AS THE SWALLOWS RETURN TO ….. THE FLATHEAD Compiled by Linda deKort Selections from Cornell University Website Like the legendary cliff swallows who loyally return each year to the mission in Capistrano, California, the swallows of the Flathead are arriving back at their predictable times. We may not greet them with the ringing of church…
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Spotted Towhee
A TEAPOT OF TOWHEES! By Jeannie Marcure For the past several years we’ve been lucky to have a family of Spotted Towhees make their home in our yard and garden area. Although migratory, Towhees are one of the first spring yard birds to arrive (March 9 this year) and one of the last to leave…
Read MorePygmy Nuthatch
By John Hughes Seeking Pygmy Nuthatch? If you are fortunate enough to have a mature stand of Ponderosa Pine trees nearby or know where a good stand exists, then you are sure to find Pygmy Nuthatch. The Pygmy Nuthatch is considered one of the best indicator species for the overall health of bird communities in…
Read MoreBrown-headed Cowbird
By Ben Young And the winner for the “Most Despised Native Bird of North America” award is . . . the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). “An open solicitation for cowbird recipes.” Such titles as this in a prominent North American birding journal in 1994 illustrate the collective disdain for this native songbird among bird-watchers and…
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EVOLUTION IN PROGRESS By Steve Gniadek The Timberline Sparrow (Spizella breweri taverneri) is a subspecies of the Brewer’s Sparrow, but it’s in the process of becoming a separate species. Some scientists have argued it already is a species. As the name implies, the Timberline Sparrow is found near tree line, where it nests in stunted…
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