By Jess Garby
Happy April, dear readers of the Pileated Post! The past weeks have been filled with school visits, ranging from Creston to Somers to West Valley. I have reached 261 students in four weeks just from these school visits alone.
Fifth graders are much hardier than I previously thought! Somers Middle School fifth graders braved single digit temperatures to join Linda Du Lac, Ronda Howell, and me for the first Great Backyard Bird Count of 2025. The students learned to identify Common Ravens by their iconic ‘row’ flight style, and Northern Flickers by their call and undulating flight. Thank you, Linda and Ronda, for sharing your love of birds with these students.
My wonderful group of 22 FVCC Senior Institute students have been thoroughly enjoying the six-week Intro to Birds of Northwest Montana course. I have to admit, they have been a highlight for me too! Each Friday I speak for two hours about a variety of different bird topics; from silhouette identification, to bird songs and calls, and a deep dive into raptors of the Flathead Valley. To give the students a break from hearing me excitedly talk about birds, the course has also featured speakers from the local bird community. Our very own Audubon Board Member, Jake Bramante, shared how to find more birds in the Flathead Valley throughout each season. Stay tuned to hear about the final weeks of the course.
In mid-February I spent an entire Saturday talking about my favorite group of birds – raptors! Laura Katzman, from Flathead Land Trust, and Denver Holt, of the Owl Research Institute, joined me on an all-day tour in the Mission Valley. At the end of the morning tour, I was excited to find a Ferruginous Hawk perfectly perched on a fence post. The gorgeous feathered-legged buteo sat patiently as we admired its beauty with awe. All the field trip participants were shocked to see the size difference between the Red-tailed Hawks we saw most of the day and the much larger Ferruginous Hawk.
I also recently had the honor of judging at both the Kalispell Montessori School Science Fair and the Flathead County Science Fair. Flathead Audubon presented a special Wildlife Conservation Award at the County Science Fair.
In other news, I had a very fantastic bird sighting this month… a Long-eared Owl in my yard! It truly surprised Mica and I while on our evening dog walk. I should make a life-list for all the birds my now 9-month old puppy, Mica has seen!
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