The legendary Cameron Pass is more famous as a night birding location than in the daytime, because it is one of the best and most accessible locations for Boreal Owls. The best time of year is March and early April, when they sing during the night (but not every night). Playing tapes of the owls’ song during the fall may also be productive. Northern Saw-whet Owl is also in the area, and porcupines often cross the road at night. If you venture up here during the daytime, you’ll find excellent spruce-fir and mixed conifer forest, with species such as Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Gray Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, and finches. Moose is sometimes seen from the road, as is snowshoe hare.
North Park
A Taste of the North
North Park, virtually synonymous with Jackson County, is a high, flat, peak-ringed valley that teems with far more wildlife than people. Some of Colorado’s finest and most extensive remaining sagebrush country can be found here, right beside some of Colorado’s finest and most extensive wetlands. This is one of the best areas in Colorado to see moose, lekking Greater Sage-Grouse, breeding colonies of waterbirds such as Eared Grebe and Franklin’s Gull, and the elusive Boreal Owl. In summer, the willow-lined creek bottoms provide homes for nesting Veeries and Slate-colored Fox Sparrows. In winter, the landscape takes on the stark beauty of areas far closer to the Arctic Circle, attracting cold-weather wanderers such as all three species of rosy-finches and, rarely, Gyrfalcons. Among Coloradans, North Park has a reputation as a wildlife watcher’s paradise, and the reputation is well deserved.
Admission: Free
Ownership: Colorado Parks and Wildlife, leased from Colorado State Land Board / US Forest Service
Admission: Free
Ownership: Colorado Parks and Wildlife, leased from the Colorado State Land Board
Admission: State Parks Pass
Ownership: Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Cowdrey Lake 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
Seymour Lake 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: 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
Delaney Butte Lakes State Wildlife Area
Admission: A valid hunting or fishing license is required for everyone 18 or older to access any State Wildlife Area or State Trust Land leased by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Ownership: Colorado Parks and Wildlife
American Lakes
Since there is no roadside tundra on this trail, one of the easier ways to get above treeline is by hiking along the Michigan Ditch south from Cameron Pass to a trail which leads up to three gorgeous alpine lakes in the shadow of the Nokhu Crags. These three lakes are called the American Lakes or the Michigan Lakes, depending on the map you’re looking at; the largest and highest of them is often called Snow Lake. Brown-capped Rosy-Finch breeds on the cliffs around Snow Lake, about four miles from Cameron Pass. The chirps of pikas are often heard in the area. Look for ptarmigan in the grassier areas above the other two lakes, and typical spruce-fir birds along the rest of the trail. Moose and elk are both common here.
State Forest State Park
This state park with the unwieldy name has some excellent birding potential. Two areas are of particular interest. The first is the road to North Michigan Reservoir, which provides access to a great deal of beautiful willow habitat on the way to the reservoir, which has breeding Fox Sparrow and Veery. The stream below the dam is excellent for dippers. The second spot in the park worth visiting is the Moose Visitor Center, a little farther east on Highway 14. The feeders in back can be great for finches at all times of year, including Red Crossbill, Cassin’s Finch, Pine Grosbeak, and, in winter, rosy-finches. In summer Fox Sparrow breeds in the willows beyond, and Red-naped Sapsucker is reliable. While you’re there, check out the visitor center’s terrific exhibits and have the rangers point you in the direction of recent moose sightings.
Jackson County Road 30
The willows between Highway 14 and the private Meadow Creek Reservoir are reliable for Veery during the summer months. The road continues past the reservoir through some decent sage, lodgepole and willow habitats, where you have more chances at Veery, Swainson’s Thrush, and American Dipper along the stream. Watch for moose anywhere in the area.
Walden
The county seat and largest town, Walden is home to a few birds that can be hard to find elsewhere in Jackson County, including Eurasian Collared-Dove. The trees in town can have migrants in season. Hummingbird feeders can attract four species in late summer, and rosy-finches occasionally visit feeders here in winter. This town is also the best (read: ‘only’) place to find good service and hotels on this trail, and an excellent base for exploring the area.
Walden Reservoir
This lake typically stands head and shoulders above the other lakes in the county with regards to bird numbers and variety. Walden usually has a little of everything: dabblers, divers, shorebirds, gulls, terns, and waders. Birds such as American White Pelican, Black Tern, and Franklin’s and California Gulls breed on islands in the middle of the lake, one of the few locations in Colorado where these species breed. The marshy fringes of the lake are good for Yellow-headed Blackbird and grebes, while mudflats on the southern and western edges of the lake are excellent for shorebirds when water is low. Raptors are often around to take advantage of the avian feast; look for Golden Eagle and Prairie Falcons especially.
