For bird enthusiasts, the best part of spring in Wyoming is watching all the birds return. Spotting a rare specimen really gets the adrenaline pumping.
Wyoming is home to more than 400 species of birds and birders statewide are grabbing their binoculars and cameras to identify as many as they can.
The migration peak is in May, so now is a great time to go in search of these often-elusive birds that just might even be in your own backyard.
The meadowlark, Wyoming’s state bird, is known as the bird of spring with its flute-like call. Birders are flocking to their favorite areas to record meadowlarks as well as searching out the other birds that are migrating into the Cowboy State.
Kathy Lichtendahl of Cody has been out recording as many of birds as she can find as part of the Intermountain West Shorebird Survey each year, and her specific territory is the Alkali Lake in the Cody area.
She ventures out to monitor the migrating shorebirds to count how many birds are migrating compared to other regions of the state on preselected days.
“This is a really fun year,” Lichtendahl said. “People are saying they've seen birds that they've just never seen before and just in the last week, I've seen three birds that are considered rare.”
She had spotted two rare shore birds for the region. The first was a sanderling, a small wading bird that breeds in Arctic regions and winters as far south as Australia. She then saw a black necked stilt sporting its black and white plumage.
Her third rare bird sighting was a black pole warbler who had landed in the bushes as it was flying through. It had stopped by for a day in Cody during its own migration. These tiny birds are known to migrate from South America to Denali National Park in Alaska.
“It's constantly changing,” she said. “When I see the avocets show up on Alkali Lake, I say, oh, it's spring. It's just so thrilling to see them in their breeding colors and just to know that they come back here every year, year after year after year.”
The avocets are long-legged waders who are known for their slender, upturned bills. During the summer, their head and neck turn a rusty color as they court their potential mates.
They will nest at Alkali Lake so even after she is done counting the birds, Lichtendahl will be on the water shore with her camera, searching out the elegant bird.
“I'm watching the migrating birds in particular,” Lichtendahl said. “It's such a sign of spring.”
Harlequin ducks winter on the coasts and come to Wyoming to mate in rapids, and females stay to nest in the rocks. (Courtesy Jacob Stringer) 
The long-billed curlew migrates to Wyoming in the summers to nest. (Courtesy Jacob Stringer) 
Mountain bluebirds winter in the south and arrive in Wyoming each spring to nest. (Courtesy Jacob Stringer) 
The western meadowlark’s flute-like call is an introductory declaration of spring in Wyoming according to Wyoming Game and Fish. Wyoming was the first of six states to name the western meadowlark its state bird. That’s been Wyoming’s bragging right since Feb. 5, 1927. (Courtesy Jacob Stringer) 
Great horned owls are common in Wyoming. In fact, according to the Bird Watching Headquarters, these raptors can actually be found almost anywhere in North America, from the Arctic south to the tropics. Its habitat is practically unlimited as long as there are trees and rocky nesting sites available. (Courtesy Jacob Stringer) 
The Canada goose is a large, long-necked goose recognized for its black head and easily identifiable white chin strap, according to the Bird Advisors. Six of the 13 species of geese found in North America have been spotted in Wyoming, but half of are rare or accidental species in the state. (Courtesy Jacob Stringer)
The Fascination With Birds
Emily Buckles, the ranch manager for the Heart Mountain Ranch Preserve in Cody said that she is seeing a growing interest in birds.
She said that especially this time of year, their song fills the air with the hopeful prospect of spring.
“We have a natural inclination to listen to their songs and hear the beauty in their songs,” she said. “I find that people feel really connected to birds and are become passionate about them quickly.”
Jacob Stringer, a local teacher in Thermopolis, became interested in identifying birds when he grew curious about the various types he was seeing on his morning walks. T
his curiosity has blossomed into a passion for the feathered creatures, and he has since invested in a camera to record the birds he spots.
“We always hear the birds singing and see them fluttering by,” Stringer said. “But when you really stop, slow down and look at them, it is surprising to see all the color variations and to hear the variation in song.”
He compares his bird hobby to an adult version of Pokemon Go. While his kids are looking for digital Pokemon everywhere, Stringer is looking for birds.
“As the seasons progress, you start to notice the changes in the birds and when they show up,” he said. “It's fun.”
As Stringer chases down the birds with his camera, other birders are filling out their “life list” by recording every bird that they've ever seen.
They add to this list throughout their lifetime, and it becomes a bit of an obsession with people, Buckles explains.
