Aiken Audubon Society

Park County Reservoirs with Denver Field Ornithologists
2025-11-14 06:30 - 15:30 (America/Denver) | Eleven Mile Reservoir, 4344 Co Rd 92 #4186, Lake George, CO, 80827, United States
Park County Reservoirs with Denver Field Ornithologists (DFO)
Friday, November 14, 2025, 6:30 AM – 3:30 PM
(NOTE: this is the time frame for Denver-area participants. COS-area, expect a later start/meeting time and an earlier arrival home.
Leaders: David Suddjian
Trip Difficulty: Moderate
We’ll visit some of the large bodies of water in South Park beginning with Eleven Mile Res, followed Spinney Mountain Reservoir and Antero Reservoir if the weather/ice is kind to us. Plan to see migrant waterbirds and a chance for scoters, loons, Long-tailed Duck, also raptors, and grassland birds like Horned Lark, with the possibility of finding a Lapland Longspur. We will carpool and car caravan between sites with limited walking. Walking will be on the lighter side except for a possible jaunt over uneven terrain at Spinney, plus cold mountain temperatures and some long drives. Bring lunch, water, scopes, and dress in layers. Be ready for cold and maybe breezy conditions. Joe Tuttle will meet with folks in Jefferson and then we will head down to 11 mile from there. Trip may not go all the way to 3 PM, but want to leave the option open if we feel up to it. For folks from the Aiken Audubon Society, a meetup point and time will be communicated as we get closer to the trip. Eleven Mile State Park requires a State Parks pass for each vehicle.
This trip is limited and registration will open at noon on 10/4/2025. on this webpage: https://dfobirds.org/FieldTrips/Register.aspx?TripID=22196. If you do not already have an account with DFO, visit https://dfobirds.org/, click “LOGIN” then click “Create an account” and follow the prompts.
Photo: Long-tailed Duck / Kate Persons / Audubon Photography Awards

*WAITLIST ONLY* El Paso County with Denver Field Ornithologists
2025-11-29 07:30 - 15:30 | El Paso County, United States
El Paso County with DFO: Various locations for an almost-big-day.
Saturday, November 29, 2025, 7:15 AM – 3:00 PM
(NOTE: this is the time frame for Denver-area participants. COS-area, expect a later start/meeting time and an earlier arrival home.)
Leaders: David Suddjian and Jessica Miller
Trip Difficulty: Moderate

This trip will visit a handful of locations in the Colorado Springs and Fountain area to seek known rarities and maybe to find our own. We should find a nice cross-section of wintering and resident birds and perhaps some tardy migrants. Plan for up to three miles of walking among our different locations. Bring lunch, snacks and drink, and dress in layers. Scopes will be helpful at some spots, and the leader will have one to share. Denver-area birders will carpool from the Castle Rock meeting spot, and a rendezvous in the Springs area will be announced for those living to the south.
This trip is limited and registration will open at noon on 11/8/2025. on this webpage: https://dfobirds.org/FieldTrips/Register.aspx?TripID=22238. If you do not already have an account with DFO, visit https://dfobirds.org/, click “LOGIN” then click “Create an account” and follow the prompts.

Aiken Canyon Preserve with Bruce Dunbar
2025-12-06 07:30 - 23:30 | Aiken Canyon, 3350 Turkey Canon Ranch Rd, Colorado Springs, CO, 80926
Join Bruce Dunbar for a walk around Aiken Canyon Preserve, a quiet retreat down Hwy 115. We’ll hike about 4 miles through oak meadows and evergreen woodlands that wind through the rocky outcrops. This is a moderately difficult hike, but we’ll be going at a slow birder’s pace. Along the way we should see and hear a number of winter residents, and hopefully discover some special mountain species that have come down in elevation for the winter.

