Members of Cheyenne Audubon invite anyone interested in birds to join them for the Cheyenne Big Day Bird Count May 20. The count begins at 6:30 a.m. at Lions Park in the parking lot off South Lions Park Drive between the Children’s Village and the picnic shelter/restroom.

People joining the count later can call count compiler Grant Frost, 307-343-2024, to find out if the group is still at Lions Park or has moved on to the Wyoming Hereford Ranch or the High Plains Arboretum. The large group will bird until early afternoon, though individual birdwatchers can leave at any time and continue to bird on their own within the 7.5-mile-radius circle measured from the Capitol building.

Please call Grant Frost, 307-343-2024, to report birds seen on your own or to find out how to attend the tally party the evening of May 21.

For more information about the Cheyenne – High Plains Audubon Society, see https://cheyenneaudubon.org/.           

As of today, Friday (05.12.23), the Dry Creek area where our trash pick-up was planned for tomorrow is under-water.  The creek is also running very high (and swiftly), due to the amount of rain that has fallen in Laramie County over the past few days.  For this reason, the trash pickup is postponed until Sunday, May 21, 2023.  We will meet at 9:00 a.m. in the same location as previously announced.  One benefit of this rain event is that much of the trash in the creek will be washed up on the bank, making it easier to pick up.

Join us on Sunday, May 21st, for the rescheduled Dry Creek Trash Pickup!

Early morning hours bring new birds and flowers!  I’m sure that many of you reading this post have noticed the influx of new birds into the Cheyenne area.  A visit to Lions Park gives an opportunity to observe one of our cutest local celebrities, the Yellow-Rumped Warbler.  This little birds swoop and dive as they feed on insects.

Those who venture out to Wyoming Hereford Ranch are in for a special treat.  Over the past few weeks, many species of Warbler have been sighted, including the Worm-eating Warbler, the Black-Throated Gray Warbler, and just recently, the Palm Warbler.  Here one day and gone the next, Wyoming Hereford Ranch is one of the best places to bird during the months of May and June – and truthfully, all year round.  So get up early, grab your binoculars, and enjoy the best that Wyoming has to offer!

Oh, and don’t forget to look at BirdCast, “showcasing the spectacle of bird migration”.  Review bird migration forecast maps to see when significant numbers of birds coming into this area.  BirdCast is brought to us by Colorado State University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Calendar

May 13, 9 a.m. – Greenway Cleanup
Cheyenne Audubon is hosting a Greenway cleanup event, Saturday, May 13th. The public is invited to help. The starting location is the parking lot adjacent to the intersection of Van Buren Avenue and Laramie Street (just north of East Lincolnway and east of its intersection with Pershing Blvd.). Work will proceed to the north along Dry Creek.

Trash bags and light-weight gloves will be provided. Participants should wear sturdy footwear (preferably waterproof) and heavy gloves and bring rakes and hoes, if available, for fishing trash out of the creek.

May 20, 6:30 a.m. – Annual Cheyenne Big Day Bird Count

Starting at Lions Park, we will cover birding hot spots throughout the Cheyenne area. If you want to join us later than 6:30 a.m., please call Grant, 307-343-2024, to get a location update throughout the morning. We also encourage people to report all bird sightings during the 24-hour period beginning at midnight on the free app at eBird.org. The middle of May is the high point of the spring migration of birds to their nesting areas from their winter homes.

We will leave from the Lions Park parking lot between the Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and the picnic shelter to hike around the park for about an hour or two. We will then head to the Wyoming Hereford Ranch. At about lunch time we will head out to the Agricultural Research Station and the Arboretum west of the Air Force Base.  Please look at “Flyer ” for more details about the count.

Tally Party: We will have a Tally Party at Perkins Restaurant on Dell Range Blvd. on Sunday, May 21st at 5:00 p.m.  If you would like to join us, please contact Lorie Chesnut (cheyenneaudubon@gmail.com) by Saturday evening, May 20th, so that she can make a reservation.  Bring a list of the bird species that you saw and we will add them to our Big Day Bird Count list.

Board Meeting – There will be no Board Meeting in May.  Meetings will resume in June and please consider joining the Board of Directors!  We need volunteers who are passionate about birds and their environment.

May 26, 7:00 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. 

 

Migration Has Begun!  Happy Birding! 

The season that I look forward to all year has begun! 

Just a few minutes ago, a flock of about sixty Sandhill Cranes flew directly over our home in east Cheyenne.  They circled, coming in quite low and I wondered if they were going to land nearby.  But then they circled around again and rose until they were so high that they were barely visible.  It is moments like these that become special memories that carry me through our long winters.  Welcome Spring!

