By Dan Casey
Rare and Notables – October/November 2025
See also: https://ebird.org/region/US-MT-029?yr=all
The weather remained mild throughout the period, with snow and ice restricted mostly to the mountains. This made for a gradual influx of winter birds, although Bohemian Waxwings and Rough-legged Hawks were fairly widely reported by the end of the period. Snow Geese, normally more common in spring, made a good showing around the valley. Other notables including lingering breeding species (e.g. Red-naped Sapsucker, Spotted Towhee, Western Bluebird), as well has “expected” migrant waterfowl, shorebirds and waterbirds. The Short-billed Gull first found 12 Oct in Lakeside was present through 27 October, but gull abundance and diversity was surprisingly low. An Anna’s Hummingbird was present in the Many Lakes area throughout the period (Michell DLT).
10/14 – Snow Goose (12, first of season) Creston Wetland (Craig H)
10/15 – Red-naped Sapsucker (1, late) Old Freight Road, St Ignatius (Anon.)
10/16 – Wilson’s Warbler (1, late) Polson (Glenn S)
10/24 – Lewis’s Woodpecker (1, late) Wild Horse Island (Derrick R)
10/24 – Surf Scoter (1) Foy’s Lake (Craig H) (present through 10/27 (Jake B)
10/27 – Ferruginous Hawk (1) Lower Valley Rd (Dan C)
10/28 – Pacific Loon (2) Bowman Lake (Steve G, Eric G)
10/30 – Dunlin (1) Flathead Lake WPA (Shawn R, Raylene W)
10/31 – Dunlin (2) Creston Wetland (Jake B)
10/31 – Western Bluebird (1, late) Creston Wetland (Jake B)
10/31 – Snow Bunting (1, first of season) Upper Whitefish Lake (Josh C)
11/04 – Snow Goose (500) (seasonal max) Kalispell (Beth V)
11/07 – Cackling Goose (3) West Valley Viewing Area (Dan C)
11/07 – Surf Scoter (1) West Valley (Patrick B)
11/09 – Spotted Towhee (1, late) St Ignatius (Dan S)
11/11 – Ferruginous Hawk (1) South of Columbia Falls (Jake B)
What to Expect – November/December 2025
Late November and early December can continue to provide surprises, particularly if our lakes stay ice-free. It’s a good time to scan flocks of diving ducks, and loons should be scrutinized closely to look for the rarer species. Gull diversity should continue to increase as Glaucous, Iceland, Lesser Black-backed, or even Glaucous-winged Gulls arrive. It’s also a great time to look through the wintering raptors for Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawks and the diverse plumages of Rough-legged Hawks.