All Dave’s hikes are free and open to everyone. Follow instructions below to sign up. Since hikes fill up quickly and often have a waiting list, please let Dave know right away if you need to cancel a reservation.
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Jungle Birds of Superior
Saturday May 30, 8 – 11 am
Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with a safari to find birds of the jungle. But we won’t fly to Belize or Costa Rica. Their birds will come to us! Join naturalist Dave Sutherland for an easy walk along a local birding hot-spot to search for colorful migratory songbirds newly arrived from the steamy jungles of Latin America. Bring binoculars, cameras or a spotting scope if you have one, and books, (we will use Birds of Costa Rica as our guide book in the field. - no joke!) Meet at the Coalton Trailhead in Superior. Limit: 20 people. Follow this link to sign up https://secure.rec1.com/CO/superior-co/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTQxMzUwOTg=
Wildflower Bonanza on the Prairie
Saturday June 6, 9 – 11 am
The Coalton Trail loops through a verdant prairie thick with wildflowers. Join a flower treasure hunt with naturalist Dave Sutherland to seek out blue penstemons, lavender lupines, yellow cinquefoils and orange wallflowers. And every wildflower has a story! Spring butterfly sightings guaranteed at no extra charge. Meet at the Coalton Trailhead. Limit: 20. Follow this link to sign up https://secure.rec1.com/CO/superior-co/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTQxMzgyOTg=
Jungle Birds of Boulder
Sunday June 7, 7:30 – 10:30 am
Why fly to Belize or Costa Rica when their birds will come to us? Join naturalist Dave Sutherland for an easy hike into a local birding hot-spot to search for colorful migratory songbirds newly arrived from the steamy jungles of Latin America. Bring binoculars, cameras or a spotting scope if you have one, and books, (we will use Birds of Costa Rica as our guide book in the field. - no joke). Sign up from the Environment for the Americas web calendar here: https://environmentamericas.org/events/ Limit: 20 people.
A Magical World of Moths
Thursday June 11, 7:30-9:30 pm
Location; Beech Shelter, Near Left Hand Trailhead (map & directions)
Did you know Colorado has over 10x more moths than butterflies – from the familiar Miller Moth and the critical Yucca moth, to the dramatic Sphinx moth (pictured) and mysterious Black Witch moth! Join us for engaging moth activities, an in formal lecture at 8:30 pm with moth expert Dr Ryan St Laurent, curator of Entomology at the CU Museum of Natural History, and see how many species we can capture after dark! Once it’s dark around 9:00 pm, the real magic begins as we observe moths and other insects up close at illuminated viewing stations. Bring a headlamp along with your sense of wonder. Register here for this free event, space is limited. Hosted by Boulder County Parks and Open Space, DarkSky Colorado, CU Museum of Natural History, & People and Pollinators Action Network.
Jewels of the Night Sky: Solstice Telescope Party
June 11 / 12 / 13 9:30 pm —until everyone gets cold and leaves
NOTE: The program will be offered once, on the night with the best weather forecast. Registered participants will get email updates about the night selected.
Join Naturalist Dave Sutherland and a large telescope for a trip through the universe! We’ll peer into the heart of our galaxy, the Milky Way, to see new stars like the Sun being born; and look at the "smoke ring" of glowing gas that forms when a star comes to the end of its life. Glittering star clusters, colliding galaxies and colorful double stars thrown in at no extra charge! Bring mosquito repellent and a jacket just in case. Meet at the Joder Ranch Trailhead 3 miles north of Boulder. Email Dave at dsutherland4747@gmail.com to get updates on the night selected. Sorry it’s so late, but it doesn’t really get dark until after 9 in June.
Gunbarrel Hill & Ground-nesting Birds
Sunday June 14, 7:30 - 9:30 am. Reservations open Monday June 1
The grasslands at Gunbarrel Hill tell an amazing story of farmland restored to prairie. After thirty years of replanting with native grasses, the land is now home to a vibrant plant and animal community, including uncommon ground-nesting songbirds whose populations are declining across North America. The nearby prairie dog colonies have supported breeding burrowing owls and foraging hawks and eagles, and the swaying grasses shelter the highest nesting concentration of rare grasshopper sparrows in Boulder County. Join community naturalist Dave Sutherland for an easy hike to explore the new Vesper Trail at this remarkable natural treasure in our backyard. We will meet at the neighborhood trail access point to the Gunbarrel Hill trails, at the corner of Boulderado Drive and Cambridge Street (map search 1000 Boulderado Drive in Boulder.) Bring binoculars and spotting scopes if you have them! Limit: 20 people. Sign up from the Environment for the Americas web calendar here: https://environmentamericas.org/events/
Historic Roosa Cabin Open House - Two Offerings!
Tuesday June 16, 1 - 3 pm drop ins
Sunday July 12, 1 - 3 pm drop ins
For over a century, the mysterious little stone cabin has sat near Wood’s Quarry at the base of the Third Flatiron. Who built it and why? Who lived here? What’s on the inside? Join the cabin’s owner Regina Bock, and Community Naturalist Dave Sutherland, for an historical “Open House” to learn the answers (to the best of our knowledge) about this enigmatic little building and get a chance to see inside. No reservation necessary, just drop by between 1 and 3 pm on the indicated day. If you’re not sure where it is, email Dave for a map to the cabin’s precise location, right on the Mesa Trail just a bit south of its junction with the Enchanted Mesa Trail. It’s about 1.5 miles one way from Chautauqua. There is no water, electricity or toilet at the cabin.