Calendar

For more information about all of the events below, check out the February issue of “Flyer“, the CHPAS monthly newsletter!

April 15 – Field Trip: Cheyenne Audubon field trip to sharp-tailed grouse lek

The public is welcome to join Cheyenne Audubon members for a free birding field trip April 15 to an area north of Hillsdale to view a sharp-tailed grouse lek. Participants will leave at 6 a.m. sharp from the front parking lot of the Pilot truck stop, I-80 Exit 367, 8020 Campstool Road, for a 40-mile drive to the lek site, returning approximately 9 a.m. Carpooling is encouraged to keep the number of vehicles to a minimum.

Registration is free but please sign up with Grant Frost, 307-343-2024, to be notified of any change of plans due to weather, etc. or for more information.

April 18 – Program: “The Hungry Bird” featuring David Leatherman

Cheyenne Audubon’s free program, “The Hungry Bird,” with David Leatherman, will be April 18 at 7 p.m. in the Cottonwood Room at the Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. The public is welcome to attend.

 Leatherman will focus on the food habits of southeastern Wyoming and northern Colorado birds. Surprisingly few dietary specifics appear in the literature for many species.  As a Colorado State Forest Service entomologist for 32 years and lifelong birder, Leatherman has long been interested in this topic. He writes a quarterly column, “The Hungry Bird,” in the “Colorado Birds” journal. His photography exhibits of what birds eat have appeared at the University of Colorado Natural History Museum, and soon at the Fort Collins’ Discovery Museum.

The Zoom link for the program is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85905557429?pwd=RDhUeWcvUElBMHZ2MjlYNnVMSHJXdz09

April 25 – 6:30 p.m. Board Meeting

Contact Wanda Manley, cheyenneaudubon@gmail.com, if you would like to participate in helping to plan chapter activities. This meeting will be in the Willow Room at the Laramie County Library.

April 28, 7:00 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 Clubhouse’s main parking lot.

 

This week and next week are prime times to see thousands of Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes (not to mention other waterfowl) throughout the southeastern Wyoming region.  Volunteers recently visited Springer/Bump Sullivan Wildlife Habitat Management Area and Table Mountain Wildlife Habitat Management Area – both just south of Torrington.  Our thanks to Kirk Miller for the wonderful photograph of Snow Geese. 

These and other prime viewing locations can be found on the Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon Society website at Birding Our Region/Locations

For those of you interested in a slightly longer trip, check out Rowe Sanctuary in south central Nebraska.  Tickets are still available to view cranes for some April dates and you can also use their popular (and free!) Crane Cam (https://explore.org/livecams/national-audubon-society/crane-camera) to see the migration live from your home too!  Look for activity at dawn and dusk. During the day, Sandhill Cranes leave the river to feed in nearly farm fields.  Be sure to keep your sound on so that you can hear their calls as they come to and leave the Platte River. 

Keep your eyes open for large white birds among the Sandhill Cranes.  Whopping Cranes usually fly in later in the migration, mixing among the Sandhill Cranes both in the farm fields and on the Platte River. 

Living in southeastern Wyoming, we are just a few miles away from the Central Flyway and one of the greatest migrations in the world.  Don’t miss this amazing experience! 

On Saturday, April 1st, the Laramie County Conservation District (LCCD) will hold a special “Cheatgrass Summit” at Archer Complex Building M.  The time is 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. with coffee and donuts provided. 

The Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon Society regularly partners with LCCD on projects such as improving wetlands, and planting native grasses and wildflowers in Laramie County. 

As many local landowners know, Cheatgrass is highly invasive.  It “cheats” by greening up earlier than many native grasses and robs these grasses of essential spring moisture.  Once established, it is very difficult to control.  Later in the summer as it dries, it becomes a fire hazard. 

This conference will be of interest to Laramie County residents, agricultural producers, and herbicide applicators.  Included on the program will be guest speaker Derek Sebastian of Envu; a company specializing in Vegetation Management (Envu).  Mr. Sebastian will present on control methods.  Rex Lockman, Wildlife & Range Specialist (LCCD) will also answer questions from the audience. 

Please join the LCCD and Natural Resources Conservation Services to discuss the ABC’s of Cheatgrass in our area.  Questions?  Contact LCCD at 307-772-2600. 

Welcome Spring! 

Are we rushing the season?  Well, perhaps just a bit.  After a few lovely spring-like days, many of us are ready for warmer days, little or no wind, bird migration and flowers! 

