Halloween Greenbelt Field Trip (Saturday, Oct. 31), 8 a.m.

The weather forecast for Saturday (Halloween!) looks good and the City has plowed the Greenbelt, where the Laramie Audubon Society will hold our final Fall field trip of 2020.  We will start from the Optimist Park parking lot (West Garfield Street) at 8 a.m.  If you are late, head south on the path, as we will probably start out in that direction. 

The Greenbelt is a flat, paved, accessible pathway and therefore should be suitable for all birders, including families with young children and those who prefer walking on relatively uniform surfaces.  

Numerous species of ducks have been sighted along the Greenbelt in the past few days, including Common Merganser, Hooded Merganser, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, and American Widgeon.  Other reported species include Greater Yellowlegs, Wilson's Snipe, Pied-billed Grebe, various sparrows (Lincoln's, White-crowned, White-throated, and Song), and many others. 

We expect to spend several hours birding, but attendees are free to leave at any time. Please remember to bring plenty of warm clothing, binoculars/scope (if available), sun protection, water, snacks, etc. And your friends are always welcome, too!

Covid-19 Considerations: Attendees at events (including field trips) are required to wear masks and to remain mindful of social distancing.  We will not be organizing carpools for the foreseeable future. PLEASE REGISTER BY EMAILING US AT Laramie.Audubon@gmail.com (this is to allow for contact tracing if necessary and to provide us with time to plan in the case of a potential huge turnout)!

Membership Reminder: LAS memberships expired on September 30th. If you haven't already, please take a moment to renew your membership either via the link to the right or via U.S. Mail (or, if you are receiving this post via email, using this link: http://laramieaudubon.blogspot.com/p/membership.html). Thank you for your ongoing support!

Song Sparrow photographed at the Greenbelt by Laramie Audubon member Laurel Armstrong.

Greenbelt Field Trip on Saturday (Oct. 17)

The Laramie Audubon Society plans to meet for a field trip along the Laramie River Greenbelt on Saturday morning (October 17th) at 8 a.m. The Greenbelt is a flat, paved, accessible pathway and therefore should be suitable for all birders, including families with young children. We will meet near the Optimist Park (West Garfield Street) parking lot. If you are late, you may be able to find us by heading south on the Greenbelt. Recently observed birds at this location include Greater Yellowlegs, Hermit Thrush, Spotted Towhee, and a Merlin, as well as numerous more common species. We expect to spend several hours birding, but attendees are free to leave at any time. Please remember to bring plenty of warm clothing, binoculars/scope (if available), sun protection, water, snacks, etc. And your friends are always welcome, too!

Covid-19 Considerations: Attendees at events (including field trips) are required to wear masks and to remain mindful of social distancing. We will not be organizing carpools for the foreseeable future. PLEASE REGISTER BY EMAILING US AT Laramie.Audubon@gmail.com (this is to allow for contact tracing if necessary and to provide us with time to plan in the case of a potential huge turnout)!

Membership Reminder: LAS memberships expired on September 30th. If you haven't already, please take a moment to renew your membership either via the link to the right or via U.S. Mail (or, if you are receiving this post via email, using this link: http://laramieaudubon.blogspot.com/p/membership.html). Thank you for your ongoing support!

A highlight of last Saturday's field trip to Hutton Lakes NWR was a flock of more than 50 Sandhill Cranes observed initially on a sage covered hillside and later circling overhead. (Photo courtesy of LAS Member Laurel Armstrong).

Bird Double-Header Tomorrow (Saturday, 10/10)

Saturday morning (October 10th), we'll meet at Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge at 8 a.m. for a few hours of birding. Please bring your binoculars if you have them! Directions are provided below.

Saturday afternoon, we will host our October "Evening Program" featuring Martin Grenier (Ducks Unlimited Manager of Conservation Programs in Wyoming and Colorado). Martin will fill us in on the wetlands enhancement project completed at Laramie's Monolith Ranch. We will meet at the ranch and walk in approximately one-quarter mile along a fairly flat two-track road to the restored site. After Martin's presentation there will be the option to spend a little time birding along the edge of the wetlands, so bring binoculars if you have them! Please note that this area is closed to public access - the Laramie Audubon Society and Ducks Unlimited received permission to visit for this event only. Directions will be emailed to those who register for the event.

If you plan to attend either event, please register by sending an email to laramie.audubon@gmail.com and indicating which event(s) you plan to attend.

COVID-19 Considerations: Attendees are required to wear masks for the duration of each trip/event and to practice social distancing. We are not arranging carpools for the foreseeable future.

Directions to Hutton Lake NWR: Head south from Laramie on 3rd Street/ US-287, turn right onto County Road 22 (as if entering the cement plant), then turn left onto Sand Creek Road (parallel to railroad tracks - many people have missed this turn and mistakenly entered the cement plant parking lot). Stay on Sand Creek Road for about 8 miles, then turn right at the National Wildlife Refuge sign. Meet at the parking area just inside the fence, adjacent to the Refuge's information board. If you are early or late, look for us near the observation deck at the far end of the Refuge.

