s S F W
Wood-warblers
___ Ovenbird
___ Northern Waterthrush
___ Orange-crowned Warbler
___ Virginia’s Warbler
___ MacGillivray’s Warbler
___ Mourning Warbler
___ Common Yellowthroat
___ American Redstart
___ Yellow Warbler
___ Blackpoll Warbler
___ Yellow-rumped Warbler
___ Wilson’s Warbler
___ Yellow-breasted Chat
Sparrows
___ Green-tailed Towhee
___ Spotted Towhee
___ American Tree Sparrow
___ Chipping Sparrow
___ Clay-colored Sparrow
___ Brewer’s Sparrow
___ Vesper Sparrow
___ Lark Sparrow
___ Lark Bunting
___ Savannah Sparrow
___ Grasshopper Sparrow
___ Fox Sparrow
___ Song Sparrow
___ Lincoln’s Sparrow
___ Swamp Sparrow
___ White-crowned Sparrow
___ Dark-eyed Junco
o
o
o
o
u
u
o
o
o
o
o
o
u r u
o
o
c c c
o
o
c
c
r
u
r
r
o
r
r
u
r
u
u
u
u
u
o
Habitat
W
CM
W
W
MW
W
M
W
W
W
W
W
W
c c
u
o
c
c
o
r r
r u
c
r
u
u
u
u
u
o
o
c u
u
o o
c c
c u
Tanagers, Grosbeaks & Allies
___ Western Tanager
___ Blue Grosbeak
___ Lazuli Bunting
r
r
o
r
r
r
o
Blackbirds
___ Red-winged Blackbird
___ Western Meadowlark
___ Yellow-headed Blackbird
___ Brewer’s Blackbird
___ Common Grackle
___ Great-tailed Grackle
___ Brown-headed Cowbird
___ Bullock’s Oriole
a
c
r
r
a
o
u
u
a
u
r
o
a
o
u
u
a
u
r
r
c
o
u
r
Finches
___ House Finch
___ Lesser Goldfinch
___ American Goldfinch
c c c c
o o o
c c c u
PWO
PW
PW
Old-world Sparrows
___ House Sparrow
u c u o
W
o
r
u
u
u
r
o
W
W
PW
PW
PW
P
P
P
P
P
P
W
CM W
CM W
CM
PW
W
W
P
M PW
c
o
M PW
o
M PW
L CWO
M PW
W
o
o
P
M
W
elcome to Bluff Lake Nature Center, an urban
wildlife refuge and outdoor classroom located in
northeast Denver!
Bluff Lake’s 123 acres, perfectly positioned along Sand
Creek, protect a rare crossroads of habitat, providing a
sanctuary for birds and birdwatchers alike. Make your
way through some of the last shortgrass prairie in the
metro area, explore riparian woodlands, look out across
one of the most extensive cattail marshes in Denver, and
enjoy close views of the lake itself. Birds abound in every
habitat, and each season brings special birdwatching
opportunities:
W inter - On a cold winter morning, waterfowl crowd the
lake and creek. Bald Eagles and other raptors wing close
overhead. Sparrows play hide-and-seek in rabbitbrush.
S pring - Spring migration brings an exhilerating rush of
colorful songbirds, egrets, and the odd shorebird. Great
Horned Owls raise their young in hidden nests.
S ummer - Birdsong fills the summer months. Swallows
course overhead and flycatchers dart through the trees.
Stately Great Blue Herons hunt for fish and frogs.
F all - As the leaves change, migration plays out in
C hecklist
B irds
Belted Kingfisher
Thanks to the various phases of its history — as native
creekside prairie, as part of a sprawling cattle ranch, and
as a buffer zone for the Stapleton Airport — Bluff Lake
contains a unique mixture of landforms and ecosystems.
When Stapleton Airport closed in 1994, Bluff Lake Natural
Area was set aside as an urban wildlife refuge. To
enhance the site as an outdoor classroom, the City and
County of Denver built trails, restored the banks of Sand
Creek, and constructed open-air shelters.
