Tricky Bird ID

Join us Wednesday evening (April 24th) for our April meeting.  Arrive early for refreshments and bird chat, beginning at 6:30 p.m.  At 7 p.m. Libby Megna will teach us the fieldmarks of commonly misidentified and otherwise tricky species around Laramie. Hone your skills for spring migration! 

As usual, the April meeting will take place in the lobby and auditorium of the Berry Center, which is located on the University of Wyoming campus at the corner of 10th and Lewis Streets.  Note that there is currently limited parking in the immediate vicinity of the building due to construction.

Two Field Trips on Saturday

SAGE-GROUSE LEK.  We'll meet at 5:15 a.m. Saturday (April 20th) at the Eppson Center (1516 N. 3rd Street) to arrange carpools and then leave promptly at OR BEFORE 5:20 a.m. - not the usual LAS leisurely start!  We'll then drive to the Greater Sage-Grouse lek north of Laramie.  We've scouted the access road and are very optimistic that it will be passable on Saturday.  Please bring a spotting scope if you have one!  And binoculars.  And plenty of warm clothes!  We will return in time to join the second trip of the day (see below).

LARAMIE HOTSPOTS.  We'll meet at 8:00 a.m. at Coal Creek Coffee (Downtown location - 110 E. Grand Avenue) and then head out to some of our favorite in-town birding locations.  An easy trip for the beginning or experienced birder.  Attendees should bring their own binoculars, warm clothes, water, and snacks. 

Feel free to attend either trip - or both! 

Art Show and Field Trip

Remember that the opening reception for our art show is tomorrow (THURSDAY) evening from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Berry Center ground floor lobby (on the UW campus at the corner of 10th and Lewis Streets).  Food, conversation, and art - what great way to spend the evening!  We have work in a variety of media reflecting on the theme A Study in Biodiversity: Showcasing the Richness of Life. 

And then on SATURDAY morning, join us for a trip to Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge.  Meet at 8 a.m. at Coal Creek Coffee (110 Grand Avenue).  We will carpool from there.  Bring warm clothes!, water, snacks, binoculars and other birding equipment. 

(photo from last weekend's Plains Lakes field trip, courtesy of Laurel Armstrong)

Trip report: Plains Lakes

Despite chilly weather and frozen-over lakes, we had a good morning of birding! Jerry Johnson told me that Hattie and Twin Buttes were completely locked in ice, so we checked Blake's Pond, Meeboer Lake, and Gelatt Lake. Some of us also stopped at Sevenmile Lakes--but if you try this, be very careful as there is no public access and vehicles zoom down 230.

Embarrassingly, I haven't been birding much in Wyoming yet this year so I was hyped by the Red-winged Blackbirds and Western Meadowlarks along Pahlow Lane. Blake's Pond was almost frozen over, but we were treated to great looks at Bald Eagles and Mountain Bluebirds. A few Killdeer huddled in the snow at the edge of the pond. Click here for our complete list.

Mountain Bluebirds. Photo by Laurel Armstrong.

Meeboer Lake hosted a few hundred waterfowl--mostly Redheads and American Coots, but we found a few other species mixed in. The highlight was a Horned Grebe. Click here for our complete list.

As an added bonus, a herd of white-tailed jackrabbits were hanging with the cows along the road to Meeboer.

Photo by Laurel Armstrong.

However, the most exciting birds of the morning--in my opinion--were at Gelatt Lake. As we drove up, a Bald Eagle kicked up the gull flock and it was easy to pick out a Lesser Black-backed Gull! Ultimately, we were treated to five gull species. See our complete list here.

American White Pelicans. Photo by Laurel Armstrong.