Trip report: Plains Lakes & Hutton

Both the weather and the birding were great for our trip to the lakes on Saturday. Duck numbers overall were down, but we still found quite a few species. Shorebird species are moving through; we got to see fantastic display flights by willets and Wilson's snipes. Songbirds were evident as well: recent arrivals are yellow-rumped warblers, Brewer's blackbirds, Brewer's sparrow, vesper sparrow, Say's phoebe, and multiple species of swallows.

Wilson's Snipe along Brubaker Lane. Photo © Shawn Billerman.

Tiger salamander found at Meeboer. Photo by Libby Megna.

Many fields have flooded since the snowstorm, providing good stopover habitat and birding opportunities. We found several Franklin's gulls and a few Bonaparte's gulls along Pahlow west of the Gelatt marsh.

In total we detected 72 species. Below are links to our eBird checklists and the species list for the day.

Blake's Pond
Meeboer Lake
Gelatt Marsh
Lake Hattie Reservoir
Brubaker Lane
Hutton Lake NWR

Species List - 25 April 2015

Canada Goose Canada Goose Gadwall American Wigeon Mallard Blue-winged Teal Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Common Loon Horned Grebe Eared Grebe Western Grebe Clark's Grebe American White Pelican Great Blue Heron

Hooded Merganser Osprey Golden Eagle Northern Harrier Cooper's Hawk Swainson's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Coot Sandhill Crane American Avocet Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Willet Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson's Snipe Bonaparte's Gull Franklin's Gull Ring-billed Gull California Gull Herring Gull Mourning Dove Great Horned Owl Belted Kingfisher American Kestrel Say's Phoebe

Ring-billed Gull Common Raven Horned Lark Tree Swallow Bank Swallow Barn Swallow Cliff Swallow Marsh Wren American Robin Sage Thrasher European Starling McCown's Longspur Yellow-rumped Warbler Brewer's Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Song Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Western Meadowlark Yellow-headed Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird Common Grackle Great-tailed Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird House Sparrow

Auduboners at Hutton NWR. Photo by Libby Megna.

April Board Meeting

We will hold a board meeting today, Friday, April 24 at 5:30 pm. We will meet in room 227 of the Berry Center. Our board meetings are open to the public; if you are interested in the behind-the-scenes of the Laramie Audubon Society, feel free to join us.

Upcoming trip: Plains Lakes & Hutton Lake

We'll head out to the lakes once again this Saturday, April 25. The lakes are one of the best places to bird this time of year--we should see lingering ducks, shorebirds, grebes, raptors, and some passerines. I've been out to some of the lakes with Ornithology students this week, and we got quite a few species; see our eBird checklists: Blake's and Meeboer.

Meet at Coal Creek at 8 am to fuel up. We will visit both the Plains Lakes and Hutton NWR, so be prepared for a longer day and more driving. Of course, you can leave early if you drive your own vehicle or arrange with carpool buddies. We will probably be back to Laramie around 2 pm after a visit to all the lakes. Bring binoculars, a spotting scope if you have one, snacks/drinks and dress for the weather.

Blake's Pond after the snowstorm. Photo by Libby Megna, 21 April 2015.

Upcoming trip: Hutton Lake NWR

Auduboners at Hutton Lake. Photo by Libby Megna.

Join us for a birding trip to Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge this Saturday, April 11. Tim Banks will lead the search for waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds, and songbirds. Migration is in full swing, so we are likely to find some surprises.

We will meet at Coal Creek Coffee at 8 am to carpool. Please bring binoculars, a spotting scope if you have one, field guides, snacks and drinks. Be prepared for windy conditions. Our trips to Hutton usually last a few hours, but anyone is free to leave early if they bring their own vehicle.