Did you log your volunteer hours yet?
Tracking your time helps us evaluate our volunteer programs, support grant applications, and ensures your contributions are recognized and celebrated!
Volunteer Training Dates
All volunteers are required to attend a training before participating in any new program. During these sessions, we’ll review volunteer roles and expectations, how to sign up for shifts, and tips for making the most of your volunteer experience. Trainings may be offered in-person or online, depending on the program.
We currently have shadowing opportunities are available for the following programs:
Reach out to Jane today to learn more about training and how you can get involved!
School Bird Banding Training
Tuesday, September 1
9:00-11:30am
Kingery Nature Center
This training is open to all volunteers who aren’t familiar with our youth bird banding programs. Attending this training is required to be able to volunteer for our school bird banding opportunities.
If you’ve previously trained for the pond or school bird banding stations, this is the same training. Completing this session will also allow you to help with bird banding for future seasons.
In this training, we’ll review the roles and expectations for volunteers who lead the Pond Exploration Station during bird banding season. Throughout the school year, several school groups visit the nature center for field trips, where they observe bird banding, learn how to build nests, and explore the beautiful, diverse ponds nearby.
The Pond Exploration Station is especially popular with youth and offers a tangible, memorable way for students to connect with nature, and you’ll play an important role in making that experience meaningful and fun.
During the training, we’ll also go over how to sign up for shifts, what to do if you’re unable to make a shift, and take a walk from the nature center to the pond station. You’ll get a chance to practice what it’s like to lead this engaging and unique program for school groups.
Please watch this brief video to get a sense of what to expect for school bird banding season. For any questions, feel free to reach out to Jane Lee.
Volunteer Appreciation Brunch
Saturday, October 17
8:00am-12:00pm
Kingery Nature Center
Calling all Denver Audubon volunteers, this morning is all about YOU!
Join us for a lively celebration honoring the incredible passion, hard work, and dedication you bring to our community every day. We’re rolling out the red carpet with a delicious spread of locally curated breakfast treats, friendly bird trivia, exciting door prizes, and plenty of great conversation with fellow nature lovers.
Come hungry, test your birding knowledge, and let us show you just how much we appreciate everything you do. Whether you've volunteered once or one hundred times, this morning is for you.
Reserve your spot today, we can't wait to celebrate with you!
Enrichment Program Dates
Open to all Denver Audubon volunteers, these events are offered to help you learn new skills, boost your confidence, connect with others, and build community within our volunteers.
September: Birding Social
Thursday, September 24
4:30-6:30pm at Bear Creek Greenbelt
All volunteers are invited to join us for a relaxing evening connecting with nature and fellow bird lovers!
We’ll take a peaceful stroll along the Greenbelt to soak in the sights and sounds of both local and migratory birds. It’s a wonderful chance to unwind, catch up with friends old and new, and enjoy fall migration together.
Hope to see you there!
November: Denver Museum of
Nature and Science Archive Tour
Thursday, November 12
10:00-11:00am at Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Open to all volunteers! Join us for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
You’ll get a bird’s-eye view of the museum’s hidden treasures—many of which aren’t on public display. Led by museum staff, this guided tour offers a rare look at how the Zoology Department advances our understanding of global biodiversity through research, curation, and outreach. The collection houses over 1.2 million specimens, including approximately 53,000 bird specimens from around the world—dating from 1842 to the present, with a special focus on the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains regions.
You’ll explore the underground archives, learn how mammals and birds are processed, preserved, and studied, and get an up-close look at one of the most comprehensive natural history collections in the country.
Limited capacity, sign up today!
Volunteer Resources
These resources are available to volunteers and include an elevator speech you can use during public programs, a trail map of the Nature Center, tutorials for navigating our volunteer portal, and a link from our partner organization, Denver Field Ornithologists, with informative videos on improving your bird ID.
List of Services
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Welcome PacketList Item 1
Provided to new volunteers, this resource provides a "Make-It-Your-Own" elevator speech and ideas for sharing our mission
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Trail Map of Kingery Nature CenterList Item 2
A great resource to have if you're guiding a program at the KNC.
Designed by Crystal Beckel, Denver Audubon Community Naturalist final project, 2020
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Kingery Nature Center Bird Guide
Feel free to share and use this pamphlet to help visitors identify the various birds around the Kingery Nature Center.
Created by volunteer Andrew Wertheimer
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Using Neon: A Step-by-Step Guide for Volunteers
The guide will show you how to get started, how to sign up for volunteer shifts, how to register for events, how to navigate the portal, and more!
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Neon: Tutorial Video for Desktop Users
This video will show volunteers how to use the volunteer portal, Neon. We'll go through how to login, sign up for volunteer opportunities, register for public events, and how to log your service hours.
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Neon: Tutorial Video for Tablets/Smartphone Users
This video will show volunteers how to use the new volunteer portal, Neon. We'll go through how to login, sign up for volunteer opportunities, register for public events, and how to log your service hours.
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Bird Bombs by DFO
Denver Field Ornithologists (DFO) has kindly agreed to share their collection of presentations led by David Suddjian that provide helpful tips on bird identification.
Most of their videos are tied to a specific season and often air just before the topic is most relevant, so checking the season when an episode was produced can help you decide what to watch.
These are excellent resources to support your learning and volunteer work.
Test Your Bird Knowledge!
How well do you know your Northern Flickers?
Take our quick quiz below—just hover over the image to reveal the correct answers!
To dive deeper, you can read more about Northern Flickers here or browse our Common Birds of Denver page.
Mystery Bird
Were you able to guess the mystery bird from July’s edition of The Chat?
If you’re stumped, just hover over the image to the right to reveal another photo and to confirm your ID!
This is an Black-crowned Night Heron!
This stocky, mysterious wetland bird swaps the long, elegant necks of Great Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets for a sleek, hunched profile. While other herons dominate the marshes by day, this species waits for twilight to take over the night shift.
The Black-crowned Night-Heron is a relatively small, compact heron with a thick neck, short legs, and a heavy, dagger-like black bill. Adults are striking and easy to identify: they sport a bold black cap and back, pale gray wings, and a bright white underside.
When you look at them closely, two features stand out. First are their large, glowing
crimson-red eyes, adapted perfectly for seeing in the dark. Second, during the breeding season, they grow long, elegant
white plumes that stream backward from the top of their black crowns.
This photo was taken at South Platte Park in July 2026.
Do you have a mystery bird that may seem tricky to identify? Email your picture to
Jane, Volunteer Coordinator.
