This small park is one of the best near Glenwood, and a good spot to check if you have a little bit of time in town. Lewis’s Woodpecker is semi-reliable here, and the river can be quite good for American Dipper, especially during the winter months. Look in the riparian habitat for various breeding birds during the summer, and sparrows during the winter months.
Eagle
The Heart of the Rockies
West of Vail Pass, the Colorado River and Interstate 70 come together to wind through the heart of the Rocky Mountains, where Bald Eagles spend the winter fishing in the fast-moving water. If you’re vigilant, you stand a good chance of seeing one of them even from the interstate. Several ponds and parks along the river’s course attract ducks, Great Blue Herons, and Pied-billed Grebes. North of the river is a mosaic of mesas and canyons with a surprising variety of scenery and species, Gray Catbirds in the riparian tangles, Pinyon Jays in the juniper woods, Mountain Bluebirds in the sage meadows. South of the river are some of Colorado’s highest peaks, where Gray Jays and Northern Goshawks breed. Along this trail you can have as many or as few of the comforts of civilization as you like, and all the benefits of wilderness.
Gypsum Ponds State Wildlife Area
Admission: A valid hunting or fishing license, or State Wildlife Area pass is required for everyone 16 or older accessing any state wildlife area or state trust lands.
Ownership: Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Admission: State Parks Pass
Ownership: Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Hanging Lake
Hanging Lake is a true gem, sitting suspended in a 500-foot bowl on the steep east wall of Deadhorse Canyon, a side drainage of Glenwood Canyon. Three waterfalls feed the lake, providing stunning picture-postcard scenery and hosting a dozen pairs of nesting Black Swifts, which arrive after Memorial Day and leave a couple of weeks after Labor Day. The swifts rarely visit their nests during the day; dawn and dusk are the best times to see them. Mineral deposits in the water give the lake its tropical green color as viewed from the wooden boardwalk that rims the lake. Dippers also are resident in the wet spray and near the falls. White-throated Swifts nest in the steep dry cliffs to the east and southeast of the lake. Watch also for Clark’s Nutcracker, Tree and Violet-green Swallows, Steller’s Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Canyon Wren, and Golden Eagle. The hike in to the lake is a steep 1.5 miles along a very popular hiking trail.
Dotsero Ponds
Immediately south of I-70 at the Dotsero exit, in the Two River Park development, are a couple of small ponds that can be worth a quick scan. Several types of waterbirds can be found here along with nesting Osprey. Just north of the interstate exit along the Colorado River Road (CR 301) is the Frank Olsen Trailhead on the Ute Trail, which leads into good pinyon-juniper habitat for those who don’t want to stray far from the interstate.
Deep Creek Recreation Area
If you haven’t been to Deep Creek, you owe yourself the privilege of a trip. A gorgeous cottonwood forest rises here between rock pillars along a beautiful dipper stream. The combination of riparian woods and thickets with the pinyon-juniper and oaks that coat the hillsides makes for a fascinating combination of breeding birds, and you may find Cordilleran and Dusky Flycatchers, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Canyon Wren, and Virginia’s and Black-throated Gray Warblers all side-by-side. Deep Creek is also a well-known place to look for butterflies during the summer months, and rare species such as Great Basin Fritillary and Colorado Hairstreak (the state butterfly of Colorado) have been seen here.
Trail Gulch Road
This road runs mostly through BLM land, although there is some private property along it as well. It connects I-70 with the Colorado River Road between Dotsero and Burns. The north part of the road is ruggedly scenic but sparsely vegetated. The central part of the road, however, runs through some of the best sagebrush in the area; look especially for Sage Sparrow and Sage Thrasher. Much of the best sage habitat is on private land, so be sure to bird from the road. The southern end of the road rises through some pinyon-juniper hillsides on its way up from the interstate; look here for Pinyon Jay, Juniper Titmouse, and Gray Flycatcher, among others.
Derby Mesa
The Derby Mesa Loop, a 17-mile loop along Derby Creek, takes in beautiful scenery and reaches up into aspen and spruce-fir habitat. Northern Goshawk and Dusky Grouse can both be found here, though you’ll need some luck with the former, and the latter is easiest in the spring when displaying. In the lower portions, where the road passes through montane shrubland, watch for Green-tailed Towhee, Orange-crowned and Virginia’s Warblers, and Plumbeous Vireo. Higher up, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Red-naped Sapsucker, and the occasional Purple Martin are possible. Elk, mule deer, and marmots can be seen, sometimes in good numbers. Some of this area is inaccessible when there is snow on the roads.
Catamount Recreation Site
The Catamount Recreation site is used as a launch site for whitewater rafters, but is also a good spot to have a picnic while birding the riparian habitat along the Colorado River. The best habitat is actually along the entrance road. Look for species like Yellow-breasted Chat, Lazuli Bunting, Bullock’s Oriole, Common Merganser on the river, and migrants in season.
Gypsum Ponds State Wildlife Area
This small SWA right off of I-70 is often worth a quick stop. The ponds are shallow but good for dabbling ducks; Osprey can sometimes be seen in the area during the summer, and Bald Eagle at other times of year. Large cottonwoods along the Eagle River are worth checking out for migrants and breeding species such as Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Western Kingbird, and others. Muskrats are often seen cruising the ponds.
Cottonwood Pass Road
It seems like this road has a little bit of every kind of habitat, but not much of any one. However, there is some very decent scrub-oak forest and sagebrush (look for Virginia’s and Orange-crowned Warblers, Western Scrub-Jay, Green-tailed and Spotted Towhees, and Violet-green Swallow), and some farmer’s ponds well below the road just before the Garfield County line can have breeders like American Coot, Canada Goose, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, and Ring-necked Duck.
Brush Creek Ranch
This private ranch is located just south of the entrance to Sylvan Lake State Park. The property includes mixed conifer, pinyon-juniper and riparian habitat. Currently, viewing is available from the road but soon they plan to develop a boardwalk that will link to existing trails.
Sylvan Lake State Park
Sylvan Lake is very pretty mountain lake, which, while not very attractive to birds itself, is surrounded by very nice forest that can be fun to spend some time in. The forest around it is mixed-conifer with lots of lodgepole; downstream (north) from the lake are some streamside willows with potential for Fox and Lincoln’s Sparrows and Swainson’s Thrush. South of Sylvan Lake up the same road is Crooked Creek Pass, which has great spruce-fir forest to the west and aspen to the east. Up the Fulford Fork, another drainage below the state park, is probably the best birding in the area. The lower portion of the Fulford Road is technically part of the state park and requires a parking fee. Along the road you will find a good dipper stream flowing through lots of narrowleaf cottonwood, aspen, and alder. Farther up is excellent aspen that may have Flammulated Owl. The Fulford Cave Campground at the end of the road accesses some very nice montane forests that include spruce-fir.