by Denny Olson The Planetary Story: Part One. Very, very long ago and not so far away, a giant blob of rock and iron cooled, water pooled over much of its surface, and somehow, green things that reproduce themselves populated the water and the land, oxygenating the thin skin of atmosphere. Plants didn’t need anything…
Read More
by Kathy Ross To kick off activities for Flathead Audubon Birds of Prey week, workshops were held at Montana Wild Wings Raptor Recovery Center on September. 11 and 14. The enthusiastic participants enjoyed a wealth of information about the most abundant migrating raptors of Jewel Basin Hawkwatch site. A beautiful Sharp-shinned and a Coopers hawk,…
Read More
by Darcy Thomas and Pam Willison Darcy Thomas represented Flathead Audubon at the Forestry Fair in Riverfront Park in Libby on September 24. The fair was sponsored by the Kootenai Forest Stakeholders Coalition. Darcy set up an educational table and provided information about forestry birds. Many people stopped to talk about birds and forest conservation,…
Read More
by Pam Willison It’s the time of year when common sneezeweed is blooming in Owen Sowerwine, and a person might assume it gets its name because it causes itchy eyes and sneezing in allergy sufferers. However, this native aster acquired the name sneezeweed because it was dried and used as a “snuff”, resulting in sneezes…
Read More
by Cindy Roberts Tell an educator you know about Flathead Audubon Educational Trunks! Flathead Audubon Society has educational trunks available for check-out again, with materials for teachers, home-schoolers, and others interested in birds, their habitats, and conservation. All trunks are free of charge. The trunks and materials can be used to build, enhance, and bring…
Read Moreby Denny Olson Locally, with the frightening uptick in Delta variant COVID cases, it would be easy to sink into the “not again!” cloistering depression of our past year. If you are tempted to resignedly wallow a bit, here are some alternatives I gleaned from our old FAS phenology calendars. The key, as usual, is…
Read Moreby Denny Olson I decided to take a departure from the usual this month. Recently, we have seen our Valley “relapse” into another round of a pandemic variant, and the resulting cancellations and disappointments, and the depressing prospects of us returning to “normal” soon, have taken an emotional toll. But lest…
Read More
Due to current health concerns, we have cancelled our beloved in-person Birds of Prey Festival event at Lone Pine on Sept 18 but we have lined up a series of exciting in person and virtual Birds of Prey events. ID Live Raptors up close with Wild Wings Flathead Audubon and Wild Wings Raptor Recovery Center…
Read More
“Growing Native Plants for Birds” a presentation by Kathy Ross, will be hosted by the Center for Native Plants on Thursday, August. 5, 6 pm. You are welcome to arrive early or stay afterwards to look over the variety of native plants available at the Center. The Center for Native Plants is at 5605 Hwy…
Read MoreBy Denny Olson An enterprising climatologist once calculated the rate of spring’s advance to the north. It averages a half-mile per hour, or twelve miles per day – not supersonic, but not glacial either. In fact, it’s an easy walking speed. The roller-coaster fits and starts of that long transition can be frustrating after a…
Read More