by Amy Seaman With fall skies and intermittent snow starting to fall on the peaks around Helena, we at Montana Audubon know that fall is passing quickly, propelling us towards yet another year at the Montana Legislature. We are already starting to gear up for the session ahead, and are excited to bring a legislative…
Read MoreGadwall
by John Hughes Gadwalls (Mareca strepera) are medium sized dabbling ducks. Males are 19-22 inches in length with females being slightly smaller at 18-20 inches. Most people can pick out a male Gadwall fairly easily in a mixed flock of ducks. When asked to describe a Gadwall, what you most often hear is the gray…
Read MoreNovember 2018 Chirps and Squawks
Highlights from October 1, 2018 Board Meeting Derrick Rathe was nominated and approved to fulfill Barb Summer’s position on the Board. Kathy Ross will create a native plant garden at the West Valley Viewing Area. Suggestions were made for other donations from FAS including benches, bluebird houses and a spotting scope. Denny Olson stated approximately…
Read MoreNovember 2018 Program
Studying Bird Populations in Streamside Habitats Over 40 Years presented by Dave Manuwal Dr. Dave Manuwal, who has studied birds in the western US for over 60 years, will be the featured speaker at the Monday, November 12 meeting of the Flathead Audubon Society at 7PM in the Gateway Community Room in Kalispell. He received…
Read MoreLower Lost Prairie Road Bluebird Trail
by Mitch Linne, and Gail Linne In late March, 2018 I took the initial steps toward establishing a bluebird trail at Lost Prairie, west of Marion, Montana. I built seven bluebird-specific boxes from a design provided by Dennis Olson. The original design came from Marty Fregerio. The houses were mounted on existing posts along the…
Read MoreNew West Valley Bird Viewing Area is Open!
About 150 people gathered Saturday evening, October 6, to celebrate the completion of Flathead Land Trust’s West Valley Wetlands Conservation Project, and the Grand Opening of the Project’s new West Valley Bird Viewing Area. The Project has placed conservation easements on 400 acres in the West Valley Ponds Complex, which is a critical staging area…
Read MoreAccess to Owen Sowerwine Natural Area Is Now Year-round
by Denny Olson, Conservation Educator In years past, there has been a conundrum regarding the field trip access to OSNA. The best birding is always in May and June, and that’s when flooding keeps everyone except the ducks, frogs and fish out. When combined with the parking access limited to about 2 cars, school field…
Read MoreConservation Educator’s Niche – October 2018
by Denny Olson Well, it appears that the Birds of Prey Festival is getting to be a “thing”. It’s an odd colloquialism, because I always thought that things were, well, things. But, as I understand it, the modern meaning has an implied “significant” adjective before the word itself. (Don’t get me started on the erosion…
Read MoreOctober 2018 Chirps and Squawks
The September 4 board meeting was held on Bob Lopp’s deck. Kathy Ross, Bob Lee, Mike Fanning, Bob Lopp, Gail Linne, and Gael Bissell were all approved for one year terms. Sadly, Barb Summer has resigned from the board but will continue to be involved. Currently Flathead Audubon has about 400 members. The upcoming Birds…
Read MoreLaura Katzman Flathead – Flathead Land Trust – receives Conservation Achievement Recognition
by Gael Bissell For years, I have been hearing from birders about the West Valley ponds, located about five miles northwest of Kalispell, which consist of a variety of pothole wetlands that support an amazing diversity of shorebirds, waterfowl, and other bird species. Thirty years ago, they were identified as potential mitigation wetlands for Kerr…
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