“It's a way for them to travel around the world and see different ecosystems and different habitats and different places while looking for birds,” she said. “When I take people out, I encourage them not to worry so much about just checking the birds off their list, but really to understand more of their behavior and their habitat to get a broader understanding of their interconnectedness to the landscape.”
The Search For Wyoming’s Birds
For Stringer, he was excited with the mountain bluebird began showing up in the Buffalo Pasture at Hot Springs State Park in mid-March.
“You see them fluttering around,” he said. “The meadowlark showed up in early April and pretty soon I'm hoping we'll have the lark buntings and the Bullock's Oriole.”
Stringer enjoys how easy bird watching is since he can do it from his backyard or walking through the park.
He said the different landscapes at the Buffalo Pasture make it an excellent spot to see a variety of birds.
“You have the sagebrush, rock faces on the backside of the pasture and the pasture which the meadowlarks love,” he said. “The sparrows, buntings and chukars are real active on the trails and you can pick up the bluebirds around the juniper. You could see 50 different species when it's good weather.”
As Stringer explores the different landscapes around his hometown of Thermopolis, Buckles is encouraging those in Cody to be looking for shore birds, especially the long-billed curlew which is one of her personal favorites.
“They're the largest shorebird in North America, and it's kind of funny to think that we have a shorebird that comes to Wyoming because we really have no shores,” she said. “But they migrate up from a coastal region in Mexico and California, and they breed here in our sagebrush habitat.”
The curlews use their long-curved bills to probe into the soil and look for grubs and insects in the soil and raise their young in Wyoming before flying back to California for the winter.
Lichtendahl was excited because she recently found the long-billed curlews just sitting in the field above her home when the weather forced them to come down and land in an area they would usually avoid.
“It's so fun to see these birds that we don't normally see here,” she said. “And also seeing the ones we expect to see that are migrating through this time of year like the red necked phalarope, Wilson's phalaropes, Dowagers and Willets and all sorts of sandpipers.”
When she is not counting the birds for the survey, Lichtendahl is chasing them with her camera.
“I love to photograph birds, and that's what really fuels my passion and really keeps me going is the ability to get a really nice photograph of a bird,” she said. “My husband is really more of the bird watcher, and I'm the bird chaser.”
She loves discovering the complexity of the birds she sees such as the ways that they behave.
“On Mother's Day, I looked out the window and there were sandhill cranes walking by with their two little colts,” she said. “They couldn't have been more than a week or two old. It just so fun to watch them develop.”
For bird enthusiasts, the best part of spring in Wyoming is watching all the birds return. Spotting bald eagles is always a thrill, like these in Yellowstone National Park. (Fred van Wijik via Alamy) 
In Wyoming, there are two types of chickadee. Mountain chickadees are small birds with black heads and distinctive white eyebrows. (Courtesy Jacob Stringer) 
This soft-voiced flycatcher of the west lives in very dry country, far from water, according to the Audubon Society. (Courtesy Jacob Stringer) 
April is usually the best month to see these strutting greater sage gouse, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish. (Courtesy Jacob Stringer) 
Be on the lookout for young osprey this spring in Wyoming. (Courtesy Jacob Stringer)
The Bird Apps
For those curious about the world of bird watching, modern technology makes the hobby much more obtainable.
“We are in a time when we're so lucky that we have apps that will help us do this,” Lichendahl said. “Cornell has a really good app where you can actually record the bird song and it will I.D. it for you.”
A website Buckles recommends is called Birdcast that gives birders live data when the birds are migrating.
“Birds are migrating mostly at night using the stars to guide them and to avoid predators,” she said. “This map shows you their movements so that you can figure out when the birds are migrating through your area.”
Through the Nature Conservancy, Buckles is offering four bird walks this year that they are calling “Birding and Breakfast.” The events are free to the public and have already booked up due to popularity so she is now creating a waitlist.
Lichendahl encourages anyone interested in birding to invest in a good bird book or even to join their local Audubon Society.
When Stringer discovered that there wasn’t a society available in Hot Springs County, he began the process of starting up his own local society so that he can share his passion with others.
“It's now my personal competition,” Stringer said. “I want to see how many species I can see within a year and photograph them — even something as small as a little yellow warbler. It's a challenge and it's fun.”
He is not alone in his passion as more birders join him every year, seeking out the elusive birds in Wyoming.
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
