Upcoming talk by Charlotte Gabrielsen

 Laramie Audubon Society will initiate its fall speaker program this Wednesday, September 24, with a talk by Charlotte Gabrielsen, entitled “Climate change effects on amphibian persistence in the Plains and Prairie Pothole Region".

Charlotte is a University of Wyoming doctoral student and Laramie Audubon small-grant recipient. She will share her findings regarding wetland drying under various climate change scenarios and tell us how such changes might affect the amphibians that depend on these ephemeral water bodies.

The talk begins at 7 pm at the Berry Center auditorium, but refreshments and mingling will start at 6:30 pm. Laramie Audubon will be hosting this program jointly with the Travelle Chapter of the Izaac Walton League.

Field trip report: Hereford Ranch

This past Saturday six intrepid Auduboners awoke extra early for a pilgrimage to one of the best migrant traps in southeastern Wyoming: the Hereford Ranch.

True to form, the cottonwoods and willows of the riparian areas at the Ranch were hopping with migrants. The vast majority were Wilson's Warblers, but we did turn up an American Redstart and a Cassin's Vireo in company with Plumbeous Vireos. The Eastern Screech-Owl continues to cooperate--he or she is still occupying the willow cavity near the corral next to the parking lot.

We saw 48 species total--plus several Empidonax flycatchers, likely comprising two species. Below is the link to the eBird checklist and the complete trip list.

Wyoming Hereford Ranch

Species List

Canada Goose Gadwall Mallard Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Swainson's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Killdeer Eurasian Collared-Dove Mourning Dove Eastern Screech-Owl Red-naped Sapsucker Northern Flicker Western Wood-Pewee Empidonax sp. Say's Phoebe Plumbeous Vireo

Cassin's Vireo Warbling Vireo Bank Swallow Barn Swallow Cliff Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Ruby-crowned Kinglet Townsend's Solitaire Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush American Robin Gray Catbird European Starling Northern Waterthrush

Orange-crowned Warbler MacGillivray's Warbler American Redstart Yellow Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Wilson's Warbler Green-tailed Towhee Chipping Sparrow Clay-colored Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Western Tanager Common Grackle House Finch American Goldfinch House Sparrow

Photos by Libby Megna.

Upcoming field trip: Hereford Ranch

Orange-crowned Warbler, Albany Co, WY. Photo © Shawn Billerman.

Our next field trip is this Saturday, September 13th. Note that we'll be leaving from Night Heron Books at 7 am (one hour earlier than usual) because we are heading to the Hereford Ranch on the east side of Cheyenne. Libby Megna will lead the search for songbird migrants; in particular, we should find good sparrows, vireos, and warblers.

Again, meet downtown at Night Heron Books at 7 am to caffeinate and carpool. We will be back to Laramie by noon--if you can only join us for part of the time, be prepared to drive your own vehicle.

All Laramie Audubon field trips are free and open to the public; families are welcome. Bring water and snacks, binoculars, a spotting scope if you have one, and dress for the worst weather.

Ed Scholes at UW this week

Ed Scholes, evolutionary biologist and Curator of Video at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library, will be visiting the University of Wyoming this week. Scholes, with National Geographic photographer Tim Laman, recently finished a project documenting all species in the birds-of-paradise family. Check out the Birds-of-Paradise Project for more info and great video of gorgeous birds.

Scholes will give two talks:

Video analysis, specimen imaging and 3D modeling: New perspectives on courtship displays in a bird-of-paradise
     Friday, Sept. 12, 12:10 pm, Berry Center 138
     Part of the weekly Zoology/Physiology Departmental seminar, co-hosted by Biodiversity Institute

Birds of Paradise: Revealing the World's Most Extraordinary Birds

     Friday, Sept. 12, 7:00 pm, Berry Center 138

     Booksigning to follow

     Hosted by the Biodiversity Institute

Additionally, the Biodiversity Institute will show the National Geographic film "Winged Seduction: Birds of Paradise" on Wednesday, September 10 at 5 pm and on Sunday, September 14 at 2 pm.

All events are free and open to the public. 

Click on the image below to download a poster that you can share with interested parties.

Field trip report: Plains Lakes & Hutton NWR

Yesterday's inaugural field trip of the fall did not disappoint: the birds were great, the weather flat-out exceeded expectations, and the company was convivial. The major avian highlight of the trip was a juvenile Sabine's Gull at Lake Hattie. A juvenile Sanderling in fresh, crisp plumage at Meeboer was another group favorite.

Waterfowl are increasing in number on Hutton and Hoge Lakes. Lake Hattie is still relatively devoid of waterfowl but that will change over the next few weeks--and as evidenced on the trip, rare gull season is in session! Several raptor species were conspicuous, especially the Swainson's Hawks, which are amassing before their southward migration.

We saw 73 species total; below are links to the eBird checklists for each hotspot and the complete trip list.

Blake's Pond
Meeboer Lake
Twin Buttes Reservoir
Lake Hattie Reservoir
Hutton Lake NWR

Species List

Canada Goose Gadwall American Wigeon Mallard Blue-winged Teal Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Canvasback Redhead Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Pied-billed Grebe Eared Grebe Western Grebe Double-crested Cormorant American White Pelican Great Blue Heron Golden Eagle Northern Harrier Bald Eagle Swainson's Hawk

Ferruginous Hawk Virginia Rail Sora American Coot Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Willet Lesser Yellowlegs Sanderling Baird's Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Wilson's Phalarope Red-necked Phalarope Sabine's Gull Franklin's Gull Ring-billed Gull California Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Eurasian Collared-Dove Mourning Dove

Common Nighthawk Northern Flicker Prairie Falcon Loggerhead Shrike Common Raven Violet-green Swallow Bank Swallow Barn Swallow Marsh Wren American Robin Sage Thrasher European Starling Chestnut-collared Longspur McCown's Longspur Common Yellowthroat Yellow Warbler Brewer's Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Yellow-headed Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird Great-tailed Grackle American Goldfinch

 

Photos of Auduboners at Lake Hattie by Libby Megna.

Upcoming Field Trip: Hutton and Plains Lakes

Lake Hattie. Photo by Libby Megna.

Join us this Saturday, September 6th as we kick off the fall season with a trip to Hutton Lake NWR and the Plains Lakes. Shawn Billerman will lead us on the search for migrant waterfowl and shorebirds. September 6th is also World Shorebird Day! We'll do our part by submitting data on the shorebirds we observe to eBird.

Meet downtown at Night Heron Books at 8 am to caffeinate and carpool. We expect to be back to Laramie around 1 pm; if you can only join us for part of the time, be prepared to drive your own vehicle.

All Laramie Audubon field trips are free and open to the public; families are welcome. Bring water and snacks, binoculars, a spotting scope if you have one, and dress for the worst weather.