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.
While we don’t have any formal training dates scheduled just yet, shadowing opportunities are available for several of our programs, including:
- Host Program
- Birders on Bikes
- School Bird Banding
Reach out to Jane today to learn more about training and how you can get involved!
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.
May: Better Bird ID
Sunday, May 17
9:00-11:00am at the Kingery Nature Center
Are you looking to improve your ability to confidently identify difficult birds like fall sparrows, juvenile shorebirds, and Empidonax flycatchers?
Led by volunteer and board member, Jason Zolle, this course is designed to help you learn how to study challenging bird IDs so that you can improve your field ID skills where it counts.
We will focus on how to approach bird ID holistically; how to synthesize resources and create shortcuts for what to look for in the field; and how to observe birds in a way that increases your chances of identifying them.
This course is aimed at intermediate birders who are looking for support to maneuver into expert terrain.
June: Ear Birding Workshop
Saturday, June 6
8:00-9:30am
Kingery Nature Center
All volunteers are welcome to attend!
This workshop will focus on "birding by ear" -- identifying birds based on their songs and calls -- and provide some tips about how you can get started or improve. We will also learn how to read spectograms and use the Merlin Sound ID app as a learning tool. Denver Audubon volunteer and board member, Jason Zolle, will be leading this program.
This program includes an in-class presentation followed by practice in the field. Please bring your binoculars and name tag.
Capacity is limited to 8 participants per session.
June: Native Plant Hike & Social
Thursday, June 11
8:30-11:00am at Matthew Winters Open Space Park
Followed by lunch at Launch in Golden
Join Native Plant expert & Denver Audubon Volunteer, Suzy Hiskey, for this slow-paced hike. It will be about 2 miles with lots of stopping to view native plants and discuss the avian, invertebrate, and other wildlife that benefit from each plant. Discussions will include information about which plants also thrive in residential landscapes.
We will travel on dirt paths with some uneven surfaces. The trail has minimal shade so please wear sunscreen and a hat, and bring water. Photographers and Gardeners encouraged. More info here.
This program is limited to 8 participants.
July: Native Plant Hike
Saturday, July 18
8:00-10:00am at O'Fallon Park
Join naturalist Marah Green for a summer morning native plant hike! We’ll be hiking the Meadow View, Bear Creek and Picnic Trail Loop. We’ll meet at the O’Fallon Park parking lot south of Bear Creek Rd.
This scenic 2.9-mile trail features beautiful views, starting with a gentle uphill climb before gradually descending. Expect an elevation gain of about 492 feet.
Marah will point out various native wildflowers, trees and plants that can be found on the trail. We’ll also be on the lookout for birds and talk about the relationship between native plants and bird species. More info here.
Space is limited to 10 participants
August: Art on the Wing
Saturday, August 23
9:00-11:00am at Table Public House
Open to all volunteers! Join local artist and birder Catie Michel for a morning of watercolor painting and observation. Catie will share an introduction to watercolor techniques, drawing principles, and tips for painting in the field. We will then venture outside to observe and paint local birds, plants, and our surroundings.
We will meet at Table Public House for the indoor session of Catie's workshop, before heading outdoors to observe birds along the S Platte River.
Notebooks, watercolor paint, brushes, and pencils are provided. Feel free to bring your own materials if preferred.
September: Worms at Work
& How to Compost
Date/Time coming soon!
Kingery Nature Center
Compost is helpful for fertilizing plants naturally, improving soil health, and reducing waste. You will learn how composting helps birds and gardens, about the various microorganisms that make good compost, the materials and proportions you need, and explore the best ways to compost for your lifestyle.
Led by Denver Audubon Volunteer, Suzy Hiskey, we’ll review cold compost, hot compost, commercial composting services, and vermicompost. Learn how to cold or hot compost by exploring both new and finished compost. Get ready to get dirty!
Registration link coming soon!
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.
Feathered Feature:
Bald Eagle
Written by: Leslie Dixon
- The Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, can be found year-round in Colorado, usually near water. They range throughout North America and are the largest raptor on the continent.
- Known for the white feathers on their heads, adult Bald Eagles are otherwise brown with white tails visible in flight. Juveniles are all brown with splotches of white which disappear as they reach sexual maturity in their fifth year. Although males and females have the same coloring, the females can be as much as 25% larger than the males. With an average wingspan of 80”, males average 9 lbs., while females weigh around 12 lbs.
- As powerful fliers, Bald Eagles can be seen soaring on thermal convections, diving after prey, or energetically flapping with a fish in their talons.
- Bald Eagles require habitats near open water and will not migrate from areas where the waters don’t freeze. Areas with large trees are preferred for perching, roosting, and nesting.
- Although most of their diet is made up of fish, Bald Eagles will also hunt smaller birds and mammals. With their strong talons and powerful wings, they have been known to fly with fish equal to their own weight. They are also known to feast on carrion and steal prey from other predators.
- Bald Eagles usually mate for life and return to the same nest every year. Their large nests are constructed of sticks high in tall trees (typically cottonwoods in Colorado) near a water source. Usually, two eggs are laid and the chicks fledge at 8-14 weeks of age and stay near the nest and their parents.
- Birds in northern latitudes will migrate south. In our area it is common to see large congregations of wintering birds near open water.
- The call of the Bald Eagle is an unimpressive weak chirp. In movies, the stronger call of the Red-tailed Hawk is often dubbed in for the eagles.
- Not just the national symbol for the United States (adopted in 1782), the Bald Eagle is also sacred to many Native Americans. Some cultures believe that eagles are the messenger between the Creator and the people.
Mystery Bird
Did you guess the mystery bird from The Chat newsletter?
This is a Northern Shoveler, specifically a male.
Northern Shovelers are easy to recognize by their oversized, spoon-shaped bills, which they use to filter tiny plants and invertebrates from shallow water. Breeding males shine with glossy green heads, bright white chests, and rich chestnut sides, while females are beautifully mottled brown.
Highly migratory, they travel long distances between northern breeding grounds and southern wintering wetlands, often gathering in large flocks along the way. Whether skimming the surface or spinning in tight circles to stir up food, they bring lively energy to marshes throughout the seasons.
If you hover over the image to the right, you'll find a different picture of the bird. This photo was taken at Belmar Park in Lakewood in December 2025.
Do you have a mystery bird that may seem tricky to identify? Email your picture to
Jane, Volunteer Coordinator.
