February Field Trips

Questions and suggestions are welcome! Email the field trip committee chair at fcasfieldtrips@gmail.com

February 9, Sunday,
Bobcat Ridge Survey
Learn More

Feb. 13, Thursday,
Presentation: Clear Solutions: Preventing Bird-Window Collisions
Learn More

Feb. 16, Sunday,
Raptor Alley Pawnee National Grasslands.
Learn More

Feb.22/Mar 1, Saturdays, TBD
Sandhill Cranes
Learn More

Important Notice

Chapter name change Resolution Update

Members voted in November 2024 in support of changing the name of the chapter to “Northern Colorado Bird Alliance.” Click on this link for details and a preview of what comes next:

Name Change Update

The New, The Noteworthy & Upcoming Events

  • Event February 2025

    February Event:
    “Clear Solutions: Preventing Bird-Window Collisions”

    Thursday, February 13th, 2025

    In the United States, as many as one billion birds lose their lives to window collisions annually. Join us February 13th, 2025, to learn how to help. Learn more here.

  • 2025 GBBC

    2025 Great Backyard Bird Count

    February 14—17, 2025

    Anyone can participate in this fun even! More information about the GBBC and how to submit checklists can be found at here.

  • Event January 2024

    YouTube recording Ft Collins Audubon Meeting 1/9/2025 Ted Floyd, Editor, Birding Magazine: “The Story of the Cooper's Hawk: How the bird has changed, how our knowledge about the bird has changed, and how the bird has changed us”

    Ted Floyd - January 9th, 2024

    Ted Floyd conducted an informative presentation on the “changed” Cooper's Hawk. Recorded January 9th, 2025. Visit the event page.

    Watch Now | Previous Recordings

  • logo'd apparel

    FCAS 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.

  • photo gallery

    Photo Gallery

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

  • Education Grant

    Teachers, and students! The Fort Collins Audubon Society has an exciting opportunity for you to learn more about conservation. Apply for a $500.00 Alex Cringan Memorial Grant and use the funds to develop a project, take a workshop, enroll in an online class, or research a topic of interest to you! Now is a great time to learn more about birds and connect with nature! Click here for an application.

    The Alex Cringan Memorial Grant, sponsored by FCAS, 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 Fort Collins Audubon Society, a frequent field trip leader, and a friend and role model for many FCAS members. To honor his life and promote environmental education, FCAS created the Alex Cringan Grant to support educators and students to enhance their skills and share their knowledge with others.

    Members: you can donate directly to this grant by adding a donation when you renew your membership.

  • FCAS Welcomes New and Renewing Members

    • Scott Baily   
    • Helen Betzen    
    • Nick Betzen  
    • Jim Branch   
    • Kathleen Branch   
    • Monica Brewer   
    • Irene Briggs    
    • Marcee Camenson   
    • Aimee Chlebnik   
    • Matthew Dane 
    • Cynthia Decrescentis   
    • Susan Degutz  
    • Steven & Tanyo Dutro    
    • Brandee Eide  
    • Robert Ellis    
    • Margaret Francia 
    • Kathleen Ganzer    
    • Suzanne Gauch    
    • Paul Gordy     
    • Andrew Goris   
    •  Kristin Gray     
    • Carole Hossan    
    • Ted Huston     
    • Henry P. Thode III    
    • Adriana Jacobi    
    • Carol Jones     
    • Kristin J. Joy     
    • Rozanne Junker  
    • Sue Kenney    
    • Josephine Kerrigan    
    • Loretta & Dean Klingenberg     
    • Elizabeth Knees 
    • Michelle Haefele & Michael Knowles 
    • Phoebe Larson  
    • Sheila Lee 
    • Karen Manci  
    • Melina Meier  
    • Bill Miller 
    • Frank Morgan  
    • Tristan Nunez 
    •  Joyce Owens 
    • Elizabeth Perna 
    • Joseph Polazzi  
    • Tim Priehs 
    • Elizabeth Pruessner 
    • Susan Puder
    • Rosemary Rader 
    • Harry Rose 
    • Barbara M. Sanders 
    • John Shenot 
    • Mary Jeanne McFerren Stobie 
    • Jen Strating 
    • Donna Stumpp 
    • Amy Sugeno 
    • Doug Swartz 
    • Kimberly Vercimak 
    • Sheila Webber 
    • Robin Welsh 
    • William West 
    • Roger Wieck 

    Thank you for your membership! 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.

  • Bird Rescue and Rehabilitation

    Trying to help a sick or injured bird? These resources are ready to help!

President's Corner

What Happened At The Last Meeting

by John Shenot

I want to use this month’s column to explain what went wrong at our January program and apologize to any members who tried to attend via Zoom and were unable to join us.

As I was setting up all the gear for our usual combined in-person and Zoom meeting, and just about when I was thinking to myself that things were going unusually smoothly, I discovered a few minutes before start time that the Zoom link we published in our newsletter, on our website, and on our social media channels was wrong. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out that the last number in the link got cut off. It took a couple more minutes for me to find a file on my laptop that had the email addresses of many of our members. I sent a quick message to those people with the correct Zoom link and hoped for the best.

Some folks clearly got the message, as more than 30 people ended up attending the program via Zoom. But I have no doubt some people who were excited to hear Ted Floyd's excellent presentation on Cooper's Hawks didn't see my emergency email, couldn't get into the meeting, and were disappointed. I'm sorry about that.

For future programs, we are initiating additional quality control measures to make sure nothing like this happens again. We also would welcome assistance from any volunteers who have professional IT, audio/visual, or meeting planning expertise. And this is a good time to remind members that we record our guest presentations, provided we have permission from the guest speaker, and post the recordings on our YouTube channel. If you missed Ted Floyd or any of our other recent guest speakers, that's the place to go!End of Story logo

Find FCAS on Facebook for Field Trip Information

FCAS 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. Just click on the �Like" button in the plugin to Like our page! Our announcements should then appear on your wall. You can also click on "Fort Collins Audubon Society" to be taken directly to the Facebook page. Note: All field trips are also announced in the Ptarmigan and on our website.


Find FCAS on YouTube for Previous Zoom Presentations

YouTube logo

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


Birding Checklists

The Chapter has prepared a number of birding checklist to aid you when birding.

Find them here: FCAS Birding Checklists

FCAS Mission Statement

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

Fort Collins Audubon Society

Serving Larimer County, Colorado, and Surrounding Areas.

The Fort Collins Audubon Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to nature appreciation, environmental education, and conservation activities.