9/14: Hutton Lake trip report

Juvenile Bald Eagle flying over Rush Lake. Photo by Jimena Golcher-Benavides.

Ten of us enjoyed a beautiful day at Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge this past Saturday. However, the presence of at least 7 Bald Eagles seemed to have scared away many waterbirds, which are normally abundant at Hutton this time of year. Nevertheless, the group was treated to several highlights, including American Pipits, Virginia Rails, Baird's, Pectoral, and Least Sandpipers, and excellent looks at normally skulky Marsh Wrens. Non-bird highlights included a couple of coyotes and a few nice butterflies such as Melissa Blues, Purplish Coppers, and Painted Ladies.

Greater Yellowlegs (left) and Baird's Sandpiper (right). Photo by Jimena Golcher-Benavides.

Marsh Wren. Photo by Jimena Golcher-Benavides.

Hutton Lake Field Trip and 20th Anniversary Picnic

Join us Saturday!  In the morning we'll head to Hutton Lake, and in the afternoon we'll host a potluck picnic in Optimist Park to celebrate our 20th Anniversary!

September 14th: Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge.  This hotspot is just 12 miles south of Laramie.  We'll concentrate on migratory waterfowl, grassland birds, and raptors.  Hopefully there will be several spotting scopes to share.  Meet at Night Heron Books and Coffeehouse (107 Ivinson Ave.) at 8 a.m. to coordinate carpools.  We'll be back to Laramie in time for you to prepare your dish for the 20th Anniversary Picnic Celebration.

September 14th:  Optimist Park - 20th Anniversary Potluck Picnic.  Join us from 2 - 4 p.m. for a potluck picnic and activities in Optimist Park to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Laramie Audubon Society!  We'll also share information regarding earlier iterations of Audubon in Laramie.  Please try to remember your own tableware and a dish to share.  LAS will be providing some food, plus ice cream. 

Sept. 7th Field Trip - Wyoming Hereford Ranch

Join us Saturday (9/7) as we travel to Cheyenne to visit the Wyoming Hereford Ranch, an Important Bird Area.  We'll meet at 7 a.m. at Night Heron Books and Coffeehouse (107 E. Ivinson Ave.) and carpool from there.  There is a good reason that we visit WHR each fall - we often have sightings of migrating birds that do not visit Laramie.  With the mixture of habitats on the ranch, we typically see a variety of songbirds, with a few raptors and waterfowl added to the mix.  The terrain is generally flat, with gravel roads, grassy paths, and lawns.

Remember your warm clothes (just in case), sturdy shoes, snacks, water, sun protection, and binoculars, etc.  Feel free to leave at any time if you have your own transportation.  We expect the group to return to Laramie by approximately 1 p.m. 

8/31: Snowy Range trip report

Thirteen birders ventured out to Brooklyn Lake Rd. in the Snowy Range to look for migrants in the high elevation spruce forests. Although we didn't have great luck with migrants, the group did manage to find a handful of Wilson's Warblers, a Townsend's Warbler, and a Cordilleran Flycatcher among others. The real highlights were great looks at a flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets, an Osprey above Brooklyn Lake, a flock of three juvenile White-winged Crossbills, and a group of three incredibly cooperative Pine Grosbeaks.

Male Pine Grosbeak. Photo by Brian Waitkus.

Join Us at This Thursday's Local Market!

Join Laramie Audubon Society for our final Kids' Activity at the Thursday Local Market this Thursday, August 29, from 3-6 pm at Undine Park. We will have nature BINGO with prizes, for those who like to roam, and coloring pages for those who enjoy art.

 

Grown ups, we'll be available to answer your bird questions and to tell you about ways you can enjoy field trips and programs this fall!

August 31 Field Trip - Snowy Range

High elevation migrants. High elevation spruce forests in the Rockies host an impressive number of birds in early fall. Many of our local breeders (Dark-eyed Juncos, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Wilson’s Warblers, etc.) form large mixed species flocks that attract migrating species (including rarities like Tennessee and Nashville Warblers) on their journey south.

On this trip, we will venture to the high elevation forests of the Snowy Range to explore this relatively under-appreciated phenomenon. Expect to do a couple of miles of hiking on trails or dirt roads.

Meet at Night Heron Books (107 E. Ivinson Ave. in downtown Laramie) at 8 a.m. At Night Heron we'll coordinate carpools (and some of us will procure snacks/coffee!).  Make sure to bring food/water, warm clothes, rain gear, birding supplies (binoculars, etc.), sun protection, and sturdy shoes or hiking boots.  We plan to be back to Laramie around 1 pm, but those with their own transportation are free to return earlier or later. 

Gap Lakes Trip Report

The vast majority of us (myself included) missed a great trip last Saturday.  Here's Brian's trip report:

On 13 July 2019 Jimena Golcher-Benavides joined Brian Waitkus during the hike to the Gap Lakes in the Snowy Range.  The unusually large amount of snow this year required walking into the area from Highway 130 doubling the normal length of the hike and could have resulted in the lower number of birds being sighted.  During the walk into the area we reviewed the calls of the Brown-capped Rosy-finch.  While at the south slope of North Gap Lake we heard one Rosy-Finch call but were unable to sight the bird.  In addition to the Rosy-finch call we recorded numerous robin and White crowned sparrow with fewer American Pipit.  One male Peregrine falcon, one male Northern harrier and two Northern flicker were also observed.  Despite the snow and the lower number of birds being observed the great weather gave us a wonderful day in the mountains.

