Hutton Lake Field Trip Yields Shorebirds and a Surprise Gull

A small group of us birded Hutton National Wildlife Refuge on September 7, 2024. There was only water in Hoge and George Lake, and the shallow levels at Hoge created great shorebird habitat. We were rewarded with 12 shorebird species feeding in the lake, including rather large numbers of Lesser Yellowlegs (72) and Stilt Sandpipers (48). We were treated to four other "peep" species (Pectoral, Least, Western, and Semipalmated Sandpipers) and three Semipalmated Plovers. The highlight at Hoge Lake was the observation of a first-cycle Sabine's Gull. We got great looks at the young bird feeding on the shoreline and got to see the diagnostic tri-colored wing pattern when it took to fly and was being chased by an immature Bald Eagle. Luckily this beautiful little gull escaped being the eagle's brunch. Sabine's Gulls breed in the arctic regions of Alaska and Canada, as do many of the shorebirds we observed, and spend their winter in subtropical and tropical upwelling zones off the coast of western South America. Small numbers can be found on lakes and reservoirs in Wyoming during fall migration. Good numbers of Brewer's and Vesper Sparrows were present in the uplands and a smattering of ducks, mostly still in eclipse plumage, were observed on George Lake. For the trip, we recorded 37 species of birds.

                                            Stilt Sandpipers (Heather Johnson)

 

                                            Lesser Yellowlegs (Heather Johnson)

 

Kids & Families Adventure at Undine Park

A small but curious group met on Saturday morning, August, 17, at Undine Park for our monthly Kids & Families program. We took our BINGO cards with some new items on them, and crayons, and put on our eyes and ears to find most of the items on the cards to win a prize! This month our young explorers learned about lichen and turkey vultures, both of which we found in the park. We looked up to see flying insects, clouds, nests and a spider web, and we looked down to find mushrooms, feathers, sticks, and water- in the form of dew on the grass and in a small pool in a tree trunk! Keep your eyes peeled for our last few events of 2024: September 14 at WyoBird Day, October 26 in Washington Park for a Spooky Spectacular final scavenger hunt of the season, an indoor extravaganza in November with Wyoming State Parks, and we will return outside to the Schoolyard Trails on December 21 to welcome Winter! Laramie Audubon Society is working on next year's programs already, and we need your help! In order to bring even better programs to help Kids & Families have fun outside and with nature, we will be posting a short survey soon on our Facebook page. We hope you will take a couple minutes to tell us what you would like to see on the menu!

Trip Report - Hutton Lake NWR Tree Swallows

On Saturday, 6 July, a small group of Laramie Audubon members met students from the University of Wyoming's WYOBIRD project at Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge for a demonstration on Tree Swallow banding. WYOBIRD grad student members and undergrad interns are monitoring the nest boxes at Hutton and banding nestlings, and some adults, to learn more about their biology and ecology on the Laramie Plains. We were given an overview of banding techniques and shown the various measurement data students are collecting. By the end of the season, >200 nestlings will carry a unique silver anklet.

After the banding demonstration, we hiked up the ridge beyond Rush Lake to have a look at the newly acquired parcel within the designated Wyoming Toad Conservation Area. Originally acquired by the Conservation Fund, the parcel was transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in the fall of 2023. Additional lands along the Laramie River were also acquired by the City of Laramie.

Marsh Wrens were still signing in the rushes and American Avocets were busy protecting their young. Although we saw foraging White-faced Ibises, we did not confirm their nesting or find the previously observed White Ibis.

Thanks to Auna, Kim and Chloe for giving us a great overview of the Tree Swallow project.

Trip Report - Thorne/Williams WHMA

For our trip on 4th of May (May the 4th be with you) we had eleven observers and we saw a total of 32 species. European Starlings represented the largest total, but the Spotted Towhees also put in a strong showing.  We saw two wrens (Rock Wren and House Wren) and two Towhees (Spotted and Green-tailed Towhees). 

 A favorite moment was when a Golden Eagle flew over, then a Prairie Falcon came to join, then a Red-tailed Hawk, and then we spotted a high Accipiter (Cooper's Hawk or Sharp-shinned Hawk) in the kettle at the end. 

The Turkey Vultures also had a lot of fun sunning on the rocks and showing off for everyone. The weather and company - including three birders from Cheyenne - was lovely, and we had a great time at a really unique area of Albany County, WY.

Trip Report - Red Buttes

We had a cold and intrepid group of Audubon people attend the Red Buttes field trip on Saturday the 20th of April 2024.

A total of 7 people attended, and the wind howled at us the entire time. We met at 0800, and lasted about 40 minutes outside, ending at around 1000 after also doing a tour of the Red Buttes Facilities. The weather report said that with wind chill the temperature was ~14F, so it was a pretty cold time.

For the birding, we stuck to the fish ponds and riparian areas immediately around the facility, and used my scope to also look at Leazenby Lake. Even with the horrid weather we still managed 15 species. Highlights were several Franklin's Gulls, a Say's Phoebe who actually came to hang out with us in the wing, and the local breeding Swainson's Hawk came by.

The group agreed that the field trip was in a really cool place, but that mid-April might be too early to come to Red Buttes. A couple weeks later might give a better chance at less volatile weather.

Three cheers to our amazing birding group who braved some true Wyoming weather to see early spring migrants.