After your visit, please leave this checklist in the
feedback box on the kiosk or email your sightings to:
[email protected]
For more information,
please visit our
website.
www.blufflake.org
3400 Havana Way
Denver CO 80238
W
Open sunrise to
sunset, every day
Free to the public
Red-winged Blackbird
Photographer Unknown
B luff L ake
N ature C enter
luff Lake Nature Center’s mission is “to foster
environmental education and stewardship at Bluff
Lake, a unique urban wildlife refuge.”
As a birdwatcher, you provide invaluable information
on the habits and distribution of Bluff Lake’s wildlife.
Your observations create a picture of the ways in which
different species use the refuge. We would love to hear
what you have seen.
S ubmit Y our S ightings
Photo by Mary Jo Hansen
of
B
Today, Bluff Lake
Nature Center is
an independent
nonprofit that serves
thousands of students
every year and is an
integral component
of the surrounding
community. Enjoy a
moment of peace in
this oasis in the city.
reverse, offering a two-month-long opportunity to glimpse
many rare birds. Young birds learn to fly and hunt.
of the
No dogs - No bikes
Great Horned Owl
Photo by Jay Wozny
OBSERVERS: ______________________________
DATE: _____________________________________
WEATHER: ________________________________
_________________________________________
T
his checklist includes the 158 bird species that have
been recorded at Bluff Lake Nature Center to date.
This total makes Bluff Lake the best publicly accessible
birdwatching site in Denver County. Some species are
abundant year-round; others have only been seen once.
Many more might be added to the list by the intrepid
birdwatcher — will you see the 159th species?
Use this checklist along with your binoculars and a field
guide to identify birds at Bluff Lake. Rarity codes tell how
likely it is for a species to be present in a given season.
Habitat codes tell where each species is likely to be
seen. As you walk, make note of a bird’s behavior, shape,
coloration, and voice. Sketch or take photographs. Use a
combination of your observations and the information in a
field guide to identify the birds that you discover here.
H abitat C odes
S eason C odes
L - Bluff Lake
C - Sand Creek
M - cattail marsh
P - shortgrass prairie
W - riparian woods
O - flying overhead
s - Spring
S - Summer
F - Fall
W - Winter
R arity C odes
a - Abundant (a common species which is numerous)
c - Common (likely to be seen in suitable habitat)
u - Uncommon (might be seen in suitable habitat)
r - Rare (not always seen in a season)
o - Occasional (extraordinary; only one or two records)
N otes
and
S ketches
s S F W
Waterfowl
___ Snow Goose
___ Cackling Goose
___ Canada Goose
___ Wood Duck
___ Gadwall
___ American Wigeon
___ Mallard
___ Blue-winged Teal
___ Cinnamon Teal
___ Northern Shoveler
___ Northern Pintail
___ Green-winged Teal
___ Redhead
___ Lesser Scaup
___ Ring-necked Duck
___ Bufflehead
___ Common Goldeneye
___ Hooded Merganser
___ Common Merganser
___ Ruddy Duck
r
c
u
c
u
a
c
c
c
o
c
u
u
u
u
u
u
u
u
c
u
u
a
u
u
r
c
u
c
u
a
c
c
c
o
c
r
u
u
u
u
u
r
u
o
u
a
u
c
u
a
c
o
c
r
u
u
u
u
u
r
o
LO
LC O
LC O
L
LC
LC
LC
LC
LC
LC
LC
LC
L
LC
LC
LC
LC
LC
LC
L
Loons & Grebes
___ Pied-billed Grebe
u c c o
Cormorants & Pelicans
