Darcy Thomas Our little group of eight birding buddies made a stop at Lake Frances near Valier on our way to Choteau and were delighted by the sight of at least 8,000 Snow Geese blanketing the far west end of the lake like a white carpet. An incessant cacophony of honking competed with the cries…
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Troy CBC 2023 Results
Eureka CBC 2023 Results
by Ellen Sullivan and Lauren Michelsen The 31st annual Eureka Christmas Bird Count was held on Saturday, December 16, on a mild day that ranged from 27 degrees to 33 degrees. Koocanusa Reservoir was open as were parts of the streams, but smaller lakes and ponds were mostly frozen. Eighteen people went to the field…
Read MoreSurrounding NW Montana CBC 2022 Results
Upper Swan CBC December 15 Upper Swan held its annual Christmas Bird Count on Thursday, December 15, with nine field observers. We had decent weather with temperatures ranging from 19 to 27, cloudy skies, and wind at 7 mph. Most still water was frozen and moving water was partly open. Snow depths ranged from six…
Read MoreTroy CBC 2021 Results
Troy MT had their CBC on January 1 2022. Weather was tough with 8-16” of snow and temperatures ranging from –11 to +10 degrees with little or no sun. Saving grace was there was little wind. We had 19 Field observers ranging from 5 years old to just plain old. For those who aren’t familiar…
Read MoreSmith 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…
Read MoreSmith 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…
Read MoreConservation Educator’s Niche – May 2020
By Denny Olson My son (second-grade teacher-from-home) sent me a Facebook post — not his own — that summed up our present predicament in quarantine. “The spread of COVID-19 is determined by only two factors: 1. How dense the population is2. How dense the population is The lesson is clear. Expertise, and following expertise suggestions,…
Read MoreFlathead Valley Bird Report – December 2019
by Joshua Covill Rare and Notables – November 2019 10/20 – Barred Owl photographed at Owen Sowerwine Natural Area (Jake B.) 10/25 – Surf Scoter in Somers Bay, Flathead Lake (Craig H.) 10/27 – 8 Greater White-fronted Geese on West Valley Ponds with Canada Geese flocks (Dan C.) 10/27 – Surf Scoter on Foy’s Lake…
Read MoreEureka 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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