The largest body of water in the county, this could be considered one of the Great Lakes of Denver, up there with Barr, Cherry Creek and Chatfield. It has terrific potential for waterbirds, attracting huge numbers of ducks, grebes, gulls, and occasionally shorebirds when the lake is low. Red-throated Loon, Long-tailed and Parasitic Jaegers, Little Gull and Arctic Tern are just a few of the rarities that have shown up at Standley. When the lake dries up substantially, the vegetation in the exposed basin can be good for sparrows.

A pair of Bald Eagles breeds along the northwest shore of the lake, which is off-limits for this reason. However, the park maintains an eagle viewing blind a short distance west of the Visitor Center on the north side of the lake.

The lake can be effectively scanned from its southeast corner, from a pullout on the north side of 86th Parkway. Alternatively, you can drive in to the parking lot farther west along 86th, and walk a few hundred yards to scan the reservoir from the south. The main park entrance is on the north side, along 100th Avenue at Simms Street. There is a fee to drive into the park, but no fee for walk-in access.

Habitat: Pond/Lake/Reservoir, Prairie/Grassland

Directions: To get to the south side of the lake, take CO 121 (Wadsworth Blvd/Pkwy) north from I-70 (exit 269) or south from US 36 to 88th Avenue. Turn west onto 88th and drive west about one mile to the southeast corner of the lake, or about two miles to the parking lot on the south side. To get to the north side (main entrance), from CO 121 (Wadsworth) take 100th Avenue west to Simms; the park entrance is on the south side of the intersection.

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