Bird ID and Costume Trunk – for pre-school to middle school ages. What’s a great way to learn about birds? By becoming one of course! This trunk provides a costume to dress your students up with all the major bird adaptations to turn them into “real” birds of a feather, and real feathers for show…
Read MoreBurrowing Owl
THE HOWDY BIRD By Jeannie Marcure According to a recent article in the Yakima Herald Republic, the pioneers often saw the bird that we know today as the Burrowing Owl as they crossed the western prairies. Because it stood at the entrance to its burrow, bobbing up and down as if to greet them, they…
Read MoreBarred Owl
Ruddy Duck
THE DUCK WITH THE SKY BLUE BILL by Linda de Kort “Why did the artist paint that duck with a bright blue bill?” That is a question posed by those admiring the colorful Montana Audubon license plate. The answer is: because that is an accurate representation of the sky blue color of the bill of…
Read MorePassenger Pigeon
MARTHA, THE LAST OF HER KIND By Mary Nelesen It has been a little over a year since I first learned of Martha, the last known Passenger Pigeon. While attending the National Audubon Society Convention in July 2013, I happened upon an exhibit where people were encouraged to fold an origami pigeon to help commemorate…
Read MoreRed-tailed Hawk
Blue Jay
Blue Jays in Montana—A Wake Up Call By Kathy Ross The piercing call of the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) fills the crisp winter morning landscape, startling every creature around. If you were not awake before, you will be now. I grew up in the Midwest, and Blue Jays were a constant part of life. After…
Read MoreGray-crowned Rosy-finch
By Dennis Olson In the early autumn I lunched above timberline in Glacier National Park with a small group of hikers, overlooking the vast prairie lands to the west. The wind was howling through a saddle and we were sheltered in the upper reaches of a cliff dropping thousands of feet to the valley floor….
Read MoreDowny & Hairy Woodpecker
HAIRY OR DOWNY? By Jeannie Marcure This month’s feature birds are two of my favorites—partly I suspect, because like many of us, they are yearlong residents in the Flathead. Their frequent appearance at my suet feeders has brightened many cold, snowy days and in March their persistent drumming as they search for mates is often…
Read MoreBohemian & Cedar Waxwings
By Gail Cleveland There is a chill in the air, the flowers are fading and the Mountain Ash berries, snowberries, rose hips and ornamental crab apples will soon be the “color” in my backyard. These berries will be the winter food for one of my favorite birds, the Waxwings. During the winter months, flocks of…
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