Cowdrey Lake State Wildlife Area
When not busy with boaters, this lake can be productive for waterbirds, including mixed flocks of geese, diving ducks, and even loons in fall. There is a nice patch of thick vegetation along the southeast shore where migrant passerines are sometimes concentrated and species such as Lincoln’s Sparrow breed. Golden Eagles and (in the winter) Rough-legged Hawks are common in the area, and keep an eye out for moose in any wet spot nearby.
Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
Aside from the numerous lakes and ponds the provide ample habitat for ducks, shorebirds and the Peregrine Falcons that eat them, this refuge is also the best place in Colorado to find Greater Sage-Grouse outside the lekking season. Driving the refuge road at dawn or dusk gives you nearly even odds of finding these magnificent birds, and you may also see Short-eared Owls (which are uncommon at best). The series of ponds are excellent for ducks, especially dabblers and Ruddy Duck, and are also a good place to get exceptionally close views of nesting Eared Grebes, Marsh Wrens, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. When the water is low look for shorebirds, which usually include American Avocet, Wilson’s Phalarope, and Baird’s Sandpipers, in season. Moose, elk, mule deer, coyotes, and jackrabbits are sometimes seen in the area as well.
MacFarlane Reservoir
This large, remote reservoir can be difficult to get to, and high clearance helps. However, it is an excellent lake for ducks and other waterbirds, and since it is a fairly deep lake, it can be a good spot to look for loons and divers in migration. MacFarlane is also one of the few places in Colorado where American White Pelicans breed, and is an excellent spot for various raptors as well. The drive in passes through extensive sage flats, and there is a decent chance at stumbling upon a Greater Sage-Grouse. Elk abound in the area, and an occasional moose is sometimes seen. Note that access to this site can be very difficult in the early spring, when there is still snow on the ground, or after a heavy rain.
Willow Creek Pass
This pass, which exits North Park to the south, passes through good spruce-fir forest, as well as extensively beetle-killed lodgepole pine forests lower down. A smattering of willow carrs make for a good habitat mix. Look for a variety of woodpeckers, especially in the beetle killed forests, and for Fox Sparrow in the willows. Gray Jay is regular along this road, and the whole area is good for finches including Red Crossbill and Evening and Pine Grosbeaks.
Hebron Waterfowl Area
The Hebron Waterfowl Area along Jackson CR 34 is an excellent spot to look for ducks, shorebirds, and terns. The shallow Eighteen Islands Reservoir can have many shorebirds and ducks, depending on water level. The large pond just west of here is better for ducks, and can have Black and Forster’s Terns flying around. The Hebron Slough, just east of Eighteen Islands Reservoir, is fairly small, but should be checked for shorebirds and ducks. County Road 34 is a good spot to keep an eye out for Greater Sage-Grouse, especially in the sage flats along the eastern end of the road. Raptors abound along this road as well, with Swainson’s and Rough-legged Hawks (in summer and winter respectively), Prairie Falcon, and Golden Eagle possible.
Seymour Lake State Wildlife Area
This small reservoir often doesn’t have the huge bird concentrations of other North Park lakes, but it is still worth a check if you are in the area, and can be a good place to get close looks at birds. It can be fairly good for ducks, and shorebirds can be found if the reservoir is low enough to produce mudflats. CR 28, to the north of the reservoir, can be a great place to look for Greater Sage-Grouse, especially in mid-morning during the lekking season, when birds are flying from the leks to feeding areas. Coyotes, deer, and pronghorn can also be seen here.
Lake John State Wildlife Area
This relatively deep lake is probably the best in the county for diving ducks, and is good all around during migration for waterbirds and, if water levels are low enough, shorebirds. Look especially for loons and grebes during fall. The extensive sage flats around here support Greater Sage-Grouse and Sage Thrasher, and a good variety of raptors including Golden Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, and Prairie Falcon. Short-tailed Weasel has sometimes been seen around the lake also. Pronghorns are fairly common in the vicinity.
Delaney Butte Lakes State Wildlife Area
The three lakes here are often less birdy than others in North Park, but can sometimes have waterbird fallouts. North Delaney Lake tends to be the most productive. The small riparian corridor and fields just to the south of the lakes sometimes have Short-eared Owl, and it’s not unusual to see a Great Horned Owl perched up if you drive the area late in the evening. The most accessible Greater Sage-Grouse lek in the state is also here, a prime reason to visit this site during the spring months. Please observe lek etiquette: arrive before dawn, use your car as a blind, keep noise and movement to a minimum, and don’t leave until after the birds do.
Buffalo Pass
This high mountain pass, an alternative route between Walden and Steamboat Springs, passes through superb high mountain forest. Watch especially for Dusky Grouse on the North Park side; they can often be seen along the road in the spring not long after the pass opens. The spruce-fir forest at the top has a high density of American Three-toed Woodpeckers, as well as other species such as Olive-sided Flycatcher, Gray Jay, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Swainson’s Thrush. Elk, mule deer, If you feel up to some night birding, keep an ear out for Northern Saw-whet Owl, and at the higher elevations, Boreal Owl.