Denver area wildlife

I'll be coming through Denver in mid-September on my way to RMNP. I plan on spending a day at the Denver Zoo and will have another half-day for some other areas. Does anyone have any suggestions about wildlife photography opportunities in the area?

For a half day outing, I'd suggest the butterfly pavillion in the northwestern part of town.
It would be on your way to RMNP.
http://www.butterflies.org/

Another option could be the Rocky Mtn Arsenal Wildlife refuge.
http://www.fws.gov/rockymountainarsenal/

The zoo? For a full day? Really? Why would you do that when you could be shooting elk in RMNP during rut?

Todd - that's a great question. I'm a flatlander and not in the best of health. I need to spend a couple of days at Denver's moderate elevation to acclimate before I go up into the mountains. Once I finish in Denver, it is my plan to spend the next 3 days in RMNP doing exactly as you suuggest.

Bill - thank you for your suggestions.

Depends on what you're looking for and how far you're willing to walk. In the Denver metro area my main subjects are coyotes, red foxes, and mule deer (with the occasional skunk or possum). Depending upon the date, you might be able to get up Mt Evans for mountain goats, bighorns, pikas, and marmots (you can drive most of the way up without feeling too winded).

Happy to make more specific suggestions.

You can't drive past Summit Lake on Mt. Evans after the seasonal road closure. I 2nd the suggestion for Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR. If interested, send me an email and I'll give you the scoop.

As to the arsenal, not sure Id recommend that for photography. Went on photographers tour couple of months ago, and beyond 1 nice coyote and some white tail deer that were close, the wildlife (including the buffalo's) was just to distant to get good images. Great place to walk and see wildlife in distance but I found photo oppurtunities lacking on my visit.