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PLAINS
&
PEAKS
Vol. 49—Is. 3 MARCH, 2015
VOL. 43 - ISS. 7
MURIE AUDUBON
OCTOBER 2009
Casper Wyoming - Monthly Publication
http://www.murieaudubon.org
EXPLORING CHINA
I
n June 2014 Jim Brown and Karen Anfang embarked on a two week tour of
China. (They still wonder how you can leave
San Francisco mid day and arrive in Beijing
2:30 the next afternoon without flying overnight.) They visited many of the places
you’ve probably heard about, including the
Forbidden City, Great Wall, Ming Tombs,
Three Gorges Dam, Terracotta soldiers,
CALENDAR
March 13—Gen. Mtg., pg. 2
March 14—Field Trip, pg. 2
March 23—Deadline for April articles
TABLE OF CONTENTS
From the President’s Desk, Field Trip
2
AR Hiring Community Naturalist, Bird Notes
3
Prepare for Spring Bird Feeding
4
Bird Festivals
“Get a Life”
SAVE PAPER — READ YOUR
NEWSLETTER AT MURIE’S WEBSITE, CONTACT ROSE-MARY
KING—[email protected]
PAGE #
5-8
9
Friend of Murie Form
10
MAS Contact Info, Audubon Rockies Contact
11
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PLAINS & PEAKS
Shanghai and Hong Kong, plus the added divi-
week.
dend of a three day cruise on the Yangtze River
common red-breasted mergansers any time
and pandas in the pouring rain.
One should begin to look for the less
Their Power now. The first passerine migrants will be west-
Point presentation will feature all of the above
ern meadowlark, red-winged blackbird and
and much more. Spoiler alert (from Jim): this is mountain bluebird. The males will probably start
not a bird talk, but we did eat a duck
to be reported around the first of March, which is
The meeting will be on Friday, March 13, less than 2 weeks from this time. Waterfowl of
2015, at 7PM at the Oil & Gas Conservation
many kinds will be along very soon also.
Commission Building at 2211 King Blvd. As al-
I would like to thank the many people
ways, the program is free and open to the pub-
who came to the annual Murie Audubon ban-
lic!
quet. The room was near full and it seemed
Submitted by Jim Brown most all had a good time.
The speaker was
great and I learned what some of the behaviors I
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
had observed meant. I would like to thank all
who contributed to the raffle and silent auction. A big thank you to Karen Anfang for being
the banquet chair. I would encourage any member who has ideas about projects that can be
supported by the income from this event to
make them known to any board member.
PRESIDENT—Chris Michelson
D
FIELD TRIP
espite the rather unusual weather for
February, there has not been any signifi-
cant early migration noted in Wyoming. In short
the spring like weather did not hurry anything
into moving early. The warm weather and wind
did remove the ice cover from many of the lower
T
he Murie Audubon field trip for March will
be held on March 14th. Anyone wanting
to participate in the field trip, please meet at Morad Park at 9:00 AM. We will be looking for wa-
elevation lakes and ponds. I did notice a couple terfowl at Grey Reef. If you have a spotting
of ring-billed gulls at the JTL ponds in Casper scope, please bring it! If you need binoculars or
this past week but they have probably been here have any questions, email Zach Hutchinson
all winter. There have been good numbers of at [email protected]."
common mergansers on the JTL ponds this past
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PLAINS & PEAKS
AUDUBON ROCKIES
Audubon Rockies to hire Community
Naturalist for Casper
A
re you enthusiastic about environmental
education? Would you like to have a fun,
flexible job that allows you to connect the youth
of today with all of the wonders of nature? Audubon Rockies is looking for a full time
traveling Community Naturalist based out of
Casper, to serve central and southern Wyoming
with our traveling education programs. Audubon
Rockies is committed to providing the local
schools with educational programs, special
events, and to promote the solid conservation
efforts of The National Audubon Society through
the continuation of our hands on science education programs.
