Denny Lake Park is located just east of downtown Cortez and is managed by the city of Cortez. This is one of the top birding hotspots in all of Montezuma County with close to 200 species recorded here. There is a gravel trail that surrounds the lake and provides excellent birding opportunities. Last winter (2022) a state first Rufous-backed Robin was found at Denny Lake. Hundreds of birders made their way to Denny soon after to see this extremely rare tropical robin.
La Plata
A Layer Cake of Diversity
This is a land whose great diversity is sorted into layers from the bottom of the mountain to the top. Down low, in the deserts around the floor of Mesa Verde, the land grows mostly shrubby and spiky plants, like prickly pear and saltbush, which are home to equally spiny creatures, like the short-horned lizard. A little higher up, you’ll find the world-renowned cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Pueblo peoples, whose ingenuity in making a home out of the ruggedest of landscapes has never been matched by modern humans, but is put to shame by the unique adaptations of the local wildlife, like the pinecone-hunting Pinyon Jay. Farther up the mountain, you’ll find pines and oaks and the beautiful Abert’s Squirrel and Grace’s Warbler. An intrepid few may venture still higher, into the spruce-fir forest of the high La Plata mountains and perhaps even out of the trees entirely, onto the alpine tundra with the pipits, pika and ptarmigan. For variety in a short distance, this trail is hard to beat.
Narraguinnep Reservoir 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
Totten Reservoir 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
Puett Reservoir 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
Summit Reservoir 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: National Parks fee
Ownership: National Park Service
Narraguinnep Reservoir State Wildlife Area
This medium-sized reservoir can be very productive for waterbirds in migration, including loons, grebes, and ducks. When the water levels are low enough, shorebirds are possible. Bald Eagles sometimes soar overhead.
Totten Reservoir State Wildlife Area
Conveniently close to Cortez, this nice lake attracts good numbers of waterbirds. Since water is rare in the Four Corners region, concentrations of birds here can be very good, but a scope is required to see them well. Finding the vagrant gull or shorebird could require a long walk to the northeastern corner through pinyon-juniper habitat. This is the top birding location in Montezuma County with 234 species recorded.
Dolores
This nice little town is a good home for visitors and provides all the amenities. The best birding in town is at Joe Rowell Park right off the main drag, where you can access a footpath through some very nice riparian habitat. You might find a dipper here, particularly in winter.
McPhee Reservoir
By far the largest reservoir in the area, the birding potential of this massive lake varies as widely as its water level. If the water is low during the spring and fall the extensive mudflats can be excellent for shorebirds. When the water level is high, or during the late fall and early spring, ducks can be abundant and rarities like Barrow’s Goldeneye, Common Loon, and Red-breasted Merganser are possible. Gulls and terns could be found at any water level; spring and fall are best. Waterbirds aren’t the only reason to come to McPhee. Extensive forest of many types surrounds the lake. The west end of McPhee is the top birding spot along the reservoir, however it is quite far from House Creek. At the House Creek Recreation Area, and along the road, a mixture of ponderosa pine woodland and pinyon-juniper forest provide the potential for a wide variety of birds. Look for MacGillivray’s and Grace’s Warblers, Red-naped and Williamson’s Sapsuckers, Flammulated and Northern Saw-whet Owls, and Hammond’s Flycatcher in the ponderosa woodland, and Black-throated Gray Warbler, Plumbeous Vireo, Juniper Titmouse, and Gray Flycatcher in the pinyon-juniper woodland. In the sage flats around the western part of the reservoir look for Sage Thrasher and Sagebrush Sparrow, as well as raptors during the winter months. Finally, keep an eye out for mammals throughout; black bear, Abert’s squirrel, Gunnison’s prairie-dog, and deer and elk are all possible.
Puett Reservoir State Wildlife Area
This is a medium-sized reservoir ringed by forest, both pinyon-juniper and cottonwood. Important to note, most of the pinyon-juniper forest is private property. Numbers of waterfowl here can be variable, but sometimes in the spring and fall you could hit the jackpot with large numbers and variety of ducks. Look in the cottonwoods for migrants, in season.
Summit Reservoir State Wildlife Area
This large reservoir is very productive for waterbirds, and the surrounding ponderosa woodland can be good for Grace’s Warbler, and Red Crossbill, among others. During rainy weather, thousands of swallows can be seen skimming low over the water.
Bauer Lake
This is a private lake, but you can view it from both the east and the west sides from county roads, be careful of local traffic. However, the best viewing is from the east side on CR41, and presents the best possibility of seeing a Lewis’ Woodpecker. In the spring and fall this lake can be full of waterbirds including ducks, grebes, and coots. Occasionally a Bald Eagle might be seen flying overhead. Keep an eye out for mule deer in the area.
Mancos area
This small town between Cortez and Durango is not only a good place to base yourself when visiting the nearby area or Mesa Verde, it is also a decent birding spot in its own right. The Mancos Riverwalk provides access to the riparian corridor along the Mancos River, as does the nearby Cottonwood Park just west of Spruce Street north of the river. Look for migrants in season, and Black-headed Grosbeak, Bullock’s Oriole, Downy Woodpecker, and other riparian birds during the summer. Another area to check is CR 41, which heads south out of town. At first, look for Lewis’s Woodpeckers in the large cottonwoods. Later on, as you enter extensive pinyon-juniper woodland, look for Gray Vireo, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Juniper Titmouse, and more. Mammals in the area include coyotes, desert cottontails, and mule deer.
