Volunteers Clean and Assess Tree Swallow Nest Boxes at Wyoming Territorial Prison

 On a clear and windy morning, Friday, October 17, 2 Board and 2 Member volunteers gathered with Carlo of Wyoming State Parts at the Wyoming Territorial Prison to clean out and assess damage to the tree swallow nest boxes on site that Laramie Audubon Society has monitored in the past to provide data on tree swallows to Nest Watch.

Today's visit revealed several nest boxes with broken parts and missing screws, as well as some that are missing from their posts. (One of these was missing because a telephone pole it was attached to was replaced several years ago.) Other interesting observations included three nest boxes that had been used this season by northern flickers. 

Laramie Audubon Society would like to repair and replace nest boxes and begin our monitoring program again. We welcome volunteers to help with activities. Please reach out to laramie.audubon@gmail.com if interested. We also look forward to the possibility of teaming up with Wyoming State Parks to make new boxes next fall during Public Lands Day. 

Trip Report - Curt Gowdy State Park

Last Saturday, three Laramie Audubon Society members traveled to Curt Gowdy State Park, where we were joined by two Nebraskans visiting southeastern Wyoming for the weekend.  The Visitors' Center parking lot was teeming with Cub Scouts and other visitors taking advantage of National Public Lands Day (free park admission), but after we had ventured a few yards onto Kate's Trail the crowds of people gave way to mixed grasslands and pines teeming with birds -- Mountain Bluebirds, Mountain Chickadees, American Goldfinches, Lesser Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Clark's Nutcrackers, Ravens, Chipping Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and more, with Red Crossbills, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Pygmy Nuthatches calling from deeper in the trees.  Such fun to be joined by visitors and to see everyone out enjoying the state park!   

Thanks to WYOBIRD for Hosting LAS at Their Banding Station!

On Sunday, September 21, a group of ten Laramie Audubon Society members visited the WYOBIRD banding station along the Laramie River.  

This was an opportunity to see a variety of species up close and to learn about the importance of this patch of habitat to passerines migrating through the area.  We watched while the WYOBIRD students and staff carefully extracted the birds from the nets within the cottonwood/willow riparian habitat and learned about the series of measurements that they make on each bird: sex, wing length, body condition (fat), age, weight, etc. 

Seeing each bird fly away to continue the journey south is a reminder of how amazing these tiny creatures are and how important each stopover point is to their journey!  

To learn more about WYOBIRD's activities and opportunities for students to become involved in this organization, visit their website:  https://www.tarwaterlab.com/staff-positions 

Wednesday Evening Program - "Notes from a Naturalist" (September 24th)

Seth Rankins, current PhD student in University of Wyoming's Department of Zoology and Physiology (Monteith Shop), will be sharing natural history-related stories regarding the species and ecosystems he has studied in the past decade as a wildlife professional. Come learn about which mammal exhibits female dispersal, which is common in birds but rare in mammals, the nesting ecology of Stellar’s eiders, the social dynamics of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, and much more.

Our monthly evening programs convene at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments and BirdChat, followed by the speaker at 7 p.m.  We now meet downstairs in the Trinity Lutheran Church (107 S. 7th Street), which is located 1.5 blocks west of campus.  There is plentiful, well-lit on-street parking and ADA access to the lower level. 

Big Horn Sheep in the Sierra Nevada
(photo curtesy of Laramie Audubon Society member S. Rankins)

Sunday Morning Field Trip - Bird Banding Station (Sept. 21st)

 UPDATE - As of Thursday morning (9/18), the trip is full.  WYOBIRD has invited the Laramie Audubon Society to visit their migration monitoring bird banding station on the outskirts of Laramie this Sunday morning (September 21) at 7 a.m.  This approximately 2-hour trip will be a chance to see birds in the hand and to learn about the group's research into how songbirds utilize the riparian habitat along the Laramie River.  Attendees should be comfortable walking approximately a quarter-mile on a flat but somewhat uneven trail.    

Due to the nature of the event, we are limiting attendance to 10 people.  Please register by sending an email to laramie.audubon@gmail.com - we will follow up to the first 10 registrants with instructions on how to reach the meeting place. 

Erik Schoenborn - master bander, Laramie Audubon Society board member,
WYOBIRD member, and current University of Wyoming graduate
student in the Chalfoun Lab - will be leading this trip!

