Kids and Families Bundle Up and Use Their Senses!

Eleven kids and 11 adults bundled up and braved near-zero temps on Saturday morning, January 6, at Optimist Park, for a 5 Senses Winter Walk along the Laramie Greenbelt, beginning at Optimist Park. One family drove in from Curt Gowdy area, and another all the way from Casper! The day began with an easy find with both ears and eyes: Crows! After meeting at the picnic shelter, where we reviewed our 5 senses and talked about why winter is a cold time of year here, the group departed on a tracking adventure, with a light dusting of fresh snow and no wind making conditions perfect, and stopped along the way to taste spruce needles- which were discovered to taste like they smell! The first tracks encountered were tiny hoofprints. A few minutes later from the bridge an observant participant pointed out two deer in a field across the river, in the vicinity the tracks had been spotted. The group also saw rabbits and squirrels, along with their tracks, and learned how to tell the two apart. Other animals the kids thought would be fun to see included raccoon, beaver, otter, chickadee, monkey and panda bear. The last two were dropped from the list of possibilities- until we remembered sometimes raccoons are called trash pandas, which made the yound boy who sought pandas very happy! Questions raised during and after the walk included, "Is it OK to touch bird feathers and bones if you find them in the wild?"- prompting a brief talk about migration and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act- "Why are there no magpies in Laramie?"-and discussion of the differences in bird species found around the Curt Gowdy and Cheyenne areas vs. Laramie- and "Is that a wasp nest- or what kind of bird?" (It looked like a Bullock's Oriole nest in a cottonwood tree along the path to this trip leader.) All kids left with a link to a cool YouTube video called Seasons in the Sun, which they can watch at home to learn more about the tilt of the earth and how seasons come about. Our next Kids and Families event will be indoors in February. Please check the Events calendar here on our website and on our social feeds for future events, and remember that Laramie Audubon Society members receive email notice of upcoming events!

Kids and Families New Year Kick Off

By popular demand, Laramie Audubon Society will expand its Kids and Families programs in 2024, beginning with a Saturday morning walk on the Greenbelt on January 6. The theme is using all 5 senses to discover winter. Meet at Optimist Park, at the shelter nearest the parking lot off Garfield, next to the Greenbelt. We will walk on this path along the river using all our senses to discover secrets of Winter while learning why it’s so cold this time of year. All participants will get QR code for a video “Seasons in the Sun” to watch at home. Bundle up! We are planning an indoor activity also for President's Day Weekend, in collaboration with Wyoming State Parks. Keep your eyes peeled, enjoy the holidays, and we hope to see you on the Greenbelt on Saturday, January 6!

Christmas Bird Count - Saturday, December 16

 This year's CBC will begin at 8 a.m. and will be followed by an evening potluck.  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 website of the National Audubon Society:   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 must register to receive a route assignment.  Check-in will be conducted at 7:30 a.m. at Coal Creek Coffee (downtown location) on the morning of the Count.  Contact Shay (307-286-1972; wolfhowlin@gmail.com) for information or to pre-register. 

The CBC occurs around the world on various dates in late December/early January.  The 2023 count of the Laramie Circle will be held on December 16.

Kids and Families Flock to Wings in Winter

Laramie Audubon Society and Wyoming State Parks teamed up to bring "Wings in Winter" to the Albany County Public Library from 9 to 11am on Saturday, November 18. Nearly 40 kids and their parents and grandparents came out to enjoy a morning of crafts, snacks and learning and talking about birds. Families enjoyed roaming from station to station to make pine cone winter bird feeders, bird house and bird craft ornaments, color nature pages and eat snacks and try rose hips tea. They learned that birds eat rose hips in winter, and why it's important for birds and other wild animals to eat good hearty foods like the nutrient-packed birdseed and shortening used to make pine cone bird feeders. All enjoyed making their own ornaments, too. Some glued colorful feathers, felt, pipe cleaners and googly eyes onto pine cones. One participant even put a Santa hat on her bird! Another made a crossbill, and those gathered around enjoyed looking at a photo of a crossbill to compare. Wow! Same beak! Some stuck holiday-themed and animal- even dinosaurs!- stickers onto tiny birdhouses to hang on their Christmas trees or elsewhere in the home. And many enjoyed making both, then taking a break to relax with coloring pages from "Hidden Feathers" and other nature-inspired coloring books. LAS and WSP look forward to teaming up again to bring more Kids and Families activities to Laramie after the holidays. Keep an eye out on our website Events page, on the Laramie Audubon Society and Wyoming State Parks Facebook pages, at school and at the public library for upcoming events in 2024.

Wings in Winter - Arts, Crafts, and Activities (Indoors)

 We've teamed up with the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources to present a morning of free family fun at the Albany County Public Library (310 S. 8th Street in Laramie).  Join us on Saturday, November 18 from 9 to 11 a.m. for arts, crafts, and activities to help you and your family care for local birds throughout the winter.

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.