Trip report: Plains Lakes

Despite chilly weather and frozen-over lakes, we had a good morning of birding! Jerry Johnson told me that Hattie and Twin Buttes were completely locked in ice, so we checked Blake's Pond, Meeboer Lake, and Gelatt Lake. Some of us also stopped at Sevenmile Lakes--but if you try this, be very careful as there is no public access and vehicles zoom down 230.

Embarrassingly, I haven't been birding much in Wyoming yet this year so I was hyped by the Red-winged Blackbirds and Western Meadowlarks along Pahlow Lane. Blake's Pond was almost frozen over, but we were treated to great looks at Bald Eagles and Mountain Bluebirds. A few Killdeer huddled in the snow at the edge of the pond. Click here for our complete list.

Mountain Bluebirds. Photo by Laurel Armstrong.

Meeboer Lake hosted a few hundred waterfowl--mostly Redheads and American Coots, but we found a few other species mixed in. The highlight was a Horned Grebe. Click here for our complete list.

As an added bonus, a herd of white-tailed jackrabbits were hanging with the cows along the road to Meeboer.

Photo by Laurel Armstrong.

However, the most exciting birds of the morning--in my opinion--were at Gelatt Lake. As we drove up, a Bald Eagle kicked up the gull flock and it was easy to pick out a Lesser Black-backed Gull! Ultimately, we were treated to five gull species. See our complete list here.

American White Pelicans. Photo by Laurel Armstrong.

Saturday Trip - Plains Lakes

THE PLAINS LAKES TRIP is still scheduled for Saturday morning - meet at Coal Creek Coffee (110 E. Grand Avenue) at 8 a.m.  Bring lots of warm clothes and warm footwear, as well as snacks, water, binoculars, and, if possible, a spotting scope (don't worry if you don't have one, I don't either and other people generally share!).  We plan to be back to town by 1 pm, although people should feel free to return earlier if they have their own transportation. 

Originally, we also had scheduled a trip to the Greater Sage-Grouse Lek for Saturday morning (earlier than the Plains Lakes trip) - THE LEK TRIP HAS BEEN CANCELLED due to the condition of the access road.  It is possible that we will reschedule the lek visit.

Eagle Banding and Raptor Research (Wednesday Evening Talk)

Wildlife biologist Mike Lockhart, formerly with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, will be giving a talk on Wednesday evening (March 27th) regarding his years afield trapping eagles and other raptors for scientific research projects.  The talk will center more on anecdotal experiences in the field rather than scientific findings, and will discuss interesting events and observed behaviors witnessed for eagles and a variety of other wildlife. 

As usual, the venue is the Berry Center Auditorium, located on the UW campus at the corner of 10th and Lewis Streets.  Arrive at 6:30 pm for birdchat and snacks or at 7 pm for the talk itself; leave yourself plenty of time to find parking - much of the formerly available parking is now obstructed by new construction.

LAS Small Grants Spring 2019

Laramie Audubon Society Small Grants Program

DEADLINE:  April 15, 2019

In keeping with our mission, Laramie Audubon Society (LAS) will offer small grants for conservation and outreach. Conservation grants include conservation and restoration projects as well as scientific research. Outreach grants support projects that increase knowledge and appreciation for birds, other wildlife, and habitats. There are no geographic restrictions for projects, although we focus on funding projects around Wyoming and western North America. Grants will generally be awarded for no more than $500.  Grants are reviewed semi-annually. Current deadline is April 15 (note that this deviates from the usual due date of March 31).

3/9/2019 -- tonight's owling trip cancelled

The high winds and heavy snow fall promise to make owling tonight pretty miserable and birdless, so we've decided to cancel this trip. We may try to reschedule at a later date.

Owling - Saturday Night (March 9th)

Cody (our trip leader) has been scouting the local area and determined that we will go to the Snowies this year (previous announcements indicated a different destination). We will target Northern Pygmy-Owls and Boreal Owls, though Northern Saw-whet Owls are also possible. Folks should also bring snowshoes and skis if they have them -- we may not have to use them much, but it's best to bring them just in case. Cody anticipates that we won't have to travel too far, but we could walk/snowshoe/ski up to 2 miles or so.

Please also bring binoculars, a flashlight or headlamp, lots of warm clothing!, snacks and water.  We will meet at Coal Creek Downtown (110 Grand Avenue) at 6 pm on Saturday, March 9th to arrange carpool groups.  Please consider making a purchase at Coal Creek - they support LAS via continued donations of coffee to our evening programs!

Trip report: Montane birding

It was snowing steadily in Laramie when we headed out to Albany for montane birding--perfect weather for finding winter finches! We went to the Albany Lodge to get breakfast and watch birds at their feeders.

The feeders were completely unoccupied when we first arrived. The kind staff at the lodge put out more seed--and Brian had a secret sunflower stash that he contributed as well. We waited and waited for birds to appear...but it turned out that ordering breakfast was the solution! A flock of 100+ Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches came in as soon as we stopped watching intently.

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. Photo by Laurel Armstrong.

We were also treated to great looks at Pine Grosbeaks, Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees; solid entertainment for two hours while we reveled in delicious eggs, hashbrowns, breakfast burritos, etc.

Photo by Laurel Armstrong.

