Upcoming event: Christmas Bird Count!

UPDATE: Change in date to Sunday, December 18

Gray-crowned Rosy-finches. Photo (c) Shawn Billerman.

We are seeking volunteers to take part in the 117th annual Christmas Bird Count!

The Laramie Audubon Society will again take part in a 100-year-old Christmas tradition, the annual Christmas Bird Count. Volunteers are welcome to join in the count with the LAS chapter as it conducts the Albany County Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, December 18. This will be the 39th count of the Albany County circle. Volunteers are needed to help count every bird present in the 15-mile diameter circle around Laramie on the day of the count. Novices are welcome, and will be paired with more experienced bird watchers.

Volunteers can call ahead (307-286-1972) or meet at Coal Creek Coffee (110 E. Grand) at 7:30 am on the day of the count to get data forms and team assignments. Some teams walk, while others drive through the territory. Volunteers will reconvene at The Grounds Internet and Coffee Lounge (171 N. 3rd St.) at 12:00 pm to drop off morning reports and regroup for those continuing in the afternoon.

Volunteers should wear warm, layered clothing and boots, and bring water, snacks and binoculars if you have them. Feeder watchers are also welcome. Volunteers are invited to a chili supper where results will be compiled beginning at 4 pm the home of Shay Howlin. Potluck items welcome, but not required. Please contact Shay Howlin if you would like to be assigned a route early, would like forms for feeder watching, or have any questions (307-286-1972; wolfhowlin@gmail.com).

Upcoming talk: Science Cafe with the Prather Lab

Join the Laramie Audubon Society and the Biodiversity Institute next week for a Science Café featuring work by Dr. Jonathan Prather and his lab. Prather studies the neurobiology of communication in birds.

A summary of the lab's recent work: "We use our words to communicate with each other every day, and we rely on good decision making to keep us healthy and out of trouble. In both speech and decision making, specialized circuits in the brain enable us to learn from experience. When we take a close look at songbirds, we find that they do they same thing. Birds learn their songs just like we learn the sounds we use in speech, and female birds evaluate the quality of male birds’ songs in order to select their mates. How does the brain do that, and how can we use that insight to understand more about ourselves?"

Dr. Jonathan Prather

Wednesday, November 30
UW Berry Center Auditorium
10th Street and Lewis Street
Laramie, Wyoming
Free parking after 5 pm

6:30 pm Refreshments and Bird Chat
7:00 pm Program begins

The Science Café will feature three talks:

Dr. Jonathan Prather  - How the brain learns to communicate and make good decisions: What studying songbirds can teach us about human behavior

Karagh Murphy - What songbirds can teach us about human behavior

Jeff Dunning - Shedding light on the female songbird brain

We will also hold our annual board member elections at this meeting. Members who cannot attend this meeting will be able to vote via an online survey, coming soon to your email.

Upcoming trip: Laramie Valley

Pronghorn. Photo (c) Shawn Billerman.

This Saturday, 12 November, Tim Banks will lead us on a tour of the Laramie Valley for whatever birds we can find. Waterfowl have been disappointingly absent so far this fall, but raptor diversity is usually good in the valley! Join us for the adventure--never know what we might find.

We will meet at 8 am at Night Heron Books & Coffeehouse to carpool. Bring binoculars, a scope if you have one, and field guides. Dress for the weather and bring water and snacks. I plan to be back in Laramie by 11:45 am; if you can only join us for part of the time, be prepared to drive your own vehicle or coordinate with carpool buddies.

Birders of all levels are welcome! Our trips are free and open to the public.

Rough-legged Hawk. Photo (c) Shawn Billerman.

Upcoming talk: Rachel Fanelli and Joanna Harter

Please join us this coming Wednesday, October 26 for two talks by our most recent Small Grants recipients. Both Rachel and Joanna received LAS funds this last spring/summer to help with their research and outreach efforts.

As usual, we will meet in the Berry Center auditorium. Parking adjacent to the building is free after 5 pm. Bird chat and refreshments begin at 6:30 pm, and the talks will begin at 7:00 pm.