(Photo of a juvenile Wilson's Phalarope courtesy of LAS member Liz Young)

Wednesday Night Program (9/30)

The Laramie Audubon Society is doing things a little differently this Fall. Our September evening program will be Wednesday evening (9/30) at 6:30 p.m. in the Washington Park Bandshell. Our theme for the evening is Our Best Birding Stories. Join local celebrities, including our own Tim Banks, former LAS President, for an outdoor evening of sharing stories about past birding adventures. If you feel so inspired, perhaps you’ll share as well.

Please wear your mask and be prepared to physically distance. Feel free to bring your own food and/or beverage and remember to bring plenty of warm clothing. You may want a blanket or cushion for sitting on the metal park benches.

Laramie Audubon: CANCELLED - Greenhill Cemetery (Sept. 26)

Laramie Audubon: CANCELLED - Greenhill Cemetery (Sept. 26): Sorry everyone, but due to the smoke being at unhealthy levels this morning, we've decided to cancel today's cemetery trip.

CANCELLED - Greenhill Cemetery (Sept. 26)

Sorry everyone, but due to the smoke being at unhealthy levels this morning, we've decided to cancel today's cemetery trip.

Field Trip - Saturday, September 12th

We will meet at Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday morning (Sept. 12th). Although the lakes have been shrinking through the summer, there are still some ducks and shorebirds being reported via eBird.

Please pre-register by emailing us at laramie.audubon@gmail.com and bring/wear your mask as well as the usual water, sun protection, snacks, and birding supplies. New policy: LAS will only share spotting scopes that are equipped with camera viewers; we are currently uncertain whether we will have any such scopes at this field trip.

Directions to Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge: If coming from Laramie, head south on 3rd Street/ US-287, turn right onto County Road 22 (toward the cement plant), then turn left onto Sand Creek Road (parallel to railroad tracks - many people have missed this turn and mistakenly entered the cement plant parking lot). Stay on Sand Creek Road for about 8 miles, then turn right at the National Wildlife Refuge sign. Meet at the parking area just inside the fence, adjacent to the Refuge's information board.

(Photo of American Avocets courtesy of LAS member Liz Young)

Fall Event Schedule

Please see the Events page of this blog for Laramie Audubon's Fall 2020 schedule.  In consideration of Covid-19, we've made some changes to our typical protocols.  Please be sure to wear a mask and be mindful regarding social distancing at all LAS events.  Due to potential risks associated with carpools, our Fall schedule focuses on birding spots within or close to Laramie.  In addition, we are REQUIRING people to pre-register for field trips by emailing us at laramie.audubon@gmail.com so that we can plan for the anticipated group size.  Depending on the group sizes at our initial trips, we may set size limits for the later trips.  

The Fall field trip schedule kicks off at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning (September 5th) at Greenhill Cemetery's south gate near the corner of Willet and 19th Streets.  

All In-Person Events Cancelled Through June 30, 2020

Consistent with the policy of the National Audubon Society, we are cancelling all in-person events through June 30th.  We hope that you are able to get out on your own to bird this Spring and encourage you to participate in on-line birding education and citizen science.  Now is a great time to begin (or continue) eBirding (https://ebird.org/home). 

From time to time we will be posting additional resources here or on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Laramie-Audubon-Society-281490288527648/.  If you have a preference regarding platforms (i.e., this site vs. Facebook), please let us know by leaving a comment.  Looking forward to running into you at a local hotspot or during a fall migration field trip! 

Recent Local Highlights:

• Peregrine Falcon (Laramie River Greenbelt)
• Virginia Rail (Spring Creek Pond [i.e., small beaver pond east of LaPrele Park, adjacent to the cul-de-sac)
• American Pipet (LaPrele Park)
• Common Loon (Lake Hattie)
• return of the Yellow-rumped Warblers!

Events Cancelled through April 30

Consistent with the actions of the National Audubon Society, the Laramie Audubon Society chapter is cancelling all in-person events through the end of April.  Please stay tuned - we are in the process of developing "virtual" birding events to keep us interacting together as a group while still protecting our community from the spread of COVID-19.  If you have ideas regarding virtual events, we encourage you to communicate them either via a "comment" on this blog or by email (laramie.audubon@gmail.com).  

Evening Program Cancelled (March 25th)

Due to precautions associated with the coronavirus, coupled with the University of Wyoming closures, the Laramie Audubon Society has decided to cancel the evening program that was planned for next Wednesday evening.  One of our members suggested that we might enjoy the following video regarding bees (the topic of the cancelled program), in lieu of the in-person talk:

http://www.rustypatched.com/

And here are some additional videos from other Audubon Rockies chapters:

Inside Birding:  Size & Shape  10 min.Chickadees & Climate 2 min.Eagle, Falcon, Owl - Birds of Prey  23 min.Nutcrackers, White Bark Pine and Climate Change 12 min.   

Owling Trip - Saturday. March 7th

On Saturday evening's trip to the Snowy Range, we will target species that have been found in the vicinity over the past several years, such as Boreal Owls. Expect to hike or snowshoe for 2 - 3 miles.  We will depart at 6 pm from Coal Creek Coffee downtown (110 E. Grand Avenue).  Please bring plenty of warm clothes, footwear suitable for snow, and your own water, snacks, and binoculars.