I am going to be visiting the Colorado Springs area from May 3 through May 9th this year and wondered if anyone could suggest good areas to photograph wildlife and birds that I can't get in my home area of Plymouth, Massachusetts. I bought the Colorado Wildlife Viewing guide and have been looking it over. I am a canon shooter primarily using the EF 600mm IS and the 100-400 IS lenses and am interested in mountain goats, pronghorn, etc. and Swainsons and Ferruginous Hawks and Praire Falcons. If any one has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate being pointed in the right direction. I will be staying at Peterson AFB for 2 days, in a cabin in Woodland park for 2 days and who knows where for the remainder. please post any info to this forum or send to me at alexccimages@aol.com. Thank You in Advance
Alexander C. Couter
Posted by Mel Ladewig on April 5, 2006 at 10:17 AM
Pronghorn you can find on Hwy 94 East of Colorado Springs.
Mountain Goats and Big Horn Sheep you'll probably going to find more of up by Georgetown, west of Denver on I-70.
I'm not sure where Elk are in May, but Rocky Mountain NP is not a bad place to go. You might call the rangers there to see if they can be found in the park in May. I'm sure there are Elk heards between Woodland park and I-70, but I don't know where they winter.
I don't know anything about the birds you asked about.
I forgot, but there are lots of Mule Deer on AFA that will dwarf the whitetails you see out east. There are Turkeys on the AFA as well.
There used to be a large herd of elk around the Florrisant area (from Woodland Park, continue West on Rt 24).
There are also a few herd of bison around Colorado (though not "wild" per se - but still not something you don't see everyday back East). The best known/easiest access is the herd at Buffalo Bill's lookout off I-70 west of Denver. There was a small herd off Rt 24 between Divide and Buena Vista (as well as a lot of pronghorn in the same area). Another bison herd is near Highlands Ranch south of Denver in an area called Daniels Park (a bit hard to find, but the bison are usually visible).
If you're lucky, you can often catch coyotes around dusk in some of the open spaces in Colorado Springs, like Ute Valley Park, Bear Creek, Palmer Park and Garden of the Gods.
Mountain Goats are difficult at that time of the year; they're an altitude-loving animal, and the best place to find them - on Mt. Evans - isn't accessible without a significant snowshoe adventure until Memorial Day weekend.
Bighorn Sheep are where you find them. If you drive up to US-6 in Golden, then drive up-canyon to I-70 and continue West until Silver Plume or maybe even up past Empire along US-40, you'll probably find some, especially in the early morning or afternoon/evening. Garden of the Gods is supposed to have some, too; I've never seen them, though.
Pronghorn are not common in Colorado anymore. There are small groups that can occasionally be seen driving North along I-25 out of the Springs up to the E/C-470 exit; not a reliable sighting, though. Another not-too-reliable area is anywhere in South Park (drive out US-24 from the Springs to Fairplay) or in the San Luis Valley. Your best bet, though, is to drive up to Wyoming (maybe a couple of hours from the Springs in good traffic); they're everywhere up there; take I-25 and then I-80. US-287 from Ft. Collins to Laramie sometimes has a visible herd, too - and less traffic (make a loop up 25, across 80, then down 287 and back down 25...).
For Elk, your best bet is Rocky Mountain NP. Almost guaranteed sightings on the Eastern (Estes Park) side of the park - or in town... Or you could drive North from Woodland Park towards Deckers; there's some in the area, but I don't know about regular viewing; maybe someone in the area could give you some hints.
Swainson's and Ferruginous Hawks are almost mutually exclusive for a single trip; Swainson's are Summer birds and Ferruginous are Winter birds here. Swainson's are more numerous; you can find them just about anywhere with a bit of a drive or walk; the breast coloration is distinctive. Ferruginous frequent Prairie Dog colonies (almost exclusively); if they're still around in May, the various NWRs are possibilities, as are the urban dogtowns.
Prairie Falcons can be found wherever the "climbing forbidden - area closure" signs are posted. Garden of the Gods usually has a nesting pair that come out occasionally from their protected rockface; Boulder Open Space and Pawnee Buttes also have some nesting Falcons. You can't usually get to a position to photograph nests, but they do come out to hunt in unrestricted areas along hiking trails.
