February CHPAS Calendar

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Red-breasted nuthatch. Photo by Kirk Miller

February 13-16 – Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)
From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Spend time in your favorite places watching birds—then tell us about them! Join us in this world-wide event. Bird and nature lovers everywhere unite in the effort to tally as many of the world’s bird species as possible over four days in February.
In as little as 15 minutes, notice the birds around you. Identify them, count them, and submit your counts to help scientists better understand and protect birds around the world. If you already use eBird or Merlin, your submissions over the 4 days count toward GBBC.

You’re also invited to tune in to a special webinar about how to participate in the GBBC. Register for one of two free events happening on Thursday, February 5, at 1 p.m. Mountain or Wednesday, February 11, 5 p.m. Mountain. Register here.
For all the information about the GBBC, go to: https://www.birdcount.org.

February 17, 6:00 p.m. – Program: Sharon Udasin, co-author “Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America”, in the Sunflower Room of the Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave, Cheyenne.

Cheyenne Audubon invites the public for a free lecture by environment reporter and author Sharon Udasin about how forever chemicals, like PFAS, have contaminated America.

Udasin, of Boulder, Colorado, will present her new book, “Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America,” which traces an ugly history of corporate greed, military impunity and community devastation, based on original reporting in four highly contaminated places — including Colorado Springs. The book introduces readers to people who, while fighting for their own lives, take action to fix a broken regulatory system. The talk will be followed by discussion with Udasin and Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities water treatment division manager Clint Bassett.  More information about this talk is available in the February issue of Flyer.  

We will have a no-host dinner with the speaker at Hacienda Guadalajara, 317 E Lincolnway, Cheyenne, WY 82001 at 4:30 p.m.  Please let Barb Gorges know if you are planning to join us for dinner so that we can reserve enough room at the restaurant. Text or email Barb at 307-287-4952 or bgorges4@msn.com.

February 21, 9:00 a.m. – Field Trip: Curt Gowdy State Park

Red Crossbill: Photo by Mark Gorges

This is a free event open to the public. Everyone, no matter what your birding skills, is invited to join us.

We will meet at the Lions Park parking lot between the Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and the picnic shelter. We will leave the park at 9:00 a.m. and drive to Curt Gowdy. Then, meeting at the visitor’s center, we will decide where to hike for a couple of hours.

We should be back in Cheyenne no later than 1 p.m., but if you drive, you can leave whenever you need to.

If you are interested in going, contact Grant Frost, 307-343-2024, so that he has a list of those expected, and he can let you know if the plans change for any reason like bad weather. Please let him know if you will need a ride from Cheyenne and back. More information about the types of birds that we may see in the February issue of Flyer.  

February 24, 6:00 p.m. – Monthly Board Meeting

            Contact us, cheyenneaudubon@gmail.com, if you would like to attend and participate in helping to plan chapter activities, or if you are interested in volunteering in some of our activities. This meeting will be held at the Laramie County Library in the Sage Room

 February 27, 8:00 a.m. – Country Club Bird Survey

            Contact Grant Frost to be on his email notice list: 307-343-2024 or FrostGrant2@gmail.com. The count will start in the Country Club’s clubhouse’s main parking lot. These outings are free and open to everyone, but please let Grant know you are coming.

Sandhill Crane Migration Ticket Sales Now Open at Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary

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Ticket sales are now open for this year’s great Sandhill Crane Migration at Rowe Sanctuary in Gibbon, NE.  

Here in Wyoming, we are just a few hours away from this annual migration spectacle that has taken place for millions of years along the Platte River.  Just east of us, Central Nebraska is the epicenter of Sandhill Crane migration, drawing thousands of tourists to communities like Gibbon, Grand Island, and Kearney NE each spring.  Tours start in March and run through early April.  Tickets sell out quickly, so be sure not to miss this opportunity if you plan on viewing.  Crane numbers generally peak during mid to late March.  