Audubon will be accepting ap-
plications until March 1st. .
mation
you
can
email
For more inforDusty
Downey
at [email protected] or you can go to
http://rockies.audubon.org/audubon-communitynaturalist-job-opening
H
it warmed up enough to mostly clear the ice off
the waterways, so there were continued reports
of waterfowl. A lot of Red Crossbills were reported in the Riverton area; and Anna Moscicki
noted that she and Michael saw Three-toed
Woodpeckers, Brown Creepers, and Gray Jays
while snowshoeing on Togwotee. Also of interest, Ann Hines had a Pine Grosbeak in her yard
here in Casper. Up in Whitehorse, Bruce Bennett noted that the Boreal Owls are starting to
call; he also is seeing lots of Common Redpolls,
Pine Grosbeaks, Boreal Chickadees, and Gray
Jays.
Another interesting sighting was the
Brambling reported by Clem Klaphake in eastern Nebraska. It may not be the best time for
BIRD NOTES
ere in the Casper area we have not had
the severe winter weather that’s been
hitting other parts of the country—our sympathies especially go out to the Northeast—I can’t
imagine dealing with that much snow and ice in
a large population area.
to do some birding. In the first part of February,
At least here In the
Casper area, we are able to get out and around
great birding in many areas, but there still have
been some interesting happenings in the birding
world.
Yard Bird Report – For the month of January,
we received 32 reports of 31 species from 19
locations in 5 states plus Yukon Territory and
Mexico.
Casper, WY:
Ann Hines – Cedar Waxwing,
Bart Rea – Mallard, Starla Mammon – Northern
PAGE 4
PLAINS & PEAKS
Goshawk,
Chris Michelson – Brown Creeper, be around for awhile, so stay warm and enjoy
Barb Yonts – Downy Woodpecker, Bob Yonts – the birds!!!
Red-breasted Nuthatch, Earline Hittel – Red-
Donna Walgren
winged Blackbird, Casper College Greenhouse
– Common Raven; Dubois, WY: Anna Moscicki
– Steller’s Jay, Michael Kenney – Whitebreasted Nuthatch; Buffalo, WY: Deane Bjerke
– Rusty Blackbird; Cheyenne, WY: Barb Gorges
– Red-breasted Nuthatch; Evansville,
WY:
Bruce Walgren – Hooded Merganser, Donna
PREPARING FOR SPRING BIRD
FEEDING
A
s the weather grows warmer and the days
grow longer, some familiar faces will
begin appearing in your yard. Migrating birds
Walgren- Common Goldeneye; Glenrock, WY: such as hummingbirds, sparrows, swallows,
Magnus Trembath – Black-capped Chickadee, martins and larks will be returning soon, and it’s
Andrea Trembath – Cassin’s Finch; North Cas- time to prepare your garden and yard for your
per, WY: Bruce Walgren – Belted Kingfisher; feathered friends.
Pacific Creek, WY: Dave Bishop – Black-billed Make sure your feeders are clean:
Magpie, Helen Bishop – Clark’s Nutcracker; Al-
Use a scrubbing brush and hot soapy
cova, WY: Donna Walgren – American White water to clean debris from your wood feeders.
Pelican; Ucross, WY: Ruth Salvatore – Gray- Do not use chemicals to clean wood feeders, as
crowned Rosy-Finch; Glendale, AZ:
Timperley
Mathias
Sonoita, AZ:
–
Great-tailed
Judy wood is porous and can absorb chemicals. For
Grackle; tube and hopper feeders, soak them in a mild
Gloria Lawrence – Curve-billed bleach solution and use a brush to scrub out any
Thrasher, Jim Lawrence – Cactus Wren; Belle- seed or debris.
vue, NE: Clem Klaphake – Brambling; Gering,
NE:
Alice
Kenitz
–
Evening
A quick tip for cleaning out your hum-
Grosbeak; mingbird feeders: add a cupful of uncooked rice
Scottsbluff, NE: Lonnie Frimann – Bald Eagle; inside the feeder and then add a solution of oneSpearfish, SD: Verna Hays – Lewis’s Wood- part vinegar to four-parts water, replace the lid
pecker; Myrtle Beach, SC: Richard Rosche – and shake vigorously. Once the feeder is clean,
Painted Bunting; Whitehorse, YT: Bruce Ben- discard the rice and solution, then rinse and dry
nett – Northern Goshawk; Tulum, Mexico: the feeder thoroughly.
Zach
Hutchinson
–
Black-headed
Trogon, In Your Garden:
McKenna Paulley – Keel-billed Toucan.