Saturday (4/20) BirdingTrip - Red Buttes

Meet at 8 a.m. at the University of Wyoming Red Buttes Lab (on the east side of US 287, 8.3 miles south of WYDOT). We will survey for migrant songbirds in both riparian corridors and short-grass prairie wetlands. Serving as a migratory stop over point for spring migrants, the Red Buttes research site (which is not typically open to the public) provides habitat for grassland, wetland, and riparian corridor birds. Hiking boots or shoes with good traction are a must. We will probably get a little muddy, but it will all be for the birds!

We need bird photos!  This Clark's Nutcracker was photographed
on a LAS trip to Centennial (photo credit: LAS member Lisa Cox).

Greater Sage-Grouse Lek Trip - NEW EARLIER TIME: 5:15 a.m. Saturday 4/13

Meet at the Laramie Eppson Center for Seniors (the corner of North 3^rd and Curtis Street) at 5:15 am. We will leave promptly at 5:25 am. 

Our trip leader drove up to the lek this morning (Friday) to check out access for tomorrow's field trip.  She reports that the road is free of snow and dry and that she observed 35 male sage grouse displaying to 5 female sage grouse on the lek.

We will carpool/caravan to the lek located approximately 35 minutes from Laramie. The 3 mile access road off the paved highway is dirt so vehicles with low clearance are not recommended. Carpooling is encouraged to reduce the number of vehicles that will park and to minimize disturbance to the birds.  We will walk approximately ½ to ¾ of a mile to a location to view the lek. Walking to the lek will be in the dark on relatively flat but uneven prairie. No flashlights can be used to minimize spooking the birds off the lek.

Please bring binoculars and spotting scopes if you have them.

We expect to return to Laramie between 7:30am and 8 am.

What is a Lek?

Depending on elevation, groups of male greater sage-grouse gather at specific locations, called leks,  from late February to early May to strut and to attract females in order to mate..   The leks are generally small open areas located among the sagebrush steppe, such as hilltops, dry playas, and hill sides, and are visited by the grouse year after year.  The lek we are visiting is located on private land . Based of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department data , this lek was first recorded in 1959.  The activity on a lek begins sometime after sunset and continues for an hour or so after sunrise when the birds disperse from the lek.

The male strutting, involves the inflation and deflation of two yellow air sacs located on the male sage-grouse’s breast that, when released, produces a popping or gurgling sound. In addition to producing sound, the white ruff surrounding the air sacs produces a striking contrasting feature along with the male’s fanned tail feathers, and with a dance, in an effort to attract a female.  The females are silent and are often difficult to see within the sagebrush surrounding the leks.  After mating the females will fly off to nest, lay eggs, and raise the young in the surrounding sagebrush ecosystem.

Laramie Audubon thanks the landowner for allowing us to access this lek.

Greater Sage-grouse Trip - Weather Dependent

Interested in visiting the Greater Sage-grouse lek this year?  Stay tuned to this website!  We're planning a trip for Saturday morning (April 13th - 5:30 a.m. departure from MEET AT 5:15 a.m. at the Eppsom Center), but it is dependent on range conditions.  The lek closest to Laramie is on private land, which we access with permission from the land owner.  In order to maintain that relationship, we are careful to avoid damaging the two-track access road and the surrounding land.  We'll do reconnaisance on Friday to make sure that the area is dry enough -- check this website on Friday evening for the final decision.  Fingers crossed!!  

Kids and Families brave cold and snow to see what's up (and down and all around)!

Ten brave kids and families joined Laramie Audubon Society on the Greenbelt Saturday, April 6, despite snow and bitter cold. We get it, we are all ready for spring! Conditions were not perfect for seeing migratory birds, but the group had a great time observing crows building nests, a camouflaged bunny, deer tracks, a chickadee and a gull with our eyes, and red-winged blackbirds and robins with our ears! Discussion included birds we have seen and heard in our own backyards, migrating waterfowl and shorebirds seen on the Greenbelt, at LaBonte Park, and out on the Plains Lakes, as well as recent and upcoming family road trips for the birds- sandhill cranes and northern cardinals, respectively. Everyone got to take home their choice of bird glider, too! Please come see us at the Laramie River Conservation District Expo on May 4 and join us in warmer weather for our next Kids and Families event- our first scavenger hunt of the summer at LaPrele Park on Saturday, May 25 at 9am!

April Kids and Families Event - Migration Station! Saturday, April 6th

Our Kids and Families program returns to the Laramie Greenbelt for our April program.  We will learn about migration and look for migrating birds. Take home a bird craft that you can put together and make soar! Meet at the shelter by the parking lot off Garfield Street at 9 a.m. 

Accessibility information:  The Greenbelt's West Garfield Street parking lot includes accessible (paved) parking and restroom (porta-potty).  The shelter area is accessible and participants may utilize the flat, paved Greenbelt trail while participating in this event.  

Kids and Families Enjoy a Party for the Birds!

A great big thank you to the 29 kids and families who joined Laramie Audubon Society and Wyoming State Parks Saturday afternoon for our Spring Gardening for Wildlife party at Albany County Public Library! We enjoyed making nests, planting seeds, and coloring wildlife pages while snacking and talking about birds we've seen around town and how to make gardens that are good for wildlife. Thank you to Sheila Bird Farms for donating snap dragon and marigold seedlings for participants to take home. We will be back outside and on the Greenbelt at 9am Saturday, April 6, to look for migrating birds and observe changes on the Greenbelt since we visited in January!

Monthly Kids and Families Programs!

 Fly on over to the "events" page to see our list of monthly Kids and Families programs.  Next up: Early Spring Gardening for Wildlife, this Saturday (May 9th) at 3 pm at the Albany County Library.  Co-hosted by the Wyoming Parks Department!