audubon – Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon Society

First, we would like to thank all of the volunteers who made the Lions Park Pollinator Garden a reality in early June. Our little plants are doing their thing … as native plants do (first they sleep, then they creep, then they leap!). In the August edition of “Flyer” we will have an update on our little garden.

See the July issue of “Flyer” for more information about all of our activities! June was another busy month for our chapter and July will be too. Please note that the Laramie Audubon Society has invited us to join them for a trip to the Snowies in search of Brown-capped Rosy Finches on Saturday, July 11th. You will only see them in this area. The hike is fairly strenuous but the payoff will be worth it! (Page 4, “Flyer”).

July 18, 7:00 a.m. – Field Trip to Woodhouse Wildlife Habitat Management Area

Join us for a July field trip to the John/Annie Woodhouse WHMA in western Laramie County. We will meet at Wyoming Game & Fish (5400 Bishop Blvd) at 7:00 a.m. and travel west about 25 miles. If you haven’t hiked the Woodhouse WHMA, you are in for a treat. This is an easy hiking path alongside a winding creek with lovely views of natural prairie. Wildflowers should be abundant in July. We may be fortunate to see a Yellow-breasted Chat (photo at left by Mark Gorges), a Prairie Falcon, and a Lazuli Bunting. More information about what to bring is in the July issue of “Flyer”.

Please contact Grant Frost (307-343-2024) if you are interested in joining us, so that we can inform you if something changes. Questions? Email us at cheyenneaudubon@gmail.com.

July 28, 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.

July 31, 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. These counts are free and open to everyone, but please let Chuck know you are coming.

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.

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. 17^th 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.