Community Science

Colorado Bluebird Project

The Colorado Bluebird Project operates under the guidance of Denver Audubon throughout Denver and across the state. This volunteer-run project aims to improve the vitality of bluebird populations and to inform and educate Coloradans about bluebirds. From April through August, volunteers of all ages are needed to help monitor the nest boxes.

  • Our Mission

    To improve the vitality of bluebird populations throughout the State of Colorado, and to inform and educate the public about bluebirds.

  • Our Goals

      Recruit volunteers to monitor trails that are currently unattendedEncourage groups and individuals alike to install and monitor new nestbox trails in suitable habitat throughout ColoradoEncourage monitors to record their observations in the NestWatch system at the Cornell Lab of OrnithologyEncourage ‘networking’ among enthusiasts of bluebirds and all birds that use nestboxes all across ColoradoEncourage bluebird enthusiasts to join the North American Bluebird SocietyProvide low-cost nestboxes to anyone wishing to install them in suitable habitat and monitor them. Both kits and constructed boxes are availableProvide education and access to information to anyone interested in learning about bluebirds and other nestbox usersProvide a warm welcome to anyone who wants to help further the goals of the Project

  • Our Functions

    Here’s How We Are Meeting Our Goals:

NestWatch at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

We strongly encourage all nest box monitors in Colorado to report your observations and results to the NestWatch system at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology by using the NestWatch app on your cell phone while you are at your nest boxes. The first benefit comes directly to you, because using their cell phone app to record your observations into NestWatch while you are standing at the nest box helps ensure your data is correct and doesn’t get lost or mixed up in the shuffle of paper records when you get home. It also makes it easier on you because you don’t have to write your observations down in the field then transcribe them into NestWatch on your home computer when you get home – it effectively cuts your workload in half. However, if you are more comfortable handwriting your field observations on a paper form then posting them into NestWatch when you get home, please continue to do it your way. Either way, your information is always available to you in NestWatch, in a consistent and easy to manage form. NestWatch provides you a suite of standard reports that allow you to look at your data in a variety of ways. Whether you use the cell phone app in the field or you do your data entry on a home computer, you can use either one to get information back about your nest boxes.


One of the biggest benefits is that your data becomes part of the world of information in NestWatch. Although your personal information is not visible to anybody else, the data from your nest records can be aggregated in many ways at many levels by folks who are managing or researching nest box data at group or state or region or species or even country-wide level. Your data makes a big difference at all those levels.

 

Just visit NestWatch.org to get started!

Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch

We are a supporting partner of the Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch, a project of Denver Field Ornithologists (DFO). DFO works with Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA), a non-profit organization, to count migrating hawks, eagles, falcons and other raptors each spring. This vital community science project not only tallies bird numbers — it also teaches participants how to identify these magnificent birds of prey and note their behavioral traits. 

 

Named for its world-renowned fossil beds, Dinosaur Ridge is a window into the seasonal movement of birds of prey such as hawks, eagles, falcons and more, over Colorado's Front Range. These raptors migrate in the spring along the eastern mountainous edge of the Rockies in part because mountain updrafts enable them to soar, which conserves their energy during their long journeys north to their breeding grounds. 

 

The Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch begins March 1 and runs through May 10, with daily observation periods from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m between March 1 to March 8, and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from March 9 to May 10. Visit the Dinosaur Ridge Hawk Watch site to learn more about how you can visit or volunteer

Lights Out Denver

We are a supporting partner of the Lights Out Denver Initiative, led by Denver Parks and Recreation. Part of Denver’s commitment as an Urban Bird Treaty City, the program aims to increase awareness of migratory bird collisions with buildings in the City and County of Denver and to promote practices that can help prevent these needless deaths. This program collects data on bird strikes in downtown Denver during spring and fall migration to identify threats to migratory birds and to demonstrate the necessity of bird-friendly building regulations. LOD also provides information on how individuals, businesses, property owners and managers can help reduce migratory bird deaths. 


Our goal is to help local businesses save energy, money, and migratory birds by promoting bird-safe building designs and reducing nighttime lighting!  Visit the Lights Out Denver page to learn more! 