*WAITLIST ONLY* Birds & Brews: Fox Run Regional Park & Goat Patch Brewing - Northgate
2025-12-14 10:00 - 12:00 | Fox Run Regional Park, 2110 Stella Dr, Colorado Springs, CO, 80921, United States
This intrepid bird outing will have us searching the Palmer Divide for winter birds in the Black Forest. Fox Run Regional Park has only 5 species reported on eBird during December – will this be the worst Birds & Brews? Enjoy the scenery and camaraderie while contributing to winter bird records for the park!
– This hike will be moderate, going up to 3 miles in 2 hours over uneven terrain with some incline.
– Bring binoculars and dress for the Monument, CO forecast.
– Space is limited. Join the waitlist by emailing trip leader Jessica Miller at jessicaisbirding@gmail.com

Pueblo Area with Denver Field Ornithologists
2026-01-01 06:00 - 17:00 | Pueblo Area
Pueblo Area with DFO: Various locations for an almost-big-day to start your New Year off with a birding bang!
Thursday, January 1, 2026, 6:00 AM – 5:00 PM
(NOTE: this is the time frame for Denver-area participants. COS-area, expect a later start/meeting time and an earlier arrival home.)
Leader: David Suddjian
Trip Difficulty: Moderate
Let’s kick start our year lists and even see new birds! Start 2026 with a visit to one of Colorado’s best winter birding areas! Lake Pueblo and the Arkansas corridor downstream can be counted on for a great variety of water birds and land birds, like loons, ducks, grebes, warblers and sparrows, and a good chance for rare wintering species. We will look for regional specialties like Scaled Quail, Curve-billed Thrasher, Canyon Towhee, Bewick’s Wren, and White-winged Dove. This will be a full day with several stops, including viewing around Lake Pueblo SP, along the Arkansas River, and at Pueblo City Park. Bring a scope if you have one (we can share), sturdy footwear, and bring plenty of clothing ranging from cold to pleasant. Plan for up to 1.5 miles of walking, mostly on flat terrain. Bring snacks, lunch and drinks. We will carpool from the Castle Rock meeting spot, and we will have a southern rendezvous point for those living south of Denver area.
This trip is limited and registration will open at noon on 12/11/2025. on this webpage: https://dfobirds.org/FieldTrips/Register.aspx?TripID=22255. If you do not already have an account with DFO, visit https://dfobirds.org/, click “LOGIN” then click “Create an account” and follow the prompts.

*FULL* Birds & Brews - Fountain Creek Regional Park & Peaks N Pines Brewing
2026-01-11 09:00 - 12:00 | Fountain Creek Nature Center, 320 Pepper Grass Lane, Fountain, 80817
The woodlands, meadows, wetlands, creek, and ponds of Fountain Creek Regional Park make this one of the best places to observe a wide variety of birds in the region. Many species are possible on this guided walk, but we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for Great-horned Owls, Marsh Wren, Virginia Rail, and any rarities hanging out at “the spa”. Afterwards we’ll cheers our birds at Fountain’s Peaks N Pines Brewing!
– Restrooms will be available at the Nature Center
– Difficulty: easy/moderate. This will be a 2.5 mile walk along mostly flat trails at a slow, birder’s pace.
– Bring your binoculars; if you need to borrow some, just request with your RSVP.
– This trip is at capacity. Join the waitlist by emailing Jessica at jessicaisbirding@gmail.com.

Ute Valley Park with Pat Paternostro
2026-01-17 08:00 - 11:00 | CO
Join Pat Paternostro and Aiken Audubon for a birding trip at Ute Valley Park, Colorado Springs. We will look for Nuthatch and Woodpecker species and hopefully find some wintering species such as Crossbills, Kinglets, and Finches. The walk has some uneven terrain along with slight hills and may be snowy or muddy.
We will meet at 1645 Vindicator Dr, Colorado Springs, the primary Ute Valley parking lot.
You can RSVP to Pat @ broncos30@hotmail.com

