presented by Dan Casey Grassland-dependent bird species are the most rapidly declining North American birds. Luckily, diverse public/private partnerships have been formed to address the critical issue of declining habitat quality and quantity. Innovative approaches have been developed to define and deliver actions to protect, restore and enhance grassland habitats. Dan Casey will draw on…
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by Craig Hohenberger The 48th annual Bigfork Christmas Bird Count was held Saturday, December 18th, under cloudy skies and snow throughout the day, with mild SSW winds. Snow depths were about 7 inches at the eastern edges of the count circle and 2-3 inches in the valley; temperatures ranged from 15-26 degrees F. Lakes and…
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At our January 2022 General Meeting, Ben Deeble discussed the efforts to reintroduce and establish Sharp-tailed Grouse in Western Montana. While plentiful east of the Continental Divide, Sharp-tailed Grouse no longer inhabit their historical range west of the divide. Ben discusses some natural history of these fascinating birds and the efforts underway to return them…
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by Denny Olson It has been an unforgettable year. The uncertainty of COVID and all of its variants has us all wishing for personal contact, more mobility and that calming feeling of being safe from invisible and unpredictable forces. It doesn’t help that, just when we are seeing a glimmer of light on the horizon,…
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by Denny Olson In the summer of 2017, Flathead High School International Baccalaureate Students Conrad Hedinger, Molly Adams and Sarah Randolph did increment borer fieldwork aging black cottonwood trees at 16 plot points in a grid pattern at Owen Sowerwine Natural Area (OSNA). The casual observation suspicion that cottonwoods were not regenerating very well was…
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Highlights from the December 6, 2021 Board of Directors Meeting Rod Wallette, Treasurer, reported that WCF has discontinued the Day of Giving fundraiser, he is seeking bids to renew the FAS insurance policies, and the Montana Audubon Wildlife Grant application will be submitted. Rod also initiated continuing discussion about investments/endowments at WCF, and it was…
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by Linda Winnie In December 1976 the Bigfork Bird Club voted to turn itself into an Audubon Chapter named the Flathead Audubon Society. The first meeting of this new organization was held in Bigfork in January 1977, 45 years ago. Officers were elected, and the group began gathering the 35 new members it needed to…
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by Pam Willison, Co-Chair OSNA During 2021, volunteers spent nearly 300 hours in Owen Sowerwine, doing work to remove or control plant species that are not native. The efforts were primarily directed toward cutting Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and February Daphne (Daphne mezereum) bushes, and removing seed heads from noxious weeds, particularly houndstongue, Canada thistle,…
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by Gael Bissell Here are two ways to shake off these gray short days of winter! First, head to this year’s top 100 bird photos from National Audubon’s 2021 photography contest by going to https://www.audubon.org/news/the-2021-audubon-photography-awards-top-100 where your jaw will drop as you peruse the zoomed Green Heron (taken by a youth photographer), a gorgeous close-up…
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