Tag: birds

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

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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.

December CHPAS Calendar

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The Christmas Bird Count Season is here!   

December 20, 8:00 AM – Cheyenne Christmas Bird Count

 
Red-breasted Nuthatch by Kirk Miller

This is a free event open to the public.  Everyone, no matter what your birding skills, is invited.  Walk for a couple of hours or leave when you need to.  We will meet at the downtown Post Office at 8:00 a.m. 2120 Capitol Avenue.  Dress warmly with good boots or hiking shoes!  

If you are interested in participating, contact Grant Frost, 307-343-2024, so that he has a list of those expected, so he can let you know if the plans change for any reason such as stormy weather. 

You can also be a field observer on your own.  Birds will be counted within the Cheyenne “Count Circle”.  Check out the details in the December “Flyer” newsletter.  

We will have a Tally Party/Potluck at 6:00 p.m. at the home of Mark and Barb Gorges.  If you plan on attending, please let Barb know at bgorges4@msn.com.  

December 26, 8:00 a.m. – Country Club Bird Survey

Northern Flicker by Kirk Miller

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.

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Two events in early January 2026 to mark on your calendar!  

January 3 – Guernsey/Ft. Laramie Christmas Bird Count (Details in the January newsletter)

January 3, 10:00 a.m. – Wyoming State Museum “Family Days”

Join the Cheyenne High Plains Audubon on January 3rd from 10:00AM-2:00PM for a family day focused on winter in Wyoming.  Let’s learn more about the birds that migrate to Wyoming in time for winter and what their journeys look like along the way. 

Together, we’ll find out how these birds adapt to winter weather and changing conditions, including some neat physiological adaptations that make them expert winter survivalists.

November CHPAS Calendar

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November 15, 8:00 a.m. – Field Trip: Laramie Plains Lakes
This is a free event open to the public. Everyone, no matter what your birding skills, is invited.
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 8:00 a.m. and drive to Laramie. From there we will drive southwest to head to a series of lakes.
At some of the lakes we will take short hikes over rough ground, birding as we go. We should see a variety of migrating waterfowl. Rarities often seem to make appearances on these lakes.
Bring lunch or snacks and water. Be sure to dress for variable weather. Bring binoculars if you have them. The more eyes we have, the more birds we will see. We should be back to Cheyenne no later than 4 p.m.
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.

NOVEMBER 18, 6:30 p.m. – Program: Feather Trails-A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds
Sophie Osborn will join us via Zoom. This is a free event open to the public. Everyone is invited to the Willow Room, Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave.

Sophie A. H. Osborn is an award-winning environmental writer and wildlife biologist whose work has included the study and conservation of more than a dozen bird species in the Americas. She contributed to reintroduction efforts for several endangered birds and served as the field manager for the California Condor Recovery Program in Arizona for four years.

Her first book, Condors in Canyon Country, won the 2007 National Outdoor Book Award for Nature and the Environment. Reviewers for the American Birding Association (ABA) chose her second book, Feather Trails, as their favorite bird book of 2024.

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If you are unable to attend the meeting in the library, use the following information to join us on Zoom:

Time: Nov 18, 2025 06:30 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)  /  Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85418680424?pwd=F3zVx8hIZdEwxsusJQNYPVpErF2qlf.1

 Meeting ID: 854 1868 0424       Passcode: 457483

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November 25, 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.

November 28, 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.

December 20 – Cheyenne Christmas Bird Count
Mark that on your calendar and look for details in next month’s newsletter.

October CHPAS Calendar

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October is a busy month for CHPAS!  We hope that you will join us for one or more of these great events!

October 4 – Wyoming State Museum Creepy Crawly Critters!   Please join us on October 4th at the Wyoming State Museum’s Family Day from 10:00AM-2:00PM to teach kids about the creepy crawly critters birds like to eat and about the birds that we have in Southeast Wyoming. Due to the event’s popularity, registration is required via the website at https://m51o94sr2i2.typeform.com/to/WAfdasF6?typeform. 

October 11 – October Big Day
Like Global Big Day, October Big Day is an opportunity to unite around our shared love of birds. Last October, nearly three quarters of a million people joined in this worldwide celebration.
Wherever you are on 11 October, take a few minutes to enjoy birds and share what you find on eBird. Participate from anywhere, even from home! By taking part in October Big Day you’re also celebrating Global Bird Weekend and World Migratory Bird Day. Be a part of the global team and help set a new record for October birding.
Get more information on how to participate at: https://ebird.org/news/october-big-day-2025

October 18, 10:00 a.m. – Field Trip: Meet the Signs at Lions Park
This is a free event open to the public. Everyone, no matter what your birding skills, is invited.
We will meet at the Lions Park parking lot between the Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and the picnic shelter.
From there we will walk down to the beach, stopping at the first sign for an introduction to the new signs. Three signs were developed and purchased by the chapter and installed by the City of Cheyenne.
We will hike around the lake, about a mile, birding as we go. The other two signs will be our stopping/discussion points as we complete our bird walk.
We should see a variety of resident and migrating birds including any fall warblers that are still around. Bring water and dress for variable weather. Bring binoculars if you have them. The more eyes we have, the more birds we will see. We should be back to the parking lot by noon.
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.