Rachel Fanelli will give a talk entitled: "Community Outreach with the University of Wyoming Raccoon Project." The University of Wyoming Raccoon Project has taken an active role in the Laramie community to generate excitement around this local wildlife species. Rachel will discuss their outreach efforts and how these efforts have proven fundamental for their research.

Joanna Harter will give a talk entitled: "How does bird diversity in the Prairie Potholes Region respond to wetland persistence?" The Prairie Potholes Region supports a high diversity of birds and diverse wetland habitats, and Joanna is examining the effects of wetland persistence on bird diversity. She will introduce us to this strange and beautiful landscape, and share some of the details of her study with us during her talk.

Upcoming trip: Plains Lakes

Libby Megna will lead a trip to the Plains Lakes this Saturday, 15 October. Hopefully we will find a variety of dabbling and diving ducks between Blake's Pond, Twin Buttes, and Lake Hattie. Plus, raptor diversity out on the plains is almost always excellent.

We will meet at 8 am at Night Heron Books & Coffeehouse to carpool. Bring binoculars, a scope if you have one, and field guides. Dress for the weather and bring water and snacks. I plan to be back in Laramie by 11:45 am; if you can only join us for part of the time, be prepared to drive your own vehicle or coordinate with carpool buddies.

Birders of all levels are welcome! Our trips are free and open to the public.

Our intrepid president, Tim Banks, scoping Lake Hattie on the Plains Lakes trip 18 Oct 2014. Photo by Libby Megna.

Trip report: Laramie hotspots

Doug Eddy led a great trip to several birding hotspots around Laramie this past Saturday, September 24. Despite a light accumulation of snow overnight and chilly morning temperatures, we had a great crowd!

Doug started us off at a birding spot new to me, City Springs on the east side of town adjacent to the plains. Highlights included an Empidonax species, either Dusky or Hammond's, and nice looks at a Green-tailed Towhee and White-crowned Sparrows. See our complete checklist here.

Next stop was Greenhill Cemetery, where a flock of a couple hundred blackbirds dominated the birdlife. These were a mix of Brewer's Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and Red-winged Blackbirds. We found Orange-crowned, Wilson's, Townsend's, and Yellow-rumped warblers, and had a great look at a Cooper's Hawk. Our full checklist is here.

At LaBonte Park, there were quite a few waterfowl on the lake but the highlight was a Merlin. Full checklist is here. Doug finished up the hotspots tour with a stop at the Greenbelt; the birds weren't as plentiful at that location, but we were treated to a great look at a Belted Kingfisher.

Thanks all for joining us! We hope you come again. If anyone who was present would like to have the eBird checklists shared with them, just shoot me an email.

Upcoming talk: Nate Huck

On Wednesday, September 28, Nate Huck will give a talk entitled Duck diets: what they eat and why it matters. As usual, we will meet in the Berry Center; bird chat with refreshments will start at 6:30 pm, and the talk will begin at 7:00 pm.

Nate is the Migratory Game Bird Biologist for Wyoming Game and Fish. He’ll be talking about research from his graduate work at Texas A&M, studying diet composition of Northern Pintails along the Texas coast. He’ll discuss the importance of understanding winter foraging habits for key waterfowl species, and share with us some cool insights from his research. Please join us for his talk!

Northern Pintails. Photo by JM Garg, Wikimedia.

Upcoming trip: Laramie Hotspots

LAS birds Optimist Park, Sep 2015.

Doug Eddy will lead us on a journey through the best birding spots within Laramie this Saturday, 24 September. We'll look for migrating songbirds, especially warblers and sparrows.

We will meet at 8 am at Night Heron Books & Coffeehouse to carpool. Bring binoculars and field guides, dress for the weather, and bring water and snacks.

Doug plans to visit four spots in town--so if you can't meet up at 8 am we hope you will join us for part of the time! We'll spend about 1 hour at each stop; click on the links below for details and a map of the location.