Note: this event replaces the previously announced Sept. 20th trip.

Wyoming Hereford Ranch Birding Trip Report – 13 September 2025

On Saturday, 13 September 2025, seven of us ventured east of Cheyenne to spend the morning birding the Wyoming Hereford Ranch and Reservoir#1 and to look for Mississippi Kite family that nested in Lakeview Cemetery. We started at the Ranch and searched for migrant songbirds. Almost immediately, we found the previously reported Cassin’s Vireo and were afforded great looks. Wilson’s Warblers seemed to be everywhere, and numerous American Goldfinches were overhead. We found a Rock Wren on a small outcrop and picked out two Orange-crowned Warblers amidst all the Wilson’s. We got good looks at Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos and a brief look at a flyover Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Moving on to Reservoir #1, most of the waterbirds were distant with some glare. We were able to pick out some Lesser Yellowlegs, Franklin’s Gulls, Western Grebes, and Ruddy Ducks. A single winter-plumaged American Avocet rested among a flock of molting dabbling ducks. Lastly, we headed into Cheyenne where we located the mottled fledgling Mississippi Kite and got glimpses of the sleeker adult. By noon, we had tallied 58 species for the trip. Cassin’s Vireo and Wilson’s Warbler photos by Heather Johnson.

  

 

 

Trip Report - Rock Creek Canyon

Last Saturday (9/6), six Laramie birders visited Rock Creek Canyon. It was a picture-perfect day and all enjoyed our hike along Rock Creek, searching for American Dippers and watching a variety of forest birds. Most of the group turned around after a couple of hours, but the subset of that continued up canyon completed the trip with the following list: 

• 

  American Dipper, Rock Creek Canyon, 9/6/2025
  Photo courtesy of LAS member S. Rankins

  Dark-eyed Junco 
  
• Mountain Chickadee 
• Red-breasted Nuthatch 
• American Robin 
• Stellar's Jay 
• Clark's Nutcracker 
• MacGillivray's Warbler
• Swainson's Thrush 
• Northern Flicker 
• Hairy Woodpecker 
• Belted Kingfisher 
• Townsend's Solitaire 
• Bald Eagle 
• Red-tailed Hawk 
• Cooper's Hawk 
• Northern Pygmy-owl

Audubon at the Eppsom Center: Friday, September 19th

LAS board member Lisa Cox will be sharing her expertise as a member of the Laramie Audubon Society Board at the Eppson Center's Seniors on the Go Friday, September 19th outing.   The Eppson Center says the following regarding the September 19th event: 

"This is a birdwatching walk, if it’s not too muddy or windy. Bring binoculars if you want to study the wildlife up close. This is a repeat of our April bird watching trek, which yielded several species of interest! There will also be an opportunity to learn about the new Wyoming Toad Conservation Area, which is adjacent. The terrain is flat to gently rollin
g, and distance is about 3.5 miles, but time depends greatly on wildlife and weather conditions. There is limited parking, so carpooling is recommended."

According to the Eppson Center, Seniors on the Go is a "Hiking group that goes on a different Laramie trail each week. Hikes vary in length and difficulty, please check the newsletter description or with the center to ensure it is a correct fit."  The group meets at 8:45 a.m. on Fridays in the Eppson Center lobby.  See https://www.eppsoncenter.org/ for more information regarding their programming and watch for other trips with bird-related content!  Three of our members (Lisa, Brad Andres, and Heather Johnson) have been partnering with the Eppson Center to provide bird-focused information on select outings.

Habitat Garden Tour - Monday, Sept. 8th, 5:30 pm

Join us for a Habitat Hero Garden Tour on Monday (9/8) at 5:30 pm.  We'll visit two gardens, starting at 2303 Nighthawk Drive, where we'll stay for approximately 30 minutes.  We'll then continue on to 1167 Frontera Drive. After the tour we'll enjoy light refreshments and spend time sharing garden stories, bird stories, and ideas for the coming season!