And for kids!  This activity is happening at Children’s Village simultaneously! 

October 18, 10:00 a.m. – Creepy Crawly Critters Birds Like to Eat and Beginner’s Family Bird Walk (same time as the field trip above)
Join us at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens Children’s Village classroom on October 18th from 10:00am-12:00pm for a free introduction to birding followed by a walk around Lion’s Park. Please register using the QR code or link by October 10th and receive a free Creepy Crawly Critters coloring book and goodies for the kids! (Limit 30 participants).  Register at https://forms.gle/hrpPhpqWyMcpz9z36

Click download the flyers (English and Spanish) here! 

October 21, 6:30 p.m. – Program: The bird photographer’s life
This is a free event open to the public. Everyone is invited to the Cottonwood Room, Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave.
Rob Palmer of Colorado will give us a peek into his life as a bird photographer, beginning at age 12 with a Polaroid, through his study of birds, especially raptors, and his jump into full-time bird photography which has resulted in photos in Audubon Magazine, Nature’s Best, National Wildlife, and BBC Wildlife and other publications. He offers guided photography tours and lessons, and prints of his photos, https://www.falconphotos.com/.
We will have a no-host dinner with the speaker at 2 Doors Down, 118 E 17th St, Cheyenne, WY 82001 at 4:45 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.

October 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.

October 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 Club’s clubhouse’s main parking lot. These outings are free and open to everyone, but please let Chuck know you are coming.

September CHPAS Newsletter

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September 14, 10:00 a.m. – Greenway Cleanup
Cheyenne Audubon is hosting a Greenway cleanup event, Sunday, September 14th. 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 and should take a little over an hour.  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.

September 16, 6:00 p.m. – Program: Lions Park Audubon Projects and Evening Birds (note the starting time)

This is a free event open to the public. Everyone is invited, no matter what your birding skills.
We will meet in the Lions Park parking lot between the Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and the picnic shelter.  Our plan is to hike around the lake, doing an evening bird walk. But we will make strategic stops along the way to talk about the new signs that the chapter has commissioned to highlight the fact that the park is an official State Important Bird Area. We hope to have a dedication ceremony for the newly installed signs with the park in early October.
In addition, we will stop to look at and discuss some of the on-going and future work to establish native plants that are appropriate for our native pollinators. These are some of the areas in the park that are not mowed by the city.

September 20, 9:00 a.m. – Field Trip: Fall Migrants at the Wyoming Hereford Ranch

Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk

This is a free event open to the public. Everyone, no matter what your birding skills, is invited. Carpooling should be available.
We will leave from the Lions Park parking lot between the Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and the picnic shelter. WHR is about a ten-mile drive east of town. We expect to hike a mile or two over sometimes rough ground before returning to our vehicles.
We should see a variety of resident and migrating birds including any fall warblers we can find.
Bring water and dress for variable weather. Bring binoculars if you have them. The more eyes we have, the more birds we will see. We should be back in town by noon.
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

September 23, 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 Conservation District Office

September 26, 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.

Membership Drive & Special Projects

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If you are a current member of Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon, you will receive membership renewal information in the mail in the coming week.   Members of the National Audubon Society (in our three-county area – Laramie, Goshen, and Platte) will also receive membership information from us in the coming week.  

We are still the best bargain in town with an annual membership of only                  $ 12.00!  We hope that our members will renew and that some non-members will consider joining us this year.  Most of our activities are free and open to the public but your support as a member helps us engage in activities throughout our area.  Click here to get a membership request form.  

What did we accomplish in the past year?  (Partial listing)

  • Co-sponsored our 11th annual Habitat Hero Workshop
  • Maintained our Habitat Hero Demonstration Garden at Cheyenne Botanic Gardens
  • Continued a multi-year weed control & habitat enhancement project at our beloved Wyoming Hereford Ranch – one of two of Cheyenne’s “Important Bird Areas” (IBA)
  • Provided environmental education to children and adults with partners including The Wyoming State Museum, St. Mary’s School, and the Laramie County Public Library
  • Monitored Bluebird nest boxes at High Plains Arboretum … and this year (the third year for our boxes), we had baby Bluebirds! 