The Great Blue Heron are starting to Migrate in to Fountain Creek park area at the South End of Colorado Springs. Up on Pikes Peak you could get a shot of Elk and Big Hor but not in large numbers. Bald Eagles are in Eleven Mile Canyon and around the lake above. I've seen a Golden near there too.
Big Horn Sheep are also being baited again back into the Garden of the Gods near the North end of the Park too!
This thread seems like as good a place as any to unlurk...
I guess I'll do this by the mammal:
Pronghorn: As has been mentioned, smaller numbers than expected, but pretty much anyplace east of the Springs, and around the Bison that were mentioned near Hartsel (the rt. 24 between Divide and Buena Vista area. On an aside those Bison are sometimes east of the "town" of Hartsel and sometimes west. The past few times I've been through, they've been west)
Deer: All over the west side of the Springs. Ute Valley park has what I believe is a resident herd, but I haven't seen them lately.
Bighorn: There's a resident herd on Pike's Peak (you might also see a goat or two up there if you dirve the highway...I did much to my surprise the last time I was up there), and Dome Rock SWA is a lambing/breeding area for them (south of Divide and Mueller State Park). I've also seen them between Buena Vista and Leadville, as well as in Bighorn Sheep Canyon (go figure! Hwy. 50 between Salida and Gunnison).
Elk: I'd say best bet for them nearer the Springs than RMNP would be in/around the Mueller/Divide area. I've also seen herds along Hwy. 105 between Sedalia and Palmer Lake. This would be a bit further away but about 3 weeks ago I saw a herd of about 50~75 of them bedded down on the west side of Hwy. 12 just south of Cucharas Pass...couldn't have been more than 100 yards off the Hwy.
Sorry, but I'm of no help with the birds. Best of luck and enjoy your trip.
Driving south of the Springs airport on Powers Blvd, you'll see antelope 4 days out of 5 within a few miles of the airport entrance. Twice in the last couple years, I've had to slow down to avoid hitting them as they mosey across the highway near the Big Johnson reservoir.
That's right... the Big Johnson reservoir.
As Darren said, west of Canon City there's a reason for the naming of Bighorn Sheep Canyon along the Arkansas River. See more of them in winter than late spring, but it's a possibility.
In late winter/early spring, I've seen tons of elk along Hwy 24 a few miles south of Leadville.
Falcons and hawks are abundant east of I-25. I've seen a few golden eagles in various locations west of I-25, and I sat and watched a bald eagle one day between Eleven-mile dam and Lake George.
Wow! Thank you very much for the extremely quick and detailed information all of you have provided! If any one is ever coming to Massachusetts, let me know and I would be happy to help out in a similar way or show you where to go in this area. Thanks again
The Pawnee Grassland would be a reliable place to find Ferruginous and Swainson's Hawks as well as Pronghorn. It is mostly a matter of driving the dirt roads up there until you find them. Both the Ferruginous and Swainson's will be on nests at that time so check out the few tree that you see out there. With some luck you should be able to spot a Golden Eagle as well as Prairie Falcons.
Discussion
8 repliesAlexander C. Couter
Mountain Goats and Big Horn Sheep you'll probably going to find more of up by Georgetown, west of Denver on I-70.
I'm not sure where Elk are in May, but Rocky Mountain NP is not a bad place to go. You might call the rangers there to see if they can be found in the park in May. I'm sure there are Elk heards between Woodland park and I-70, but I don't know where they winter.
I don't know anything about the birds you asked about.
I forgot, but there are lots of Mule Deer on AFA that will dwarf the whitetails you see out east. There are Turkeys on the AFA as well.
There are also a few herd of bison around Colorado (though not "wild" per se - but still not something you don't see everyday back East). The best known/easiest access is the herd at Buffalo Bill's lookout off I-70 west of Denver. There was a small herd off Rt 24 between Divide and Buena Vista (as well as a lot of pronghorn in the same area). Another bison herd is near Highlands Ranch south of Denver in an area called Daniels Park (a bit hard to find, but the bison are usually visible).
