Denver Urban Christmas Count: SE Denver N of Hampden

PLEASE NOTE: You must register for this field trip (limit: 15 people) and complete the liability form when you register. Walk-up or impromptu participants will not be allowed. Other requirements are described below.

Audubon's 123rd Christmas Bird Count is a holiday tradition – everyone welcome: beginners, intermediate, and advanced. The more eyes we have, the more birds we see. In partnership with National Audubon, Denver Audubon supports the bird count within the Denver Urban circle on Sunday, January 1, 2023.

Many parks are available to count. Some areas will begin counting at 8 a.m. We usually meet in the south parking lot at Wellshire at 8 a.m., but not everyone would have to do so if prior arrangements were made. Beginning and ending count times are flexible for the various groups. We plan to finish by 3 p.m., but most groups will finish much earlier. Groups will count in subsections of the count area and will cover specific parks. All parks are fairly level and should have some sidewalks, but some may require walking on dirt paths if they are not icy or snow covered. Specific requirements should be discussed with the count leader. There are numerous parks to choose from if participants have specific needs. Due to the time of the year, non-hazardous conditions cannot be guaranteed. Some counting could possibly be done from a vehicle parked in a lot or a street. Better coverage would require accessing the interior of the park. Parks to cover include Bible, Cook, Kennedy Golf Course, Wellshire Golf Course, Hentzel, and Eisenhower. We would expect to see mallards, Canada geese, American Robins, American crows, black-capped chickadees, white and red-breasted nuthatches, Townsend Solitaires, House Finches, Black-billed Magpies, Northern Flickers, Downy Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-wing Blackbirds, American Kestrels, and possibly Bushtits. Some years we have seen Snow Feese or Greater white-fronted Geese, Hooded Mergansers, Northern Shovelers, Gadwalls, American Wigeons, and Ring-necked Ducks. 

For more information, please call area count leader Mary Keithler at 303-941-7009 or mkeithler@gmail.com.