On our way out, we walked up the road a bit to check the feeders at the bright turquoise house (private property; view from the road only). The same species were present plus a hardy Song Sparrow!

Our full eBird list is here.

Trip Report - 2019 Annual Snow Tracking Trip

The 23rd of February 2019 animal snow tracking field trip to Chimney Park led by Dr. Gary Beauvais was attended by 19 individuals on skis or snowshoes.  Moose, fox/coyote, squirrel, snowshoe hare, and mouse tracks were located even though light overnight snow covered older animal tracks.  This variety of wildlife gave the group a sample of how the animals moved across the snow environment.  Gary spent the day discussing forest and winter ecology of the area including how the recent fire will alter the future forest composition.  Mountain Chickadees were heard while a brown tree creeper and hairy woodpecker were observed.  On the way traveling to and from Chimney Park a road killed mule deer was observed being fed upon by a bald eagle, a golden eagle and at least 20 ravens and 10 magpie.

Evening Program - Short-eared Owls

Wednesday evening (February 27th), Zoe Nelson will update LAS on the results of the Western Asio Flammeus Landscape Study (WAfLS).  WAfLS is a citizen science project designed to gather information to evaluate the population status of Short-eared Owls.  Such information is needed by conservation practitioners who want to design management actions that will reverse Short-eared Owl population declines.  This eight-state program engages citizen scientists to gather critical survey data, enabling a rigorous assessment of the status of the species.  Zoe is the Wyoming state coordinator for WAfLS. 

Arrive early for Bird Chat (and refreshments!) starting at 6:30 p.m. in the ground floor lobby of the Berry Center. The talk itself begins at 7 p.m. in the adjacent ground floor auditorium (Room 138). The Berry Center is located on the University of Wyoming campus at the corner of 10th and Lewis Streets. Note that the parking lot across the street from the Berry Center is no longer available, so please plan to park on the adjacent streets.    

Photo (Northern Pygmy-Owl) courtesy of Shawn Billerman.  LAS is always looking for great bird photos to use in this blog and on our Facebook page - if you have some, please let us know!

Winter Tracking Trip - Saturday, February 23rd

Gary Beauvais, Director of the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, will lead us on a snowshoe/cross-country ski trek through forest and riparian areas at Chimney Park (destination is snow-dependent) on Saturday, February 23rd. During this 11th anniversary of Gary’s field trip we’ll learn how to identify winter animal tracks and unravel the many mysterious signs that are written into the winter snow. We will also be shown/updated on the existing knowledge of the natural history of the winter environment.

We will gather at Coal Creek Coffee (downtown - 110 E. Grand Ave.) at 8 a.m. before leaving for the field trip. Expect to be back to Laramie at approximately 1 p.m. (those with their own transportation may leave at any time). Chimney Park is a USFS site and requires a $5 per carload fee for parking. Alternate/backup date in case of bad weather is March 2.

Please email us at laramie.audubon@gmail.com if you have questions about any field trips.

Evening Program: Lake Tanganyika Ecosystem

Join LAS at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 30th for our first evening program of 2019: Lake Tanganyika Ecosystem!

Africa's Great Lakes are renowned for their extraordinary diversity of cichlid fish. Jimena Golcher-Benavides's research focuses on how this diversity has come to be in Lake Tanganyika, Africa's inland sea. Jimena is a PhD candidate in Dr. Catherine Wagner's laboratory within the Program in Ecology at the University of Wyoming. Through her talk she will narrate her experiences working in remote Tanzanian villages and raise awareness on unique fish fauna and the fragile ecosystem that holds it.

Arrive early for Bird Chat (and refreshments!) starting at 6:30 p.m. in the ground floor lobby of the Berry Center. The talk itself begins at 7 p.m. in the adjacent ground floor auditorium (Room 138). The Berry Center is located on the University of Wyoming campus at the corner of 10th and Lewis Streets. Note that the parking lot across the street from the Berry Center is no longer available, so please plan to park on the adjacent streets. (image courtesy of Jimena Golcher-Benavides).

Drew Pearson Arnold, 1947 - 2018

The Laramie Audubon Society was saddened to learn of the recent death of Drew Arnold.  Drew joined the LAS board in 2000, within the first year of its organization in May 1999. In 2002 Drew was elected President of LAS and after serving in this position for two years then served as Vice President through 2005. 

While giving much of his time working on the various issues that came before Laramie Audubon during these years, Drew championed, in coordination with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, access to and protection of Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge.  Following his service on the board, Drew continued to support LAS and, when possible, continued to bird the Laramie area. 

According to the obituary published in the Laramie Boomerang, in 1989 Drew was diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis: "In 2011, needing full time care and warmer weather, Drew made a bold move to Mexico.  While in Mexico, Drew continued to have tremendous impact on the people around him and transcended his physical limitations with a genuine faith and commitment to live life fully to the end.  He added to his life list of 1,100 birds, helped to found a Christian school and [helped] fund raise for local kids to attend, advocated for wage increases of the workers at Los Labradores (and saw their salaries double), mentored and discipled many and played host to a steady stream of visitors." 

Drew died on November 8th, 2018 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.  A full obituary has been published in the Laramie Boomerang: www.laramieboomerang.com/obituaries/drew-pearson-arnold/article_beb69307-3e71-5cbd-8dbd-08b4bf2010fb.html