Laramie Bird Notes -- 5/6 - 5/18

Although we should be experiencing peak songbird migration about now, many of the local migrant traps have been surprisingly devoid of bird life recently. Nevertheless, several interesting birds have been found over the past week or so.

Birds continue to accumulate in the mountains as the Laramie and Snowy Range become more accessible to birders and birds. A Williamson's Sapsucker, a somewhat uncommon breeder in the mountains here, was photographed at the Vedauwoo campground in the Laramie Range. White-throated Swifts were also found around Vedauwoo recently. Dusky Flycatchers seem to have returned to several places in both the Laramie and Snowy ranges, including the Happy Jack area and Rock Creek Canyon. Northern Waterthrushes, which breed along some of the creeks around the Snowies, were found in Rock Creek Canyon and at the MAPS banding station near Centennial. After a ton of effort this spring, Nate Behl and I finally found a Boreal Owl in the Snowies. After ~17 hours of birding across southeast Wyoming on May 13, we were delighted to hear one bird singing in the Brooklyn Lake area multiple times.

It seems that the vast majority of plains birds have returned to the area and are gearing up for the breeding season. A Common Yellowthroat was found at Hutton Lake NWR, 2 Eastern Kingbirds were found on the road to Hutton, and a Mountain Plover was found on Old Laramie River Road. Mountain Plovers breed in this area and in some of the prairie along Highway 34, but they are notoriously difficult birds to find. A great way to find them is to drive the northern part of Old Laramie River Road during a heavy spring snowstorm (like the one right now). They, along with thousands of other birds, can reliably found on the road in these conditions. Just make sure you don't get stuck -- this road can get pretty muddy.

Indigo Bunting. Photo by Laurel Armstrong.

Lots of fun birds have been found in and around town recently. Swainson's Thrushes, Broad-winged Hawks, and Western Tanagers have been seen at several spots in town. In what continues to be a good spring for Zonotrichia sparrows, a White-throated Sparrow was found along the Greenbelt. A Lazuli Bunting was also seen along the Greenbelt recently. Finally, Laurel Armstrong continues to find great birds in her yard on the east side of town -- both an Indigo Bunting and a Gray Catbird were seen in the past couple days.

Today is a good day to get out and go birding! These late spring snowstorms are really hard on birds, but they offer us great opportunities to observe them. Birding the plains can be very productive in these conditions, as birds congregate in large numbers near roads, but birding around town can -- especially at feeders, can produce some very interesting sightings. As I write this, there are 10 Green-tailed Towhees, 12 White-crowned Sparrows, a Lark Sparrow, a Brewer's Sparrow, and a few Vesper Sparrows at my feeder.

Trip report: Hereford Ranch

This past Saturday, May 13, we had a great trip to the Wyoming Hereford Ranch. The trip coincided with eBird's Global Big Day, so it was nice to get out and submit some data! Highlights included Clay-colored Sparrow, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Plumbeous Vireo thanks to the Boulder folks that were also there, and fluffy Great Horned owlets. I also managed to pick up a Lazuli Bunting while I was working on my checklist after everyone else left...sorry guys.

Our full checklist is here. Thanks everyone for birding with us!

Great Horned Owl adult with two chicks. Photo by Tim Banks.

Resighting Brown-capped Rosy-Finches

The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies is asking folks to report banded Brown-capped Rosy-Finches. The finches may be banded with only a silver USFWS with identification number, or may have additional color bands. Please see the flyer here for details on the banding project, the types of bands that may be on the Rosy-Finches, and how to report banded birds.

Laramie Audubon's New Look!

You may have already noticed that the Laramie Audubon Society has a new logo appearing on our newsletter and website.  We have had stickers made with this new logo too--be sure to look for them at the next LAS event you attend.

Big shout out and thanks to the University of Wyoming's Biodiversity Institute and their graphic design interns for revamping our old logo--we appreciate it, and are so happy with our new look!

Trip report: Arapaho NWR

Eight of us headed down to Arapaho NWR this past Saturday. Unfortunately the auto tour loop is currently closed due to flooding. But, we found some nice first-of-year birds and lifers for several in the group along the Wetland Nature Trail--Spotted Towhee, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Savannah Sparrow. Our full checklist is here.

We headed back towards Walden to check out the Walden Reservoir, which turned out to be full of birds. There were a couple hundred California Gulls, many of which were nesting on an island in the reservoir. Double-crested Cormorants and Great Blue Herons were also nesting on that island. We were treated to good views of a White-faced Ibis, Western Grebes, and a fly-by Snowy Egret. Our full list is here. We found additional duck species and Wilson's Phalaropes at a small pond adjacent to the Reservoir; list here.

Birding Walden Reservoir. Photo by Laurel Armstrong.

Upcoming trip: Hereford Ranch

Our next field trip is this Saturday, May 13--we'll head to the Hereford Ranch on the east side of Cheyenne. The riparian areas at the Hereford Ranch host an incredible array of expected migrants and often deliver rarities. This trip is a particularly nice one for beginning birders.

Meet downtown at Coal Creek at 8 am to caffeinate and carpool. We will be back to Laramie by 1 pm--if you can only join us for part of the time, be prepared to drive your own vehicle.

All Laramie Audubon field trips are free and open to the public; families are welcome. Bring binoculars, water and snacks, and dress for the weather.

Laramie Bird Notes -- 4/20 - 5/5

Spring migration is definitely in full swing. The winter weather of late has slowed migration down a bit, but look for things to pick up in the near future.

A recent Broad-winged Hawk pretty much caps off the hawk migration season. Be on the lookout for this species high above town on sunny days, as a handful of these uncommonish migrants have been seen each spring over the past couple years.

