Wildlife of Boulder County

Many species of wildlife share space with us on Boulder County Parks and Open Space lands, including mammals, birds, insects, spiders, reptiles, and amphibians. If you have an interesting sighting, we’d love to know about it.

Feel free to share any wildlife sightings, and if you see something unusual, like porcupines, badgers, or bighorn sheep, even better! Please read the wildlife photography tips below and the list of open space properties. Thank you!

Photos


When taking photos, please be sure to follow these guidelines:

  • Follow all rules and regulations posted at each property.
  • Never harass or change the behavior of wildlife in any way. Watch from a distance and do not disturb their normal behavior.
  • Observe animals from a safe distance. If the animal appears nervous, points its ears towards you, or runs away, you are too close.
  • Do not disturb nesting birds, which may cause them to leave their nest.
  • Do not feed or approach animals, or call animals to you. Try to avoid eye contact, especially if they get alarmed.
  • Respect all wildlife closures, posted on trailhead kiosks and in brochures.

Location


Boulder County Parks and Open Space offers opportunities to explore from the prairie to the mountains. At lower elevations, go to Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm, Rabbit Mountain, and Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat.

In the foothills, visit Betasso Preserve, Caribou Ranch, Hall Ranch, Heil Valley Ranch, Mud Lake, and Walker Ranch.

For a complete list of all open spaces with directions, visit BoulderCountyOpenSpace.org.

 

 

Posted on April 7, 2016 03:05 PM by bouldercountyos bouldercountyos

Comments

Question rather than comment. Do you wish to have photos only from official Boulder County Parks and Open Spaces? Noting that others have before me, I included sighting from Pella Crossing and Golden Ponds. Should I remove these? What about sightings from other places, such as Valmont Reservoir, Rocky Mountain National Park (in Boulder County)? Thanks for the guidance

Posted by mlodinow over 7 years ago

We set up the site as a way to record wildlife seen on Boulder County Parks and Open Space sites (by the way, Pella Crossing IS one of our sites, and after the flood damage, it will reopen to the public this spring) but we know that people sometimes have a difficult time distinguishing which properties are county, city, and other. It is fine to leave postings up from other sites (like Golden Ponds) as long as they are within Boulder County. Wildlife obviously don't know borders, so it can be interesting to see where they show up within the county, regardless of property lines. Thank you for your postings and for participating in our project! Keep those postings coming.

Posted by bouldercountyos over 7 years ago

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