Upcoming trip: Brown-capped Rosy-Finch hike

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch © Shawn Billerman.

Join the Laramie Audubon Society this coming Saturday, July 17th,  to take a hike into the high country of the Snowy Range to search for the elusive Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. This rosy-finch, one of the highest-nesting birds in Wyoming, nests in the northern Colorado Rocky Mountains and Wyoming’s Snowy Range, which are some of the most spectacular vistas in this part of the country.
The mountains this time of year are also blanketed by native wild flowers along the trail that winds between Medicine Bow Peak and Browns Peak. In addition to the rosy-finch, we will likely view American Pipits, White-crowned Sparrows, Violet-green Swallows, California Gulls, raptors, yellow-bellied marmots, and pikas.

The hike will begin at the parking area beside Lewis Lake in the Sugarloaf Recreation Area above Centennial, WY. We will hike approximately one mile each way, to the northern end of South Gap Lake. Do not let the short length of the trail fool you, though. The high altitude of the area and the steepness of short sections of the trail can make this a challenging outing. The constructed trail winds through small wet drainage valleys and across talus boulder fields. It is essential that one wear good hiking shoes or boots that can get wet and give good support. Weather in the high country can be very variable from beautiful sunshine to cooler, with wind and rain. Dress accordingly and bring a coat to protect against the elements.

Sunglasses, insect repellent, and sunscreen are recommended, as are water and snacks, if desired. Binoculars, cameras, and bird, plant, or geology books are also encouraged.

We will meet at the parking area at the end of the gravel road by Lewis Lake at 8:30. The Sugarloaf Recreation area is a U.S. Forest Service fee area ($5); the USFS yearly pass and golden age card are accepted. The drive from Laramie takes the better part of an hour. People can park at the gate and car pool in if desired to cut down on the cost. The hike will last the entire morning, though since it will occur along a designated trail people may return any time at their own leisure.

For further information call Brian Waitkus at 307-343-3121.

Medicine Bow by Libby Megna

Upcoming Trip: Saturday June 6, Pole Mountain/Happy Jack Trails

Cordilleran Flycatcher © Shawn Billerman

Please join Tim Banks this Saturday, June 6, as he leads a birding trip along some trails in the Pole Mountain area (Happy Jack Trails) to see what forest birds can be found. Many birds are back and singing on their breeding grounds, including various flycatchers, warblers, and other goodies. It should be great birding weather!

We will be meeting at Coal Creek Coffee (downtown) at 8:00 a.m. to caffeinate and carpool. Bring binoculars, water, snacks and suitable hiking shoes and clothes. Be sure to gas up ahead of time. It is about a 20 minute drive from Laramie to the Happy Jack area.

Questions? Call 307-742-6138 or 307-760-9518.

Upcoming Trip - Laramie Hotspots, May 30

Western Tanager © Shawn Billerman

Join Tim Banks this Saturday, May 30, as he leads a walking field trip along the Laramie Greenbelt, LaBonte Park and other birding hot spots in Laramie. We will be searching for late spring migrants, including warblers, flycatchers, and any other lingering birds passing through, as well as breeding birds that have already set up territories. Over the past week, Laramie has seen some good migrants, including Western Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blackpoll Warbler, and Red-eyed Vireo, so who knows what we will turn up on our trip on Saturday.

We will meet at 8:00 a.m. at Coal Creek Coffee, downtown Laramie, to caffeinate and carpool. Bring binoculars and field guides. Dress for the weather. Bring water and snacks. This will be a shorter trip, and will likely be over by noon or 1 p.m., though participants are free to leave at any time.

Birders of all levels are welcome! This field trip is open to the public. Please join us!

