Cancelled due to COVID-19
Tuesday, March 24, 6:45 am – all day
Colorado City and Rye Hotspots

Colorado City and Rye are very under-birded areas. We’ll try to hit all the hotspots in this area to see what is there and just enjoy the day. We’ll hope to see a Lewis’s Woodpecker, but there are no guarantees. Habitats vary, including grassland, marsh, riparian, ponds, and pine forest.

Participants will need to pack food/drink for the day and be prepared for some walking in a variety of conditions and habitats.

Meet in the Sam’s Club parking lot, 4385 Venetucci Blvd., Colorado Springs. Trip capacity is 12 people/3 cars. Contact Diana Beatty at [email protected] with questions and to sign-up.

Cancelled 

Tuesday, April 14, 8 am
Garden of the Gods

Cancelled 

This morning before the crowds of the day (and summer!) arrive, we’ll enjoy an easy birding walk through Garden of the God’s Central Garden area in search of typical foothills species. In addition to the spectacular scenery, we’ll especially hope to enjoy the aerial acrobatics of the many White-throated Swifts and get one or more of the resident Prairie Falcons in our scope for all to enjoy. The steep rock faces can be good locations to see and hear Canyon Wren and the juniper areas are good for a variety of species including Western Bluebird, Townsend’s Solitaire and sometimes Juniper Titmouse.

Kip Miller will lead this outing. Group size limited to 15. We’ll meet at the main (North Garden) parking area along the loop road. Please contact Kip at [email protected] to register.

Cancelled 

Saturday, April 18, 8:30 am
Kettle Lakes

Cancelled 

Mid-April should be a good time for a visit to the Kettle Lakes area north of Colorado Springs. Migrant ducks and other waterbirds could be present on the lakes and the adjacent brushy areas and pines should host a variety of resident and migrant landbirds. With luck we may find a few raptors as well, possibly including Osprey and Great Horned Owl. We’ll walk 2-3 miles on easy terrain and have one or more spotting scopes available to share.

Kip Miller will lead this outing. Group size limited to 15. We’ll meet in the parking area at the north end of Airfield Drive. (Airfield Drive is a right turn off of South Gate Blvd, just before the South Gate entrance to the US Air Force Academy.) Please contact Kip at [email protected] to register.

Cancelled

Saturday, April 18, 8 am – 11 am
Fountain Valley Nature Center Junior Bird Club

Cancelled

Nature lovers ages 8 to 17 are invited to spend time together outdoors and practice their birding skills! In this meeting, we will focus on identifying and spotting birds of prey. Doug Harling, Fountain’s Bird Whisperer, will be our guest to share his expertise. Craft and owl pellet examination included!

Prepaid registration required. Limit 20 participants. Cost is $5 per meeting or $25 for 6 classes.

Wednesday, May 13, 7:15 am – mid-afternoon
Chico Basin Ranch

(trip full; waiting list available)

Join John Drummond to look for spring migrants that use Chico Basin Ranch as a stopping point on their journey north. Almost any type of warbler is possible. There will be bird banding in progress. A 4WD vehicle is recommended if the roads are wet. Be sure to bring lunch, water, and sun protection.

Meet at Hanover Fire Station. Limited to 16 participants. This is always a popular trip and fills up quickly. There is a $15 fee per person, or $10 each for groups of 10 or more. Contact Diana Beatty at [email protected] with questions and/or to sign up.

Tuesday, May 19, 7:30 am
Ute Valley Park

Kip Miller is leading this trip to Ute Valley Park in northwest Colorado Springs. We’ll begin by checking the wetland adjacent to the parking area for rails and then work our way up the ridge watching for meadowlarks, sparrows and other grassland species while enjoying the morning light on Pikes Peak.

From here we’ll descend and follow the “Arch trail” back to the west though areas of rocky pinyon, juniper and ponderosa habitat. Through here we’ll watch for Pygmy Nuthatch, Western Bluebird, Black-headed Grosbeak, Western Tanager and other typical migrants and resident species of these habitats. Birds or no birds, it’s a pleasant “close to town” hike of 1.5-2 miles. Participants should be prepared for a trail with ups, downs and rocky sections—but of course we’ll be taking our time looking for birds, not racing!

We’ll meet at the Ute Valley Park parking area on Vindicator Drive, east of the intersection with Centennial Blvd. Group size limited to 15. Please contact Kip at [email protected] to register.

Friday, June 12, 2019, 8 am – 1 pm
Lovell Gulch Nature Walk

Dave Elwonger will again lead this nature walk in Lovell Gulch, in the Pikes Peak National Forest. We will focus on butterflies (usually 30+ species), flowers (with three species of orchid possible), and the local breeding bird species (usually about 30 species). Possibilities include Red-naped and Williamson’s Sapsuckers, Hairy Woodpecker; Northern Flicker; MacGillivray’s and Audubon’s Warblers; Olive-sided, Hammond’s and Cordilleran Flycatchers; Western Wood-Pewee; Steller’s Jay; Clark’s Nutcracker; Warbling and Plumbeous Vireos; Ruby-crowned Kinglet; Black-headed and Evening Grosbeaks; Mountain Chickadee; three species of Nuthatch; Townsend’s Solitaire; Hermit Thrush; Western Tanager; Grey-headed Junco, House Wren and maybe some surprises). Whether and which orchids we find will depend upon the timing of trip vs Spring rainfall. Lists of species from previous years’ trip available.

We will walk mostly on trails into Lovell Gulch, about a 3 mile round trip with about 800′ elevation gain, with a few short steep sections. We may need to bushwhack a short distance to find the orchids (which are not along the trails).

Meet at the northwest corner of the Woodland Park Walmart parking lot to carpool to the Lovell Gulch trailhead (about 3 miles). There’s a Portapotty at the trailhead. Bring drinking water, a snack, rain gear, sweater for early morning chill, and wear sturdy walking shoes. Limit: 8 participants. Contact Dave at [email protected] with questions and to sign up.