Bird watching adventures

We were in the car, rounding the bend near Wally Toevs Pond on our way out of Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat in Boulder, when a bald eagle came into view. My children gasped, and my husband pulled the Honda over so we could hurriedly get out for a better look.

Resting near the top of a utility pole, the majestic bird was impossible to miss, with that telltale snow-white plumage.

Bird sanctuary denver

We could see its piercing eyes surveying the landscape, a flourishing wetland habitat that previously harbored industrial gravel pits. The eagle looked right at us before resuming its aerial assessment, hooked yellow beak ready to snag a muskrat or bluegill from the ponds below.

Seeing a bald eagle in the wild is as thrilling as crossing Independence Pass in an old RV in a snowstorm.

Here, local ornithologists and wildlife experts share the best places to see our national bird this winter — no white-knuckle drive required.

A big, charismatic bird

Bald eagles were a symbol of freedom for Americans long before former President Joe Biden signed a bill on Christmas Eve making the predator the offici