Trip Report - Hereford Ranch

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher © Shawn Billerman

Laramie Audubon's trip to the Wyoming Hereford Ranch in Cheyenne on Saturday, May 16 was very successful. We had up to 14 people join on us for at least part of the walk. We saw a total of 61 species over the course of the morning, including 5 species of warbler, including a young male American Redstart that was singing occasionally. In addition to the warblers, we found both Bullock's and Orchard Orioles, with one pair of each foraging together on the ground at one point, some nice sparrows, including Lark and Lincoln's, and a good variety of flycatchers. We ended up finding 3 species of Empidonax flycatcher, 2 species of kingbird, and Say's Phoebe. One particular highlight for everyone was a stunningly beautiful male Western Tanager that posed nicely in perfect lighting.

Swainson's Thrush © Shawn Billerman

The heavy rains and late snowstorms we have been experiencing here in southeast Wyoming have resulted in extensive flooding at the Hereford Ranch, with both foot bridges that cross the creek having been washed out. Though this limited the areas we could explore, it was still a great morning.

If interested, here is the link to our full eBird list from the trip: Wyoming Hereford Ranch

Hereford Ranch Field Trip - Saturday, May 16

Bullock's Oriole - © Shawn Billerman

Laramie Audubon Society members and friends will be heading out to Hereford Ranch in Cheyenne, WY on Saturday morning. This is a great place to see eastern species that are migrating through the region, in addition to the other more expected regional migrants. This area is grasslands, riparian, and there is a lake in the vicinity for waterfowl and shorebirds galore.

Meet at 7:00 AM (earlier than usual) at Coal Creek Coffee, downtown Laramie, to carpool and caffeinate to Cheyenne. We will leave no later than 7:15 Be sure to gas up ahead of time--it will take about 50 minutes to get to the ranch. This trip will most likely last into the afternoon, but 
you can leave anytime you like if you drive your own vehicle.

Bring binoculars, spotting scope if you have one, snacks, water, lunch maybe (or you can eat somewhere in Cheyenne), and layer your clothes for weather. Forecast looks good for Saturday morning in Cheyenne!

Birders of all levels are welcome! This field trip is open to the public. Please join us!

CANCELLED - Field Trip to Arapaho NWR

Due to the arrival of heavy rain and the possibility of snow tomorrow, the field trip to Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado has been cancelled for tomorrow, May 9. Stay tuned for the potential of a rescheduled trip later in the month.

If you are interested in a rescheduled Arapaho NWR trip on May 23, please contact Vicki Henry at 307-760-9518.

Stay safe and stay warm with the forecasted winter storm this weekend!

Trip report: Plains Lakes & Hutton

Both the weather and the birding were great for our trip to the lakes on Saturday. Duck numbers overall were down, but we still found quite a few species. Shorebird species are moving through; we got to see fantastic display flights by willets and Wilson's snipes. Songbirds were evident as well: recent arrivals are yellow-rumped warblers, Brewer's blackbirds, Brewer's sparrow, vesper sparrow, Say's phoebe, and multiple species of swallows.

Wilson's Snipe along Brubaker Lane. Photo © Shawn Billerman.

Tiger salamander found at Meeboer. Photo by Libby Megna.

Many fields have flooded since the snowstorm, providing good stopover habitat and birding opportunities. We found several Franklin's gulls and a few Bonaparte's gulls along Pahlow west of the Gelatt marsh.

In total we detected 72 species. Below are links to our eBird checklists and the species list for the day.

Blake's Pond
Meeboer Lake
Gelatt Marsh
Lake Hattie Reservoir
Brubaker Lane
Hutton Lake NWR

Species List - 25 April 2015

Canada Goose Canada Goose Gadwall American Wigeon Mallard Blue-winged Teal Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Common Loon Horned Grebe Eared Grebe Western Grebe Clark's Grebe American White Pelican Great Blue Heron

Hooded Merganser Osprey Golden Eagle Northern Harrier Cooper's Hawk Swainson's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Coot Sandhill Crane American Avocet Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Willet Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson's Snipe Bonaparte's Gull Franklin's Gull Ring-billed Gull California Gull Herring Gull Mourning Dove Great Horned Owl Belted Kingfisher American Kestrel Say's Phoebe

Ring-billed Gull Common Raven Horned Lark Tree Swallow Bank Swallow Barn Swallow Cliff Swallow Marsh Wren American Robin Sage Thrasher European Starling McCown's Longspur Yellow-rumped Warbler Brewer's Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Song Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Red-winged Blackbird Western Meadowlark Yellow-headed Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird Common Grackle Great-tailed Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird House Sparrow

Auduboners at Hutton NWR. Photo by Libby Megna.

