by Dan Casey

Rare and Notables – Sept/Oct 2022

Unseasonably warm weather continued to dominate, and perhaps made some bird linger, and slowed the passage and arrival of such winter visitors as Rough-legged Hawks (which did show up in low numbers at the Jewel Basin). Broad-winged Hawks made a good showing in the Jewel, with a one-day high counts of 13 on both the 20th and 24th of September. It was the first fall in several years that no Sabine’s Gull or jaeger species was reported locally during September.

  • 09/19 – Lesser Black-backed Gull (1) Flathead Lake WPA (Dan C.); Somers, 10/6 (Craig H.)
  • 09/21 – Common Tern (10) Flathead Lake WPA (Shawn R.)
  • 10/01 – American Golden-Plover (2)West Valley Ponds (Craig H.) Also one there 10/8 (AHH)
  • 10/01 – Clay-colored Sparrow (2) Creston (late) (Craig H.)
  • 10/01 – Harris’s Sparrow (1) Creston (seen nearly daily thereafter) (Craig H.)
  • 10/03 – Gray Catbird (1) Columbia Falls (late) (Chris H.)
  • 10/12 – Ferruginous Hawk (1) Jewel Basin Hawk Watch (Pete F.)
  • 10/15 – Broad-winged Hawk (1) Jewel Basin Hawk Watch (late) (Denny O.)
  • 10/16 – Osprey (1) Moose Lake (late) (Julie O.)

What to Expect – November 2022

As winter weather commences, our mixed feeder flocks should be growing as chickadees, nuthatches, finches and more set up their winter feeding rounds. Local lakes should host growing numbers of diving duck flocks, including scoters; watch also for our rare loon species (Pacific, Red-throated, or even a Yellow-billed). Herring Gulls will become more numerous in the flocks, and will be joined by Iceland (Thayer’s), Glaucous and Short-billed (Mew) Gulls. Rough-legged Hawks will become common over the local fields. Watch also for lingering Anna’s Hummingbirds!