City Springs Oasis
Greenhill Cemetery
Labonte Park
Greenbelt

After the birding is done, we will spend some time cleaning up the section of the Greenbelt that Laramie Audubon recently adopted. We'd really appreciate it if you stuck around after birding pick up trash!

Birders of all levels are welcome! This is a particularly good trip for beginning birders. Our trips are free and open to the public.

Greenbelt, September 2015. Photo by Libby Megna.

Trip report: Hutton Lake NWR

Yesterday, Saturday 17 September, Tim Banks and Vicki Henry led a great trip to Hutton Lake NWR. We had nice looks at Greater Yellowlegs, Ferruginous Hawks, and a small flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Wilson's Warblers, and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers working through the greasewood. The vast majority of the waterfowl were American Coots and Eared Grebes.

You can view our full checklist here.

In addition to birding, we cleaned out and performed maintenance on the Tree Swallow nest boxes at the refuge. This past summer almost all of the boxes hosted Tree Swallows, and 13 nests apparently fledged young.

Vicki Henry and Art Denison checking a nest box. Photo by Libby Megna.

Upcoming trip: Hutton Lake NWR, 13 September

This Saturday, 17 September, Vicki Henry and Tim Banks will lead us to Hutton Lake NWR for birding and nest box maintenance! This time of year the refuge hosts migrating waterfowl, coots, grebes, and hopefully some lingering shorebirds. If you can stay for a bit after birding, we will also clean out and perform maintenance on the tree swallow nest boxes we have on the refuge. Feel free to join us for either or both activities.

Meet at Night Heron Books & Coffeehouse at 8 am. We should be back to Laramie by noon or so, but of course you can leave early if you drive your own vehicle or arrange with carpool buddies. Bring binoculars, a spotting scope if you have one, snacks/drinks and dress for the weather.

Our trips are free and open to the public. This trip is great for birders of all skill levels.

See you there!

Rush Lake, September 2015. Photo by Libby Megna.

Trip Report: Hereford Ranch

Eight Auduboners met extra early to bird the Wyoming Hereford Ranch in Cheyenne this past Saturday, 10 September 2016. Despite the overnight below-freezing temps in Laramie, we lucked into a very nice day at Hereford.

Our hopes for rare fall migrants were dashed, but we did get nice looks at expected species. Although Wilson's Warblers dominated all of the riparian areas at the Ranch, we did pick out one Yellow Warbler and one Townsend's Warbler. We also found a Brown Thrasher, Say's Phoebes, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and Warbling Vireos. Our full trip list is here.

Laramie Audubon birds Hereford Ranch. Photo by Libby Megna.

Upcoming trip: Hereford Ranch, 10 September

Eastern Screech-Owl. Photo by Libby Megna

We will head out to Hereford Ranch in Cheyenne this Saturday, 10 September, for our first field trip of the season. This is a great place to see eastern species that are migrating through the region, in addition to more expected regional migrants. The ranch has riparian habitats that attract a lot of migrants during spring and fall.

Meet at 7:00 am (earlier than usual) at Night Heron Books & Coffeehouse to carpool and caffeinate to Cheyenne. We will leave no later than 7:15. Be sure to gas up ahead of time--it will take about 50 minutes to get to the ranch. We should get back to Laramie between noon and 1 pm; of course, you can leave anytime you like if you drive your own vehicle.

Bring binoculars, snacks, water, and layer your clothes for weather. This field trip is open to the public and birders of all levels are welcome. Hope to see you this weekend!

Fall birding at Hereford, 13 September 2014. Photo by Libby Megna.

Golden Eagle Rescuers Needed

The Teton Raptor Center is looking for volunteers who are willing to transport injured Golden Eagles, and potentially other raptors, to licensed rehabilitation centers so that they can receive the care they need. Please see the details below from Carrie Ann Adams, and feel free to share the flyer with others who you think may be interested! Click the image for a downloadable PDF flyer.

If you would like to help, call 307-203-2551 or email raptors@tetonraptorcenter.org.

