Laramie Audubon May 29 meeting cancelled

The special May 29th meeting for Laramie Audubon Society has been cancelled.  Our speakers will be working in the field.  We will commence our public meetings again on Wednesday, September 25th.

There are a few birding field trips left.  Keep checking this website for the dates and locations of our birding events.

Species Lists for Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge Field Trip, May 4, 2013

The weather was perfect for the Arapaho NWR field trip in Walden, Colorado.  On the way we stopped at Sodergreen Lake, west of Laramie, then at Woods Landing, before heading to the refuge.  The species lists follow for each of our stops.  Unfortunately, the refuge was nearly dry.  However, the riparian area along the interpretive trail was flowing strongly with snowmelt.

Species	Count	Location
Gadwall	8	Sodergreen Lake
American Wigeon	4	Sodergreen Lake
Mallard	4	Sodergreen Lake
Redhead	8	Sodergreen Lake
Bufflehead	2	Sodergreen Lake
Common Merganser	10	Sodergreen Lake
Western Grebe	4	Sodergreen Lake
Double-crested Cormorant	4	Sodergreen Lake
Great Blue Heron	1	Sodergreen Lake
Turkey Vulture	2	Sodergreen Lake
Golden Eagle	1	Sodergreen Lake
Killdeer	2	Sodergreen Lake
Ring-billed Gull	2	Sodergreen Lake
American Kestrel	2	Sodergreen Lake
Black-billed Magpie	2	Sodergreen Lake
American Crow	4	Sodergreen Lake
Horned Lark	4	Sodergreen Lake
Tree Swallow	20	Sodergreen Lake
Cooper's Hawk	1	Woods Landing
Northern Flicker	2	Woods Landing
Black-billed Magpie	2	Woods Landing
Tree Swallow	10	Woods Landing
Black-capped Chickadee	2	Woods Landing
American Dipper	2	Woods Landing
American Robin	1	Woods Landing
European Starling	20	Woods Landing
Canada Goose	2	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Gadwall	4	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
American Wigeon	2	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Mallard	4	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Blue-winged Teal	3	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
American White Pelican	5	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Killdeer	2	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
American Avocet	13	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Willet	6	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Lesser Yellowlegs	2	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Wilson's Snipe	2	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Ring-billed Gull	2	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
California Gull	4	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
American Kestrel	2	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
American Crow	2	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Common Raven	2	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Horned Lark	10	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Tree Swallow	4	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Sage Thrasher	3	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Vesper Sparrow	10	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Savannah Sparrow	4	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Red-winged Blackbird	4	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Western Meadowlark	2	Arapaho NWR--Auto Loop
Canada Goose	10	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Common Merganser	1	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Black-billed Magpie	4	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
American Crow	2	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Common Raven	2	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Tree Swallow	30	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Violet-green Swallow	4	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Barn Swallow	10	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Marsh Wren	1	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
American Robin	2	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
American Pipit	1	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Yellow-rumped Warbler	1	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Savannah Sparrow	1	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Song Sparrow	3	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Dark-eyed Junco	10	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Red-winged Blackbird	10	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Common Grackle	10	Arapaho NWR--Interpretive Trail
Canada Goose	30	Walden Reservoir
Gadwall	40	Walden Reservoir
American Wigeon	40	Walden Reservoir
Mallard	50	Walden Reservoir
Blue-winged Teal	10	Walden Reservoir
Cinnamon Teal	20	Walden Reservoir
Northern Shoveler	4	Walden Reservoir
Northern Pintail	10	Walden Reservoir
Green-winged Teal	40	Walden Reservoir
Canvasback	10	Walden Reservoir
Redhead	40	Walden Reservoir
Ring-necked Duck	10	Walden Reservoir
Lesser Scaup	30	Walden Reservoir
Bufflehead	10	Walden Reservoir
Ruddy Duck	10	Walden Reservoir
Eared Grebe	2	Walden Reservoir
Western Grebe	40	Walden Reservoir
Double-crested Cormorant	20	Walden Reservoir
American White Pelican	10	Walden Reservoir
Great Blue Heron	2	Walden Reservoir
Black-crowned Night-Heron	2	Walden Reservoir
White-faced Ibis	1	Walden Reservoir
Bald Eagle	1	Walden Reservoir
Swainson's Hawk	2	Walden Reservoir
American Coot	50	Walden Reservoir
Killdeer	4	Walden Reservoir
Willet	2	Walden Reservoir
Wilson's Phalarope	2	Walden Reservoir
California Gull	100	Walden Reservoir
Common Raven	1	Walden Reservoir
Tree Swallow	10	Walden Reservoir
Barn Swallow	4	Walden Reservoir
American Robin	2	Walden Reservoir
Vesper Sparrow	10	Walden Reservoir
Savannah Sparrow	2	Walden Reservoir
Song Sparrow	1	Walden Reservoir
White-crowned Sparrow	2	Walden Reservoir
Red-winged Blackbird	10	Walden Reservoir
Yellow-headed Blackbird	4	Walden Reservoir
Common Grackle	20	Walden Reservoir

Video from Arapaho field trip

Duane Short posted a great video of last weekend's field trip to Arapaho NWR. You can watch it on our Facebook page or on YouTube!

