Evening Program: Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Wildlife Photography Travels and Techniques

Liz Young will talk about her international travels and offer some pointers on wildlife photography techniques. Liz has been fortunate to travel with renowned photographers to Uganda, Ecuador, the Great Bear Rain Forest, Katmai National Park, the Vancouver Island archipelago, Patagonia, and recently Botswana. On these trips, she learned valuable techniques for wildlife photography. The program will be at Trinity Lutheran Church, 107 South 7th St., Laramie. Social time and refreshments at 6:30 pm, program at 7:00 pm. Pumas photo by Liz Young.

Field Trip Report: Centennial Bird Hop

Thanks to the 20 adventurers who braved the wind to travel to Centennial for our annual Bird Hop today! Special thanks to Emily at the USFS visitor station, who made sure the feeders there were full, and Darren at the Bear Bottom, who took care of our urge for snacks after bird watching and shared stories of the backyard birds there. We welcomed 16 adults, including 4 students in the new Bird Watchers at UWyo club and 4 kids, and observed:

Black-billed Magpie
Stellar's Jay
Hairy Woodpecker
Mountain and Black-capped Chickadee
Slate-colored, Oregon and Pink-sided Juncos
Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches
Red-winged Blackbird
Clark's Nutcracker
Pine Siskin
House Sparrow
European starling
Common Raven

Sadly, this has been a tough year for rosy finches in our area, likely because it has been so dry, but other birds that have been spied around Centennial recently include mountain bluebird and grackle, both early, as are catkins on the aspens.

Field Trip: Saturday, March 7, 2026

Centennial Bird Hop

A winter favorite, join us for the annual Bird Hop to Centennial! We will walk the streets of Centennial to look for rosy finches, woodpeckers, chickadees, juncos, Stellar’s Jays, Clark’s Nutcrackers and more. Wewill have an early lunch at the Bear Bottom, where we can watch the feeders from the comfort of our seats. Caravan from First Street Plaza (corner of 1st Street and Grand Avenue) to Centennial, first to the USFS Centennial Snowy Range Visitor Center above town to see who is haunting the feeders, then back into town to wander the protected aspen groves within the downtown area and up onto the hills. We will then retreat indoors to the Bear Bottom Cafe for a NO HOST coffee or early lunch. Meet at the Visitor Center above Centennial at 9:30 or carpoolers meet at First Street Plaza at 8:45 am. This is a family friendly event. Photo by Heather Johnson.

Evening Program - Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Population Dynamics of the Pacific Marten in National Forests of Wyoming

Lane Jeakle, graduate student in the University of Wyoming’s Department of Zoology & Physiology, will provide an overview of the natural history of the Pacific marten and results of his research on harvest and population dynamics of this elusive mammal in Wyoming. The program will be at Trinity Lutheran Church, 107 South 7th St., Laramie. Social time and refreshments at 6:30 pm, program at 7:00 pm. Photo by the Wolf Education and Research Center.

 

Kids & Families Program - February 21, 2026

Winter Stories

Drop in for storytelling, crafting dream catchers, and coloring pages indoors and search for Hearts in Nature outdoors. Refreshments will be available. We hope you will join us for this fun morning of indoor and outdoor activities! Meet at Trinity Lutheran Church, 107 S. 7th Street, Laramie, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Photo by Heather Johnson.

Evening Program - Wednesday, January 28, 2026

 

Endemic Species in Wyoming and the Region

Dr. Gary P. Beauvais, Director of the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database at the University of Wyoming, will present Endemic Species of Wyoming and the Region. He will discuss what is meant by endemic, why such species might be important, and provide a brief overview of some of the species that are endemic to Wyoming and the surrounding region.  The program will be at Trinity Lutheran Church, 107 South 7th St., Laramie. Social time and refreshments at 6:30 pm, program at 7:00 pm.

Albany County Christmas Bird Count - 2025

Despite Wind, Christmas Bird Count Yields a New Species and Some High Counts

The 50th Albany County Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was held on December 20, 2025. Thirty-eight participants conducted field surveys or watched feeders during count day, and observers spent 63 party-hours afield. Participation in the CBC continues to increase, with higher than average (1975 – 2024) numbers for participants (20) and party-hours (45). We recorded a total of 6,732 individual birds (107 birds/party-hour), which greatly exceeded the average of 3,155 birds (71.8 birds/party-hour) recorded on previous counts. A great effort given the blustery day! Thanks to all field and feeder observers who made our 50th anniversary Christmas Bird Count a success.

Lack of snow and dry conditions likely contributed to a somewhat lower species count on count day (43) and count week (48) than the previous two years. However, a Hooded Merganser seen by Laurel Armstrong along the Laramie River during count week added a new species, bringing the total number of species observed during count week of 50 years of Albany County CBCs to 101 species.

Although temperatures were relatively mild, high winds (maximum gusts of 47 mph at the airport) hampered our ability to detect some small songbirds. Despite the wind, high counts for several species were achieved in 2025 including Eurasian Collared-Dove (711 individuals), Short-eared Owl (1) American Kestrel (3), Brown Creeper (16), House Sparrow (2,443) and Great-tailed Grackle (9). A good crop of juniper berries in upper Pilot Hill contributed to our highest counts of Townsend’s Solitaires (26) and American Robins (68). Rare species (average of <1 individual seen per year) observed included Cooper’s Hawk (1), Ferruginous Hawk (2), Prairie Falcon (2), American Goldfinch (1), Harris’s Sparrow (1), and a count week Swamp Sparrow. Like last year, winter finches (e.g., crossbills, Cassin’s Finches, and rosy-finches) were noticeably absent. A table of the 2025 results and average counts for previous years is provided here.

We had a great turnout for our evening Tally Rally, where we shared the day’s results. Thanks again to all who participated in this 50th anniversary year. I hope everyone had a fun time and will plan on joining our 51st count next year.

Townsend's Solitaire by Heather Johnson