Denver Urban Christmas Count - Sand Creek/Commerce City/Montbello

A holiday tradition—everyone welcome: beginners, intermediate, and advanced. The more eyes we have, the more birds we see. And we like to encourage people to get involved. Start the New Year with a half day or whole day effort—a good way to start 2020! The count covers a circle with a 15-mile diameter that includes the Platte River from the north city limits to Mississippi Ave., west to Buckley Air Force Base and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.

After the count, at 5 p.m. celebrate with a Potluck at Washington Park United Church of Christ, 400 S. Williams St., Denver CO, 80209. The parking lot for the church is to the north, and the accessible entrance is off the alley. Call Urling Kingery at 303-814-2723 to RSVP and to enjoy the chili potluck, Urling's brownies, and your salad, dessert, veggie, or finger foods. Feel free to come even if you don’t RSVP.

Count Leader, Hugh Kingery: 303-814-2723 or 720-626-9566.

Count Area: Sand Creek/Commerce City/Montbello. The area is along Sand Creek, from Havana to the Dahlia Street trailhead. 

Meeting Place: Sapp Brothers (look for the huge red coffee pot Holy Grail neon sign), 7120 E. 49th Ave., Commerce City, 80022. To find Sapp Brothers, go to the intersection of Quebec and Sandcreek Drive. If northbound on Quebec, go left on Sandcreek Drive, and then take the second left on Sandcreek Drive onto 49 Ave. Or, meet us by 9 a.m. at Florence Way and Hanover Street immediately west of the intersection of Florence Way and Havana.

Mode of Travel: Some walking. We will drop cars and carpool to Florence Way and Hanover Street by 9 a.m. We will walk about 3 ½ miles, which would take an hour and half if we weren’t birders, on unimproved paths over uneven ground that might be snow covered, back to Sapp Brothers, and then retrieve the dropped cars and eat lunch. This is to be followed by a second leg from 1ish to 3ish from the Dahlia Street trailhead (just east of 56th Ave. on Sandcreek Dr.), walking along the Sand Creek Regional Greenway path back to Sapp Brothers. We'll walk about two miles on (possibly snow-covered) concrete that would take less than an hour if we weren’t birders, and then retrieve the dropped cars.

To Sign Up: Contact Area Leader Mike Serruto (michael.serruto@pinnacol.com, 720-581-2711): Mike accepts text messages for field trip responses.