February marks the beginning of peak mating season for the American bald eagle, and if you’ve ever wanted to learn more about our country’s national emblem — and its place in state history — Barr Lake State Park in Brighton is perhaps the best place to do it.
Home to one of the first and most famous bald eagle nests on the Front Range, Barr Lake State Park will host its 13th annual Bald Eagle Festival on February 8, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The event is free with a day or annual pass to the park. Can’t make it? The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies hosts semi-regular Bald Eagle Walks at the state park.
The Eagle’s Place in Colorado
Bald Eagle Watch
Barr Lake’s iconic eagle nest was first discovered in 1986. In 1988, the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies established its Bald Eagle Watch program to monitor and protect the park’s nest. Today, the program is open to anyone willing to volunteer to track and record data on bald eagles across the region, helping to inform wildlife managers and conservation groups.
The Nation’s Only Eagle Repository
The metro area is also home to the country’s only eagle repository, a facility operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to receive, evaluate, store, and legally distribute dead golden and bald eagle parts and feathers to federally recognized Native tribes for religious and cultural purposes.
A Viral Eagle Moment
Perhaps equally as famous as Barr Lake’s nest now, the bald eagle nest at Westminster’s Standley Lake Regional Park drew statewide attention in 2020 when homebound Coloradans spent that pandemic-ravaged spring glued to their computer screens watching a dramatic love triangle play out between three bald eagles on live nest cams. A devoted Facebook group still closely monitors the park’s nest.