One of the many drifts across the road leading to the Sugarloaf Recreation Area trailhead
(photo courtesy of Brian Waitkus)



LAS returns to Thursday Local Market for Kids' Activities!

We've had a busy summer with kids activities, including nature BINGO and planting pollinator-friendly flower seedlings at Thursday Local Market in Undine Park and monitoring tree swallow nest boxes at the Wyoming Territorial Prison.

Kids of all ages are invited to join us again at the market this Thursday, July 18, from 3 to 6pm at the SE corner of Undine Park. We will have nature BINGO for those intrepid explorers who wish to roam the park looking for birds and bunnies, insects and vegetables, and more. For those who are interested in a more artistic pursuit, learn about birds of the Rocky Mountains, including our own state bird the Western Meadowlark, with coloring pages, or try your skill at finding hidden birds and their eggs in a coloring camouflage "hidden feathers" activity.

Field Trip Saturday - Snowy Range Hike

Join us on Saturday, July 13 for Laramie Audubon’s fourth annual trip to the Snowy Range to hike to the Gap Lakes with hopes of seeing Brown-capped Rosy-Finch.  We will carpool from Coal Creek Downtown, leaving at 7:30 am to the Sugarloaf Recreation Area. 

 

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (courtesy of Brian Waitkus)

 This past winter was an exceptional year of snow in this area, the road into the Lewis and Libby Lakes parking area remains closed to vehicle traffic due to the eight snow drifts still crossing the road.  We will hike in from Highway 130 approximately 2.3 miles to the Gap Lakes area.  As of Monday, Libby Lake is mostly clear of ice, Lewis Lake is 60% open and South Gap lake is completely ice covered. 

 

The trail from the parking lot is more than 50% still covered with snow and the water in areas is running higher than normal.  It will be interesting to see the yearly weather variations of the Snowy Range and how this affects the local bird life.  The trip to the Gap could take 1.5 hours and with approximately 1 hour near north Gap Lake the total hike could take 4 hours.

 

Birds seen so far this summer include White-crowned Sparrows, juncos, warblers, American Pipits, and robins.  Marmots are in abundance with fewer numbers of pikas.  The snow has retarded the growth of wildflowers so could give a good show.

 

Bring binoculars, rain/windproof clothing and layers suitable for cold/windy weather as well as more clement conditions, sunscreen, insect repellent (was not needed this Monday), snacks/lunch, water, and hiking boots for walking on talus, wet ground, and snow. 

 

If you have questions, please contact the trip leader (Brian) at wildphoto1@juno.com.

Join LAS this Summer for Kids Activites at Thursday Local Market!

Laramie Audubon Society will host kids' activities from 3-6 pm at the Thursday Local Market in the SE corner of Undine Park on June 27, July 18 and August 29.

This Thursday, June 27, join us for Nature BINGO in the park. We will look for birds, including the American robin, Swainsons hawk and northern flicker, along with butterflies, squirrels, spruce trees, and other animals and plants, large and small, with prizes for BINGO. We will also have peat pots, potting soil, and pollinator friendly flower seedlings to plant. Do you know what wild bergamot, or bee balm, looks like? Bring a seedling home to plant, and find out!

Activites will vary throughout the summer, so keep your eyes open on the LAS Blogspot, and LAS and Thursday Local Market Facebook pages.

Hunting Proposal for Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge

The US Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comments regarding their proposal to open Hutton Lake NWR to waterfowl hunting.  They are considering three alternatives - (1) no change to current policy (i.e., no hunting); (2) general hunt plus youth hunt (season lasting approximately from mid-September through the end of the year); or (3) youth hunt only (season limited to a single weekend in September).

The USFWS notes that the Refuge’s establishing legislation stipulates that the maximum area that can be opened to hunting is 40%.  The proposal therefore opens only 37% of the total acreage to hunting; however, that area encompasses both Hutton and Hoge Lakes.  Other than Rush Lake, most of the acreage that would remain closed to hunting is either upland habitat or has been dry for many years.  If you are interested in learning more about the proposal or commenting on the proposed alternatives, please reference the USFWS website:  https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/huntfish.php#.  The USFWS is accepting comments through June 21. 

Dawn Chorus - Birding by Ear at Happy Jack

The mountains surrounding Laramie host an exciting diversity of breeding species throughout the summer. This Saturday (May 25th), we will meet at 6 a.m. in the Laramie Mountains to focus on birding by ear: identifying our breeding species by the songs they use to defend territories and attract mates.  Possible species include Yellow-rumped Warblers, Wilson's Warblers, American Redstarts, Cordilleran Flycatchers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrush, Lincoln's Sparrows, and many more. We will meet at the Happy Jack parking lot at 6:00 am.  Expect to walk 1-2 miles.

The Happy Jack Recreation Area lot is the second parking area/access road on the right if you are coming from I-80 - the US Forest Service sign says "Happy Jack."   Note that the Forest Service charges a $5 fee per car to park at this location.