Saturday (4/20) BirdingTrip - Red Buttes

Meet at 8 a.m. at the University of Wyoming Red Buttes Lab (on the east side of US 287, 8.3 miles south of WYDOT). We will survey for migrant songbirds in both riparian corridors and short-grass prairie wetlands. Serving as a migratory stop over point for spring migrants, the Red Buttes research site (which is not typically open to the public) provides habitat for grassland, wetland, and riparian corridor birds. Hiking boots or shoes with good traction are a must. We will probably get a little muddy, but it will all be for the birds!

We need bird photos!  This Clark's Nutcracker was photographed
on a LAS trip to Centennial (photo credit: LAS member Lisa Cox).

Greater Sage-Grouse Lek Trip - NEW EARLIER TIME: 5:15 a.m. Saturday 4/13

Meet at the Laramie Eppson Center for Seniors (the corner of North 3^rd and Curtis Street) at 5:15 am. We will leave promptly at 5:25 am. 

Our trip leader drove up to the lek this morning (Friday) to check out access for tomorrow's field trip.  She reports that the road is free of snow and dry and that she observed 35 male sage grouse displaying to 5 female sage grouse on the lek.

We will carpool/caravan to the lek located approximately 35 minutes from Laramie. The 3 mile access road off the paved highway is dirt so vehicles with low clearance are not recommended. Carpooling is encouraged to reduce the number of vehicles that will park and to minimize disturbance to the birds.  We will walk approximately ½ to ¾ of a mile to a location to view the lek. Walking to the lek will be in the dark on relatively flat but uneven prairie. No flashlights can be used to minimize spooking the birds off the lek.

Please bring binoculars and spotting scopes if you have them.

We expect to return to Laramie between 7:30am and 8 am.

What is a Lek?

Depending on elevation, groups of male greater sage-grouse gather at specific locations, called leks,  from late February to early May to strut and to attract females in order to mate..   The leks are generally small open areas located among the sagebrush steppe, such as hilltops, dry playas, and hill sides, and are visited by the grouse year after year.  The lek we are visiting is located on private land . Based of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department data , this lek was first recorded in 1959.  The activity on a lek begins sometime after sunset and continues for an hour or so after sunrise when the birds disperse from the lek.

The male strutting, involves the inflation and deflation of two yellow air sacs located on the male sage-grouse’s breast that, when released, produces a popping or gurgling sound. In addition to producing sound, the white ruff surrounding the air sacs produces a striking contrasting feature along with the male’s fanned tail feathers, and with a dance, in an effort to attract a female.  The females are silent and are often difficult to see within the sagebrush surrounding the leks.  After mating the females will fly off to nest, lay eggs, and raise the young in the surrounding sagebrush ecosystem.

Laramie Audubon thanks the landowner for allowing us to access this lek.

Greater Sage-grouse Trip - Weather Dependent

Interested in visiting the Greater Sage-grouse lek this year?  Stay tuned to this website!  We're planning a trip for Saturday morning (April 13th - 5:30 a.m. departure from MEET AT 5:15 a.m. at the Eppsom Center), but it is dependent on range conditions.  The lek closest to Laramie is on private land, which we access with permission from the land owner.  In order to maintain that relationship, we are careful to avoid damaging the two-track access road and the surrounding land.  We'll do reconnaisance on Friday to make sure that the area is dry enough -- check this website on Friday evening for the final decision.  Fingers crossed!!  

Kids and Families brave cold and snow to see what's up (and down and all around)!

Ten brave kids and families joined Laramie Audubon Society on the Greenbelt Saturday, April 6, despite snow and bitter cold. We get it, we are all ready for spring! Conditions were not perfect for seeing migratory birds, but the group had a great time observing crows building nests, a camouflaged bunny, deer tracks, a chickadee and a gull with our eyes, and red-winged blackbirds and robins with our ears! Discussion included birds we have seen and heard in our own backyards, migrating waterfowl and shorebirds seen on the Greenbelt, at LaBonte Park, and out on the Plains Lakes, as well as recent and upcoming family road trips for the birds- sandhill cranes and northern cardinals, respectively. Everyone got to take home their choice of bird glider, too! Please come see us at the Laramie River Conservation District Expo on May 4 and join us in warmer weather for our next Kids and Families event- our first scavenger hunt of the summer at LaPrele Park on Saturday, May 25 at 9am!

April Kids and Families Event - Migration Station! Saturday, April 6th

Our Kids and Families program returns to the Laramie Greenbelt for our April program.  We will learn about migration and look for migrating birds. Take home a bird craft that you can put together and make soar! Meet at the shelter by the parking lot off Garfield Street at 9 a.m. 

Accessibility information:  The Greenbelt's West Garfield Street parking lot includes accessible (paved) parking and restroom (porta-potty).  The shelter area is accessible and participants may utilize the flat, paved Greenbelt trail while participating in this event.