Mancos State Park
Jackson Gulch Reservoir is a small lake surrounded by extensive ponderosa woodland making Mancos State Park a great place to visit. While the lake itself isn’t the best birding location, in the surrounding woodland you’ll find Grace’s Warbler, Flammulated and Northern Saw-whet Owls, Red Crossbill, Band-tailed Pigeon, and other species typical of mid-elevation montane habitats. During the late summer and early fall keep an eye out for hummingbirds, four species are possible. Butterflies are quite diverse in the area as well, and specialties include Arizona Sister, Western Pine Elfin, and Great Spangled Fritillary.
Jersey Jim Flats
A few miles up the road from Mancos State Park, Jersey Jim Flats has some of the largest aspens and most extensive aspen groves in Colorado. The specialty of the area is Purple Martin, which nests in cavities in the largest aspens, usually in areas near meadows. Also check for Red-naped and Williamson’s Sapsuckers, Dusky Grouse, Dusky Flycatcher, and other species typical of aspen groves. A nighttime drive in the area could produce Flammulated and Northern Saw-whet Owls. Elk, deer, and bear are in the area as well.
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde is a national treasure. The park was created in 1905 to protect the amazing archaeological resources, including some of the largest cliff dwellings in North America. The park is also a place of great natural beauty; much of the top of the mesa was covered by pinyon juniper and deciduous shrubland, but a number of fires in the late ’90s and early 2000s burned much of the park. Excellent pinyon-juniper forest does remain, however, and you will find many birds, including Black-throated Gray Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Spotted Towhee, and Juniper Titmouse. The cliff faces are spectacular places to watch White-throated Swifts and Turkey Vultures playing in the thermals. Wild horses can often be seen in the evenings near the visitor’s center. The park museum can teach you about other local wildlife, including mountain lions. Because the archaeological sites are so sensitive, much of the park is off limits, there is no access to the park at night, and hikers are strictly required to stay on the trail. Because it is one of Colorado’s premier tourist attractions, it can be very crowded in the summer, so birding is best early in the morning.
Madden Peak Road
This dirt road heads north from the high point between Cortez and Durango, providing access to excellent ponderosa pine woodland and aspen groves. Driving this road early in the morning during April is a fantastic way to find Dusky Grouse, which often display right along the road. A little later in the year, Purple Martins can sometimes be found in the larger aspen groves that border meadows. Look for Grace’s Warbler, Williamson’s Sapsucker, and Dusky and Hammond’s Flycatchers in the ponderosa woodland, and Red-naped Sapsucker, Orange-crowned Warbler, Violet-green Swallow, and Flammulated Owl in the areas with aspens. A number of mammal species could also be found along this road; both black bear and bobcat have been seen; drive slowly to avoid hitting the numerous elk and deer.
La Plata Canyon
The La Plata Canyon road (CR 124) passes through the tiny settlement of Mayday, where rosy-finches come to feeders in winter and oak shrubland birds such as Western Scrub-Jays can be seen year-round. In summer you can drive much farther up the road, into dense coniferous forests with some riparian willows and mountain meadows. Most of the high-elevation birds can be found, including Pine Grosbeak, Wilson’s and MacGillivray’s Warblers, and Lincoln’s Sparrow.
Rafter J Acorn Woodpecker Colony
The only spot to see Acorn Woodpecker in the state is also an excellent spot to look for other ponderosa pine woodland specialties — Western Bluebird, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Grace’s Warbler, and Pygmy Nuthatch are all reasonably easy to see. Black-throated Gray Warbler can sometimes be found in the areas with pinyon pine and juniper trees. Keep an eye out for Abert’s Squirrel and Wild Turkey on the road into the woodpecker trees.
La Plata County Road 136
This road in southwestern La Plata County provides access to the best pinyon-juniper woodland in the area. In summer, Cassin’s Kingbirds can often be found along the northern portions of the road. Look and listen for Gray Vireo, Juniper Titmouse, Black-throated Gray Warbler, and Gray Flycatcher in areas where the forest approaches the road, and Sage and Black-throated Sparrows in areas with more sage. Of these birds, only the titmouse remains in winter. Lizards and snakes are also common along the road and an evening drive could produce a number of species. Much of this road passes through the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, so walking off the road is prohibited.
Junction Creek Campground
The closest forest service campground to Durango not only provides a good place to camp, it also provides one of the most accessible places in the state for the likes of Grace’s Warbler, Flammulated and Northern Saw-whet Owls, and Williamson’s Sapsucker. The ponderosa pine/aspen mix can be excellent for these and a variety of other birds, and if you continue up into the spruce-fir you could come across Dusky Grouse, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and the other species typical of the habitat. Keep an eye out for the Peregrine Falcons that nest nearby, and for the handsome Abert’s squirrel, among many other mammals.
Durango Fish Hatchery / Animas River
Located in the heart of Durango along the banks of the Animas River, the Durango Fish Hatchery is a birders paradise with over 200 species recorded. The riparian corridor along the Animas acts as a migrant trap during spring and fall migration; you may just be fortunate enough to see or hear American Dipper along the river. Huck Finn Pond located on the property provides excellent viewing of waterfowl. Listen for Ruby-crowned Kinglets that sing from the mature spruce trees. Keep your eye out for Black Phoebe, as they leave during the colder months and return each year right around St. Patrick’s Day (mid-March). This property has provided many rare sightings including Vermillion Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, Pacific Wren, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Birding is good year-round, but spring and fall migration are the best. Undeniably the birding gem of Durango!