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.