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.