___ Double-crested Cormorant
___ American White Pelican
c c u
r u r
LC O
LO
Herons, Ibis & Allies
___ Great Blue Heron
___ Great Egret
___ Snowy Egret
___ Black-crowned Night-Heron
u c u
o
u c u
u u r
LC M
LC M
r
o
r
r
u
r
u
c
o
WO
LC O
MP O
WO
Vultures, Eagles & Hawks
___ Turkey Vulture
___ Osprey
___ Northern Harrier
___ Sharp-shinned Hawk
___ Cooper’s Hawk
___ Bald Eagle
___ Swainson’s Hawk
___ Red-tailed Hawk
___ Ferruginous Hawk
___ Rough-legged Hawk
r u
o o
r
r
u u
r
c u
c c
Rails & Gallinules
___ Virginia Rail
___ Sora
___ American Coot
r r r
r r r
c c c
Shorebirds
___ Black-necked Stilt
___ American Avocet
___ Killdeer
o
o
u u r
c c c
L
LC M
LC
u
r
u
u
s S F W
Habitat
___ Spotted Sandpiper
___ Solitary Sandpiper
___ Greater Yellowlegs
___ Lesser Yellowlegs
___ Baird’s Sandpiper
___ Least Sandpiper
___ Semipalmated Sandpiper
___ Pectoral Sandpiper
___ Wilson’s Snipe
___ Wilson’s Phalarope
u r u
r
u
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
r o r o
r
o
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
LM
L
Gulls & Terns
___ Ring-billed Gull
c u c c
O
Pigeons & Doves
___ Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
___ Eurasian Collared-Dove
___ Mourning Dove
a c a a
u u u u
c a c
O
W
WO
Owls
___ Great Horned Owl
___ Burrowing Owl
u u
o
Habitat
c
o
r
WO
LWO
WO
WO
PO
PO
r
M
M
LM
r
L
L
LP
Swifts
___ Chimney Swift
r
u
o
W
P
O
Hummingbirds
___ Black-chinned Hummingbird
___ Broad-tailed Hummingbird
o
o
Kingfishers
___ Belted Kingfisher
c c c c
LC
Woodpeckers
___ Downy Woodpecker
___ Hairy Woodpecker
___ Northern Flicker
c c c c
r r r r
c c c c
W
W
Falcons
___ American Kestrel
___ Merlin
___ Peregrine Falcon
___ Prairie Falcon
c c c c
o
o r
o o o o
o
o o
PO
W
PWO
PO
Flycatchers
___ Olive-sided Flycatcher
___ Western Wood-Pewee
___ Dusky Flycatcher
___ Say’s Phoebe
___ Ash-throated Flycatcher
___ Western Kingbird
___ Eastern Kingbird
r
u
o
c
o
u
u
Shrikes
___ Northern Shrike
Vireos
___ Plumbeous Vireo
___ Cassin’s Vireo
r
o
o
r
u u
o
c u o
o
c c
u u
o
o
o
MP W
MP W
r
o
o
W
W
W
W
CPW
W
PW
PW
PW
W
W
s S F W
Habitat
___ Warbling Vireo
r
o o
W
Jays, Magpies, Crows & Ravens
___ Blue Jay
___ Black-billed Magpie
___ American Crow
___ Common Raven
u u u r
c c c c
c c c c
o
o o
W
W
PWO
O
Larks
___ Horned Lark
o o o o
P
Martins & Swallows
___ Northern Rough-winged Swallow
___ Tree Swallow
___ Violet-green Swallow
___ Bank Swallow
___ Barn Swallow
___ Cliff Swallow
u
u
r
r
a
c
Chickadees
___ Black-capped Chickadee
a c a a
W
Long-tailed Tits
___ Bushtit
o o o o
W
Nuthatches & Treecreepers
___ White-breasted Nuthatch
___ Brown Creeper
u u c u
r
r u
W
W
Wrens
___ Rock Wren
___ House Wren
___ Marsh Wren
r
u c
r o
r
r
r
Gnatcatchers
___ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
o
o
W
Kinglets
___ Ruby-crowned Kinglet
r
u o
W
Thrushes
___ Mountain Bluebird
___ Townsend’s Solitaire
___ Swainson’s Thrush
___ Hermit Thrush
___ American Robin
r
o
o
o o
r
r
r
r
a a a a
Mimids
___ Gray Catbird
___ Brown Thrasher
___ Sage Thrasher
___ Northern Mockingbird
o
o
u
u
r
r
a
c
u
u
r
r
a
c
LC MP W O
LC MP W O
LC MP W O
LC MW O
LC MP W O
LC MP W O
r
o
o
P
CW
M
MP W
W
W
W
PWO
o
o o o
W
W
P
P
Starlings
___ European Starling
a a a a
W
Pipits
___ American Pipit
o
o o
Waxwings
___ Cedar Waxwing
r
r
r
LC MP
CW