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Carrie Ann Adams, Program Associate at Teton Raptor Center: "Thank you for your dedication to avian conservation and for providing opportunities for people to learn about birds. At Teton Raptor Center in Jackson Hole, we share your commitment to involving the public in avian conservation, with a special focus in birds of prey. Our mission is to advance raptor conservation through education, research, and rehabilitation. One of our newest initiatives is the Golden Eagle Rescue Network, and we are looking for volunteer Raptor Rescuers.

We have a new opportunity for bird lovers throughout Wyoming to help rescue injured and orphaned eagles. Through a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant, we are coordinating a network of volunteer drivers, WGFD officers, pilots, veterinarians, and rehabbers to transport injured eagles in Wyoming to licensed rehabilitation centers. Wyoming currently has three raptor rehab centers: Ironside Bird Rescue in Cody, Teton Raptor Center in Jackson, and Wind River Raptors in Lander. Raptors injured near Laramie can also receive care at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program in Fort Collins, Colorado.

We hope that members of the Laramie Audubon Society, or other avian aficionados in your area, will be interested in becoming Raptor Rescuers. Volunteering typically involves transporting injured birds in kennels from a WGFD office to a rehabilitation center. There is no minimum time commitment, and rescuers can choose to participate on a case-by-case basis. While the network is initially intended for Golden Eagles, there will be opportunities to help other injured raptors as well."

Plant Walk Saturday, July 16 -- Please RSVP

Upcoming field trip: Dawn chorus at Happy Jack

Please join Tim Banks this Saturday, June 4, as he leads a birding trip along the Happy Jack Trails to see what forest birds can be found. Many birds are back and singing on their breeding grounds, including various flycatchers, warblers, and other goodies. This will be a more walking-intensive trip than some of our others, so bring suitable hiking gear.

We will meet at 6 am at the Summit Rest Area. Bring binoculars, water, etc. Be sure to gas up ahead of time. It is about a 20 minute drive from Laramie to the Summit area.

Upcoming field trip: Hereford Ranch

Our next field trip is this Saturday, May 21. Note that we'll leave at 7 am (one hour earlier than usual) because we will head to the Hereford Ranch on the east side of Cheyenne. Shawn Billerman will lead the search for songbirds. The riparian areas at the Hereford Ranch host an incredible array of expected migrants and often deliver a few rarities!

Again, meet downtown at Coal Creek 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. This trip is a particularly nice one for beginning birders. Bring binoculars, water and snacks, and dress for the weather.

Yellow-rumped Warbler at Hereford Ranch. Photo (c) Shawn Billerman.

Upcoming field trip: Arapaho NWR

Saturday, May 7: Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge near Walden, Colorado, in North Park. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at Coal Creek Coffee, 110 E. Grand Ave., in downtown Laramie, to caffeinate and carpool. The drive to Walden is about one and a half hours via Hwy 230 to Walden CO with stops along the way at Sodergreen Lake west of Laramie and Walden Reservoir in Colorado.

We will look for shorebirds and waterfowl in breeding plumage, raptors and grassland birds. We may get lucky and see the Western Grebes in courtship display running across the water at Walden Reservoir. At the refuge, there is a hiking/interpretive trail through wetlands where we are apt to see swallows, wrens, warblers, and perhaps a moose. Be sure to bring plenty of snacks and water since this is a lengthy trip. It is possible to eat lunch in Walden after the field trip. We should return to Laramie by 2pm. The trip leader will most likely be taking a different return route on Jackson County Road 6E (gravel). Participants in their own vehicles are welcome to leave at any time.

Trip Leader: Vicki Henry, 307-760-9518. Call if you have questions. Be sure to program the leader’s phone number into your cell phone in case you get separated from the rest of the caravan. Fill your tank ahead of time if you are taking your own vehicle.

Western Grebes doing their courtship display. Photo (c) Steve Zamek, used with permission.

Audubon: the film

Laramie Audubon is happy to announce that it is co-hosting two screenings of a new film about the life of John James Audubon. The film will be shown in the Berry Center at 5 pm on Wednesday, May 4 and at 2 pm on Saturday, May 7.

