jacob Job from Bird Conservancy of the Rockies puts it, “Winter birding is often overlooked.” That’s a shame because we get a whole new influx of species this time of year. (And it’s worth noting that as milder winters caused by climate change reshape migration patterns, some birds are sticking it out: mountain bluebirds, for instance, can now be spotted here all year long.)
We have an image of migratory birds flying south for the winter, but Colorado’s Front Range is south for many species, including raptors, cackling geese (a close cousin to the Canada goose), and rough-legged hawks, which breed in tundra way above the Arctic Circle then vacation in sunny Colorado. Other birds have an elevational migration within the Centennial State. Northern pigmy owls, for example, propagate in the mountains before coming to the foothills.
This time of year, Colorado birders are primarily searching for raptors, waterfowl and sparrows. Where you go will largely depend on what you’re hoping to spot, explains Burke.
Burke’s a fan of towhees. “They’re big, sparrow-like birds,” he tells me.
When I ask, “Spotted towhees?” he shoots back, “Are you a birder?”
Busted. I admit that I just Googled it.
“I’m not a confident birder,” I say.
Burke laughs: “Really, it just comes down to curiosity and how much time you put into it,” he said. After a beat, he chirps, “And good binoculars!”
He recommends I spend, at minimum, $300 for a nice pair. When I ask Burke where I should take those fancy-pants binocs, he tells me that while lots of people don’t consider Red Rocks, at 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, a birding destination, it can be an excellent place for sparrows and towhees – plus the cliffs are home to nesting prairie falcons.
Follow the prairie dogs
Most of us love big birds. Raptors – and their humungous nests – are much easier to observe in winter-bare trees, explains community naturalist Dave Sutherland, who leads free – and absolutely fantastic – public classes for birders of all ages and skill levels. Visit davesutherland.co for details, and consider joining his upcoming “Hawk Walk” on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. (No cost, but reservations are needed.)
If you’re keen to watch bald eagles in the wild, try Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge at 6550 Gateway Road, a former chemical weapons manufacturing facility that was cleaned up in the 1980s before earning its protected status in 1992, soon after a roost of bald eagles was spotted on the premises.
The refuge hosts bison herds (try the wildlife drive!), a black-footed ferret exhibit, and plenty of prairie dogs. “Any place with a thriving prairie dog town will be a good place to see raptors,” said Sutherland, noting that “people love to hate on prairie dogs, but if you like birds of prey, you need to make peace with them.”
Ferruginous hawks, for example, are prairie dog specialists from Canada and North Dakota, and their numbers are in decline because we’ve wiped out prairie dog colonies on the Eastern Plains.
In addition to raptors – eagles plus ferruginous, rough-legged and Harlan’s hawks – Rocky Mountain Arsenal, with its sprawling plains, provides habitat for a variety of additional species, including white-crowned sparrows and dark-eyed junco.
Explore reservoirs
As long as they’re not frozen over, reservoirs – “pop-up habitat for waterfowl,” Burke said – are another place where bird enthusiasts can’t go wrong. Sutherland and Burke recommend Chatfield State Park, at 11500 N. Roxborough Park Road, home to the Kingery Nature Center, part of Denver Audubon’s holdings.
In Brighton, meanwhile, there’s Barr Lake State Park, 13401 Picadilly Road, another premium spot, where dozens of bald eagles overwinter. Bonus: Barr Lake puts on a variety of bird-themed walks, talks, and events throughout the year; for details, visit cpw.state.co.us/events and filter by park.
You’ll need a state-parks pass to enter Barr Lake and Chatfield in a vehicle, and Colorado Parks & Wildlife public information officer Bridget O’Rourke wants Coloradans to know that free passes are available through all Colorado public libraries. They’re tucked inside CPW’s “Adventure Backpacks,” which are available to rent anytime – and super fun for kids.
At Aurora Reservoir, 5800 S. Powhaton Road, look for “five to seven species of gulls, including a few rare ones,” Burke said, noting that these long-winged aquatic beauties spend the entire winter in the area, sleeping on ice then flying to the landfill to pick at garbage heaps before returning to the water to bathe. Be aware: Aurora Reservoir is not a Colorado State Park, and you’ll need a $10 day pass to enter (that’s the off-season rate).
Eight minutes north of Niwot, there’s Lagerman Reservoir inside Lagerman Agricultural Preserve, 7100 Pike Road. “It’s the ugliest little reservoir you ever saw, and for some reason birds love it,” Sutherland gushes. The 1.6-mile Lagerman Trail is closed through Dec. 31 for construction and will reopen to birders in the new year.