Waterbirds continue to fill the marshes and lakes west of town. Recent arrivals include Sora, Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, American Avocet, Willet, Long-billed Dowitcher, Marbled Godwit, Semipalmated Plover, Baird's Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, and Common Loon.

In the mountains, Violet-green Swallows, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Pygmy Nuthatch have been seen lately. Recently, a few Northern Saw-whet Owls were heard singing in the Happy Jack area of the Laramie Range.

In town, lots of fun songbird migrants have showed up, including Green-tailed Towhee, Spotted Towhee, House Wren, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Wilson's Warbler, and Wilson's Warbler. Another Harris's Sparrow was found in town by Laurel Armstrong and stuck around for a few days, offering great looks!

Harris's Sparrow. Photo by Laurel Armstrong.

A great way to keep track of migration is to keep track of NEXRAD radar each night. An excellent website to both look at radar and get some information on how to interpret it is in the link below.

http://www.pauljhurtado.com/US_Composite_Radar/

Adopt a Catchment!

How do you feel about mountains, ponds, or amphibians? If you like any of those things, check out this great citizen science opportunity by the Rocky Mountain Amphibian Project. Adopt a catchment and survey it for frog, toad, and salamander species this summer. This project is in conjunction with Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, the Biodiversity Institute, and Wyoming Game and Fish.

Click the image below to download the poster.

Upcoming trip: Arapaho NWR

We will head to Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge near Walden, Colorado, this Saturday, May 6. Meet at 8:00 am at Coal Creek Coffee downtown to caffeinate and carpool. The drive to Walden is about one and a half hours via Hwy 230 to Walden CO with stops along the way at Sodergreen Lake west of Laramie and Walden Reservoir in Colorado. Vicki Henry (307-760-9518) will be leading the trip; call if you have questions, and have her number on hand in case you get separated from the caravan.

We will look for shorebirds and waterfowl in breeding plumage, raptors and grassland birds. We may get lucky and see the Western Grebes in courtship display running across the water at Walden Reservoir. At the refuge, there is a hiking/interpretive trail through wetlands where we should see swallows, wrens, warblers, and perhaps a moose. Be sure to bring plenty of snacks and water since this is a lengthy trip. It is possible to eat lunch in Walden after the field trip. We should return to Laramie by 2 pm, but participants in their own vehicles are welcome to leave at any time.

Upcoming trip: Hutton Lake NWR for pre-K kids

Laramie Audubon is partnering with Little Laramie Hikers to take a special trip to Hutton Lake NWR, tailored to pre-K kids--but all kids and their caregivers are welcome. We will look for waterfowl, check our tree swallow nest boxes, and learn about bird habitats.

We will head to Hutton this Wednesday, April 26. Meet at Bart's Flea Market at 9 am. We will return to Laramie around noon. Laramie Audubon will provide a couple of scopes for looking at wildlife on the lakes. Attendees should bring water, good walking shoes, and appropriate clothing for the weather.

Spring Exploration Event

Laramie Audubon will have a booth at the Territorial Prison's Spring Exploration event this Saturday, 20 April, from 12 - 4 pm. We will have information on our society, an activity for kids, and will take walks to check the nest boxes we have set up around the Territorial Prison property.

There will be a lot of family-friendly booths from many conservation- and science-related groups around Laramie. Admission is free! Here is more info on the event as a whole.

Remember that we also have a field trip to birding hotspots in town Saturday morning (details here), plus we will clean up our section of the Greenbelt. We will be done with the trip in time to enjoy the Spring Exploration event or the Laramie March for Science!

Laramie Bird Notes -- 4/12 - 4/19

WARBLERS HAVE RETURNED TO THE LARAMIE VALLEY!

Yellow-rumped Warblers (both subspecies and lots of intergrades) are all over right now. Additionally, several Orange-crowned Warblers and a snazzy American Redstart were seen around town today. The warblers seem to be preferentially foraging in deciduous trees and shrubs right now, especially ones that are flowering or budding. The tree area and the Greenbelt have been especially good lately, while Greenhill Cemetery has been relatively birdless.

Waterfowl migration is still underway and there are plenty of birds on the lakes, but new arrivals are likely done for the most part this year. Nonetheless, a Cackling Goose was seen this past week. Furthermore, other waterbirds are just starting to show up. Highlights on the plains lakes this past week include Black-necked Stilt, Semipalmated Plover, Marbled Godwit, American Avocet, White-faced Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Great Egret, Bonaparte's Gull, Western Grebe, and Common Loon.

While checking the plains lakes, be sure to keep an eye to the sky, as swallow diversity also picked up this week, with Barn, Bank, and Northern Rough-winged joining Tree Swallows this week. Violet-green and Cliff Swallows should be right around the corner! American Pipits were also seen on the plains this week.

Sparrows are just starting to make a push into the area, with Savannah Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, and Lincoln's Sparrow seen recently. An unusual find was a Harris's Sparrow along the Greenbelt. Over the next month or so, checking the Greenbelt and other areas with lots of low-lying vegetation around town could produce this species, which shows up regularly along the Front Range in migration. Why shouldn't they come through Laramie?

The first report of a Hermit Thrush in the area came from a residential area on the east side of town. This species should be picking up quite a bit soon, though perhaps they will skip town as some other songbirds have this year and head straight for the mountains!

Two interesting raptor sightings came this past week from the Greenbelt. The first Osprey of the season was seen flying over the river and a juvenile Northern Goshawk was perched in a cottonwood on the north end of the Greenbelt. Keep a look out for Broad-winged Hawks in the coming weeks!

In non-bird news, a massive movement of Painted Lady butterflies into the valley happened this past week, and they are now quite abundant around town. A few whites (Pieris spp.) have also been seen, though I haven't managed to get good enough looks to identify them to species. Wandering Garter Snakes have emerged from their winter hibernacula as well!