Hawks, owls, eagles, and falcons – up close and personal – and Free! From 9am to 1pm on Saturday, September 14th, Flathead Audubon and Lone Pine State Park are putting on this big event, with activities for everyone including great programs, live raptors, exhibits, and prizes! At 10 am, Flathead Audubon will present a new…
Read More
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…
Read More
by Craig Hohenberger The 50th annual Bigfork Christmas Bird Count was held Saturday, December 16th, under cloudy skies (fog & stratus) with calm conditions. Snow depths were variable, with most areas in the valley essentially snow free. At the eastern edge of the count circle, snow depths ranged from zero to six inches. Temperatures ranged…
Read More
by Dan Casey Rare and Notables – November/December 2023 Winter was slow to arrive, and our avifauna did not change much from the previous month. Scoters continued at Foy’s Lake; all three of our largest falcon species made appearances. Steller’s Jays, Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls were widespread, but Bohemian Waxwing numbers did not build…
Read More
by Dan Casey With another 21 surveys conducted since the last update in the Pileated Post, the 16th season of raptor surveys in the Jewel Basin has continued to result in above-average numbers for many species. We had tallied 2,586 raptors of 17 species as of October 15th. These included record numbers of Broad-winged Hawks,…
Read More
by Denny Olson As with most good things in life, it starts with getting up. Early. Lunch for the day, raingear, extra layers of clothing to adjust to the autumn temperature swings at high elevation, extra drinking water, bear spray, binoculars, foam sit pad, first aid kit, sunscreen and hat, hiking poles, multi-tool and headlamp…
Read More
by Dan Casey The 16th fall monitoring season at Jewel Basin Hawk Watch (JBHW) kicked off August 25th, and as of September 15th we had conducted 18 surveys. It has been an interesting and rewarding early season, with high species diversity and higher than average counts. We suspect that the extensive fires in British Columbia…
Read More
The 23rd annual Kalispell Christmas Bird Count was held Sunday, Jan. 2nd, a day with calm winds that started sunny and finished with overcast skies. We had 36 participants in 18 parties, who reported temperatures from -2F in the morning to 23F in the afternoon, and snow depths of 2-23 inches. Our efforts included more…
Read More
by Dan Casey Rare and Notables – Dec/Jan A “Red” Fox Sparrow and a White-throated Sparrow joined long-staying Brown-headed Cowbird and Lesser Goldfinch as notable birds visiting valley feeders. Up to three Snowy Owls were seen in the Lower Valley near Somers throughout the period, and all five species of falcons were found locally during…
Read More