Highlights from the September 8, 2020 Board meeting

  • Jan Metzmaker reported on our current results for the Great Fish fundraising event, and reminded that all donations must be in by September 18 at 5 PM.
  • The Newsletter Committee and the Membership Committee are both looking for an apprentice who could “learn the ropes”, and serve as a back-up to current members.
  • It was decided that the September and October meetings will be held virtually, but that our November meeting can safely be held in the larger meeting room at United Way.
  • Details were clarified:  for the mail-in ballot in October, for the OSNA Work Day on October 3, for the October newsletter, and for how future field trips can safely be conducted.
  • Cory Davis reported on the status of the negotiations with DNRC, seeking a long-term solution for the management of Owen Sowerwine. They reviewed a draft version of a potential Flathead Land Trust Conservation Easement for the area.

THANK YOU to all who donated to Flathead Audubon in the Great Fish Community Challenge! You and the Flathead community donated an amazing $15,156 (preliminary total) by the September 18 deadline, soon the Whitefish Community Foundation will add a considerable match to these contributions. We will post the total Great Fish Challenge results on our website and in the next newsletter. Thank you! – Gael Bissell, President

“Bird Notes” – Virtual Birding and ID

Dick Hutto and Sue Reel of Montana University have teamed up to make a series of short YouTube videos while they are out in the field looking and listening for birds. Each video features one Montana species, providing ID tips – visual and audio, and info on behavior and life history. They are fun and packed with information.  See https://preview.tinyurl.com/y2mpd558 for an overview; check along the side for the species specific videos – 27 of them so far.

Project Feederwatch

If you enjoy feeding birds in your yard you may be able to turn your love of birds into a citizen science effort by participating in Project FeederWatch. Operated by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada, Project FeederWatch is a winter survey of birds that visit backyards as well as nature centers and other locations in communities throughout North America. It’s as easy as 1,2,3. Put up a feeder, count birds, and enter your data.

 Project FeederWatch begins November 14 and runs through mid-April. Participants determine when and how often they want to count birds. There is no set schedule, so it is easy to fit into even a busy week.

How do you participate? Just google www.FeederWatch.org where you will find information on joining and access to a free on-line bird identification guide. There is an $18 fee for U.S. citizens ($15 for Cornell Lab Members) necessary to analyze data.