If you're lucky, you can often catch coyotes around dusk in some of the open spaces in Colorado Springs, like Ute Valley Park, Bear Creek, Palmer Park and Garden of the Gods.
Good luck! Enjoy your time in Colorado!
Bighorn Sheep are where you find them. If you drive up to US-6 in Golden, then drive up-canyon to I-70 and continue West until Silver Plume or maybe even up past Empire along US-40, you'll probably find some, especially in the early morning or afternoon/evening. Garden of the Gods is supposed to have some, too; I've never seen them, though.
Pronghorn are not common in Colorado anymore. There are small groups that can occasionally be seen driving North along I-25 out of the Springs up to the E/C-470 exit; not a reliable sighting, though. Another not-too-reliable area is anywhere in South Park (drive out US-24 from the Springs to Fairplay) or in the San Luis Valley. Your best bet, though, is to drive up to Wyoming (maybe a couple of hours from the Springs in good traffic); they're everywhere up there; take I-25 and then I-80. US-287 from Ft. Collins to Laramie sometimes has a visible herd, too - and less traffic (make a loop up 25, across 80, then down 287 and back down 25...).
For Elk, your best bet is Rocky Mountain NP. Almost guaranteed sightings on the Eastern (Estes Park) side of the park - or in town...
Swainson's and Ferruginous Hawks are almost mutually exclusive for a single trip; Swainson's are Summer birds and Ferruginous are Winter birds here. Swainson's are more numerous; you can find them just about anywhere with a bit of a drive or walk; the breast coloration is distinctive. Ferruginous frequent Prairie Dog colonies (almost exclusively); if they're still around in May, the various NWRs are possibilities, as are the urban dogtowns.
Prairie Falcons can be found wherever the "climbing forbidden - area closure" signs are posted. Garden of the Gods usually has a nesting pair that come out occasionally from their protected rockface; Boulder Open Space and Pawnee Buttes also have some nesting Falcons. You can't usually get to a position to photograph nests, but they do come out to hunt in unrestricted areas along hiking trails.
Big Horn Sheep are also being baited again back into the Garden of the Gods near the North end of the Park too!
I guess I'll do this by the mammal:
Pronghorn: As has been mentioned, smaller numbers than expected, but pretty much anyplace east of the Springs, and around the Bison that were mentioned near Hartsel (the rt. 24 between Divide and Buena Vista area. On an aside those Bison are sometimes east of the "town" of Hartsel and sometimes west. The past few times I've been through, they've been west)
Deer: All over the west side of the Springs. Ute Valley park has what I believe is a resident herd, but I haven't seen them lately.
Bighorn: There's a resident herd on Pike's Peak (you might also see a goat or two up there if you dirve the highway...I did much to my surprise the last time I was up there), and Dome Rock SWA is a lambing/breeding area for them (south of Divide and Mueller State Park). I've also seen them between Buena Vista and Leadville, as well as in Bighorn Sheep Canyon (go figure! Hwy. 50 between Salida and Gunnison).
Elk: I'd say best bet for them nearer the Springs than RMNP would be in/around the Mueller/Divide area. I've also seen herds along Hwy. 105 between Sedalia and Palmer Lake. This would be a bit further away but about 3 weeks ago I saw a herd of about 50~75 of them bedded down on the west side of Hwy. 12 just south of Cucharas Pass...couldn't have been more than 100 yards off the Hwy.
Sorry, but I'm of no help with the birds. Best of luck and enjoy your trip.
That's right... the Big Johnson reservoir.
As Darren said, west of Canon City there's a reason for the naming of Bighorn Sheep Canyon along the Arkansas River. See more of them in winter than late spring, but it's a possibility.
In late winter/early spring, I've seen tons of elk along Hwy 24 a few miles south of Leadville.
Falcons and hawks are abundant east of I-25. I've seen a few golden eagles in various locations west of I-25, and I sat and watched a bald eagle one day between Eleven-mile dam and Lake George.