Summer Hummers in Park and Jefferson Counties — free hummingbird outing
Free guided hummingbird walk in Park and Jefferson Counties with Denver Audubon. Search foothills habitat for multiple hummingbird species at peak summer season. Jul 19, 7–11:30 AM MDT.
Why we picked this
The foothills of Park and Jefferson Counties in mid-July are among the best places in the Front Range to find multiple hummingbird species at once — broad-tailed residents and rufous migrants overlap for a few weeks in this transition zone.
Denver Audubon’s Summer Hummers series extends into Park and Jefferson Counties for this 4.5-hour guided outing focusing on hummingbirds in foothills habitat. The Park/Jefferson County area sits at elevations where broad-tailed hummingbirds breed and where July brings the first wave of southbound rufous hummingbirds from their northern breeding grounds — one of the earliest fall migrants in North American terms.
The foothills setting means more varied habitat than urban parks: ponderosa pine woodland, scrub oak, and mountain meadows with wildflowers all attract hummingbirds for different reasons. Rufous hummingbirds are particularly aggressive and conspicuous, frequently challenging other hummingbirds and hovering to investigate observers. Calliope hummingbirds, much quieter, require more careful searching.
The walk runs from 7 to 11:30 AM. Register for the specific meeting point. Free to attend; a $5 suggested donation supports Denver Audubon programs. Additional sessions of Summer Hummers in this area run July 22nd and 29th for those who can’t make this date.