Destination: Ice Age
Wednesday June 17, 5 – 8 pm Reservations open Monday June 8 at 6 pm
Twelve thousand years ago, mammoths lumbered through Boulder’s cool deciduous forests. As glaciers melted, the climate dried up and the ancient forests vanished . . . except for a few rare hidden pockets. Travel back with naturalist Dave Sutherland to a botanical time capsule, one of the last remnants of the Ice Age forest in Colorado, where natural marvels await. Due to sensitivity of the habitat, space is limited to 15. Meet at the parking lot at Realization Point on Flagstaff Road. This hike is sponsored by Boulder County Audubon and is free. Email Dave at dsutherland4747@gmail.com to sign up.
Your Native Plant Garden, All Grown Up!
Saturday June 20, 1 - 2:30 pm
Planning a new native landscape? What awaits your garden when it “grows up?” Community Naturalist Dave Sutherland has a 29-year old native wildlife garden that has changed over the years. Plants moved around as if with a mind of their own, got HUGE! - and laughingly wreaked havoc on the best-laid landscape plans. Learn about opportunities, challenges and surprises that you’ll face as your pollinator / habitat garden comes of age and asserts itself. Bonus: get some native plant seeds collected in Dave’s garden! This talk is offered through Harlequin’s Gardens in Boulder and there is a $25 fee for the class. Sign up here: https://harlequinsgardens.com/product/plants-all-grown-up/
Shared Spaces: Turn Your Yard into a Habitat Garden
Saturday June 20, 7 - 8:30 pm Standley Lake Yurt, Westminster
Do you want to do your part to provide habitat for pollinators, baby birds and other critters of all sorts? What does it mean to create truly shared spaces for humans and nature? Join veteran naturalist and avid wildlife gardener Dave Sutherland for a slide program about his decades of experience (and making every mistake in the book) in order to maximize your garden’s beauty and benefits to the larger ecosystem. Bonus: get some free native plant seeds collected in Dave’s garden! (Cut and paste this link to register) https://cowestminsterweb.myvscloud.com/webtrac/web/iteminfo.html?Module=AR&FMID=209391652
Sonata for Moon, Stars & Fireflies
Monday June 29, 8:30 - 10 pm Reservations open Monday June 15 at 6 pm
For thousands of years, the night and the moon have inspired poets, romantics, musicians and scientists alike. How do you musically capture something as ethereal as moonlight and starlight? Naturalist Dave Sutherland will guide a gentle journey from sunset into the light of the rising full moon with a varied selection of classical music inspired by our silvery celestial neighbor, interspersed with modern-day science. And with a little luck, there will be a flickering surprise! Goosebumps encouraged. Meet at Sawhill Ponds. This free program is a collaboration between Boulder County Audubon Society and the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra. Email dsutherland4747@gmail.com to sign up. Limit 20.
Insects and Classical Music Two Offerings!
Saturday July 18. 8 - 9:30 am
Saturday August 15. 8 - 9:30 am
Why have composers been fascinated by bugs and spiders, and how have they tried to capture them in their music? Join Dave Sutherland, teamed up with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and the Butterfly Pavilion, for a stroll through the Wings of the Tropics rainforest exhibit at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, while listening to recorded music selections inspired by the world of invertebrates. Butterflies, crickets, bees and wasps, spiders and even praying mantises have been captured in music! The adventure continues in the Butterfly Pavilion’s Discovery Gardens, where we’ll gently capture some live invertebrates among the flowers and listen to more music. Don’t miss this unique journey into the mysterious and musical world of bugs!
Admission to the Butterfly Pavilion is required, $10 members $12 non members. Sign up here: https://butterflies.org/invertebrates-and-music-walks-2026/
Nature at Night. A Family Program
Saturday July 25, 8:30 - 10 pm
Under the light of the waxing moon, Community Naturalist Dave Sutherland will lead you into the mysterious world of nocturnal animals. Explore your senses in the darkness: listen like a bat, smell like a moth, feel with your whiskers and learn to see by moonlight. Find out why the dark is not as scary as it seems. Ages 6 and up. We’ll meet at the Mushroom Pond on Westminster Open Space. Register for spaces here (cut and paste link): https://cowestminsterweb.myvscloud.com/webtrac/web/iteminfo.html?Module=AR&FMID=209394965
Live Chamber Music at the Butterfly Pavilion!
Rooted: A concert performed in Wings of the Tropics
Friday July 31, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Saturday August 1, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Experience a magical evening where music and nature meet inside Butterfly Pavilion’s Wings of the Tropics butterfly conservatory. This intimate program brings together live chamber music by Concertvation, a nonprofit that explores how artists and scientists partner to translate ecological data into sound. Rooted in the earth itself – from soil and root systems to forests and trees – this program will reflect on the natural world as both a fragile and a living, interconnected system. The performance will be interwoven with contextual insights from Community Naturalist Dave Sutherland, offering perspectives on the ecological systems that inspire the music. This is a fundraiser to benefit the Butterfly Pavilion and Concertvation to help them fulfill their missions. For more information and to purchase tickets follow this link: https://butterflies.org/nature-concert/
Learn more about Concertvation and their work here: https://www.concertvation.org/