Upcoming Field Trips and Events

All field trips are free (unless otherwise noted) and currently open to the public. All experience levels are welcome. Bring snacks or lunch, water, binoculars, and spotting scopes. Please understand that changes to dates, meeting times, locations, and trip leaders occasionally are unavoidable. One week before a scheduled trip, please visit the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/FortCollinsAudubonSociety/), or fortcollinsaudubon.org for a link to register. Registration will be posted one week before the scheduled trip. Attendance is limited to 12 individuals. For Field Trip Reports, see the Field Trips page.

September 2025

Thursday, September 11

Caring and Triage of Wild Birds

As birdwatchers, we love helping birds be it though supporting conservation or educating others. On some occasions however, we become more than just stewards and become caretakers for the birds with which we come in contact. We all have stories of coming across injured birds, be it from a cat bite, window strike, or nest falling out of the tree. In these moments our adrenaline takes over. We want and wish to do everything we can to help the injured animal and give it the best shot at being released. This presentation is to be a tool to help you with that process. Dr. Bunting will discuss the common injuries, triage and transportation, personal protective equipment, and other ways to support the health and safety of local birds.

To learn more about this presentaion, please visit the event page:

September 21

Hewlett Gulch.

Leader: Nolan Bunting. The walk will begin at 7:30 a.m. This trail in the Roosevelt National Forest winds alongside a creek. It is rocky with inclines approximately 20 to 30 degrees, and we expect to take an hour to 1.5 hours to cover one-half mile.

Sign up for Hewlett Gulch will be released on September 13.

TBD in September

LLGBTQIA+ and Allies

Leader: Kit Gray, kit@kitgrayillustration.com. Join us for a friendly and social bird outing.

October 2025

TBD in October

Collaboration Walk with Forest Stewards Guild

Bringing together birders and foresters to explore the intersection of bird habitat and forest management. More information will be shared via email, social media, and October newsletter

Past Events

The past three months of events are listed here. For information on earlier events, please consult that month's Ptarmingan.

Summer 2025

TBD in June

Lory State Park with Sirena Brownlee

June 8

Bobcat Ridge Survey

Leader: Denise Bretting, dbretting@swloveland.com or 970-402-1292. The survey looks at bird populations and helps local scientists better understand bird dynamics. The little more than 4-mile hike covers moderate to flat terrain with some steep sections. No registration required and there is no participation limit, but please email or text Denise that you plan to attend. Meet at 6:30 a.m. in the Bobcat Ridge parking lot.

July 13

Bobcat Ridge Survey

Leader: Denise Bretting, dbretting@swloveland.com or 970-402-1292. The survey looks at bird populations and helps local scientists better understand bird dynamics. The little more than 4-mile hike covers moderate to flat terrain with some steep sections. No registration required and there is no participation limit, but please email or text Denise that you plan to attend. Meet at 6:30 a.m. in the Bobcat Ridge parking lot.

August 10

Bobcat Ridge Survey

Leader: Denise Bretting, dbretting@swloveland.com or 970-402-1292. The survey looks at bird populations and helps local scientists better understand bird dynamics. The little more than 4-mile hike covers moderate to flat terrain with some steep sections. No registration required and there is no participation limit, but please email or text Denise that you plan to attend. Meet at 7:00 a.m. in the Bobcat Ridge parking lot.

May 2025

Sunday, May 11

Bobcat Ridge Survey

Leader: Denise Bretting, dbretting@swloveland.com or 970-402-1292. The survey looks at bird populations and helps local scientists better understand bird dynamics. The little more than 4-mile hike covers moderate to flat ter-rain with some steep sections. No registration required and there is no participation limit, but please email or text Denise that you plan to attend. Meet at 7 a.m. in the Bobcat Ridge parking lot. Other Bobcat Ridge surveys that will occur prior to our next newsletter: June 8, 6:30 a.m.; July 13, 6:30 a.m.; and August 10, 7 a.m.