Field Trip: Laramie Hot Spots

This Saturday, we will be leading a trip to some of the local birding hotspots in Laramie. As time permits, we will visit the Laramie Greenbelt, LaBonte park, UW campus, and town cemetery. A lot of migrants have returned and more are showing up daily. On this trip we'll see birds from a good cross-section of riparian, shrub, pond, and park-like habitats.

Yellow-headed Blackbird by Shawn Billerman

All ages welcome. Meet at Optimist Park at 7:30 am. Bring water, snacks, binoculars, field guides, and a spotting scope if you have one. Dress for the weather (possible rain).

Optimist Park is located on the west side of Laramie. See our birding map for directions.

Rare and Extinct Birds

As I was catching up on my emails today, I came across two media links about rare birds that I thought our audience might be interested in.

First, a new book was just released by Princeton Press entitled "The World's Rarest Birds." The book is a collaborative effort of Erik Hirschfeld, Andy Swash, and Robert Still and highlights the plight of 515 species around the world. Check it out at: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9844.html

The second is an upcoming movie called "From Billions to None: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction." The movie will be released in 2014 to commemorate 100 years since the death of Martha, the last known Passenger Pigeon. There are number of ways (e.g., contribute $25 and get a free download of the completed movie!) to be involved in their effort to bring this haunting story to light: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/from-billions-to-none-the-passenger-pigeon-s-flight-to-extinction?c=home

Come hear about RMBO's Colony Watch - Wed April 24th at 7 pm

The Laramie Audubon monthly meeting will be held this Wednesday, April 24th. This month we will be hearing about colonial waterbirds from Chuck Hundertmark with the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.

Meeting Schedule:
6:30 pm - Bird Chat and refreshments
7:00 pm - Update on Mortenson Lake and Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuges Expansion Project
7:15 pm - Colonial Waterbirds of North Park: Preliminary Results of a Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory Citizen Science Project by Charles A. Hundertmark, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.




Program Description:
From 1998 through 2012, biologists and volunteers from Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO) monitored breeding populations of 12 species of colonial waterbirds as well as Osprey, Bald Eagle, and Willet in North Park. The colonial waterbird species predominantly nest on or near the numerous reservoirs and ponds of this north-central Colorado mountain park.

This monitoring, conducted through Project Colony Watch, was initiated as an integral part of the comprehensive Monitoring Colorado’s Birds program. After 15 years, a picture is emerging of dynamic population fluctuations that respond to sometimes abrupt or dramatic changes in water levels. While populations of some species (e.g., Eared Grebe, American White Pelican, California Gull) appear to be stable, others (e.g., Franklin’s Gull, Black and Forster’s Tern) endure at marginally viable levels. This presentation will discuss colony locations, changes in colony size and location, and movement of species among colonies.

Location:
Our meetings are held on the University of Wyoming campus in the Berry Biodiversity Center located at the corner of 10th & Lewis Streets. There is free parking after 5pm. Laramie Audubon Society programs are free and open to all public.

White-faced Ibises

Liz Young is a long-time member of National Audubon Society and recently moved to the Laramie area.  She lives in the mountains near Vedauwoo at about 8700 feet above sea level.  This morning during the snow storm, she spotted three White-faced Ibis in her yard.  Here are some pictures of the wayward visitors to her yard. 

Plains Lakes Trip Report

Nesting Great Horned Owl

After a week of cold and snow, the sun finally emerged for Laramie Audubon’s Plains Lakes field trip, and the birds were equally cooperative. Waterfowl and raptors predominated. Large numbers of ducks fed, loafed, and engaged in early courtship displays on Osterman Lake, Meeboer Lake, Gelatt Lake, and Twin Buttes Lakes. (We did not have time to visit Lake Hattie or Woods Landing). American White Pelicans showed off their breeding season bill horns while American Avocets swept their elegant bills through the shallow water. A beautiful cream-colored Great Horned Owl peered at the assembled birders from her nest as did a more nervous incubating Red-tailed Hawk. We were delighted to see a late-season male Rough-legged Hawk and some of us were fortunate enough to see a female Merlin. A male McCown’s Longspur perched in the gravel in front of our car by Meeboer Lake and regaled us with his beautiful song. A possible Greater Scaup and a Clark’s Grebe garnered lots of attention and some debate. But the bird that stole the show and made everybody’s day was an achingly beautiful Peregrine Falcon that treated us to lengthy close-up views. She seemed unconcerned by our presence as she stretched her wings and legs, and gazed out over the snowy landscape. She lingered on her fencepost perch long after we’d moved on in search of other birds. And she lingers still in the minds of those fortunate few who had a chance to fill their binoculars and scopes with her elegant image during our field trip. We saw 44 species in total and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Come and join us for the next one: Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge (in Colorado) on May 4, 2013.

