Date: 4/11/25 8:47 am From: John Tumasonis <snakemonev...> Subject: [cobirds] Underrated and Overlooked birding areas in Colorado
All: Mostly for newbies and new birders who have moved into the Front Range area in Colorado: There are many overlooked areas throughout the state that are not mentioned in guidebooks or glossed over. I will mention only a few, as this would turn into a 300-page brief otherwise.
*Plaster Reservoir, Broomfield: *Good all year round, but especially in late winter \ early spring. Local birders know this place. Waves of waterfowl of 10 or more species come through in early spring. Bald eagles, osprey, red tailed hawks frequently visit. In spring you can see and hear sora, Virginia's rail, marsh wrens, American white pelicans (sometimes 50 - 100) forester's terns, franklins gulls, common yellowthroats, and others. Late spring and all summer offer great blue herons, black crowned night herons, snowy egrets, and great egrets along with juvenile pelicans. Rarities are fairly common, including a common loon I saw here two years ago, along with snow geese. There are mink, muskrat, raccoons, and coyote here also.
*East Lake Shores Park, Thornton*: I've only met one birder here in three years. Good all year, but late winter and spring are best. Waves of waterfowl come through in the hundreds - pintails, redheads, canvasback, scaup, widgeon, buffleheads, ruddy ducks, thousands of geese (including snow geese). The walk around the lake offers sora, rail, herons and egrets. I found a green heron here last summer.
Adjoining East Lake to the north is a hiking called* "The Heritage Trail"* that follows the canal route going east. There are nesting great horned owls, Coopers hawks, and red-tailed hawks here in spring and early summer.
*Mushroom Pond, Westminster*: Off of Federal Blvd, near 112th - Late April and early May can yield flocks of chipping sparrow, clay-colored sparrows, white crowned sparrows and occasional brewers sparrows. Wood ducks, pelicans, cormorants, snowy egrets, and yellow rumped warblers show up in mid-May. Occasional odd warblers like Wilson's and Orange Crowned show up. This area is good for "herping" with western painted turtles, common snapping turtles, and wandering garter snakes.
Follow the *Niver Canal Trail (Northglenn) *east from Mushroom Pond: Walk through Northwest Open Space until the trail gets squeezed between 111th Ave and Claire Lane - this section can be loaded in early to mid-May with migratory songbirds due to the thick shrubbery, cottonwood trees, and exotic flower gardens. If you hit it just right, you can see western tanagers, bullock's orioles, chats, catbirds, spotted towhees, house wrens, yellow rumped warblers, and perhaps some rarities.
The *"Slough" near Standley Lake, Westminster*: Follow North Independence Drive going south from Wadsworth Parkway until it curves around just past 94th Ave. You'll see a trail crossing with an unmarked dirt parking area where the trail crosses the road. There are two marshes here below the lake that in spring can be very good with migrants - yellow rumped warblers, bullock's orioles, western tanagers, house wrens, spotted towhees. Also present are sora, Virginia's rails, snowy egrets, hawks, and "regulars" like blue jays, flickers, grackles, cowbirds, and others. (Shhhhh! Don't tell anybody about this place.) In fall, if the rabbit brush is blooming you can get more than 12 species of butterflies, praying mantis, ambush bugs, wild bee species and dozens of other insects).
*Hecla Lake (Hecla Pond) Louisville CO*: In my opinion Hecla Lake is 10 times better than nearby Waneka Lake (Lafayette), yet many birders pass it by. It's better for two reasons - more bird species squeezed into a much smaller area; and much better closer looks at dozens of species. Mid spring to late spring is best. During migration: all 6 swallow species, ducks, herons, snowy egrets, yellow rumped warblers, yellow warbles, American avocets, occasional yellowlegs, chipping sparrows, white crowned sparrows, and the odd, unusual warbler species show up here. I tagged a singing brown thrasher here two years ago. Nearby neighborhoods have Coopers' hawks and great horned owls.
*Alex and Michael's Pond, Broomfield: * The locals know this place well. It can be hit or miss depending on water levels and nutrients. Late winter (for waterfowl) and spring are best. If conditions are good, American avocets, yellowlegs, snipe, sora, pelicans, and cormorants show up in spring. Summer residents include great blue herons, black crowned night herons, snowy egrets, and occasional great egrets. During spring migration yellow rumped warblers, marsh wrens, yellow warblers, orange crowned warblers, and one year - a northern parula. The area is "coyote dense" along with raccoons, red fox, muskrat, and fox squirrels (of course!). Great horned owls, Swainson's hawks, and Cooper's hawks have all nested here in the past.
That's it for now, as this is getting too long. Note: remember that the first two hours after sunrise are best. And that many of these places can be hit-or-miss, depending on conditions. If you hit several of these places in late April \ May \ and early June, you may be pleasantly surprised.
Good luck, John T (Tumasonis), Broomfield CO "I'm not a real birder. I only pretend to be one on CoBirds."
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