The little fellow at left is a thrush that you might have seen in your neighborhood this winter.  The Townsend’s Solitaire is about the size of an American Robin with a distinctive white circle around it’s eye.  A primarily gray bird, this species sits at the top of trees and shrubs, staking out their territories throughout the year.  In the winter, they come down from their preferred pine forests to enjoy juniper berries.  You can learn more by checking out the Townsend’s Solitaire on The Cornell Lab’s “All About Birds“. 

Calendar

For more information about all of the events below, check out the February issue of “Flyer“, the CHPAS monthly newsletter! 

March 18 – Field Trip – Torrington/Lingle to find the Cardinals

We will leave from the Lions Park parking lot at the Children’s Village at 8 a.m. We will drive north on US-85 to the Torrington area, about 82 miles. We will search the Rawhide Wildlife Habitat Management Area near Lingle for the Northern Cardinal and other birds. On the way back we may stop at Springer/Bump Sullivan WMA to see snow geese and other waterfowl. 

We should return by 5 p.m., but if you drive, you can leave whenever you need to. Bring water and your lunch if you like.If you are interested in going, contact Grant Frost, 307-343-2024, so that he has a list of those expected, and can let you know if the plans change for any reason.

March 21 – Program: “High Plains Arboretum Bluebird Nest Box Project” featuring Rustin Rawlings

Mar. 21, at 7 p.m., at Laramie County Library in the Cottonwood Room, at 2200 Pioneer Ave.

Rustin Rawlings received permission from the arboretum to put up mountain bluebird nest boxes this winter and received a grant from Cheyenne Audubon for materials to build them. He will talk about the purpose of the nestbox project at the High Plains Arboretum, along with information about nest watch and general information about being a nestbox landlord.
Rustin is looking for volunteers to help monitor the eight boxes during the breeding season. He’ll talk about his experience bringing other cavity-nesting birds to his Cheyenne backyard and what he has learned. By day he is a physician at the VA medical center.

The Zoom link is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85905557429?pwd=RDhUeWcvUElBMHZ2MjlYNnVMSHJXdz09

March 25, 1:00 p.m. – High Plains Arboretum Bluebird Nest Box Project monitoring training

This is a hands-on training opportunity for those who might be interested in helping to monitor the nest boxes at the arboretum or are interested in knowing how it is done. We will meet at the arboretum at 1:00 p.m. located at the Cheyenne Field Station which is west of Cheyenne off of Round Top Rd. at 8301 Hildreth Road. We will also take some time to look for other spring migrants at the research station.

Registration is free but please sign up with Grant Frost, 307-343-2024, to be notified of any change of plans due to weather, etc. or for more information.

March 28, 6:30 p.m. – Board Meeting   Contact Wanda Manley, cheyenneaudubon@gmail.com, if you would like to participate in helping to plan chapter activities. This meeting will be at the new Conservation District Office.  Volunteers are needed! 

March 31, 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 Clubhouse’s main parking lot.

If you are like many of the CHPAS members, you are glad that a very cold January 2023 is behind us! But the snow brings higher water levels to the Front Range; hopefully bringing relief from the drought that we have been under for the last several years.

January was an exciting month, with a very successful presentation by author Bob Budd, discussing his book “Otters Dance: A Rancher’s Journey to Enlightenment and Stewardship“.  Did you miss it?  No problem!  You can listen to the recorded presentation and learn more about his book here. 

Four brave souls also braved the cold in January for a wonderful field trip to Wyoming Hereford Ranch.  We all agreed that in addition to the beauty of the ranch in winter, a highlight was viewing our favorite Eastern Screech Owl who was contentedly sunning himself just outside his favorite hidey-hole.

Grant Frost took this photo of our little friend who surely must be the most photographed owl in the county!  Note how perfectly he blends into the background. Our presence didn’t disturb him in the least! 

Calendar

For more information about all of the events below, check out the February issue of “Flyer“, the CHPAS monthly newsletter!  February is a busy month! 

February 4th – 9th Annual Habitat Hero Workshop “Landscaping for Water Realities on the High Plains”
Learn how native plants can help us adapt to a drier future and support pollinators. Feb. 2nd is the last day to register for the workshop. Registration is capped at 100 in-person, but free virtual registration is also available. Interested?  Learn more about the program and how to register here:  2023 Habitat Hero Workshop

February 16th – Library Presentation: Great Backyard Bird Count Introduction
Thursday, Laramie County Library, 6 to 8 p.m., 2200 Pioneer Ave., Cheyenne. Chapter members will discuss common birds in our area in preparation for the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). Then on Saturday, February 18th at 10:00 a.m., join chapter members in Lions Park at the parking lot for the Children’s Village for a bird hike in the park. Everyone, from beginners to experts, is invited to participate.

