October 2026 Field Trips

Oct 2

Fri

Accessible Walk at Sheldon Lake

Leader: Webber & Roush

Learn More

Oct 11

Sun

Bobcat Ridge Survey

Leader: Denise Bretting

Learn More

Oct 17

Sat

Mindful Birding Walk at HPEC

Leader: Roush & Patterson

Learn More

Oct 24*

Sat

Sandstone Ranch, Longmont

Joint Trip

Learn More

Oct 23,24*

Fri,Sat

Grandview Cemetary

Leader: Nolan Bunting

Learn More

First Sat

Sat

Recurring Bird Banding

Leaders: Rashid or Webber

Learn More

* Tentative date

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

Board Elections

by John Shenot

Northern Colorado Bird Alliance has no paid employees, instead relying on volunteers to lead every aspect of the organization. Every year, at our annual meeting in January, members elect four officers and up to six directors-at-large to serve on the Board of Directors for a one-year term. Every other year, members also elect a president to serve a two-year term. The president, with approval from the board, then appoints chairpersons to lead our standing committees. Each committee chairperson is also a member of the Board of Directors.

The first step in our annual elections process is to form a Nominations Committee. This committee is charged with identifying good candidates to serve on the Board of Direc-tors. The work of this committee has been and always will be crucial to our chapter’s success, so I want to urge any Bird Alliance member who might entertain the idea of serving on this year’s Nominations Committee to contact me immediately. In keeping with our bylaws, we must an-nounce the members of the committee at our chapter meeting on October 8, so time is of the essence!

I also want to get a head start on the nominations pro-cess by inviting anyone who might be curious about serv-ing as a board member in 2027, or knows someone who might be a good candidate, to contact me at their earliest convenience. Candidates do not have to be expert birders or have any experience leading an organization; we need people with lots of different talents. New board members will get a lot of coaching and help in fulfilling their duties. We’re al-ways happy to bring new faces to our chapter lead-ership and I will gladly answer questions about the roles we need to fill and what it takes to serve. I hope to hear from some of you.

The New, The Noteworthy & Upcoming Events

  • Event October 2026

    Oct Event:
    You Go Over, I Go Under: A Study of the Coyote and Badger Hunting Relationship

    Thursday, October 8th, 2026

    Join us for Emma Balunek's presentation on an unusual hunting pair.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.

NCBA 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.

  • Bonnie Breja
  • Eduardo Gallo
  • Carole Hossan
  • Michelle Johnston
  • Jana Kruger
  • Connie Ohlson
  • Margaret Wilkinson

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.