Friday, May 16

Dixon Reservoir and Maxwell Natural Areas

Leader: Ryan Twedt twedt@outlook.com. Dixon Reservoir and Maxwell Natural Areas are two adjacent and wonderful places to view migrating passerines in a variety of habitat. Dixon Reservoir is a well known migrant trap with annual banding stations operated by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. The diversity of plant life and the insects attracted to them that surround the reservoir offer an abundance of food for migratory birds. A wide variety of warblers, flycatchers, grosbeaks, and buntings have been seen throughout the years during spring migrations, alongside numerous ducks, pelicans, and other water birds. Maxwell is a picturesque prairie/foothills area where towhees and bluebirds can be found with corvids playing in the breeze and raptors soaring high above. Start time and signup for this trip will be in the May newsletter.

Saturday, May 17

Running Deer Natural Area

Leader: Sirena Brownlee, sirena.brownlee@hdrinc.com, 970-980-6184. Meet in the parking lot at 9 a.m.

Sunday, May 22

Reservoir Ridge Natural Area

Leader: John Shenot, johnshenot@gmail.com, 802-595-1669. This Fort Collins natural area is the most reliable location in Larimer County to find beautiful, bubbly Bobolinks. Reservoir Ridge also offers good habitat for grassland species such as Western Mead-owlarks, Vesper and Grasshopper Sparrows, and Blue Grosbeaks. We'll start at 6 p.m. for an early evening bird walk and cover about 2.2 miles round trip on a flat, soft surface trail. Meet at the parking lot on Overland Trail.

Saturday, May 24

LGBTQIA+ Community and Allies at Reservoir Ridge.

Leader: Kit Gray, kit@kitgrayillustration.com. Join us for a relaxed bird outing where we'll work on finding some birds we haven't seen for a bit. We will keep our eyes and ears open for Bobolink, Blue Grosbeak, Yellow-breasted Chat, a variety of sparrows, and kingbirds. All levels are encouraged; please bring binoculars if you have them. Meet at 8 a.m. at the parking lot located at approximately 1425 N. Overland Trail Rd. (Bobolink spur trailhead). This outing will be a slow-paced 2-hour walk on a relatively flat trail. Sign up for the LGBTQIA+ walk has already been released and is available at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go 10C084CADAE2CA1FEC70-55736341-lgbtqia#/

April 2025

Thursday, April 10

The Hows and Whys of Bird Colors

Birds exhibit a broad pal-ette of colors that thrill our senses, but serve utilitarian purposes such as providing camouflage or communication. Conspicuous plumages exploit the exceptional color vision of birds and may be tuned to specific viewing conditions. In this talk, Tom Schultz will explore the mechanisms that produce bird colors, whether they are pigmentary or structural, and how they work to produce salient signals.

To learn more about this presentaion, please visit the event page:

Saturday, April 12

Fossil Creek Reservoir Natural Area

Leader: Sirena Brownlee sirena.brownlee@hdrinc.com. Join Sirena for a walk along the Cattail Flats trail for waterfowl and Bald Eagle viewing. Plan for a 2-mile walk on trails. All levels are welcome, and a spotting scope will be available.Time and place will be in the signup link

Saturday, April 13

Bobcat Ridge Survey

Leader: Denise Bretting, dbretting@swloveland.com or 970-402-1292. The survey looks at bird populations and helps local scientists better understand bird dynamics. The little more than 4-mile hike covers moderate to flat terrain with some steep sections. No registration required and there is no participation limit, but please email or text Denise that you plan to attend. Meet at 7:30 a.m. in Bobcat Ridge parking lot. The trip may be cancelled, rescheduled, or relocated if trails are closed due to mud-dy conditions.

Sunday, April 26

LGBTQIA+ and Allies at River-bend Ponds

Leader: Kit Gray, kit@kitgrayillustration.com. Join us for a friendly and social bird outing where we will be looking for Northern Harrier, Virginia Rail, sparrows, Osprey, and different kinds of waterfowl. All levels are welcome. Please bring binoculars if you have them. Meet at 8 a.m. in the park-ing lot on the north side of Prospect Road, located be-tween Sharp Point Dr. and S. Summit View Dr. This outing will be a slow-paced, 2- to 2.5-hour walk on a relatively wide and well-maintained trail with occasion-al benches available. Sign up: www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CADAE2CA1FEC70-54791848-lgbtqia#/.

