124th Annual Christmas Bird Count - Albany County Date Announced!

The Albany County Christmas Bird Count will be conducted on Saturday, December 16, beginning at 8 a.m.  Volunteers are needed to join our effort to count every bird in a 15-mile diameter circle around Laramie.  

This will be the 46th count of the Albany County circle.   All levels of bird watchers, including feeder watchers, are welcome.  Although this international event was named the Christmas Bird Count more than 100 years ago, the event is secular, with Christmas denoting the season of the annual count.  Information regarding this international event is available on the National Audubon Society website: https://www.audubon.org/conservation/join-christmas-bird-count.  

Volunteers are the backbone of the Christmas Bird Count!  Some teams walk, while others drive through the territory.  Volunteers should wear warm, layered clothing and boots, and bring water, snacks and binoculars (if available).  Feeder watchers are also welcome.  The event typically concludes with a evening potluck where the results are tallied - potluck information will be provided to participants when they register. 

Volunteers for the Albany County circle must register to receive a route assignment.  Check-in will be conducted at Coal Creek Coffee (downtown location) on the morning of the Count.  Contact Shay (307-286-1972; wolfhowlin@gmail.com) for information, to pre-register, or to get Zoom call-in information. 

2023 Election

 The Laramie Audubon Society election for board members will take place later this month (beginning November 15, 2023, with voting open for seven days).  In order to vote, you must be a current member (i.e., membership received since August 2023).  

We will provide biographies of all who are running as part of the election materials.  If you are interested in serving on our Board of Directors, please send a brief biography - explaining why you are interested - to us at laramie.audubon@gmail.com so that we can include your name and bio on the ballot.  We encourage participation by people of any background who have interest in birds and time to devote to the organization.

Spooky Finale to our Scavenger Hunt Series

Twenty kids and adults met at Washington Park on Saturday morning, October 21, to enjoy the final Laramie Audubon Society Kids & Families Nature Scavenger Hunt of the season The weather was cool and sunny, and the park was decked in yellow cottonwood leaves as families searched for nature items including rocks, grass, animals and both flying and singing birds. Although cloudless at 9am, as time went on, participants were able to mark off clouds as a few faint cirrus clouds developed overhead. Other nature sightings were chickadees, squirrels, crows, and even a butterfly! All kids received a birdhouse ornament and chose a sheet of Halloween stickers for decorating. Some took theirs home, while others stayed at the bandshell to decorate their ornaments together and compare- spooky! Our next Kids & Families event will be indoors at holiday time, co-hosted with Wyoming State Parks. Stay tuned for details on this event, which will feature discussion of how to help birds and wildlife in winter, along with arts and crafts activities for making holiday for family, friends and even the birds!

Upcoming Nature Scavenger Hunts!

 Join Laramie Audubon Society this Saturday for our final Kids and Families Scavenger Hunt of the season- spooky! We will meet at 9am at the Bandshell in the SE corner of Washington Park and look up, down and all around for nature items and will take home a Haunted Birdhouse ornament kit to make at home. 

And stay tuned for an indoor activity near holidays, co-hosted with Wyoming State Parks. We will get ready to care for birds and other wildlife in winter and will make nature-themed holiday gifts to give family and friends. Details coming soon!

Wyoming Hereford Ranch Trip Report

Eastern Phoebe, photographed
at Wyoming Hereford Ranch
by LAS Member P. Dougherty

(October 7, 2023)

Although Saturday morning started out cold, the Laramie Audubon Society birders who made the trip to Cheyenne's Wyoming Hereford Ranch were rewarded with brilliant fall colors, a calm sunny day, fellowship, and abundant birds including four warbler species, five sparrow species, four thrushes, and numerous other birds, including an Eastern Phoebe (photo) for a total of 36 species.   

All community members and visitors are welcome on our free trips - please check the trip schedule on our Events page and consider joining us on a future outing!

Next Scavenger Hunt - Saturday, September 30 (9 a.m.)

Meet us at Optimist Park** for our September scavenger hunt!  This event is organized to be fun for families with children - but all ages are welcome!  This month's activity is an autumn leaf collage.  Check out the pictures (below) from our past events.    

**Shelter near the northeast corner of the park (corner of West Custer and Spruce Streets).  

August Kids & Families Scavenger Hunt takes place under cloudless skies.

