The Poudre Trail offers many opportunities for bird watching. The cottonwood forests, the cattail marshes, the ponds and the Poudre River itself, all attract a wide variety of water fowl, predatory birds and song birds. Weld County has over 300 species of birds, and this corridor of green is an excellent haven for them. You may or may not see the birds you are looking for, but if you are quiet and listen, you may hear them.
Many varieties of ducks make this their home for at least part of the year. Among the more common varieties are Wood Ducks and Mallards. Canadian Geese occupy these ponds by the hundreds as they settle in for the winter. The skies fill will their distinctive "V" shape flocks come November through March and some will stay year round. You may also see Swans, American White Pelicans, Loons, Grebes, Cormorants, Herons, Ibises, Rails, Cranes, Avocets, Sandpipers, Gulls, and Terns.
The grasslands, the marshes, the river and the ponds are home to mice, squirrels, frogs, fish and prairie dogs. These all provide food for the predatory birds and the scavengers. Along the trail you may see a variety of Hawks, Turkey Vultures, Falcons, Owls, Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles.
These birds may be up in the high branches of the Cottonwoods and Willows or perched on a utility pole, observing the world below them for their food. Watch as they swoop down for the kill or glide in graceful circles above your head.
Numerous species of songbirds and other small birds either make the river corridor their permanent home or visit here on their migratory journeys.
The most common varieties are Sparrows, Robins, Finches, Flycatchers, Hummingbirds, Swallows, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Meadowlarks, Creepers, Wrens, Kinglets, Thrushes, Warblers, the list goes on.
There are many spots on the trail that you may come across wild turkeys, quail and grouse. The Wild Turkeys are omnivores, which means they will eat insects, seeds, or fish. These birds will group together in large bands and you may hear them before you see them.
You will likely come across Redwing Blackbirds, Crows, Starlings, Magpies, Jays and Woodpeckers. These are all very common larger birds for this area.