As you work in your garden, planting an-
Thanks to all who helped with the Yard nual flowers will be beneficial to birds both in the
Bird Project in January!! Winter is still going to
summer (when they gather insects) and in the
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PLAINS & PEAKS
BIRDING FESTIVALS
fall (when they gather seeds). But you can do
more than just plant flowers. Berry-bushes, evergreens and other shrubs and trees offer both
food and shelter for birds.
Other tips for attracting birds to your yard:

Hang your hummingbird feeders early. When
Harlan White Pelican Watch
01 Mar 2015 — 15 Apr 2015
Witness the American White Pelican spring migration through the North American Central Fly-
spring-blooming red flowers begin to blossom,
way at the Harlan County Reservoir in south-
the hummers may not be far behind.
central Nebraska, where the birds stay over for

Clean up the area around your feeders with 4-6 weeks to feed. Many additional species to
some fresh mulch to cover the winter’s accumu- be seen, multiple related arts events and free
lation of seed hulls.
birding boat tours for out of town visitors.

Offer a reliable source of water, such as a
Location
bird bath or fountain.
Harlan County, NE,

Organization Information
Put up a bird house for those wrens, blue-
birds and purple martins looking for a home.

Organization Name: Harlan County Tourism Of-
Nesting birds appreciate the extra supplies to fice
get their nests started. Think about leaving a
Contact Person: Pat Underwood
small pile of string, feathers, straw, pet hair or
Phone Number: 800-762-5498
twigs in your yard. Even create a sloppy mud
Website: http://www.harlantourism.org
puddle that some birds will use for nest building.

Follow these tips and you’ll enjoy the colors 32nd annual Monte Vista Crane
of spring at your feeders and the concert songs
Festival
of the wild birds.
(Source: Bird Gardening Ideas. Retrieved from
the World Wide Webhttp://
www.gardenguides.com/99451-bird-gardeningideas/)
13 Mar 2015 — 15 Mar 2015
The festival will include talks by Dr. George
Archibald, of the International Crane Foundation, on “Cranes of the Mountains,” talks about
Black Swift research, the owls of Colorado, and
local archaeology, a craft and exhibit fair, guided
tours to view Sandhill cranes and raptors, tours
to a local wetland preserve and a native species
hatchery, and family movies.
PAGE 6
PLAINS & PEAKS
Location
Location - Great Bend, KS, US
Monte Vista, CO, US
Organization Information
Organization Information
Organization Name: Kansas Wetlands Educa-
Organization Name: Friends of the San Luis Val- tion Center
ley National Wildlife Refuges
Contact Person: Curtis Wolf
Contact Person: Tim Armstrong
Phone Number: 877-243-9268
Phone Number: 719 852-2731
Website: http://
Website: http://www.cranefest.com
www.kansasbirdingfestival.org
Dubois Grouse Days
South Dakota Birding Festival
11 Apr 2015
01 May 2015 — 03 May 2015
Greater Sage-Grouse lek tours
A great weekend event that holds something for
Photo blinds
everyone interested in birds found in or passing
Delicious brunch
through the great lakes region of South Dakota.
Location - Dubois, ID, US
Registration is in Pickstown, SD.
Field trips into Karl Mundt National Wild-
Organization Information
Organization Name: Dubois Grouse Days Com-
life Refuge.
mittee
A note of interest: This is the only time
Contact Person: Jeff Liday
that the Karl Mundt National Wildlife Refuge
Phone Number: 208-313-2730
located by the Fort Randall Dam is open to the
Website: http://www.grousedays.org
public.
Location - Fort Randall, SD, US
Wings 'N' Wetlands Festival
Organization Information
24 Apr 2015 — 25 Apr 2015
Organization Name: Southeast South Dakota
Birdwatch two of the most important wetlands in
Tourism
the Central Flyway-Cheyenne Bottoms and Contact Person: Mike Bryant
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge-during the peak Phone Number: 605-665-2435
of the Spring migration in central Kansas. Birders of all levels will enjoy exceptional guided
birding fieldtrips in small groups, workshops,
and socials. Information and registration at
www.kansasbirdingfestival.org or call 877-2439268.
Website: http://southeastsouthdakota.com/
PAGE 7
PLAINS & PEAKS
5th Annual SD Birding Festival at Ft.