April Board Meeting

We will hold a board meeting today, Friday, April 24 at 5:30 pm. We will meet in room 227 of the Berry Center. Our board meetings are open to the public; if you are interested in the behind-the-scenes of the Laramie Audubon Society, feel free to join us.

Upcoming trip: Plains Lakes & Hutton Lake

We'll head out to the lakes once again this Saturday, April 25. The lakes are one of the best places to bird this time of year--we should see lingering ducks, shorebirds, grebes, raptors, and some passerines. I've been out to some of the lakes with Ornithology students this week, and we got quite a few species; see our eBird checklists: Blake's and Meeboer.

Meet at Coal Creek at 8 am to fuel up. We will visit both the Plains Lakes and Hutton NWR, so be prepared for a longer day and more driving. Of course, you can leave early if you drive your own vehicle or arrange with carpool buddies. We will probably be back to Laramie around 2 pm after a visit to all the lakes. Bring binoculars, a spotting scope if you have one, snacks/drinks and dress for the weather.

Blake's Pond after the snowstorm. Photo by Libby Megna, 21 April 2015.

Upcoming trip: Hutton Lake NWR

Auduboners at Hutton Lake. Photo by Libby Megna.

Join us for a birding trip to Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge this Saturday, April 11. Tim Banks will lead the search for waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds, and songbirds. Migration is in full swing, so we are likely to find some surprises.

We will meet at Coal Creek Coffee at 8 am to carpool. Please bring binoculars, a spotting scope if you have one, field guides, snacks and drinks. Be prepared for windy conditions. Our trips to Hutton usually last a few hours, but anyone is free to leave early if they bring their own vehicle.

Trip report: Plains Lakes

The weather was great for our trip last weekend, but disappointingly the waterfowl were largely absent from the lakes. Ducks and gulls were moving through in good numbers earlier in the week, but the lakes were relatively empty on Saturday. But migration and the nesting season are ramping up--we were treated to views of Great Horned Owls on nests and recently returned Red-winged Blackbirds and Western Meadowlarks.

More migrants will be passing through in the next several weeks, and waterfowl migration is far from over.

In total we detected 33 species. Below are links to our eBird checklists and the species list for the day.

Blake's Pond
Meeboer Lake
Gelatt Lake
Twin Buttes Reservoir
Lake Hattie Reservoir
Hutton Lake NWR

Species List - 21 March 2015

Canada Goose Gadwall American Wigeon Mallard Cinnamon Teal Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Canvasback Redhead Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Common Goldeneye

Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Ruddy Duck American White Pelican Golden Eagle Northern Harrier Bald Eagle Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk American Coot Killdeer

Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Horned Owl Common Raven Horned Lark Mountain Bluebird American Robin European Starling Red-winged Blackbird Western Meadowlark House Sparrow

Photos by Libby Megna.

Upcoming talk by Frank Rahel and Jessica Dugan

Little Laramie River. Photo by Libby Megna.

Have you ever wondered what lurks below the surface of the Laramie River as you stroll along the Greenbelt? Now is your chance to find out! Although brown trout get most of the attention, the Laramie River also has a healthy assemblage of native, nongame fishes. This Wednesday, 25 March, University of Wyoming professor Dr. Frank Rahel and his graduate student Jessica Dugan will provide a glimpse into the finny biodiversity that lives largely unseen within the Laramie River by enlightening us about the biology of these species and telling us how they have responded to habitat improvements along the Laramie Greenbelt.

As always, we will meet in the Berry Biodiversity Center auditorium for refreshments and mingling at 6:30 pm, and the talk will begin at 7 pm. See you there!