By Craig Hohenberg & Shannon Donaldson
Bigfork CBC – December 14th
The 51st annual Bigfork Christmas Bird Count was held Saturday, December 14th, under foggy and cloudy skies, with calm conditions. Snow depths varied; most areas in the count circle were mostly snow free, though at the eastern edge of the circle snow depths ranged from 0-12 inches. Temperatures ranged from 32-43 degrees F. Shallow lakes and ponds were mostly frozen, but Flathead Lake and River were ice free.
Thirty-one volunteer participants counted 25,555 individual birds of 88 species. This number of birds broke the all-time record of the previous high total of 24,344, and the number of species is 10 more than last year. One new bird species, Bonaparte’s Gull, was found on this year. Count highlights were Snow Goose, Cackling Goose, Double-crested Cormorant, Ruddy Duck, Iceland (Thayer’s) Gull, Long-eared Owl, Yellow-rumped (Audubon’s) Warbler, and a Yellow-headed Blackbird. Notably absent this year were Ruffed Grouse, Canada Jay, Red Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak, and Redpoll. Species with a high all-time tally this year were Ring-billed Gull, Pine Siskin and Red-winged Blackbird.
Thanks to all the devoted participants who helped make the Bigfork CBC count a very enjoyable and a rewarding experience.
Kalispell CBC – December 29th
The 26th Kalispell Christmas Bird Count took place Sunday, December 29, 2024. 60 participants surveyed the area, with 46 in the field and 14 backyard feeder watchers. Observers tallied 25,645 birds, up from the old record of 23,364 and many thousands more than the 9,503 birds tallied last year. Conditions were fairly mild with highs in the 30’s. It was yet another year with minimal snowpack, a trace to none in most areas but up to 2-3″ being reported in a few sections. Snow flurries and rain beginning mid-morning did limit visibility some, but not quite like the thick fog last year.
76total species were recorded, which is slightly above average, and seven more than last year. Two new species were found that have not been previously recorded for the Kalispell count, Short-billed Gull and Horned Grebe, bringing the all-time total species count to 134.We hadfourcount week birds, American Goshawk, Great Gray Owl, Short-eared Owl, and Prairie Falcon. Not included, but a noteworthy sighting, a Snowy Owl was seen December 28 just two miles northeast of the count area.
With all the open water, we had new high counts for 9 species of waterfowl and 15 species overall. Species more than doubling their all-time high counts were Gadwall (26), American Wigeon (56), Northern Pintail (40), Ring-necked Duck (101), Common Goldeneye (175), and Wild Turkey (948). The most numerous species seen were Mallards (9114) and Canada Geese (5726). It was the second year for Redhead (6), third year for California Gull (4), and fourth for Greater Scaup (1). Species seen that have been recorded slightly less often were Trumpeter Swan (12), American Coot (24), Golden Eagle (1), Northern Pygmy-Owl (3), Chestnut-backed Chickadee (3) and Snow Bunting (2). This was the first year Golden-crowned Kinglets have not been recorded.
Thanks again to everyone who helped collect data and make this another successful count!