Organization Information
Randall
Organization Name: Cody Country Chamber of
01 May 2015 — 03 May 2015
Come join us at South Dakota's only birding festival for a great weekend in the South-central
part of the state. Programs will include bird identification, how to take bird photos with cell
Commerce
Contact Person: Tia Mitchell
Phone Number: 307-586-1575
Website: http://
www.springintoyellowstone.com
phones and a bird banding workshop, with guid- Spring into Yellowstone Birding and
ed field trips on the area's two National Wildlife
Wildlife Festival
Refuges: Lake Andes and Karl E. Mundt. Our
13 May 2015 — 17 May 2015
featured speaker will be Ted Floyd, editor of Join us this May for the third annual Spring Into
ABA's Birding magazine.
Yellowstone Birding and Wildlife Festival that
Location - Pickstown, SD, US
takes place in beautiful Cody, Wyoming! Locat-
Organization Information
ed just 50 miles from Yellowstone National Park
Organization Name: US F&WS
you'll have the opportunity to view grizzly bears
Contact Person: Mike Bryant
and sage grouse and everything in between,
Phone Number: 605-487-7603
you’ll find yourself discovering some of the most
rare and symbolic animals that exist in the natu-
Spring into Yellowstone Birding and
ral world.
Wildlife Festival
Location - Cody, WY, US
13 May 2015 — 17 May 2015
Join us in Cody, Wyoming for the third annual
Spring into Yellowstone Birding and Wildlife
Festival! Come and view the magnificent wildlife,
birds, and natural history of northwest Wyoming's Greater Yellowstone Region through
the eyes of top scientists, birders, and photogra-
Organization Information
Organization Name: Cody Country Chamber of
Commerce
Contact Person: Tia Mitchell
Phone Number: 307-587-2777
Website: http://
www.springintoyellowstone.net
phers. Dates are May 13-17, 2015, contact us
today for more information regarding the festival, Great Salt Lake Bird Festival
14 May 2015 — 18 May 2015
you don't want to miss it!
Location - Cody, WY, US
The 17th Great Salt Lake Bird Festival in Farmington Utah is May 14-18, 2015! Bird watching is
a great family activity and Utah is the place to
PAGE 8
PLAINS & PEAKS
see birds. David Allen Sibley, author and illustra-
Potholes & Prairie Birding Festival
tor of The Sibley Guide series will be the Key-
10 Jun 2015 — 14 Jun 2015
note speaker, a lead fieldtrip and present a
Four days of amazing birdwatching at the best
workshop and book signing. Just think – 5 days places for birding in the Missouri Coteau. Obof field trips in Utah.
serve the American white pelicans at Chase
Location - Farmington, UT,
Lake National Refuge, dancing sharp-tailed
Organization Information
grouse at Arrowwood and grassland birds near
Organization Name: Davis County Community &
Lake Juanita. Wonderfully informative and enter-
Economic Development
taining seminars offer new insights on bird iden-
Contact Person: Neka Roundy
tification among other topics.
Phone Number: 801-451-3286
Location - Carrington, ND, US
Website: http://
Organization Information
www.GreatSaltLakeBirdFest.com
Organization Name: Birding Drives Dakota
Contact Person: Laurie Dietz
CFO Annual Convention
Phone Number: 701-652-2522
04 Jun 2015 — 07 Jun 2015
Website: http://birdingdrives.com
The Colorado Field Ornithologists Annual Con-
From http://www.aba.org/festivals/index.php/
vention is the birding event of the year for Colo- search/results
rado birders. Join us in the beautiful mountain
town of Salida on the Arkansas River. CFO will
The 45th ANNUAL AUDUBON
host a Thursday Welcome Picnic, field trips,
NEBRASKA’S CRANE FESTIVAL
presentation of academic papers, exhibitors,
and a Saturday evening banquet at Salida's famous SteamPlant, with our special guest speaker.
Location - Salida, CO, US
Organization Information
Organization Name: Colorado Field Ornithologists
Contact Person: Tom Wilberding
Phone Number: 3037092776
Website: http://cfobirds.org/
March 19-22, 2015
Kearney, Nebraska
Featured
speaker:
Author
Scott
Wei-
densaul will be the main speaker during the festival’s banquet Saturday evening. His presentation is titled “Owls: Soul of the Night.”
