by Dan Casey Rare and Notables – JAN/FEB 2023 The latter half of January and the first half of February can often be the slowest birding season of the year. Crusted snow and ice can decrease habitat suitability for seedeaters and raptors, and many waterbodies are frozen. Such was the case this winter, and few…
Read MoreRare and Notables – DEC 2022/JAN 2023 Mid-December through mid-January was a period with mostly gray skies, periodic snows, and one period of deep cold. As the snow and lakes iced over, raptor numbers declined, but several species of owls were among the notables. “Winter finches” were scarce, with few reports of redpolls, Pine Grosbeaks…
Read Moreby Dan Casey Rare and Notables – Oct/Nov 2022 Well, the unseasonably warm weather came to a rather abrupt halt in mid-October. By mid-November, the Sandhill Cranes had left, Tundra Swans and Snow Geese were passing through, and Rough-legged Hawks were here in good numbers. White-winged and Surf Scoters graced Foy’s Lake and scattered individual…
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by Denny Olson Owen Sowerwine Our Local Outdoor Classroom A couple of days ago, I led a small group of three on a field trip to Owen Sowerwine, that roughly 442-acre parcel of State School Trust land located along the Stillwater and Flathead Rivers just east of Willow Glen near Kalispell. The trip emphasized the…
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by Lisa Bate Glacier National Park (GNP) held its annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) on Sunday, December 19, 2021. Twenty-two participants contributed to this event by covering 10 different routes in Glacier. Participants spent the day counting all bird species and individuals detected. The weather was overcast with light winds, and temperatures ranged between 29…
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by Dan Casey Rare and Notables – Oct/Nov Wintery weather was slow to come, but winter migrants and residents began to arrive, including Tundra Swans, Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Shrikes, Bohemian Waxwings and Common Redpolls. Rarities included all three scoter species, 2 lingering Anna’s Hummingbirds, and a Lesser Goldfinch in Somers. See https://ebird.org/region/US-MT-029?yr=all for more. 9/28…
Read Moreby Dan Casey Rare and Notables – Aug/Sept Cold fronts were few and far between, and correspondingly, the quantity of fall migrants seemed low. But several rarities were found, including two county firsts (Chestnut-sided Warbler, Ruddy Turnstone). Sandhill Cranes began to gather in the West Valley as the last hummingbirds, swallows and Ospreys moved on…
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Rare and Notables – November 2020 Incredibly, the YELLOW-BILLED LOON (immature) found on Dickey Lake by Nikki M. on July 5th was present until Oct. 21st at the latest (Lewis Y.) Unsure if it is still around. 10/19 – Surf Scoter found at the Creston wetland (Craig H.) 10/23 – Mew Gull spotted at the…
Read Moreby Joshua Covill Rare and Notables – October 2020 Incredibly, the YELLOW-BILLED LOON (immature) found on Dickey Lake by Nikki M. on July 5th is still present! Dan Casey resighted the loon on Oct. 17th 09/18 – Swamp Sparrow found near Creston (Craig H.) 09/21 – 2 White-faced Ibis in the West Valley Ponds…
Read Moreby Joshua Covill Rare and Notables – January 2020 12/24 – the NORTHERN CARDINAL in Marion was seen again at the same private residence that it was initially reported from, meaning it was been around for 1.5 months (Criag H. & Raylene W.) 12/29 – Prairie Falcon along Fairview Cemetery Rd south of Columbia Falls…
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