Exploring USAFA - Members-only Outing
2026-02-02 10:00 - 17:00 | CO
Join Aiken Audubon for a special day on the United States Air Force Academy Base! We’ll join USFWS Biologist Johnny Ochs for birding at his recommended locations around the base. In the afternoon we’ll head into the Planetarium for a show indoors. Finally, we’ll be given a tour of the falconry mews.
This outing is limited to 20 Aiken Members. If you have donated any amount to Aiken Audubon on the past calendar year, you’re a member! To sign up, just send an email to aikenaudubon@gmail.com. We’ll let you know you’re on the list and will be in communication as we near our trip.
Plan to dress for the Colorado Springs weather forecast. Bring binoculars, or request to borrow a set when you sign up. Bring a packed lunch for an a la fresca break!
Tentative Schedule:
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Birding on base (picnic lunch)
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Planetarium
3:45 – 4:45 p.m. USAFA Falconry Mews Tour

Red Rock Canyon Open Space with Pat Paternostro
2026-02-14 08:00 - 11:00 | Red Rock Canyon Open Space, 3550 W High St, Colorado Springs, CO, 80904, United States
Join Pat Paternostro and Aiken Audubon for a birding walk at Red Rock Canyon Open Space! We will hopefully find several species of raptors along with many of our wintering species such as Sparrows, Towhees, Nuthatch, Woodpeckers and Finches. The walk will include some inclines and uneven terrain and may be snowy or muddy.
We will meet at the open space parking lot which is located at 3550 W High St, Colorado Springs (off of Hwy 24).
You can RSVP to Pat @ broncos30@hotmail.com

Rosy-finch Ramble with DFO - Park & Jefferson Counties
2026-02-20 07:00 - 15:30 | CO
Rosy-finch Ramble with DFO: Park & Jefferson Counties
Friday, February 20, 2026, 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Leader: David Suddjian
Trip Difficulty: Moderate
Let’s go on an adventure to the mountains to find Rosy-Finches and other mountain birds. We may find the three species of Rosy-Finch, and other “mountain finches” that are around, including Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, Cassin’s Finch and others. We might also see Canada Jay and Clark’s Nutcracker, Rough-legged Hawk and other winter montane species. The trip will focus on locations in Jefferson and Park counties. We will carpool from the meeting spot. For those coming from El Paso County, we will begin birding in Jefferson Co, so plan to gather at the advertised meeting place in Aspen Park. Bring lunch, snacks, and drinks. We will cover a fair amount of ground by car, but there will be minimal walking. But expect snowy and icy conditions, cold temperatures and maybe windy conditions when we are out of the cars. We will plan to enter two residences along the way.
This trip is limited and registration will open at noon on 1/30/2026. on this webpage: https://dfobirds.org/FieldTrips/Register.aspx?TripID=22298. If you do not already have an account with DFO, visit https://dfobirds.org/, click “LOGIN” then click “Create an account” and follow the prompts.
Photo: Brown-capped Rosy-Finch / Gene Putney / Audubon Photography Awards

Birds & Brews - Ute Valley Park & 105 West Brewing
2026-02-22 09:00 - 12:00 | Ute Valley Park, 5465 7 Oaks Dr,, Colorado Springs, CO 80919 , CO, 80919, United States
We’ll enjoy cool rock formations and great views as we search the woodlands and meadows of Ute Valley Park for birds like Cassin’s Finches, Bluebirds, Townsend’s Solitaires, and Nuthatches. Afterwards we’ll head over to NEW 105 West Brewing, the new occupants of what used to be Trinity Brewing, about 7 minutes away.
– This will be a moderate hike – we may walk three or so miles over uneven, hilly terrain at a birder’s pace. Depending on weather conditions the week before, the trails could be snowy or muddy.
– Bring binoculars, wear good hiking shoes, and dress for the Colorado Springs forecast. If you need to borrow a pair of binoculars, let mention it when you RSVP.
– Space is limited. RSVP by emailing Jessica at jessicaisbirding@gmail.com.
