wildlife – Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon Society

Another busy birding month! May is full of activities for birders. We hope that you will join us for many of them! More information can be found within the May issue of our newsletter, Flyer.

May 2, 10:30-a.m. – 12:00 Noon: Birding 101 Class
This Saturday class will be at the Laramie County Library, Cheyenne, in the Sunflower Room. “Birding 101” is a free class taught by wildlife biologists Grant Frost and Dennis Saville.
Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your birding skills, this event will cover the basics of bird identification, birdwatching tips, and local species information. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with nature and explore the fascinating world of birds.

May 3, 9:00 a.m. – Noon: Field Trip, AARP Wyoming In-Person Bird Watching, Lions Park, Cheyenne
We will meet in the Lions Park parking lot between the Children’s Village and the picnic shelter at 9 a.m. Preregistration with AARP was required. Note: Registration is now closed.
The walk is led by Zach Hutchinson, Community Science Coordinator with Audubon Rockies, who will share insights on bird behavior, habitats, and what species you’re most likely to see in Wyoming this time of year. CHPAS Board Members will also attend to help you spot those elusive warblers!

May 9: Global Big Day and World Migratory Bird Day
Be a part of birding’s biggest team! Global Big Day is an annual celebration of the birds around you. For more information, go to: https://ebird.org/news/global-big-day-2026
No matter where you are, go outside on May 9, help celebrate World Migratory Bird Day, and share the birds you find with eBird.org. For more information, go to https://www.migratorybirdday.org/

May 9, 10:00 a.m. – Big Day Bird Count for Platte and Goshen Counties
The second annual Big Day Bird Count for Platte and Goshen Counties is coming up soon. A Big Day is an effort to see as many species as possible in one 24-hour period. This is organized by the Cheyenne – High Plains Audubon Society. Last year, 82 species were seen in Platte County, and 114 species were seen in Goshen County. The Northern Cardinal is an elusive bird along the Platte River but you never know if we might see one!

A guided group will meet at the Guernsey Fish Ponds at 10:00 where the path meets the South Guernsey Road and will use the paved path between there and the North Platte River to bird. This will be for anybody, but is directed toward those brand-new to birding, families, and those that may have mobility issues.

If you want to join us in person, make sure to contact Grant Frost at 307-343-2024 or via email at frostgrant2@gmail.com with questions, to let him know where you will be birding, or to send him lists of birds seen.

May 16, 8:00 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 8:00 a.m., please call Mark, 307-287-4953, 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.

Bring a lunch or pick one up on the way; bring water and dress for variable weather. Everyone, no matter what your birding skills, is invited. Bring binoculars if you have them. The more eyes we have, the more birds we will see. We may finish the planned routes by 3 p.m. You may join us at any time throughout the day for as long as you wish and leave when you need to.

May 16, 8:00 p.m. A Tally-Get-Together after the count, pie at Perkins!
We’ll talk over our Big Day experiences over pie and/or ice cream at Perkins Restaurant, 1730 Dell Range. Let Barb Gorges know if you plan to attend so that we can reserve enough tables. Call or text her at 307-287-4952

May 17, 10:00 a.m. – Greenway Cleanup
Cheyenne Audubon is hosting a Greenway cleanup event, Sunday, May 17th. 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.

May 22 – Pollinator’s Pantry
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. – Burns Branch – Laramie County Public Library
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Pine Bluffs Branch – Laramie County Public Library
Join the Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon Society (CHPAS) for a discussion about native bees and other pollinators, and the role that they play on our prairie landscape.
Retired environmental attorney and CHPAS Conservation Chair Kurt Warmbier will join Wanda Manley, Range Management Specialist and Past President of CHPAS, to share information about the importance of pollinators, how to protect them, and how to maintain the prairie environment that they need.

May 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.

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

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

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.