The Audubon Society is named after John James Audubon, a pioneer of both North American birdlife and realistic wildlife illustration. Audubon's work strongly influenced following ornithological work as well as the conservation movement. Check out the website for the film to view a movie trailer and learn more about Audubon himself.

If you have some time to get lost in John James' beautiful art, National Audubon has digitized the illustrations from Audubon's Birds of America and you can browse them here.

Spring Exploration, 23 April

Laramie Audubon will have a table at the Spring Exploration event this Saturday from 12 - 4 pm at Territorial Prison. Catherine Symchych will have bird-related activities for kids, and we'd be happy to see adult members and friends there as well!

For more info on the event, click here.

Volunteers needed for nest monitoring at Hutton Lake NWR

Brian Waitkus repairing older nest boxes at Hutton.

Laramie Audubon Society has installed 21 nest boxes at Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge. These boxes will be used by Tree Swallows and possibly Mountain Bluebirds or House Wrens. We need volunteers for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Citizen Science Project NestWatch. This will involve checking nest boxes every 3-4 days (or once per week) in the mid-afternoon and completing a data sheet online. You must be certified as a nest-watcher. This is easy to do by going online to NestWatch's nest monitoring protocol. LAS will be numbering and mapping the boxes prior to monitoring for easy identification on the data sheets.

If you would like to volunteer, you may sign up for one week or many weeks. You may sign up for a few, many or all of the nest boxes. Hopefully, we can get enough people involved to make it less time consuming for the observers. This will require quite a bit of walking since the refuge is now closed to vehicular traffic except along designated roadways. You will also need a mirror attached to a long handle (back-scratchers at Dollar Tree are one dollar!) to see inside the boxes to count the eggs. The nest boxes are located along the perimeter fencing of the refuge. The refuge is located about 7.5 miles southwest of Laramie. We would like to begin monitoring in mid-May.

Please call Vicki Henry at 307-760-9518 or email her at vickis@uwyo.edu with your interest or questions. Vicki will be coordinating volunteers for the scheduling of observation dates.

One of the many nest boxes built by Eagle Scout Bradley Wahlgren and installed at Hutton last fall.

Upcoming talk: UW Raccoon Project

Photo by Flickr user Triker-Sticks CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

University of Wyoming Raccoon Project: Ecology and Behavior of a Misunderstood Species

Please join us on Wednesday, April 27 to learn about a highly adaptable urban carnivore found right in your own backyard – the raccoon! Sarah Daniels, a graduate student in the Animal Behavior and Cognition Lab, will give an overview of the University of Wyoming Raccoon Project (UWRP), raccoon natural history, and ongoing/upcoming local research with these critters. You may think you know the raccoon, but Sarah will show you there is much more going on with these guys than their trash-eating abilities!

Please note that we will meet in a different location than usual, Classroom Building 215. You can park along 9th Street, but space is often limited. We recommend parking near the Berry Center as usual and walking south to the Classroom Building.

Bird chat with refreshments will begin at 6:30 pm and the talk will begin at 7:00 pm.

The talk is free and open to the public!

Upcoming field trip: Hutton Lake NWR

Yellow-headed Blackbird. Photo (c) Shawn Billerman.

Libby Megna will lead us to Hutton Lake NWR once again this Saturday, April 23. We should see waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and songbirds.We will also take some time to monitor the swallow nest boxes on the fences around Hutton.

Meet at Coal Creek at 8 am to fuel up on coffee. We should be back to Laramie by noon or so, but of course you can leave early if you drive your own vehicle or arrange with carpool buddies. Bring binoculars, a spotting scope if you have one, snacks/drinks and dress for the weather.

CANCELLED field trip: Sage-Grouse lek

Dawn at the lek. Photo by Libby Megna.

UPDATE: Due to the forecasted inclement weather through the weekend, and the winter conditions that have already started, we have decided to CANCEL our trip to the sage-grouse trip on Saturday, April 16. We have decided not to reschedule the trip this time. Hopefully we have better luck next year.

