Greenbelt Nature BINGO Walk Summary

First, we apologize if we missed anyone this morning! The Make a Wish Foundation Tour de Wish 5K coincided with our nature walk, causing lots of confusion! Eventually we did link up with three families, parents and about 10 kids, for a brief windy walk on the Greenbelt, beginning at Optimist Park.

While birds were scarce, we did see crows riding the wind, a couple ducks that looked like northern pintails but scurried out of the brush and into the sun too quickly to be sure, and a red-tailed hawk swooping in for breakfast. Our group consulted nature BINGO cards to look for other plants and animals along the way, and we spotted raccoon tracks along the riverbank. Several participants chimed in about bird sightings in their own backyards, including white crowned sparrows, northern flickers, grackles, and both mourning and collared doves. Later Janice checked in with a photo of a painted lady butterfly- something on the BINGO list we did not expect to see today!- seen at the Kids Pumpkin Walk at the Territorial Prison, where her family went after the Greenbelt.

Thanks to everyone who braved the wind to join us. Again, we apologize for the confusion at the park, and will be sure to bring a Laramie Audubon Society poster for our next kids meet-up. We hope we didn't miss anyone, and that you'll all join us again to explore!

Photo courtesy Janice Hiller. 

Nature Walk at the Greenbelt - Saturday, 10/5

Nature Walk for Kids of All Ages. Join us for a walk along the Greenbelt to see what we can find for plants, animals, and of course birds, this fall. BINGO cards for kids, with prizes. Meet in the parking lot at Optimist Park, next to the river, Saturday, October 5 at 9:00 a.m. This is a leisurely nature walk, but dress for the weather and don't forget your binos!

9/21 Laramie Hotspots Trip Report

Cooper's Hawk (Photo courtesy of Laurel Armstrong)

Our Laramie Hotspots outing on Sept 21^st, 2019 started at Greenhill Cemetery where we were surprised to see a Red-naped Sapsucker taking a bath, with quite a few Pine Siskins flitting around the birdbath as well. Other highlights were a Western Tanager, a Warbling Vireo, and a Cooper's Hawk who was chased by American Crows into a nearby tree giving us a great view.  
Rounding out the list at the cemetery were Wilson's Warblers, American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a Golden-crowned Kinglet, Mountain Chickadees, a Western Wood-Pewee, a Downy Woodpecker, and Turkey Vultures soaring overhead.

The three birders then made a quick stop at LaBonte Park where we saw a Townsend's Warbler as well as Mallards, Gadwalls, American Wigeon, Ring-billed Gulls, and more Turkey Vultures.

At the Greenbelt we combined birding with trash clean-up along Laramie Audubon's sponsored

stretch. The wind had picked up considerably and bird activity was limited, but we saw a Belted Kingfisher and a few other expected species of birds (8 total) as well as a cute little salamander.  We were pleased that there was not too much trash along the way.



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.