Trip report: Rosy-finches in Snowies

This post is by Brian Waitkus, I'm just putting it up. - Libby

July 22, 2017
14 members and friends of Audubon gathered at the Sugarloaf Recreation Area, Lewis and Libby Lake parking area for a one mile hike to the Gap.  The quest for the trip was to locate Brown Capped Rosy-finch, but other birds, mammals, and butterflies were also observed.  The weather was great with cool temps and mostly blue skies.  At the Gap, after 45 minutes, we were fortunate to locate a pair of Rosy-finch marking a new species for many in the group.

The following birds were noted:
2 Brown Capped Rosy-finch                       2 Robin
9 American Pipit including 3 chicks            2 Yellow Rumped Warbler
2 Wilson’s Warbler                                     1 Ruby Crowned Kinglet (call)
12 White Crowned Sparrow                       2 Flicker
2 Townsend’s Solitary                                1 Red Breasted Nuthatch
1 California Gull                                         3 Swallow (sp?)
1 Bald Eagle                                               1 Golden Eagle
1 Lincoln’s Sparrow                                    1 Vesper Sparrow

The Laramie Audubon crew. Photo by Laurel Armstrong.

Trip Report: Visit to the banding station

The group crowded around the banding table to observe.
Photo credit: Lindsey Sanders

We had a very successful trip to the banding station this past Sunday!  10 Laramie Audubon members and 6 Cheyenne Audubon members ventured out to the LIND banding station to see the station in action.  Libby Megna taught us about the history of the banding station, and the importance of studying breeding birds to get a grasp on demography and survival of local species.

Hatch year Lincoln's Sparrow (left) and Song Sparrow (right).
Photo credit: Libby Megna

We observed many birds being extracted from mist nets and banded--they caught 29 total birds at the station on Sunday!  Species observed in the hand included Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Black-capped Chickadee, and  more.  The two most exciting species of the day were Northern Waterthrush and Rufous Hummingbird!  We got many opportunities to see hatch year birds compared to adults, and to observe the differences between hatch years of the same species, which was a treat.  Along with birds caught in the mist nets, some of our other birding highlights included Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Sandhill Crane, Belted Kingfisher, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Bullock's Oriole, and Williamson's Sapsucker.

The LIND banding station runs every 10 days for the entire breeding season, so we hope to be able to take trips like this again in the future.

Upcoming trip: Visit to bird banding station

Second-year female Bullock's Oriole. Photo by Libby Megna.

This Sunday, July 23, we will head out to the MAPS banding station at Fred Lindsey's place near Centennial. This banding station is run by Audubon Rockies, and is part of the North American Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survival banding network. The goal of this banding program is to monitor demographics--survival and reproduction--of breeding birds. We will learn about how birds are banded, what we can learn from banded birds, and how we are able to determine the age of birds by looking at details of their plumage. Families and kids are welcome!

The banding station is on private property that is the best place for Northern Waterthrushes and Gray Catbirds in the county. This is a good opportunity to see and learn about bird banding as well as visit a great place. Meet Lindsey Sanders at Coal Creek Coffee downtown at 8 am to caffeinate and carpool. This is a nice chance for kids to get up close and personal with birds, but be aware that both the grass pollen and mosquitoes can be intense at this location, although usually aren't too bad at the banding station itself. Feel free to hang out at the banding station, but if you want to walk the net lanes you will be traipsing through standing water. Be prepared with mosquito repellant and appropriate clothes (long sleeves recommended), antihistamines, and boots or shoes that you don't mind getting wet.

RESCHEDULED: Rosy Finch Field Trip

UPDATE: The Rosy Finch field trip has been rescheduled!  The road from the highway to the parking area at Lewis & Libby Lakes will still be closed this weekend, so we are pushing the field trip date back to July 22.  We will meet at the Lewis & Libby Lakes parking lot at 9am!

Our next field trip is this Saturday, July 15 July 22.  We'll head up to the Snowies to look for Brown-capped Rosy Finch, and other high-elevation summertime species.

Black-capped Rosy Finch, 
photo by Shawn Billerman

We will park at the Lewis and Libby Lakes parkings areas and head down a walking trail of one mile to the north end of South Gap Lake.  The area may still have some snow, could be wet, and crosses sections of boulder fields.  The hike will go up to 11,000 feet.

The Brown-capped Rosy-Finch is a species of concern because it breeds only in the Snowy Mountains and on mountain peaks in Colorado and northern New Mexico. If the current global warming trend continues, its mountain habitat islands are likely to shrink and to be invaded by other avian species that are currently excluded by the harsh conditions. In spring and summer, Brown-capped Rosy-Finches often feed at the edge of snowdrifts, where seeds that were blown onto the snowpack during winter emerge from the melting snow cover.  In past years we have done surveys for rosy finches in this area, but this year we will just be heading out to see if we can find any.


Meet at the Lewis and Libby Lakes parking area at 9 am. Please bring binoculars and/or spotting scope, a field guide, warm clothes and rain gear, good hiking shoes, hat, lunch and snacks, water, sunblock, and insect repellent.

All Laramie Audubon field trips are free and open to the public; families are welcome.

POSTPONED: Project Nest Watch report by Laramie Girl Scouts

POSTPONED:  The Laramie Girl Scouts have been monitoring Tree Swallow nest boxes at Hutton NWR this summer.  They were going to give a report on their monitoring in late-July, but this has been rescheduled for September.  Stay tuned for the new date of their report!

Trip Report: Amphibian Search

Andy showing a Leopard frog tadpole to a young herper.
Photo credit: Lindsey Sanders

Last Saturday, eight enthusiastic LAS members went on an a search for amphibians in the Laramie Range.  And we were successful!  Led by Andy Gygli, a graduate student at the University of Wyoming, we ventured around a pond in Happy Jack and found Leopard frog and Tiger Salamander tadpoles, as well as an adult Leopard Frog!  We also saw three garter snakes along the banks of the pond.

An adult Leopard Frog.  Photo credit: Lindsey Sanders

We hope to have more herp trips like this in future, to learn more about the amphibians and reptiles of Wyoming!

Upcoming trip: Amphibians of the Laramie Range

Recent small grants recipient Andy Gygli will lead an amphibian herping trip in the Laramie Range on Saturday, July 8. We'll visit a pond in the Happy Jack area, and hope to see Tiger salamanders, boreal chorus frogs, and maybe even some Northern leopard frogs! We'll do some birding on the hike to the pond as well. The hike will be ~2 miles round trip, so come prepared for a little hiking to access the site. We'll need to bleach equipment before splashing around to look for herps, so please wear old clothes that can get messy.

We will meet at Coal Creek Coffee at 8 am to preemptively caffeinate and carpool. Please bring rubber boots or hiking shoes that can get wet, binoculars, field guides, snacks and drinks. We'll likely be back in town around noon, but if you need to come back early you can if you bring your own vehicle or coordinate with carpool buddies.