UPDATE: The trip has been postponed to April 2 due to the snowstorm and resulting poor road conditions.

This Saturday, March 26 On April 16, weather permitting, we will head out to a Greater Sage-Grouse lek. Come and watch these iconic birds strut their stuff on their display ground. Meet at 6 am at the Eppson Senior Center parking lot, at Curtis St. and 3rd St. We will carpool to the lek at 6:10 am sharp.  The early start is totally worth it--there's nothing like being audience to dozens of male Sage-Grouse calling and dancing to attract mates.

Female Greater Sage-Grouse. Photo © Shawn Billerman.

April Board Meeting

We will hold a board meeting this Thursday, April 14 at 6:30 pm in room 227 of the Berry Center. Our board meetings are open to the public, so if you are interested in the behind-the-scenes of the Laramie Audubon Society, feel free to join us.

Upcoming field trip: Hutton Lake NWR

Western Meadowlark. Photo (c) Shawn Billerman.

Yours truly (Libby Megna) will lead a trip to my favorite Laramie Plains birding spot, Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge, on Saturday, April 9. The refuge is one of the best places to bird this time of year--we should see lingering ducks, shorebirds, grebes, raptors, and recently arrived 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 preemptively caffeinate and carpool. Please bring binoculars, a spotting scope if you have one, field guides, and 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.

Hutton and Hoge Lakes. Photo by Libby Megna.

Upcoming talk: Hummingbirds by Holly Ernest

Photos courtesy of Holly Ernest.

On Wednesday, March 30, Dr. Holly Ernest will give a talk entitled Hummingbird Health Program in Wyoming and Colorado--DNA, disease, field research, and how you can help! As usual, we meet in the Berry Center; bird chat with refreshments will start at 6:30 pm, and the talk will begin at 7:00 pm. 

Hummingbirds provide vital ecological functions, including pollination and eating insects. As ecosystem sentinels, as they travel among flowers and prey on thousands of tiny insects, they can also tell us a lot about the health of the environment. Even more special is that they are stunningly beautiful birds, with bright iridescent colors. We need to learn their population numbers, biology, and health status in order to better conserve them. There are currently very little information on their diseases, population health, genetic diversity and population structure for the hummingbird species breeding and migrating through Wyoming, Colorado, and the Rocky Mountain region, and the Hummingbird Health Program is helping to change that.

Dr. Holly Ernest will talk about the Hummingbird Health Program at University of Wyoming, her team’s research studies in the field and in the DNA lab, and how members of the interested public can help. She will have a demonstration of the field equipment they use to gently capture, examine, measure, sample, then release these special tiny birds that weigh less than a US nickel. Check out their work at http://www.wildlifegenetichealth.org/ and click on the hummingbird.

Upcoming field trip: Plains Lakes

Great-tailed Grackle

Update: This trip is still happening despite the weather!

This Saturday, March 26 we will head out to the Plains Lakes for some spring birding. Shawn Billerman will lead the search for waterfowl and other early spring migrants. This is a great opportunity to learn duck identification and visit some of the best birding spots in the Laramie Plains. We usually stop by Blake's Pond, Meeboer Lake, Gelatt Marsh, and Lake Hattie.

Meet at Coal Creek Coffee at 8 am to caffeinate and carpool. Bring binoculars and a spotting scope if you have one, dress for the weather, and bring water and snacks. We should be back in Laramie around noon, but if you drive yourself you are free to join us for any length of time.

Lake Hattie. Photo by Libby Megna.

Upcoming field trip: Winter birds at Happy Jack

Northern Pygmy-Owl in the Laramie Range. Photo © Cody Porter.

Doug Eddy and Cody Porter will kick off our birding field trips with an expedition to the Happy Jack area for winter birds on March 5.