February 21st, 7:00 p.m. – Program: eBird Demystified: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices to Get the Most out of eBird, with Don Jones.

Join us at the Laramie County Public Library in the Cottonwood Room for this fascinating presentation. eBird, the world’s largest citizen science project, is a powerful resource for birders and ornithologists alike. Despite its growing popularity, learning to use eBird can be intimidating and many birders are not familiar with all the tools and capabilities it has to offer. This presentation will cover all things eBird, including best practices for submitting checklists, using eBird to explore data and plan birding trips, the data review process, and how your eBird observations are being used by researchers in Wyoming.  The program is also available via Zoom at:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84941419803?pwd=Q1JrbkNyZk15WHpKVmRLZ2lqZFlJQT09

February 24th, 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 Clubhouse’s main parking lot.

February 25th, 8:00 a.m. – Field Trip: Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (Rescheduled from last month).  We will tour the visitors center in Commerce City, Colorado, and look for bison, prairie dogs, bald eagles, other raptors and other wintering birds on the refuge.

We will leave from the Lions Park parking lot at the Children’s Village at 8 a.m. We will drive south on I-25 to the Arsenal. We should return by 3 p.m., but if you drive, you can leave whenever you need to. Bring water and your lunch if you like.  If you are interested in going, contact Grant Frost, 307-343-2024, so that he has a list of those expected, and can let you know if the plans change for any reason

February 28th, 6:30 p.m. – Board Meeting.  Contact Wanda Manley, cheyenneaudubon@gmail.com, if you would like to participate in helping to plan chapter activities. This meeting will be at the new Conservation District Office.

Audubon Friends, this is a reminder that ticket sales at Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary (Gibbon, NE) are now open.  If you have never seen the migration of the Sandhill Cranes, do put this on your “bucket list”.  In March and into early April, Rowe Sanctuary reports that “over a million Sandhill Cranes converge on the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska”.  They are on their way north to breed and the Platte River environment has everything that they need to rest and refuel for their trip.

We are so fortunate to be right next door to this amazing migration event.

Rowe Sanctuary is an easy ~ 5-hour drive from southeastern Wyoming; just get on I-80 and head east.  Tickets go quickly!  There are other viewing locations in the area including the Plautz Crane Viewing Deck (on Lowell Road) and Fort Kearny State Recreation Area.

For more information about the 2023 Crane Season and to purchase tickets, visit the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary website today!

What an exciting day we had on December 17th for the Cheyenne Christmas Bird Count!  You can read more about the species that we saw and the numbers of birds in Barb Gorges article written for the January 23 Edition of Flyer.  Some highlights include a flock of Bushtits seen by a number of our members during the months of November and December in Lions Park.  These adorable little fellows were hanging out with the Mountain Chickadees in the scrub by Peanut Pond and near the stage area.  A Pine Warbler has been a regular visitor during the fall to Chuck Seniawski’s backyard and fortunately, he stayed around for the count.  Two Great Horned Owls and an Eastern-screech Owl made the count (both found east of Cheyenne), two Northern Shrike were spotted, as were one Merlin and one American Kestrel.  Read about all of the species that were identified (a total of 51 were identified in the Cheyenne survey area) in Flyer.

Calendar

More information about all activities can be found in the January 2023 issue of FLYER.

January 17, 7:00 p.m. – Program: “Otters Dance: A Rancher’s Journey to Enlightenment and Stewardship” book talk by Bob Budd. 

Join us for the program held at the Laramie County Library in the Cottonwood Room, at 2200 Pioneer Ave. Books will be available for sale. Bob is a fifth-generation Wyoming native who has been executive director of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, managed ranches for The Nature Conservancy and currently is executive director of the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust, a state agency. He’s also served as chair of the Wyoming Sage-Grouse Implementation Team.

January 21, 8:00 a.m. – Field Trip: Location TBA due to snow.

Due to expected snow, the location for this field trip will be changed to a site within Laramie County TBA. If you are interested in going, contact Grant Frost, 307-343-2024, so that he has a list of those expected, and can let you know if the plans change for any reason.

January 24, 6:30 p.m. – Board Meeting – Laramie County Conservation District Headquarters

The January meeting will be held at LCCD’s new headquarters at 1923 Whitney Road.  Contact Wanda Manley, cheyenneaudubon@gmail.com, if you would like to participate in helping to plan chapter activities.  We need more volunteers!

January 27, 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 Clubhouse’s main parking lot.

REMINDER! 

Don’t forget to register for the 9th Annual Habitat Hero Workshop, “Landscaping for Water Realities on the High Plains” scheduled for February 4, 2023 at LCCC. 

More information can be found here: 2023 Habitat Hero Workshop