April 2026 Field Trips

Mar 22

Sun

East Valley Trail Lory State Park

Leader: Nolan Bunting

Learn More

Apr 12

Sun

Bobcat Ridge Survey

Leader: Denise Bretting

Learn More

Apr 19

Sun

LGBTQIA+ Community and Allies at Arapaho Bend

Leader: Kit Gray

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

Birds and Windows

by John Shenot

Maybe you've seen the reports that there are about three billion fewer birds in the United States than there were in 1970. The number seems almost too big to be true, but the science is rock solid. There are many human-related causes for the catastrophic decline in bird populations, but I want to focus your attention on just one. The American Bird Conservancy estimates that about one billion birds die in the United States every year from collisions with windows. That's the bad news.

The good news is that practical, affordable solutions to reduce bird-window collisions exist. Our job is to educate people about those options and inspire hundreds or thousands of them to take action locally. We started this effort a year ago when we hosted Kaitlyn Parkins, an expert from the American Bird Conservancy, at one of our monthly programs (watch the recording on our YouTube channel at https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivfcn6cb168).

Northern Colorado Bird Alliance would now like to form a dedicated team of volunteers to focus on reducing bird-window collisions in Northern Colorado. We can use people with a wide variety of skills: educators, networkers and social media influencers, community leaders, advocates willing to speak at public meetings, citizen scientists, and more. Together, I believe we can save a lot of birds. If you would like to be part of this team, please contact me at president@nocobird alliance.org. I hope to schedule a kickoff meeting with volunteers in April or May.

The New, The Noteworthy & Upcoming Events

  • Event April 2026

    April Event:
    Feathers Through Time

    Thursday, April 9th, 2026

    Join us for Harper Bovberg's presentation that will focus on how different cultures throughout history have portrayed birds.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.

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NCBA Mission Statement

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

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