(From http://nebraskacranefestival.org)
PAGE 9
PLAINS & PEAKS
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PLAINS & PEAKS
HELP SUPPORT MURIE AUDUBON SOCIETY BY BECOMING A
“FRIEND OF MURIE AUDUBON”
The annual cost of being an individual or family ‘Friend’ will be a donation of $10 or more. Benefits include: Free monthly programs, free field trips, subscription to the monthly Plains and Peaks newsletter (also, available at www.murieaudubon.org). Your name is not shared with other organizations.
All of your funds are used locally. Check all that apply.
$10 One year
Audubon Adventures ($45.65 each classroom)
Other (Designate) $__________________
WyoBirds Listserve (An amount of your choosing) $_____________
Total $ ____________
Name: _______________________________________________________________________
Address:___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
City:________________ST____ZIP________
E-Mail Address______________________________________________________________
Make checks payable to Murie Audubon Society and mail to: Murie Audubon Society, PO Box 2112,
Casper, WY 82602. ATTN: Treasurer.
(Web Readers—Use your printer to print just this page, fill out, and send to the above address.)
PAGE 11
PLAINS & PEAKS
MAS CHAPTER OFFICERS
PRESIDENT—Chris Michelson (234-8726), [email protected]
VICE-PRESIDENT—Vacant
RECORDING SECRETARY— Vacant
TREASURER—Stacey Scott (262-0055), [email protected]
PROGRAM CHAIR—Bruce Walgren (234-7455),
[email protected]
CIRCULATION/MEMBERSHIP RECORDS—Jan Whitney
(237-7709), [email protected]
MEMBERSHIP CHAIR—Open Position
EDUCATION CHAIR—Ann Hines (266-3160),
[email protected]
NEWSLETTER EDITOR & WEBSITE—Rose-Mary King
(262-4861), [email protected]
HOSPITALITY CHAIR—Kathy Knapp (259-2165), [email protected], Nancy Stichert (265-0144),
[email protected]
PUBLICITY CHAIR—J. P. Cavigelli (258-1093), [email protected]
FIELD TRIP CHAIR—Vacant
BANQUET CHAIR—Karen Anfang (472-0278), [email protected]
EMERITUS—Bart Rea (234-6282), [email protected]
AUDUBON ROCKIES - REGIONAL OFFICE OF NATIONAL
AUDUBON SOCIETY
Regional Office: 106 N. College Ave., Suite 1, Fort Collins, CO
80524. Phone: 970-416-6931 (Contact number for staff)
Regional Community Naturalists, 410 McKean Rd., Moorcroft WY
82721, Phone: 307-756-3149. Dusty Downey—Cell: 504-453-4124,
[email protected], Jacelyn Downey—Cell: 504-453-4139,
[email protected]; Casper Community Naturalist—René
Grogan, (307) 277-4773, [email protected]
STAFF
Allison Holloran - Executive Director of Audubon Rockies Region, [email protected]
John Kloster-Prew, Development Director
Daly Edmunds, Regional Policy Coordinator
Abby Burk, WRAN Coordinator
Jamie Weiss, Habitat Heroes Coordinator
Sandy McIntyre, Office Assistant
Lynn Tennefoss, Vice President, State Programs and Chapter Services, [email protected]
Audubon Rockies website - http://www.rockies.audubon.org
Facebook under Audubon Rockies
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Term expires 2015
Ann Hines; Bruce Walgren; Donna Walgren (234-7455)
[email protected]
Term expires 2016
Bob Yonts – (473-3045), [email protected]; J.P. Cavigelli; Zach Hutchinson - [email protected]; Kelly
Kukes—[email protected]; Colin Tierney—
[email protected]; Rose-Mary King
NOTICE TO FRIEND OF MURIE
NEWSLETTER RECIPIENTS:
Those who have not paid in one year or more
should see “Expired” and a date of Expiration
on your mailing label, probably on the same line
as your name. You will only receive one more
(October) newsletter after this one. If you feel
this is in error, please contact Bruce Walgren
(234-7455) and we can work out the details.
MAS VISION STATEMENT
MAS MISSION STATEMENT
The Vision of Murie Audubon Society
is to instill a passion for nature in present and future generations through
awareness, enjoyment, understanding,
appreciation, conservation and advocacy.
The Mission of Murie Audubon Society is to
promote the conservation of birds and other
wildlife through education and enhancements
of natural habitats, understanding, appreciation, conservation and advocacy.