Diario del proyecto Boulder County Wildlife

Shalana's photo of black bear tracks on the snowy steps of her Eldorado Springs home is a great reminder that fall is indeed here, but winter is right behind! Black bears should be heading into their winter dens right around now, but some are still active. Leading up to hibernation, they need to eat roughly 20,000 calories per day to get the necessary fat reserves that will allow them to survive an entire winter hibernating without eating, drinking, urinating, or defecating. Amazing, right? To avoid any conflicts with black bears, communities are encouraged to properly secure trash and compost bins, bring bird feeders in for the season, harvest fruit, and safely secure smaller livestock like goats and chickens.

Learn more about Colorado's black bears >

Young Adult Bald Eagle

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Winter is a great time to look for bald eagles. Back in 2001, most eagles in Boulder County migrated here from Canada and other places north. Now, in 2018, we have 11 pairs with territories in Boulder County, so there are fewer migrants and more residents. All but one of these pairs nest on either city/county open space or conservation easements. The fish, prairie dogs, small mammals, and waterfowl on open space are important to all.

These photos taken by iNaturalist user dplawrance demonstrate how bald eagles don’t get white head feathers until they mature at 3-5 years. Their bills also change color from dark to yellow. Both males and females have white head feathers, and females are larger than males. To learn more about bald eagles and to see eagle nest cams in other parts of the country, visit the American Eagle Foundation.