Hi Aaron:
The first thing that I suggest is to check out the CO county birding website -- https://coloradocountybirding.org/ -- which is one of the best bird-finding sources available.
Secondly, most of your "wants" can be found in a fairly constrained day jaunt from Denver; all can with a bit of luck. I strongly suggest working on the montane species first, then going out to the grasslands, as most of the grassland birds are fairly easy to find in the heat of the day, whereas that is less true for montane species.
Thirdly, migration will not be done in the first couple days of June. If you find yourself at Pawnee (see below), you might check out the Crow Valley campground for laggard migrants, though most will be either montane breeding species or Eastern beasts that you would get less-excited about than we do. However, please report any such Eastern beasties!
Barrow's Goldeneye is the most restricted option on your wants list, as we know it to breed in only one place in eastern CO -- Echo Lake, on the way up to Mt. Evans.
Lewis's Woodpecker is probably the next-most-difficult species, as it is even remotely reliable in only a couple locations within easy striking distance of Denver, with the Sedalia area (check eBird data) probably being your best option. However, it is a bird that can usually be found at all times of the day.
American Three-toed Woodpecker is a species often difficult to pin down ahead of time, but it is found nearly the entire elevational range of tall conifer forest (Ponderosa Pine down low to Spruce-Fir and Lodgepole Pine up high), though it is probably most common in the upper half of it. It is not a particularly vocal species. Learn the species' drum.
Canada Jay can be quite tricky, unless you can spend significant time in its spruce-fir habitat. Others may have some specific site suggestions in the Jefferson-Clear Creek-Boulder counties area.
Common Poorwill is quite easy to hear, but actually seeing one is nearly a crapshoot. Anywhere along the Front Range edge at dusk and dawn can provide listening experiences for the species, and other Cobirders might suggest their best spots.
Clark's Nutcracker is quite variable in numbers and actual locations from year to year. They are eminently reliable at Many Parks Curve in Rocky Mtn NP, but that requires quite some time to reach (and it would take even longer if you were here in the middle of tourist season) and might negatively impact the time available for visiting other sites closer to town. Staying current with eBird reports will be your best bet.
Golden Eagle breeds nearly everywhere that you could reach on an easy day trip from Denver, but unless you know a nest site, running across one is less-than-certain. Keep looking up.
MacGillivray's Warbler is a widespread breeder in montane CO, but seeing one can be a bit tricky, as it's quite the skulker. However, males should be in full song, thus teed up frequently, making the task simpler. It breeds primarily in willow riparian and on moist, brushy slopes. Anywhere that supports Lincoln's Sparrow has a good chance of supporting Mac Warbler.
Virginia's Warbler breeds on Gambel Oak (our only native oak)-covered hillsides, but can be found in places at much-higher elevation (and elevation and specific habitats are key to birding the montane West; don't assume that most species are found everywhere, as are most in much of the East).
Note that the Interior West form of White-breasted Nuthatch will almost certainly get split at some time in the future. It sounds quite different from Eastern birds. Also, pay attention to Red Crossbill vocalizations (the various types might get split in future); get recordings if at all possible (a smart phone does just fine at that). Warbling Vireo will probably get split into Eastern and Western component species (the songs differ), with Western being, in general, a montane beast in CO and Eastern breeding in low-elevation riparian gallery forest (and similar-looking anthropogenic habitats) all the way west to the foothill edge, at least in Boulder Co. In this same vein, the subspecies of Veery and Swainson's Thrush breeding in CO are the same as in the East, so no armchair ticks there.
One final general point: The Western version of Nathan Pieplow's sound field guides will be published in April (the cover even has one of your wants on it).
Genessee Mountain Park can be good for both sapsuckers (particularly Williamson's), both bluebirds, and Dusky and Hammond's flycatchers, and there ought to be Townsend's Solitaires nesting there somewhere. Note that Dusky Fly prefers open forest habitats (or no forest) with a strong shrub layer, while Hammond's prefers relatively closed forest with little in the way of a shrub layer.
Red Rocks Park has nesting Prairie Falcon and the nearby town of Morrison has nesting American Dipper.
Echo Lake (the Barrow's site) has sapsuckers and solitaires and there will probably be nutcrackers around... somewhere. Additionally, almost any significant stream in the area should have dippers.
Pawnee NG is the sine qua non of northern-CO grassland birding. It supports both longspurs, Burrowing Owl, Mountain Plover, Long-billed Curlew, Lark Bunting, and -- more sporadically in space and time -- Brewer's Sparrow (which has a strong predilection for sage). Unless it's extremely dry, Lark Buntings will be everywhere. The auto-tour route should provide both longspurs, but with Chestnut-collared being a bit tricky in many years. There are places on that tour route that support Brewer's Sparrow in most years -- it's the tiny, long-tailed sparrow out there. In some years, Cassin's Sparrow can be common in areas with yucca and/or other shrub species.
Good luck,
Tony
Tony Leukering
Wiley, CO
Hello and thanks for allowing me to join the group. I will be visiting Colorado on what is probably a one-time trip, the weekend of June 1 and 2 (so a bit after migration), and I'd like to ask for advice to make my birding day as fruitful as it can be. I will be staying in Denver, and based on my research it looks like most of the best birding places are in the mountains to the west/northwest of the city. I probably will only have one day available to bird, so I'd like to maximize it by picking a few good places not too far from each other. Below is my list of target birds, in approximate order of importance to me. The top five on the list (the starred ones) are the very most important to me, and I'll probably plan my trip around where I have a good chance to see those, and maybe take some time to look for some of the others if there are good locations for them. I don't know how rare some of these birds are, but based on ebird, it looks like some of my targets (i.e. Lazuli Bunting, Swainson's Hawk) are quite common while some others might not be.
Here's my list. Any advice would be most appreciated (including if you know of other key local birds I will see in some of these locations), and if any of you visit northern Ohio I'd be glad to return the favor.
Prairie Falcon*Golden Eagle*American Dipper*Lewis's Woodpecker*Lazuli Bunting*Mountain BluebirdBurrowing OwlSwainson's HawkAmerican Three-Toed Woodpecker
Clark's NutcrackerCommon PoorwillMcGillivray's WarblerVirginia's WarblerRed-Naped SapsuckerWilliamson's SapsuckerCanada JayLark BuntingBarrow's GoldeneyeTownsend's SolitaireDusky FlycatcherBrewer's Sparrow
Thanks again!Aaron MilenskiLakewood, Ohio
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