Kettle Lakes (El Paso County) Exceptional Spot: Underbirded

[vorticity (Rick Taylor)]

If you have not had the chance to bird Ketlle Lakes and North Kettle Creek (both eBird Hot Spots) in Colorado Springs, I commend the areas to you.  Exceptional quality habitat that can be covered in depth in about 2 hours on foot.  This appears like it's on Air Force Academy property. It is, but the area is 100% publicly accessible.  From I-25 take Exit 150 West toward the US Air Force Academy South Gate.  Before you get to the gate take a right on "Airfield Drive" the only right turn.  Drive 0.4 miles to parking.  The aspects are about as good as you can get for birding. With a basic N-S alignment, there are raised areas on both sides of the lakes and stream where you can see from above into trees, cattails, willows, marshes, and all manner of scrub.  Your direction of travel, clockwise or counterclockwise, will depend on time of day.  With spring the trails are getting a little overgrown, but you can easily find your way around the lakes and north along the marshy area and stream where it intersects with I-25.  These coordinates, IN THREE DIFFERENT FORMATS, mark the parking area 38° 57.651'N, 104° 48.788'W; 38.96085  -104.813133; N 38° 57' 39.06'' W 104° 48' 47.28''  Paste them into your favorite mapping program, Google Earth, or into your Auto GPS.  

Happy Birding

Rick Taylor, CO Springs, El Paso County