Reservoirs are popular hang-outs for other waterfowl, too, including the common goldeneye and Barrow’s goldeneye – “a really neat diving duck,” Burke said, that you’ll spot mixed in with mallards, northern shovelers and teals. Gulls can’t dive, so they like to swim with goldeneyes and try to steal their lunch. “It’s a game played out on Colorado reservoirs all winter long,” said Burke.
Hole up on streams
If you want to see a variety of ducks, Sutherland will direct you to Prospect Park in Wheat Ridge, at W. 44th Ave. and Robb streets, where birders can sit tight along Clear Creek.
Waterton Canyon, just south of the intersection of Waterton Road and Glenn L. Martin Boulevard, is another excellent option. Beyond the famed bighorn sheep, you’re liable to spy American dippers, a songbird about the size of a robin that spends its entire life in rivers and mostly hunts underwater.
“Anything along Boulder Creek you can get dippers,” Job added, also recommending Eldorado Canyon State Park, at 9 Kneale Road, and Lair ‘o the Bear Park, at 22550 State Highway 74, the latter a kid-friendly gem in Idledale.
Try state wildlife areas
If you aren’t sure where to go, check out one of CPW’s 350-plus State Wildlife Areas – “the hidden gems of public lands,” as O’Rourke put it. You’ll need a special SWA recreational pass to enter these protected swaths, which are open to hunters and wildlife viewers alike.
But don’t let the hunting deter you: SWAs attract winter owls, including long-eared, pygmy, and screech varietals, said Job. If you try an SWA, do wear very bright colors during open season. Fluorescent orange and pink will do the trick.
To uncover SWAs in your area, check out CPW’s online map, at cpw.state.co.us/swa-finder. And don’t miss the state agency’s nature viewing page, which is packed with useful information for local birders.
Speaking of owls, the last couple of years, there have been snowy owls at Denver International Airport. If you have winter travel plans that include a flight, this might be a good reason to arrive at the airport extra early.
Be a homebody
Front Range residents won’t have to leave home for good birding. “I love dark-eyed juncos,” said Job. Denver gets four to five subspecies in the wintertime. Job added, “They’ll come to the house to hang out by feeders.”
Putting out bird feeders can be a lifeline for migrating birds, and a thoughtful setup keeps feeders truly bird-friendly. Burke recommends placing feeders near bushes or trees, so visitors have quick cover from predators like hawks. It’s easy to protect birds from window collisions by adding visual cues like hanging cords or UV decals to large windows.
All the experts agree that it’s important to keep feeders clean. Wash them with soap and water every few weeks (or when refilling) to prevent diseases; gloves are recommended. A pro tip: If you have problems with squirrels in your feeders, try mixing seed with cayenne pepper. Birds don’t react to the spicy chemical compound but squirrels hate it.
If this sounds like a lot of work, you can always throw seed on the ground. Juncos and towhees happily eat ground seed.
Involve the kids
Longtime Colorado birder Carmela Coyle, bestselling author of the “Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?” series for kids, has a new picture book coming out in January, just in time for winter birding. Read “Anyone Else Awake? A Dawn Chorus” (Muddy Boots publishing) with the kids in your life, then explore Coyle’s favorite hotspots – both close enough to count as backyard birding for Denverites.
In Littleton, there’s Ketring Park, at 6028 S. Gallup St., where the quarter-mile dirt trail around Wetland Loop is perfect for very young explorers. Coyle also recommends the Stone House Trail at Bear Creek Greenbelt Park, 2800 S. Estes St. “Park in the lot off of South Estes Street,” Coyle said, “and proceed west to the narrower dirt trails to the south through trees and brush.”
Field wisdom
You’re bundling up and heading out because you want to see some plumage, no? These pro tips help ensure a successful outing.
- If a bird changes its behavior because of you, you’re too close. Use binoculars, instead of your feet, to get a better look, and remember: Winter birds are here to rest and refuel, not perform.
- While apps like Merlin are great tools, overusing playback can stress out our migratory birds, sending them searching for threats that aren’t there. Let the landscape speak first, and use calls sparingly.
- Don’t forget to stay on designated trails and obey private property signs. Birders should always strive to be great stewards of the land.
The birds are waiting. Grab your binoculars, and let’s see what winter on the Front Range has to offer.