By Mary Nelesen The Clark’s nutcracker, named after the famed Lewis and Clark explorer, Captain William Clark, was mistaken for a woodpecker when first sighted by The Corps of Discovery while they camped with the Shoshone Indians near Idaho’s Lemhi River, on August 22, 1805. This jay-sized gray bird with glossy black wings with a…
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By Linda DeKort The first time I spotted a flock of Evening Grosbeaks at a feeder adjacent to Owen Sowerwine Natural Area, I thought I was witnessing escapees from a tropical bird aviary. The plumage of these stocky robin-sized birds is stunning and unmistakable. The male’s forehead and eyebrows are bright yellow. The crown is…
Read MoreBy Gail Cleveland It is late February; the snow is still covering the backyard with deep, crusty snow. I am looking for a harbinger of spring. The mountain ash berries are nearly gone, eaten by the resident winter flock of Pine grosbeaks and an occasional flock of waxwings. But there are still a few berries…
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By Jeannie Marcure Now that spring is officially here, it seems appropriate to write about one of my favorite spring arrivals— the Spotted Sandpiper. Before I became serious about birding, the word sandpiper evoked an image of sunny tropical beaches filled with small unidentifiable birds playing happily in the surf. However, as I became more…
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By John Ashley There are only two serious contenders for the most dazzling duck in western Montana. The male Wood Duck and male Harlequin Duck are easily our most decked-out waterfowl. But other than looking outrageously handsome, there are surprisingly few similarities between these two Montana natives. Trying to describe the feathers on these fellows…
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By Jeannie Marcure Because we live in such a desirable tourist destination, many of us have frequent visitors during our beautiful short summers. In fact, a common joke around the Flathead describes our climate as nine months of winter and three months of relatives! At our home south of town, we’ve been privileged to have…
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By Gail Cleveland The acrobatic aerial display of two jet black birds soaring, wheeling and tumbling with wingtips touching — inverted commas in the sky. This spring scene is the mating display of the Common Raven,the largest of the passerines (perching birds) that has “become the most widely naturally disturbed bird in the world, inhabiting…
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By Lisa Bate See a flash of red-orange from a flying bird, hear the familiar “flicka, flicka, flicka” call and I know that one of my favorite birds has just landed. It is the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)! This species is unmistakable in the field because the lower surface of its wings and tail are…
Read MoreBy Linda de Kort The whir of young hummingbirds is in the air as they buff up and prepare for their southern journey.Their parents arrived here last spring from as far away as Mexico. Most adults have already started their return to their wintering grounds and the young will be leaving by the end of…
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