Spring Birds in Rocky Mountain National Park

by Scott Rashid
To see and read more from Scott visit his website Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute 

There are birds that spend the winter in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), including Townsend’s Solitaires, Black-billed Magpies, Pygmy Nuthatches, Clark’s Nutcrackers, American Robins, Canada Jays, rosy-finches, and Common Ravens. Several species leave the park to spend the winter in Estes Park to find bird feeders, often staying near them feeding until spring.
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As Spring arrives, many avian species begin arriving in the area. Over the years, there have been more than 300 species documented either passing through Estes Park and RMNP, or nesting there. We are very familiar with many of these including Black-Billed Magpies, Steller’s Jays, House Finches, Cassin’s Finches, Cooper’s Hawks, Pine Siskins, Lesser Goldfinches and more.

Brown-capped Rosy-finch. Photo by Scott Rashid

There are many areas in and around the park where multiple species can be seen. One of the best locations to see birds is Lake Estes and the surrounding area. On the west end of Lake Estes is a bird sanctuary where more than 305 species have been documented.  Many of those use the sanctuary for resting and feeding before moving off to their nesting grounds, others will nest there.

The list of birds that simply pass through in the spring includes Tundra and Trumpeter Swans, Blue-winged Teal, Rudy Duck, Redhead, Killdeer, Bobolink, American Dipper, Sharp-shinned Hawk, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Franklin’s Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Wilson’s Snipe, Peregrine Falcon, Prairie Falcon,  Eastern and Western Kingbird, Roug-winged Swallow, and many more.
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Lake Estes and the surrounding area including the dog park, golf course and the marina are great places to search for birds of different species. For example, species including Sandhill Cranes, Killdeer, Long-billed Curlews, Prairie Falcons, Red-tailed Hawks, Savanah, Lincoln’s, White crowned and White-throated Sparrows, are frequently seen on the golf course. Common Loons, Western Grebes, Clark’s Grebes, Wilson’s Phalaropes, Spotted Sandpipers, White-faced Ibis’ and Canvasbacks have been seen from the marina swimming in the lake.

Evening Grosbeak (female). Photo by Scott Rashid

The baseball field, playground, and dog park are good for sparrows, including Lark Buntings, Clay-colored Sparrows, Brewer’s Sparrows, Painted Buntings, Lazuli Buntings, Western Meadowlarks, Gray Catbirds, Brewer’s Blackbirds, Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Mockingbirds.

The species that nest in the sanctuary include Cedar Waxwings, American Robins, Canada Geese, Mallards, Pygmy Nuthatches, Common Grackles, Pine Siskins, Warbling Vireos, and Spotted Sandpipers.  The waterfowl (ducks and geese) often nest on the ground near the water, the waxwings nest along the river, the nuthatches construct their cavities in the trees along the creek and the American Robins and Warbling Vireos construct new nests yearly in different locations.

Mountain Bluebird (male). Photo by Scott Rashid

Within RMNP, many species of raptors migrate through. These include Swainson’s Hawks, Ferruginous Hawks, Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, Broad-winged Hawks Merlins, and American Kestrels. Other species that move through the park include warblers like the Bay-breasted Warbler, Palm Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Magnolia Warbler and more. 

Other species that have been documented passing through include American White Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, Franklin’s Gulls, Marbled Godwits, Bonaparte’s Gulls, Common Goldeneye, Lazuli Buntings, Lark Buntings, Harris’s Sparrows, and Gray Catbirds.

American Goldfinch. Photo by Scott Rashid

The area has had multiple rarities seen including the Baltimore Oriole, Black-throated Sparrow, Black Phoebe, Hooded Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Great-crested Flycatcher, Common Redpoll, Summer Tanager, Rusty Blackbird, Painted Bunting, Eastern Bluebird, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Lesser Nighthawk and the Golden-crowned Sparrow.
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Birds have wings and fly very well, which often means that a rare species can show up almost anywhere. As many rare birds have been seen in and around Estes and RMNP. It is a good idea to get out and search for birds, you may find something rare.

Red-winged Blackbird (male). Photo: Scott Rashid