Saturday, April 26

Photography Walk at Riverbend Ponds

Leader: Joseph Webber, joe.webber26@gmail.com. We will meet at 6 a.m. and walk along a fairly flat dirt path, working on settings, techniques, and practices to get results with whatever camera participants already have. The walk will last about 2 to 2.5 hours. Be sure to bring water, sun protection, and a snack!

Saturday, April 27

Raptors and Human Interactions: Balancing Coexistence; Fossil Creek Reservoir.

Leader: Jes Gray, jes.e.gray@gmail.com. Join us to explore the fascinating and complex world of raptors and their relationships with human-altered landscapes. As spring migration unfolds, we’re likely to see Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, Swainson’s Hawks, Ospreys, Turkey Vultures, and American Kestrels, along with other resident and passing raptors. This event will be highly interactive, blending raptor spotting, discussion, and thought-provoking activities to engage participants in learning how raptors hunt, nest, and adapt to envi-ronmental changes. The trail is flat, with a slight down-hill from the parking lot to the lake. It begins paved, and switches to a well-groomed gravel pathway about half-way through. Binoculars are recommended but not required. Time and place to meet will be in the sign up link.

March 2025

Saturday, March 1

Sandhill Cranes

Leader: Lori Pivonka, lori.pivonka@gmail.com. Gather at 7:30 a.m. at Jax Farm & Ranch in northern Fort Collins and carpool north to agricultural fields, where we will look for migrating sandhill cranes. The trip will involve driving along agricultural fields to spot the cranes and will take about 2-3 hours due to travel time. Bring binoculars, a camera, and/or a scope if you have one. Lori will also have a scope. Expect to learn about cranes and their behavior and possibly watch their mating dance displays! The signup link for the Sandhill Crane trip has al-ready been released and may be full by the time this newsletter is published. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CADAE2CA1FEC70-54945798-saturday.

Saturday, March 8

Fossil Creek Reservoir Natural Area

Leader: Sirena Brownlee sirena.brownlee@hdrinc.com. Join Sirena for a walk along the Cattail Flats trail for waterfowl and Bald Eagle viewing. Plan for a 2-mile walk on trails. All levels are welcome, and a spotting scope will be available. Meet at 9 a.m. in the parking lot.

Sunday, March 9

Bobcat Ridge Survey

Leader: Denise Bretting, dbretting@swloveland.com or 970-402-1292. The survey looks at bird populations and helps local scientists better understand bird dynamics. The little more than 4-mile hike covers moderate to flat terrain with some steep sections. No registration required and there is no participation limit, but please email or text Denise that you plan to attend. Meet at 7:30 a.m. in Bobcat Ridge parking lot.

Saturday, March 15

Lee Martinez, LGBTQIA+ Community and Allies

Leader: Kit Gray, kit@kitgrayillustration.com. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the parking lot located at 600 N. Sherwood Street. We will meet at the north end where a paved walking trail meets the parking lot and basketball courts are visible. The majority of this outing is on a flat, paved trail. If you have accessibility questions or need more infor-mation, please contact Kit. Sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084CADAE2CA1FEC70-54791849-lgbtqia.

Thursday, March 20

March Member Program

Alison Holloran, Executive Director of Audubon Rockies and Dave Showalter, Conservation Photographer and Author will give a presentation on, “Western Water and Our Public Lands: Where Have We Been and What May Be Next?”

Join us for this interesting presentation on this crucial issue for the wester United States: Water!

Saturday, March 22

Riverbend Ponds Natural Area

Leader: Daniel Carrier, dacarrier7@gmail.com or 571-420-7375. Meet at the Riverbend Ponds Natural Area main parking lot at 8 a.m. to check out the many ponds and marshes within this amazing natural area's boundaries. We'll keep an eye out for Virginia Rail, Northern Shrike, Northern Harrier, unique waterfowl, a variety of sparrows, and many others. This outing will involve a couple of miles of slow walking on flat, well-maintained paths around the park.