On Saturday, August 26, about 20 kids and families came out to Undine Park to participate in the third Kids & Families Scavenger Hunt of the summer. The morning was sunny, with not a cloud in the sky- resulting in a challenge to those wishing to circle the cloud on their BINGO card. Other difficult finds included a spider web, a cricket and binoculars. One motivated grandma who lives near the park ran home to grab a pair. Pollinators observed either with the eyes or ears included bees and a hummingbird. All participants chose flowers from a local greenhouse garden after returning the crayons used to check off rocks, trees, leaves, animals and other items on their cards. As they chose their boquets they learned a little about the uses of echinacea, bee balm, yarrow and chamomile by people and pollinators. There are two more hunts scheduled for this year: September in Optimist Park and October's Spooky Finale at Washington Park. See the LAS events calendar for details, and keep your eyes peeled for announcements on Facebook closer to the dates, as well as at your local school, which will receive the full calendar of Fall events being hosted by Laramie Audubon Society.

Fall Schedule of Trips and Evening Programs

Check out our schedule of Fall 2023 field trips and evening programs by clicking on the "Events" tab!  We hope to see our old friends as well as some new faces this fall.  The trips and programs are all free and open to the public and novice birders are encouraged to attend!  Participants range from children through retirees and often include students studying ecology, wildlife biology, etc.  Birding in a group is a great way to get to meet others from the Laramie community and to learn more about the local birds.  If you have suggestions regarding future trips or programs, please let us know (laramie.audubon@gmail.com).

Killdeer on Laramie River Greenbelt (photo courtesy of LAS member Laurel Armstrong)

LaPrele Park Scavenger Hunt reveals artistic talent!

Several families came out for the second in our series of Summer and Fall Kids and Families Scavenger Hunts in parks around Laramie. Saturday, July 23, was warm and sunny, and featured a search for plants and animals around LaPrele Park, where a fishing derby also drew a crowd to Huck Finn Pond. Young people and their parents were able to find all the items on the scavenger hunt list- except a duck- or get at least one BINGO. (Most opted to keep on searching until they were able to get at least two BINGOS on their card.) Thoughtful discussion included whether humans count as animals, why no ducks were to be found (perhaps because so many human animals were hanging around the pond), and where to find nests besides in trees- like underneath a bridge! Kids received a sun catcher kit to paint after finishing the scavenger hunt, and all chose to remain at the park to complete their masterpieces to take home. As the last of the group was packing up to leave, one young participant even spotted a hummingbird! Our next Kids and Families Nature Scavenger Hunt will take place on Saturday, August 26, at Undine Park, with a side trip to a local greenhouse to pick flower bouquets. We will also hold hunts in September and October. Stay tuned!

Next Monthly Scavenger Hunt - Saturday, July 15

Participants at the June 2023 scavenger hunt (photo courtesy of Lisa Cox)

We'll meet at 9 a.m. Saturday morning in LaPrele Park for the next in our series of free, nature-themed scavenger hunts.  Please join us!  And tell your friends, family, and neighbors, as these events are designed to get children thinking about the plants and animals that they see in our community.  Each participant can take home a prize or craft kit (depending on the event). 

Schedule for the remainder of the summer/fall (all events at 9 a.m.)

July 15 - LaPrele Park – Activity: sun catcher take-home kit

August 26 - Undine Park with side trip to local greenhouse for bouquet picking

September 30 - Optimist Park – Activity: autumn leaf collage take-home kit

October 21 - Washington Park Spooky Finale – Activity: haunted bird house ornament take-home kit 

Monthly Scavenger Hunts!

Disappointed that you missed the June scavenger hunt?  Not to worry - mark your calendar and join us another time.  Here's the schedule for the rest of the year (all take place on Saturday mornings at 9 a.m.): 

July 15 - LaPrele Park with sun catcher take-home kit

August 26 - Undine Park with side trip to local greenhouse for prize activity bouquet picking

September 30 - Optimist Park with autumn leaf collage take-home kit

October 21 - Washington Park Spooky Finale with haunted bird house ornament take-home kit

First LAS Kids and Families Scavenger Hunt of Season at LaBonte Park

LAS hosted the first in a series of five nature scavenger hunts for kids and families on Saturday, June 10, at LaBonte Park. About 20 people came out, including a dozen kids. to scour the park for birds, nests, pollinators, plants and more. While robins and bees were elusive, and nests were challenging to spot in the trees, families enjoyed treats including deer tracks in the mud and a nest building activity to take home or construct right at the park. Our next scavenger hunt will take place at LaPrele Park on July 15. We will meet at 9am and will take home a sun catcher prize activity. You can find the list of events here on our website and at the Albany County Public Library. We will post reminders on Facebook and other media, and will provide fliers at locations around town and with the school district as the series continues into Octoner.