Harriman Lake is a 67 acre water storage reservoir in southwest Metro Denver, fed by an irrigation canal; a 1.7 mile graveled trail leads around the lake and past several wetland areas, offering broad views of the open water and of the Front Range foothills to the west. Access to the Park is via a parking lot on the north side of Kipling Parkway, a short distance south of West Quincy Ave.
Though modest in size, Harriman Lake is a magnet for resident and migrant waterfowl and is one of the region's best locations for viewing and photographing those species. Last week, as a cold front loomed to the northwest, my wife and I visited this Park; on our walk around the lake we saw an excellent variety of waterfowl, including the first American coot, ruddy ducks and redheads that I had observed this season. A lone American white pelican lounged on the shore, double-crested cormorants fished on the lake and pied-billed grebes dove with the coot in the marshy shallows.
While naturalists and birders usually prefer more secluded nature preserves, far from the trappings of human civilization, wild creatures are often content to utilize less pristine habitat; as long as they feel safe and their preferred food is abundant, they will stick around. Harriman Lake, just southwest of a busy intersection, offers an excellent example; it certainly appeals to waterfowl.
Though modest in size, Harriman Lake is a magnet for resident and migrant waterfowl and is one of the region's best locations for viewing and photographing those species. Last week, as a cold front loomed to the northwest, my wife and I visited this Park; on our walk around the lake we saw an excellent variety of waterfowl, including the first American coot, ruddy ducks and redheads that I had observed this season. A lone American white pelican lounged on the shore, double-crested cormorants fished on the lake and pied-billed grebes dove with the coot in the marshy shallows.
While naturalists and birders usually prefer more secluded nature preserves, far from the trappings of human civilization, wild creatures are often content to utilize less pristine habitat; as long as they feel safe and their preferred food is abundant, they will stick around. Harriman Lake, just southwest of a busy intersection, offers an excellent example; it certainly appeals to waterfowl.
