Audubon Rowe Sanctuary Sandhill Crane Migration Tickets Available NOW!

On January 8, 2025 By cheyenneaudubonLeave a comment

Join the Celebration! Migrating Sandhill Cranes in Nebraska

Only five (5) hours east of Cheyenne is the experience of a lifetime! Join Audubon to view the migration of the Sandhill Cranes at Rowe Sanctuary (Minden, NE) in March or April.

Ticket sales opened today and a few days in late March are already sold out. But you still have time to get tickets for the three unforgettable opportunities: Guided Crane Experience, the Guided Crane Photography Experience, or (for those brave souls who really want to “get down” with the birds) the Overnight Crane Photography Experience. This writer has done all three and all are exceptional.

Sales open today (January 8, 2025) and tickets go fast. Most people reserve rooms in Kearney, NE for the experience. This is an opportunity not to be missed!

Learn about all three options on the Audubon Rowe website using this link: Crane Experiences

January 2025 CHPAS Calendar

On January 4, 2025 By cheyenneaudubonLeave a comment

January 18, 1:00 p.m. – Field Trip: Tie City Trailhead – Medicine Bow National Forest

We will leave the Lions Park parking lot south of the Children’s Village at 1 p.m. Carpooling should be available for the 40-mile drive to the trailhead. Be prepared for snowy conditions. The trip is free, open to the public, and non-birders of all ages are encouraged to join us to learn about the birds we see.

We may see a variety of winter forest birds including Pine Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, Steller’s Jay, woodpeckers, nuthatches and more. We may even see a rosy-finch.

We expect to be back in town by 4:30 p.m. Be sure to bring water, and dress for changing weather.

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.

January 21, 6:30 p.m. Program: Motus Wildlife Tracking System—what it is and how it’s used
(Note our new start time.)

Cheyenne Audubon invites the public for a free program, at 6:30 p.m. in the Cottonwood Room at the Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave., featuring guest speaker Matt Webb.
Matt uses Motus, a worldwide automated telemetry network, for grassland bird species migration studies for the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. The information can help conservation efforts stem the decline of these species.
Motus is also used to study the movement of other kinds of animals, including bats and large-bodied insects. Matt is looking for a site in southeastern Wyoming for a new Motus radio tower – there are very few Motus systems in Wyoming. Help our Chapter make a difference – join us to learn about this important information system.

January 28, 6:00 p.m. Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon Chapter Board Meeting

We are always looking for volunteers for our Board of Directors! Please let us know if you would like to attend. cheyenneaudubon@gmail.com.

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

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Remember – the 2025 Habitat Hero Workshop will take place on Saturday, February 1st at LCCC. Registration is now open! Check out the January edition of “Flyer” for more information or look under “Habitat Hero” on our website.

habitat-hero-photo

December CHPAS Calendar

On December 2, 2024December 2, 2024 By cheyenneaudubonLeave a comment

December 7, 1:00 to 3:00 pm – Introduction to the Christmas Bird Count

This is a class and outing for families and kids of all ages. We will meet at the Children’s Village in the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and introduce you to some of the local winter birds. Then we will take a short hike in the park to see what birds we can find and record their numbers.
We will talk about the upcoming official Cheyenne Christmas Bird Count planned for December 14th.

December 9, 4:00 to 5:00 pm – Bird Counts and Birds Count!
Join us at the Laramie County Library in the Early Literacy Center on the 2nd floor: for kids from the 2nd through 6th grades.
Meet a volunteer from the Cheyenne High Plains Audubon Society who will tell us how and why we count birds. Discover how to find and identify birds then test your skills at spotting feathered friends (or their look-alikes) and learn about the library’s birding backpack program and the upcoming Christmas Bird Count.

December 14 – Cheyenne Christmas Bird Count

(Meet at the downtown Post Office at 8 a.m., 2120 Capitol Ave.) Or be a field observer on your own.

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.
Grant will have a list of regular spots within our count circle and will encourage people to spread out to specific areas so that we can have good coverage of all hot spots first thing in the morning to assure a good count on the number of each species in the Cheyenne area, i.e. the number of geese before they all start flying around. Novice birders will be paired with experienced counters. – Tally sheets and more details about the area and process in the December issue of FLYER.

December 14 – CBC Tally Party, 6:00 p.m., Perkins on Dell Range Blvd.
For the tally party have ready the numbers of each species you observe and the amount of time and distance you walk and the amount of time and distance you drive. Keep track of where and when you saw species of note so we can tell if you counted the same bird or flock as someone else. Feeder watchers can bring their counts too. Please contact Mark Gorges at 307-287-4953 if you plan to attend the Tally Party so that we can arrange for enough room.

After the tally party contact Grant with any species that you see three days before or three days after December 14 that were not listed at the tally party. They are entered in the CBC data as “Week of the Count” species.

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

January 1 – Guernsey/Ft. Laramie Christmas Bird Count
If you are going to join the count, please let Jane Dorn know at 307-640-4002. Also call her if the weather turns nasty; she will set an alternate date. Bring water, lunch, warm clothes, binoculars, and a scope if you have one, and whatever you need for a day watching birds at Guernsey State Park, Ft. Laramie National Historic Site, the Oregon Trail Ruts and Hartville.

October 2024 CHPAS Calendar

On October 1, 2024 By cheyenneaudubonLeave a comment

October 15, 7:00 p.m. – Program: Birding in Cuba
Cheyenne Audubon invites the public for a free program, “Birding in Cuba,” Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Cottonwood Room at the Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave., featuring guest speaker Vicki Herren.
Board Member Vicki Herren will describe birding in Cuba: How to get there and what to see. Last February she traveled with five other birders on a 9-day trip guided by Cuban Adventures, from the mountains to the marshes. They counted 114 bird species of which 16 were endemic, some very hard to find.
Vicki started birdwatching the 1980s and took her first international trip in 1993 to Costa Rica. She’s been on numerous trips to South and Central America and was eager to make the trip to Cuba when it was suggested by a friend.
We will have a no-host dinner with Vicki before the program at 5:00 p.m. at Bella Fuoco Pizza (2115 Warren Avenue, Cheyenne). Everyone is invited, but you must let Barb Gorges know by Monday October 14th (307-287-4952) so that we can reserve enough seating.

October 22, 6:30 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, 2nd floor.

October 26, 9:00 a.m. – Field Trip: High Plains Arboretum

We will leave the Lions Park parking lot south of the Children’s Village at 9 a.m. and drive to the Arboretum, which is located on the USDA Cheyenne Horticultural Field Station, west of Warren Air Force Base. If you drive there yourself, you can meet us at about 9:30 at the Arboretum parking area just past the Y in the road within the Ag Station.

No dogs are allowed on the grounds of the Ag Station. A wide variety of birds can be seen in the area, including prairie and forest birds. The trip is free and open to the public. We expect to be back in town by 1:00 p.m. Be sure to bring water and dress for changing weather.
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.

November 1, 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 counts are free and open to everyone, but please let Chuck know you are coming.