by Alex Crowley (age 12) Chicken? Duck? Nope! It’s the American Coot, one of the coolest birds you can see here in Northwest Montana! The American Coot, or Fulica americana, can be found along the banks of our slow rivers and on the edges of our lakes and ponds. You may even see one on…
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Smith Lake Field Trip Report – September 2021
by Darcy Thomas A morning of bird watching at Smith Lake in Kila was very successful September 8 with eleven birders joining Darcy Thomas around the lake. Two were visiting from out-of-state and the youngest was only 5 years old. It was a bit chilly at 41 degrees when we started but warmed up comfortably…
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Smith Lake Field Trip 9-8-21 Report
by Darcy Thomas A morning of bird watching September 8 at Smith Lake in Kila was very successful. Eleven birders joined leader Darcy Thomas; two were visiting from out-of-state; the youngest was 5 years old. It was a bit chill at 41 degrees when we started but warmed up comfortably later in the morning. A…
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Eureka CBC 2020 Results
by Ellen Sullivan and Lewis Young The 28th annual Eureka Christmas bird count was held on Friday, December 18 in mild weather that ranged from 34°F to 40°F. The count this year was conducted with appropriate Covid-19 protocols which accounted for a reduced number of field going observers. Sixteen people went to the field and…
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Kalispell Christmas Bird Count 2018 Results
The 20th Kalispell Christmas Bird Count was held on Sunday, December 30. Milder than usual weather (28-35˚ F) and minimal snow cover (2 inches) made for an interesting count. This count could be dubbed “The Year of the Goose”. We encountered astounding numbers of Canada Geese, which were taking full advantage of the exposed farm…
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Eureka CBC 2017 Report
by Lewis Young, compiler The 25th annual Eureka Christmas Bird Count was held on Saturday, December 16 in mild weather that ranged from 22F to 35F. Twenty-two field observers and 15 feeder watchers recorded 69 species and 2779 individual birds. The 69 species were the second highest total in our history. Three new species were…
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American Coot
The “All” American Coot by John Hughes The American Coot, Fulica americana, (Fulica from Latin meaning “coot”) is truly the “All” American Coot. While conventional range maps indicate the absence of Coots in some states in the northeast and Alaska, an examination of eBird’s range map confirms yearly sightings in all continental U.S. states and…
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Kalispell CBC 2016 Report
by Pete Fisher The 18th annual Kalispell Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was held on January 1, 2017. Twenty-eight intrepid field observers braved wind and drifting snow to count 75 species of bird. Four feeder watchers contributed data as well. Major highlights were an Iceland Gull at the Flathead Dump and a Northern Saw-whet Owl at…
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Field Trip Report: Birding by Bicycle
By Laura Katzman and Gael Bissell. Forty people joined Flathead Land Trust, Flathead Audubon, and the Flathead River to Lake Initiative, on a sunny Saturday morning, May 14, for the 2016 spring Bike and Bird field trip. The group met at McWenneger Slough at the 412-acre Fisher property that is protected by a conservation easement…
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New species at Owen-Sowerwine
15 new species have been added to the bird list for Owen Sowerwine Natural Area! Twelve of the added species are the result of some detective work by our new Keeper of the OSNA List, Shawn Richmond. When Shawn took on this new job in November, she began digging into the ebird records for observation…
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