(Yellow Warbler photo courtesy of LAS member Heather Johnson)

Bird Hike -- Saturday, Sept. 6th

We'll gather downtown** at 8 a.m. this Saturday (9/6) to discuss the trip and informally arrange rideshares.  The group will then caravan to Rock Creek Canyon, located approximately 45 miles west of Laramie near Arlington.  The trail has a steep uphill and then downhill section immediately after the parking area, but then levels out along the creek, where we may see dippers.  Our pace will be participant- and bird-driven.  If it is a small group, we will walk along slowly to accommodate both birding and all participants.  If we have a large enough group, we'll consider breaking into a faster "hiking" group and a more leisurely "birding" group.  

Please be prepared for a variety of weather conditions, with sturdy shoes, warm layers, rain and sun protection, snacks, and water.  We anticipate being back to Laramie by approximately 12:30 p.m., but participants with their own transportation are welcome to leave earlier or stay longer -- we do ask that you let the trip leader know if you decide to turn back or to forge ahead (leaving the group).  

** Meeting Location - 1st Street Plaza in downtown Laramie (corner of 1st Street and Grand Avenue).  All day parking is available along 1st Street.    

Kids & Families get batty

A small group of kids and their families, including some new folks in town- welcome!- came out for our back-to-school Kids & Families event on Saturday, August 30.

After a ramble around the block using 5 senses to see, hear, smell, touch and even taste our natural surroundings, the group came inside to enjoy snacks while learning about bats, with live cam footage and a video of a "batnado" at the world's largest bat cave, and finished up with a lively game of bird bingo, learning about some really colorful species and some with very long and funny names. Everyone left with prizes and information about upcoming LAS field trips, evening programs, and our annual Spooky Halloween Scavenger Hunt.

Check out our Events page to see what's coming up this fall!

August Newsletter Now Online!

 

Hot off the presses - our August newsletter!  

Waterbird Field Trip - 16 August 2025

Five of us met on Saturday, 16 August, to search for waterbirds on the Laramie Plains. Because all the basins on Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge were dry, we checked Blake’s Pond, Meeboer Lake, and Twin Buttes Lake. Starting at Blake’s Pond, we had a smattering of shorebirds including Killdeer, American Avocet, Least Sandpiper, Wilson’s Snipe, Wilson’s Phalarope, and Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Western Wood-Pewees were still singing from nearby cottonwoods, which also produced a Yellow Warbler and American Goldfich and several Bullock’s Orioles. A Prairie Falcon and Northern Harriers winged by the pond. The road into Meeboer Lake had lots of Yellow-headed and Brewer’s Blackbirds and Vesper and Savannah Sparrows. The lake was pretty quiet, although we were treated to a small group of Forster’s Terns, a Ruddy Duck pair, a winter-plumaged Eared Grebe, and great looks at winter-plumaged Spotted Sandpipers. We finally found some Baird’s Sandpipers at Twin Buttes Lake and were able to get some good looks at California and Ring-billed Gulls. Great light and calm winds were a highlight of the morning! Overall, we tallied 51 species in two and one-half hours of birding.

Brad Andres

 

Foster's Terns (Heather Johnson)

 

Ruddy Duck (Heather Johnson)

 

 

Greater Yellowlegs (Heather Johnson)

 

 

 Kids and Families Fly on the Prairie

Eight kids and families gathered on the edge of the prairie on Saturday morning, June 28. There was not a cloud in the sky, but we learned how clouds form, and where to look for them, as well as the precipitation they drop on the earth. The sun was already quite hot, and we explored how that heat helps birds that may be found on the prairie, providing thermals they can glide on, and how the winds can come up with the heat of sunrise and calm with the cooling at sunset. We learned about how wings work and why birds can fly and people cannot.

Kids and their parents shared stories of the birds they have seen in their backyards, including nesting robins and a mourning dove. We talked about baby crows and how their parents act when someone gets too close to a baby learning to fly. 

Although we did not see clouds or hawks when we looked up this morning, some pledged to go out earlier in the morning and look again, and to look for clouds forming over the mountains. Kids took home a tropical bird glider to put together, and took a guess answering the question, "Why do tropical birds come in such bright colors?" The winner took home a copy of the Audubon Rockies book Voice of the Grasslands. 

Our next Kids & Families event will take place on Saturday, August 23. The theme is Back to School, and we will go a little batty playing some bird games. Keep your eyes peeled for location. We will list the event on our website Events page, post on social media, and send a reminder email to Laramie Audubon Society members.