Explore Our History (PDF)

Great Backyard Bird Count

From February 14-17, The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will take place across the world. The GBBC is a community science project where anyone can participate by counting the birds they see in their backyard (or a nearby park) and reporting the data online. Whether you’re a seasoned birdwatcher or a beginner, your observations are valuable for conservation! 


How to participate: 

  • Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 14–17, 2025. Identify all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location. 
  • Use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings: 
  • If you are a beginning bird admirer and new to bird identification, try using the Merlin Bird ID app to tell us what birds you are seeing or hearing. 
  • If you have participated in the count before and want to record numbers of birds, try the eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website (desktop/laptop).  
  • If you already use Merlin or eBird, all entries over the 4 days count towards GBBC. Keep doing what you are doing! 


If you’d like to participate in the GBBC with a group, we would love to have you join one of our field trips around the Denver area!  Stay tuned – we will post field trip locations in early January.


Have a group of 10 or more? Schedule a FREE one-hour presentation at your site to teach your group how to identify birds and use apps to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Christmas Bird Count

You can add to a century of community science by signing up to join a Christmas Bird Count near you! The CBC is the nation’s longest-running community science bird project, occurring between December 14 and January 5 every season. Each count takes place in an established 15-mile diameter circle and is organized by a count compiler. Participants follow specified routes, counting every bird they see or hear. CBC data have been used in hundreds of analyses, peer-reviewed publications, and government reports over the decades.

Birders of all skills sets are involved in the CBC. The Denver Audubon hosts the “Denver Urban” circle every year on January 1. We count birds in 16 different locations around the Denver metro area. Sign up to join one of our trips! Check back towards the end of the year to see events and sign up to be a part of the Christmas Bird Count.





City Nature Challenge

The City Nature Challenge is an annual four-day global bioblitz at the end of April, where cities are in a collaboration-meets-friendly-competition to see what can be accomplished when we all work toward a common goal. Knowing what species are in our city and where they are helps us study and protect them, but the ONLY way to do that is by all of us – scientists, land managers, and the community – working together to find and document the nature in our area. By participating in the City Nature Challenge, not only do you learn more about your local nature, but you can also make your city a better place – for you and other species!

 

Last year, the Denver-Boulder Metro area had 385 participants who logged 4,544 observations of 940 different species! This year, the challenge will take place from April 25-28, with results announced on May 5. Let’s double our numbers from last year! 


How can you participate? It’s easy! 

 

  1. Find Wildlife: It can be any WILD plant, animal, fungi, slime mold, or any other evidence of life found in your city. 
  2. Take a Picture of Record a Sound: Take a picture or record the sound of what you find. Be sure to note the location of the critter or plant. 
  3. Share: Share your observations through iNaturalist, a free and easy-to-use app. If it’s planted or taken care of by people, mark it as captive/cultivated! 


I'll guide you to amazing places

Spring Conservation Challenge

Did you know that backyards play a CRITICAL role in providing habitat for our local birds and wildlife? Our backyards and shared greenspaces are particularly important in urban areas and how we manage these areas can truly make a difference! That’s why we are challenging everyone, whether you have a backyard, a balcony, or a shared greenspace, to take 3 important actions this spring that will help make our urban spaces bird-friendly.  Once you provide photo evidence of 3 actions, you'll be entered into a drawing for a FREE BeakView Smart Bird Feeder Camera, provided by Front Range Birding and Optics!


So, what are the 3 actions?


  1. Plant TWO NATIVE PLANTS: Native plants play a crucial role in supporting local wildlife and pollinators who depend on them for food and shelter. Here are some resources to find the best plants for your area!
  2. Take action to prevent window collisions. In the United States, it's estimated that over a billion birds die annually from collisions with homes and buildings and this is especially prevalent during spring and fall migration!

3. Submit a backyard bird list on eBird: Recording which birds use the spaces around where you live and sharing that list on eBird is an excellent way to contribute to research about where our birds are and how they are doing. Here’s a 5-minute eBird tutorial if this free app is new to you! 


Share photo evidence that you’ve completed all 3 parts of the challenge by May 31st  and you will be entered into a drawing for a BeakView Smart Bird Feeder Camera! You can share your photos with us by either creating a post on Instagram or Facebook and tagging us, or by emailing them to audrey@denveraudubon.org. The drawing will take place on June 1st and the winner will be notified by email or social media (however they submitted their photos).