May 2026 Field Trips

May 10

Sun

Bobcat Ridge Survey

Leader: Denise Bretting

Learn More

May 23

Sat

Accessible Walk in Loveland

Leader: Amy Roush

Learn More

May 24

Sun

Young Gulch

Leader: Sirena Brownlee

Learn More

May 26

Tue

Reservoir Ridge Natural Area

Leader: John Shenot

Learn More

Jun 7

Sun

Well Gulch Nature Trail Lory State Park

Leader: Sirena Brownlee

Learn More

Jul

TBD

possible alpine birding trip

TBD

Learn More

New Name, Same Mission

In February, 2025, we changed our name from Fort Collins Audubon Society (FCAS) to Northern Colorado Bird Alliance. Click here to learn more.

Our Mission remains the same.

Please be patient with us as we transition to the new name. You may see materials (e.g., publications) or communications that use the FCAS name for some limited time to come.

President's Corner

Happy Summer

by John Shenot

Most of our members will recall that the chapter does not host programs or publish a newsletter during the summer months. After this month's program on May 14 (see article on page 1), we won't meet again until September 10. You should get our next newsletter in the final days of August.

Throughout the summer, we will continue to host field trips, offer educational events, and spread the word about bird conservation at local community festivals. We will announce field trips and possibly other events by sending an email to our members and posting notifications on our Instagram and Facebook accounts. Throughout the entire year, following us on social media is a great way to get timely information about what the chapter is doing.

You can also expect one really big change to happen this summer. I'm now confident that the chapter will be launching our completely revamped website sometime in the next three months. I know I've promised this before, but it's turned out to be harder than our little team of busy volunteers expected. In addition to redesigning the style and format and updating content, we've had to learn how to use software for building a website. We're almost there!

If you have ideas or questions or want to get more involved in the Bird Alliance, please send us an email. You'll find some of the most requested email addresses in the contact box on page 2 of this newsletter. Have a great summer!

The New, The Noteworthy & Upcoming Events

  • Event May 2026

    May Event:
    Barn Swallows and Humans: The Rise and Fall of Coexistence in a Changing World

    Thursday, May 14th, 2026

    Join us for Dr. Rebecca Safran's presentation that will discuss the long history humans have with barn swallows.Learn more here.

  • photo gallery

    Photo Gallery

    The photo gallery needs your bird pictures! Please submit your favorite photos for inclusion. Find out more here.

  • logo'd apparel

    NCBA Apparel

    Don't venture out on another fieldtrip without one of our shirts, caps or other items with our beautiful ptarmigans logo on them. Find out more here.

Education Grant

The Alex Cringan Memorial Grant, sponsored by NCBA, provides funds to raise environmental awareness for future generations. Dr. Alex Cringan was a Colorado State University Professor of wildlife biology, a founding member and past president of the chapter when it was known as the Fort Collins Audubon Society, a frequent field-trip leader, and a friend and a role model for many NCBA members. Shortly after his passing in October 2012, FCAS created the Alex Cringan grant to provide money for educational purposes. The purpose of the grant is to provide financial assistance to teachers and students involved in a project teaching or researching natural resources so they can enhance their skills and share their knowledge with others.

Teachers, and students! The Northern Colorado Bird Alliance has an exciting opportunity for you to learn more about conservation. You can apply for a $300.00 Alex Cringan Memorial Grant and use the funding to do a project, take a workshop, sign up for an online class or research a topic of interest to you! Now would be a great time to learn more about birds and connect with nature!

Click here for an application.

Scholarship Fund

The Alex Cringan Memorial Scholarship Fund, sponsored by NCBA, is a scholarship created to raise environmental awareness in future generations. Dr. Alex Cringan was a Colorado State University Professor of wildlife biology, a founding member and past president of the NCBA (known as Fort Collins Audubon Society at the time), a frequent field-trip leader, and a friend and a role model for many chapter members. Shortly after his passing in October 2012, NCBA created the Alex Cringan Fund to provide small grants for educational purposes. The purpose of the scholarship is to provide financial assistance for teachers and students involved in a project teaching or researching natural resources so they can enhance their skills and share their knowledge with others. The scholarship kicked-off in August 2019. Click here for more information.

Find Northern Colorado Bird Alliance on Facebook for Field Trip Information

Northern Colorado Bird Alliance has a Facebook page where we post announcements about upcoming field trips, last minute changes to scheduled trips, and highlights of most of our outings. Make sure to Like our page! Our announcements should then appear on your wall. You can also click on "Northern Colorado Bird Alliance" to be taken directly to the Facebook page. Note: All field trips are also announced in the Ptarmigan and on our website.


Find Northern Colorado Bird Alliance on YouTube for Previous Zoom Presentations

YouTube logo

Did you miss the monthly live chapter Zoom presentation? The chapter has a YouTube channel to provide an easily accessible archive of our monthly chapter Zoom meetings. Be sure to Like and Subscribe!

NCBA Welcomes New and Renewing Members

Thank you for your membership! Memberships provide a major part of the funding that supports our conservation and education work. You can help support our work by informing friends, family, and fellow birders about us. Your support makes our programs and conservation efforts possible and helps us achieve our mission of connecting people to the natural world.

FCAS welcomes new National Audubon Society members by sending one complimentary copy of our newsletter. Join us at our monthly programs on the second Thursday of the month. National dues do not cover the cost of printing and mailing the newsletter, so if you'd like to keep receiving the Ptarmigan, please support your local chapter and subscribe.

  • Robert Blinderman
  • Jacqueline Brown
  • Richard Brown
  • Tyler Facto
  • Julie Hellman
  • Laurie Kleepies
  • Tad Leeper
  • Ellis Lusi
  • Debbie Mayer
  • Barbara Patterson
  • Rich Roberts
  • Ryan Wakeley

NCBA Mission Statement

To promote the appreciation, conservation, and restoration of ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife, through education, participation, stewardship, and advocacy.

More Links

Pocket Guide

Links

Conservancy & Advocacy

National Audubon Society Policy & Issues

Board Meetings

Local Birding

Bird Counts

Education

Volunteering

Facebook Page

Youtube Channel

Photo Gallery

Contact

Have questions or comments? Drop us a note.