Of all the great metro area reservoirs, this is the only one that falls within Denver County. Marston Reservoir is an essential stop for any Denver County lister, not to mention anyone looking for waterbirds in the metro area during the colder months. The main draw here is the large rafts of ducks that gather here during the fall and winter, often including rarities such as all three species of scoter, or Barrow's Goldeneye. This location is possibly the best in the state to find Greater Scaup, especially during March, when the large rafts of Scaup here usually have at least a few Greaters in them. Hooded Merganser can also occur in great numbers during this time of year.

Marston is also a great place to study loons and grebes – it is one of the best places in the state to see multiple Pacific Loons during the fall, and Red-necked Grebe has occurred more than once. While it is not as renowned for gulls, there are often good-sized flocks here during the colder months that can include Thayer's, Glaucous, Lesser Black-backed, and maybe even rarer species. Finally, when the reservoir is low enough there are a few mudflats, especially on the southern end, which have the best shorebird potential in the county.

Habitat: Reservoir

Directions: For the south side, from Wadsworth and Bowles, travel north on Wadsworth to Belleview, and take a right. Follow Belleview for a short distance and take your first left onto S. Balsam St. Follow this road as it curves around and becomes W. Grand Ave. Follow Grand as it curves to the north and parallels the SE shore. Scan from any openings where you can see the reservoir. The best one is usually where Grand approaches the reservoir most closely, near the north end of the road. To reach the north end of the reservoir, take Wadsworth north to Quincy, and take a right on Quincy. Follow Quincy west to Sheridan Blvd and take a right. Head south on Sheridan to a "T" with Bow Mar Dr, and take a right onto Bow Mar. This road parallels the north side of the reservoir and provides good vantage points for scanning.

Acknowledgments: Hotspot information was originally compiled on Birding Colorado, a service of Colorado Field Ornithologists. CFO thanks all the original contributors.