Birds & Science >
Colorado IBAs
Aiken Canyon Preserve
El Paso County
Size: 1621 acres
Elevation: 6500 - 8500 feet
Habitats:
Primary – mountain shrubland, pinyon/juniper, grassland
Secondary – ponderosa pine, cliff/rock, lowland riparian
Ownership:
State
Private (The Nature Conservancy)
Land Use:
Primary – nature and wildlife conservation
IBA Criteria: 2, 3, 5
Site description
Location:
Aiken Canyon Preserve is located between Colorado Springs and Canon City, approximately 16 miles southeast of Colorado Springs, on the eastern slope of the Rampart Range.
Vegetation/natural features:
The site is one of the best examples of an intact, southern Front Range ecosystem, including tallgrass prairie and pinyon-juniper woodlands. The lower elevations consist of grasslands, while the higher elevations are occupied by pinyon-juniper woodlands and deciduous shrublands transitioning into tall coniferous forests. Ephemeral streams flow out of steep canyons to form broad alluvial fans on gentle slopes. The eastern portion of the property consists of prominent red spires and cliffs of conglomerate/sandstone Fountain Formation.
Ornithological Importance
The site provides habitat for such "species of high conservation priority" as: Common Poorwill, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Juniper Titmouse, Virginia’s Warbler, MacGillivray’s Warbler, and Western Tanager.
Breeding species:
|
Average #
|
Maximum #
|
Golden Eagle
|
1
|
1
|
Common Poorwill
|
2
|
2
|
Cordilleran Flycatcher
|
4
|
5
|
Juniper Titmouse
|
3
|
5
|
Solitary Vireo
|
30
|
|
Virginia’s Warbler
|
15
|
23
|
MacGillivray’s Warbler
|
5
|
7
|
Western Tanager
|
10
|
33
|
Western Wood Pewee
|
50
|
102
|
Spotted Towhee
|
200
|
|
|
|
|
|
Migrant species:
|
Average #
|
Maximum #
|
Chipping Sparrow
|
30
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wintering species:
|
Average #
|
Maximum #
|
Wild Turkey
|
45
|
|
Scrub Jay
|
100
|
170
|
Red-breasted Nuthatch
|
40
|
135
|
Townsend’s Solitaire
|
50
|
68
|
Mountain Bluebird
|
10
|
26
|
Spotted Towhee
|
200
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research/educational activities:
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has operated winter and summer bird point counts from an educational field station at this site since 1995. The preserve contains a 5-mile system of trails, open Saturday through Monday dawn to dusk, on which naturalist guides conduct monthly hikes from May through September. TNC hosts numerous educational programs throughout the year, though they are most frequent during the summer. Approximately 12 school groups visit the preserve annually.
Conservation/Management Issues
Minor threats:
1. cowbird parasitism;
2. disturbance to birds and habitat, in part from past wildfire suppression.
Potential threats:
1. invasive/non-native plants;
2. habitat conversion;
3. residential development pressure on properties to the north and south.
Efforts to address threats:
TNC is investigating the possibility of instituting prescribed fires at the site.
Management details:
Aiken Canyon Preserve is a Colorado Watchable Wildlife site. The Nature Conservancy holds a 99-year conservation lease with the state on 1,100 acres of the preserve, and owns the remaining 521 acres. Land to the east is owned and managed by Fort Carson, while land to the west is owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management as a Wilderness Study Area.
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