Birding at the Plains Lakes

Laramie Audubon Society trip to Laramie Plains Lakes – 44 species:

Pied-billed Grebe 

Eared Grebe 

Clark's Grebe 

Double-crested Cormorant 

American White Pelican 

Canada Goose 

Mallard 

Gadwall 

Northern Pintail 

American Wigeon 

Northern Shoveler 

Cinnamon Teal 

Green-winged Teal 

Canvasback 

Redhead 

Ring-necked Duck 

Greater Scaup – One possible

Lesser Scaup 

Common Goldeneye 

Bufflehead 

Ruddy Duck 

Turkey Vulture 

Northern Harrier 

Red-tailed Hawk 

Ferruginous Hawk 

Rough-legged Hawk   

Bald Eagle 

American Kestrel 

Merlin 

Peregrine Falcon 

American Coot 

American Avocet 

Franklin's Gull 

Ring-billed Gull 

California Gull 

Great Horned Owl 

Northern Flicker 

American Crow 

Common Raven 

Horned Lark 

McCown's Longspur 

Red-winged Blackbird

Western Meadowlark 

Yellow-headed Blackbird 

Poaching Around Laramie

We have received reports of poaching around Laramie, both at the Plains Lakes and Hutton National Wildlife Refuge. It is illegal to hunt within the refuge and it is illegal to hunt migratory birds (Migratory Bird Treaty Act). If you encounter poaching, please protect yourself and then contact officials. You may be given a reward if an arrest and citation are made. 

The "STOP POACHING" Hotline phone number is 1-877-WGFDTIP (1-877-943-3847) or 1-307-777-4330 for out-of-state "STOP POACHING" calls only. Here's a link to their website: http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/wildlife-1000335.aspx 

Alternatively, you can call the local police at 911.

Field Trip to Plains Lakes/Woods Landing, April 20

Tomorrow Sophie Osborn and Catherine Symchych will lead a Laramie Audubon field trip to the Plains Lakes and Woods Landing. The lakes and plains could be filled with migrants and passers-through, while eagles and other raptors cruise the skies. Depending on conditions, we will head to Osterman pond, Meebor, Gelatt, and Twin Buttes, and then Woods Landing to see what's hanging around the river and mountains. Call 307-721-9841 (Catherine) or 307-760-8546 (Sophie) for more information.

Meet at Coal Creek Coffee at 8 am, 110 E. Grand Ave., downtown Laramie to caffeinate and carpool.

Field Trips are free and open to all levels of birders. You may drive your own car or ride with someone else. Bring binoculars, scope (if you have one), field guide(s), snacks and water. Dress for the worst weather and then add a layer. Families are welcome. Be sure to gas up ahead of time. Field trips may last for several hours. You may return to Laramie at any time if you have your own transportation.

***Please note that the trip to the local Sage-Grouse lek has been CANCELED for this weekend and is now scheduled for Saturday, April 27th.***

Sage Grouse Trip CANCELED

**UPDATE** The field trip on Saturday, April 12 to the Greater Sage Grouse Lek has been CANCELED due to impassable road conditions to the lek.

The field trip has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 20.  Further updates will be posted to the website as the new trip date approaches.

Weekend Trip to Local Sage-Grouse Lek

Saturday morning, April 13th at 5:00 am. Come watch the grouse strut their stuff!

Meet at 5am at the Eppson Senior Center parking lot, Curtis & 3rd St., Laramie.  We will carpool to the lek at 5:10am sharp.  Please call 516-376-4587 (Shawn) or 307-760-9518 (Vicki) if you plan on attending so we will have an idea about how many people to expect.  4WD recommended.  Carpooling encouraged.  It is very windy at the lek so dress extra warm.  We are usually back in Laramie by 8 or 8:30 am. 

Alternate date in case of inclement weather or impassable roads is April 20, same time and place. If that day is bad, then we will try April 27, 4:30 am, leaving at 4:45 am sharp.

Dress for the worst weather.  Bring snacks and water, hot beverage optional, binoculars, scope if you have one, and field guides.  You may return to Laramie at any time if you have your own transportation.  Families are welcome.  We stay close to our automobiles so as not to disturb the grouse.  Be sure to gas up ahead of time!