This year we have a special request for support for a very special project at Lions Park; our other local IBA!

Thanks to the work of our IBA Committee, three public education signs are planned which will be enjoyed in the park for years to come.  The themes for the three signs are “Duck, Duck Goose … And So Much More“; “The Trees That Keep On Giving“; and “A Place for Pollinators“.   Check out our “Special Projects” tab to learn more about how YOU can help!  

August CHPAS Calendar

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August 16, 7:00 a.m. – Field Trip: Snowy Range Birding Hike

Fox Sparrow; Photo by Mark Gorges

This is a free event open to the public. Everyone, no matter what your birding skills, is invited. Carpooling should be available, but let Grant know when you call him (see below).
We will leave from the Lions Park parking lot between the Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and the picnic shelter and drive to Libby Lake Picnic Site parking lot. This is about a 90-mile drive (an hour and a half) to the start of our hike in the Medicine Bow National Forest. We expect to hike a mile or two over rocky and sometimes wet ground before returning to our vehicles.
We should see a variety of mountain birds such as White-crowned Sparrow and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. We will be searching for the Fox Sparrow and any warblers we can find.
Bring lunch or a snack; bring water and dress for variable weather. Bring binoculars if you have them. The more eyes we have, the more birds we will see. We should be back in town before 5:00 p.m.
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.

August 16, 9:00 a.m.  – Cheyenne Habitat Hero Open Gardens  The Cheyenne Habitat Hero Committee invites you to visit three local registered Habitat Hero gardens on Saturday, August 16th from 9 am until noon.  Gardens belong to Earl DeGroot and Donna Griffith, Eric Dalton, and Bella Fuoco Wood-fired Pizza.  More information (including addresses) is included in the August “Flyer“.  Join us for this viewing and learning experience!

August 26, 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.

August 29, 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 outings are free and open to everyone, but please let Chuck know you are coming

July CHPAS Calendar

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Did you know that our Audubon Chapter adopted a section of the Cheyenne Greenway in 1992?  We clean the creek and grounds from the U.S. 30 Underpass to Rawlins Street twice annually; in spring and fall.  But did you know the history of this area adoption? 

In June, Mark Gorges went through our history to pull out important notes from 1992 to 2025, highlighting our work planting and maintaining this section of the Greenway.  We wanted to make it bird and pollinator-friendly.  So when you walk there, know that your Audubon Chapter helped to make it beautiful!  Check out July’s issue of “Flyer” for more details.  

That said, friendly goats were recently allowed to graze throughout the section, purportedly to reduce vegetation near the creek.  While we generally support the use of goats for weed control, we want to thank the members who contacted us about the placement of goats this spring.  Rather than controlling noxious weeds like Leafy Spurge, they were eating trees (like Cottonwood, above) and shrubs that were planted to benefit wildlife.  CHPAS representatives intend to meet with the City of Cheyenne to discuss the proper use of goats along the Dry Creek area and throughout our parks.  Watch our website for a Position Statement on using goats for weed control, currently in development.  

Calendar

July 19, 9:00 a.m. – Field Trip: The North Glendo Wildlife Management Area
This is a free event open to the public. Everyone, no matter what your birding skills, is invited. Carpooling should be available, but let Grant know when you call him (see below).
We will leave from Wyoming Game & Fish (5400 Bishop Blvd) by the Pronghorn Statue and drive to Glendo. This is about a 100-mile drive north of Cheyenne on I-25.  We should see a variety of birds in a wide array of habitats.  
Bring lunch or a snack; bring water and dress for variable weather. Bring binoculars if you have them. The more eyes we have, the more birds we will see. We should be back in town before 5:00 p.m.
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.

July 22, 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 25, 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 outings are free and open to everyone, but please let Chuck know you are coming

June CHPAS Calendar

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Welcome Summer!  May was such a busy month for our Chapter.  Many of us were out birding nearly every day – and this edition of the newsletter documents the many species identified as they migrated through Wyoming.  Check out our June edition of “Flyer” for details. 

We also want to thank Chris Hoffmeister of Western Sky Design for her contribution of our new logo!  Our Chapter bird is the Mountain Plover; a bird that requires well-grazed, nearly bare prairie for it’s nest on the ground.  Learn more about Chris and our logo on our “About” page!

Calendar

June 21, 7:00 a.m. – Field Trip: Blair-Wallis for a Big Sit

Broad-tailed Hummingbird by Mark Gorges

We will leave from the Lions Park parking lot between the Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and the picnic shelter and drive to the Blair Picnic Site. This is about a 40-mile drive west of Cheyenne in the Pole Mountain area of the Medicine Bow National Forest.  Continue reading “June CHPAS Calendar” →