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.