Plains Lakes Tour - Saturday, April 21

Join us this Saturday for a tour of the Plains Lakes. We will head to the lakes west of Laramie to view spring migrants and resident waterfowl, raptors and shorebirds. Trip leader: Shawn Billerman. Meet at the downtown (110 E Grand) Coal Creek Coffee at 8 am to carpool. Field trips are open to all levels of birders. Remember to dress in layers and bring your scope, binoculars, field guide, snacks, and water. Photo: Lake Hattie, Julie Hart.

Sage Grouse Lek Trip Saturday April 7th

Come watch the grouse strut their stuff.  Meet at 5 am at the Eppson Senior Center parking lot, Curtis & 3rd St.  We will carpool to the lek at 5:10 am sharp.  You will need a high clearance or 4WD vehicle.  It takes about an hour to drive to the lek.  Bring a scope if you have one.  It is usually very windy at the lek so dress extra warm.  We are usually back to Laramie by 7:30 or 8 am.

You can just show up at the parking lot at 5 am or earlier.  If you need more information or if you want to tell us you are coming, please call 307-760-9518. It would be nice for us to have an idea about how many people to expect. 

Alternate date in case of inclement weather or impassable roads is April 21, meeting at Eppson Senior Center parking lot at 5 am, leaving at 5:10 am sharp.

Chimney Park Tracking Trip Report

Sunday April 1 three Laramie Audubon people joined Gary Beauvais for our annual winter animal snow track trip, no really, this was the day we picked for this outing.  Up in the forest near the Chimney Park Boy Scout camp we found about 3/4s of the area still covered with old snow.  The trip this year occurred without the aid of snowshoes or skis and though we located only semi-melted tracks of moose and coyote a good time was had by all.  Discussions during our little trip ran from identifying scat, to viewing fungus that creates a furry mat under snow,  to identifying how plants had been altered by mammals (i.e. moose on willow and aspen, and red squirrel and woodpeckers on pine).  Only a single blue grouse (I know it is now a "Dusky') was observed, but chickadees and a creeper were heard. In all a very nice spring outing.

Brian Waitkus
LAS Vice-President