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!  

Bird Hop sees a bumper year for Rosy Finches!

A small group of 7 gathered in Centennial on Saturday morning, March 2, for the Laramie Audubon Society annual Bird Hop. The weather was unseasonably warm, with weak sunshine and a growing wind. The event, now a tradition, began several years ago as an opportunity for LAS members and friends to trek to Centennial to look for rosy finches. This year was the year to see the birds en masse around the streets and yards of the little town, and at the feeders in the backyard of the Bear Bottom Grill, where the group concluded their trip with lunch and conversation while keeping their eyes on the feeders at the windows. Birds observed this year, in addition to Grey-capped Rosy Finches, were Black-capped and Mountain Chickadee, Stellar's Jay, Red-winged Blackbird, Clark's Nutcracker, Hairy and Downy Woodpecker, House Sparrow, Magpie, Raven and Junco. Special thanks to Centennial resident Tony Hoch, who opened his home for observing rosy finches, and the Bear Bottom for keeping the feeders full and providing a relaxing atmosphere for bird watching over lunch.

Kids and families enjoy winter stories on a cold Saturday morning.

Laramie Audubon Society's February Kids and Families Program, "Hibernation and Winter Stories" was well attended on Saturday morning the 17th at Albany County Public Library. Kids enjoyed coloring pages while talking about how animals, including people, handle the winter weather by hibernating, heading south in migration, or "storing up food before winter" and "putting on our boots and mittens." During the hourlong event, families listened to four winter stories, including how Raven stole Crow's potlatch (DYK Crow had a beautiful voice until he sang it away to just a caw?), how Owl got wisdom- and a short neck and big eyes and ears- and how Coyote tricked a horrible Monster and helped Buffalo escape captivity and return to the Plains. After story time, all kids got a dream catcher and beads to put together and take home. Special thanks to returning kids and families, and a warm welcome to all the new faces! Our next Kids and Families event will be held again at the ACPL Multipurpose Room on Saturday, March 9, at 10am. Wyoming State Parks will join us for garden planning to benefit wildlife and crafts. All kids and families will bring home a pollinator plant seedling and barrel garden seeds to plant on their own.

Evening Program: eBird - Leverage Your Birding Observations for Science

 Wedneday, February 28, 7 p.m.

Have you heard the buzz about eBird, but aren't sure how to get started?  Or are you a long-time eBirder looking to maximize your use of the app?  Or are you curious how scientists use the crowd-sourced data collected via eBird to further the goals of bird conservation and research?  Don Jones - long-time Laramie birder, eBird rare bird reviewer, and current University of Wyoming graduate student - will join us to explain how to get the most out of eBird and how your observations contribute to answering bird-related research questions!

Laramie Audubon Society evening programs are currently held in the University of Wyoming's Berry Biodiversity Center's auditorium, located on the street level of the building (corner of 10th and Lewis Streets).  Arrive early to find parking and partake in light refreshments (6:30 - 7 pm) in the lobby. 

Kids and Families Event on Saturday

 

February 17 - Hibernation and Winter Stories

10-11 am at Albany County Public Library Multipurpose Room

Do you know what 3 ways animals - including humans - deal with Winter? We will find out, with a focus on hibernation and storytelling. Which animals in Wyoming are true hibernators, and what does everyone else do when it gets cold? Feel free to bring a story handed down in your family, and bring home a dreamcatcher of your own!

Craft from a prior Laramie Audubon Society
"Kids and Families" event
(photo courtesy of LAS board member Lisa Cox)

Complete Christmas Bird Count Tables for Albany County 2023

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.