Whether you purchase tickets or not, thousands of cranes may be viewed feeding in cornfields throughout the area during the day, and opportunities to view them along the Platte River are available each morning and evening.  The Sandhill Cranes return to the shallow bars of the Platte River each evening to roost, leaving again at dawn to feed in the area.  A lucky few might even see a Whooping Crane; often found flying with the Sandhills as they stop over in Central Nebraska to rest and refuel. 

Can’t make it there in person?  No problem!  Rowe Sanctuary has a free “Crane Cam” powered by EXPLORE.org that allows you to view the migration from the comfort of your home.  Remember to view at dawn and dusk to see thousands of cranes on the Platte River. 

Another opportunity to see the Sandhill Cranes will happen closer to home in late March when CHPAS schedules their annual guided field trip to Table Mountain near Torrington, WY.  More about this trip in future posts.  

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Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary: https://rowe.audubon.org/

Rowe Sanctuary “Crane Cam”: https://explore.org/livecams/national-audubon-society/crane-camera

January CHPAS Calendar

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January 17, 9:00 a.m. – Field Trip: Raptor Alley, Nunn, CO
This is a free event open to the public. Everyone, no matter what your birding skills, is invited to join us.
We will meet at the Lions Park parking lot between the Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and the picnic shelter. We will leave the park at 9:00 a.m. and drive to Nunn, CO, about 38 miles and 40 minutes south of Cheyenne. There we will meet at Soaring V Fuels, at the southwest corner of Weld County Road 100 and the South Greeley Highway. From there we will drive county roads looking for raptors.
We should see Red-tailed, Rough-legged and Ferruginous Hawks among others including Bald Eagles and a variety of smaller birds.

Rough-legged Hawk, photo by Mark Gorges

Bring lunch or snacks and water. Be sure to dress for variable weather. Bring binoculars and spotting scopes if you have them. The more eyes we have, the more birds we will see.
We should be back in Cheyenne no later than 4 p.m., but if you drive, you can leave whenever you need to.
If you are interested in going, contact Grant Frost, 307-343-2024, so that he has a list of those expected, and he can let you know if the plans change for any reason like bad weather. Please let him know if you will need a ride from Cheyenne and back.

January 20, 6:00 p.m. – Program: “Using Rejuvra to Manage Invasive Annual Grasses (Cheatgrass): Key Characteristics, Best Practices, and Encouraging Ecological Outcomes,” in the Cottonwood Room of the Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave, Cheyenne.
Rejuvra is a highly-effective pre-emergent herbicide for managing invasive annual grasses in rangelands and natural areas. This presentation will highlight key herbicide characteristics, introduce essential best practices for implementation, and review recent research demonstrating the ecological benefits associated with effective annual grass management.
Jake Courkamp (at right) is a range scientist working in the Restoration Ecology Lab at Colorado State University. His research and outreach activities focus on evaluating, refining, and advancing weed management practices, along with measuring the ecological outcomes associated with effective weed and invasive plant control.

Jan. 20 – No-host dinner with speaker Jake Courkamp at 4:30 p.m. at 2 Doors Down, 118 E. 17th Street. Please RSVP Barb Gorges, 307-287-4952 or bgorges4@msn.com.

January 27, 6:00 p.m. – Monthly Board Meeting
Contact us, cheyenneaudubon@gmail.com, if you would like to attend and participate in helping to plan chapter activities, or if you are interested in volunteering in some of our activities. This meeting will be held at the Laramie County Library in the Windflower Room

January 30, 8:00 a.m. – Country Club Bird Survey
Contact Chuck Seniawski to be on his email notice list: 307-638-6519 or chuckski@aol.com. The count will start in the Country Club’s clubhouse’s main parking lot. These outings are free and open to everyone, but please let Chuck know you are coming.

5 Winter Bird Migration Stories

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In preparation for our December 20th Christmas Bird Count in Cheyenne (more details are forthcoming) and our January 3rd Winter in Wyoming Event at the Wyoming State Museum, we’d like to highlight five winter bird migration stories of birds that make their way to Southeast Wyoming in time for Christmas. Join us for our December 20th event for an opportunity to see some of these birds up close and January 3rd to learn about just how daring their migration journeys can be.