As usual, we will meet at Coal Creek downtown at 8 am to caffeinate and carpool up to Happy Jack. Cody and Doug will scout out the best locations beforehand; if you'd like to meet us up in the Happy Jack area, you can get last-minute info on where we'll be by emailing us: laramie.audubon@gmail.com

Cody and Doug are excited to try to find the Northern Pygmy Owl, a species that has recently been documented for the first time in the Laramie Range! Also expected are breeding Red Crossbills, all three possible species of nuthatches, and other fun winter birds--especially ones that are taking advantage of the huge ponderosa cone crop this winter.

Appropriate winter clothes and footgear strongly advised; snowshoes not necessary, just good boots.

A view from Happy Jack. Photo by Libby Megna.

Upcoming talk: Shorebirds by Shawn Billerman

The Incredible Natural History of Wyoming's Shorebirds and How to Identify Them
Come join us for our monthly meeting of the Laramie Audubon Society to learn about shorebirds. Shawn Billerman will show us not only how to identify these sometimes challenging birds, but also discuss some of their fascinating natural history. Many species of shorebird that we see here in Wyoming only pass through, on their way too or from their far away breeding and wintering grounds. We will learn a little more about their fascinating journey and how to tell all of these beautiful species apart.

Please note that we will meet in a different location than usual, Classroom Building 222. You can park along 9th Street, but space is often limited. We recommend parking near the Berry Center as usual and walking south to the Classroom Building.

Bird chat with refreshments will begin at 6:30 pm and the talk will begin at 7:00 pm.

The talk is free and open to the public!

Wilson's Snipe. Photo © Shawn Billerman.

Snow Tracking Field Trip, Sat., Feb. 20, 8:00 a.m.

Photo by Julie Hart.

Join us for our annual snow tracking field trip on cross-country skis or snowshoes. Gary Beauvais, Director of Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, will lead us on a snow tracking trip to look for tracks made by mammals and birds. Dr. Beauvais will teach us how to identify what made the tracks while we learn about the behaviors of mammals during cold winter months.

Bring snow-shoes or cross-country skis, whichever you prefer.

Meet at 8:00 a.m. at Coal Creek Coffee, downtown Laramie, 110 Grand Ave., to caffeinate and carpool to Chimney Park Trailhead (USFS) near Fox Park on Hwy 230. Chimney Park is a fee area so bring $5 per carload to park.

This trip lasts several hours so bring plenty of water and snacks and warm outdoor clothes. You may leave at any time if you have your own vehicle. Otherwise, we should be back in Laramie by 1:00 pm.

Call 307-760-9518 for more information. Back-up date for the snow-tracking trip is Feb. 27, if weather is too harsh.

Great Backyard Bird Count - February 12-15, 2016

People all over the world will participate in the 19^th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, a citizen science project launched by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society.  This four-day count involves counting every bird you see in your backyard or recreation area.  Thousands of people participate each year.  The submitted checklists offer great insight into where birds are distributed during this short interval of time and how weather affects various species. 

Simply complete your checklists using the forms provided online, and enter your results electronically onto the e-bird website.  This is a great family, friends or individual project.  Count on all four days, or any of the four days.  The website provides real-time results of all checklists submitted.  Personal photos can be submitted for the Photo Contest.  See photo contest winners at http://gbbc.birdcount.org/ .

Download your forms now and get ready for the 19^th annual Great Backyard Bird Count on February 12-15, 2016.  Go to http://gbbc.birdcount.org/ for more information.

Upcoming talk: Madagascar by Anna Chalfoun and Meg Ewald

Join the Laramie Audubon Society and the Biodiversity Institute next week for a free public program:

Wednesday, January 27
UW Berry Center Auditorium
10th Street and Lewis Street
Laramie, Wyoming
Free parking after 5 pm

6:30 pm Refreshments and Bird Chat
7:00 pm Program begins

Madagascar: Lemurs, chameleons, and...charcoal?
Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, and resides at tropical and semi-tropical latitudes. It is therefore home to some of the most magnificent and unique wildlife radiations (e.g., lemurs, chameleons, vangas). Anna and Meg will take us on a photographic journey through Madagascar with a focus on the biodiversity and some associated conservation challenges.