Trip Report - Hutton Lake NWR Tree Swallows
On Saturday, 6 July, a small group of Laramie Audubon members met students from the University of Wyoming's WYOBIRD project at Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge for a demonstration on Tree Swallow banding. WYOBIRD grad student members and undergrad interns are monitoring the nest boxes at Hutton and banding nestlings, and some adults, to learn more about their biology and ecology on the Laramie Plains. We were given an overview of banding techniques and shown the various measurement data students are collecting. By the end of the season, >200 nestlings will carry a unique silver anklet.
After the banding demonstration, we hiked up the ridge beyond Rush Lake to have a look at the newly acquired parcel within the designated Wyoming Toad Conservation Area. Originally acquired by the Conservation Fund, the parcel was transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in the fall of 2023. Additional lands along the Laramie River were also acquired by the City of Laramie.
Marsh Wrens were still signing in the rushes and American Avocets were busy protecting their young. Although we saw foraging White-faced Ibises, we did not confirm their nesting or find the previously observed White Ibis.
