May 2025 Field Trips

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

May 11, Sunday,
Bobcat Ridge Survey
Learn More

May 16, Friday
Dixon Reservoir and Maxwell Nature Areas
Learn More

May 17, Saturday,
Running Deer Natural Area
Learn More

May 22, Thursday
Reservoir Ridge Natural Area
Learn More

May 24, Saturday
LGBTQIA+ Community and Allies at Reservoir Ridge
Learn More

June TBD
Lory State Park with Sirena Brownlee.
Learn More

The New, The Noteworthy & Upcoming Events

  • Event May 2025

    May Event:
    “It Takes a Village: Avian Use of Villages in African Savanna”

    Thursday, May 15th, 2025

    Learn how birds' often brilliant plumage isn't just beautiful but also serves important utilitarian purposes.
    Learn more here.

  • Event April 2025

    YouTube recording NCBA 4/10/2025 Tom D. Shultz &ldquoThe Hows and Whys of Bird Colors”

    Tom D. Shultz - April 10th, 2025

    Tom Shultz conducted an informative presentation on the “The Hows and Whys of Bird Colors” Recorded April 10th, 2025. Visit the event page.

    Watch Now | Previous Recordings

  • 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 Northern Colorado Bird Alliance 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 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 Fort Collins Audubon Society, a frequent field trip leader, and a friend and role model for many NCBA members. To honor his life and promote environmental education, NCBA 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.

  • NCBA Welcomes New and Renewing Members

    • Denise Birdsall
    • Jay Breidt
    • Richard Brown
    • Lisa Carp
    • Sara Eftang
    • Susan Emond
    • Debbie Van Der Hyde
    • Diane Kristoff
    • Ed Miron
    • David J. Robinson
    • Pam Turner
    • April Whicker
    • Elizabeth Whitney
    • Emily Wren

    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.


    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.

President's Corner

A Couple Updates Before Summer

by John Shenot

I want to update everyone on three of the most important things we've done since changing our name to Northern Colorado Bird Alliance in February.

I have several unrelated announcements to share with members. The first is just a reminder that we do not publish newsletters or host programs with guest speakers in June, July, or August. We're looking forward to our May program (see front page for details), but the next program and newsletter will be in September. Throughout the summer, we will continue to host field trips, offer educational events, and spread the word about bird conservation at local community festivals. Our Instagram and Facebook accounts will remain active.

Speaking of social media platforms, we have switched to our new name, Northern Colorado Bird Alliance, on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Following us on social media may be the best way to get timely information about what the chapter is doing. If you aren't already seeing our posts, look for us under the new names: https://www.instagram.com/nocobirdalliance, https://www.facebook.com/NoCoBirdAlliance, and https://www.youtube.com/@nocobirdalliance.

I'm going to repeat an announcement from last month's newsletter one more time: we can no longer cash checks made out to Fort Collins Audubon Society or FCAS. If you are renewing your membership or donating, please make checks out to Northern Colorado Bird Alliance.

Finally, I can report that the biggest (but not only) task remaining to complete our chapter's name change is to rebrand our website. We have been working on it behind the scenes and hope to have all the changes implemented this summer. Stay tuned for that!

End of Story logo

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. 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 "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 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: NCBA Birding Checklists

Bird Rescue and Rehabilitation

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

NCBA Mission Statement

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

Northern Colorado Bird Alliance

Serving Larimer County, Colorado, and Surrounding Areas.

The Northern Colorado Bird Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to nature appreciation, environmental education, and conservation activities.