by Pete Fisher The 22nd Kalispell Christmas Bird Count held on Sunday, January 3, 2021, recorded a total of 77 species, a number which is about average for this count. Highlights included the first ever Canvasback (small slough at southern end of Woodland Avenue) and first ever Short-eared Owl (hunting at dusk in West Valley…
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by Carole Jorgensen DEAD WOOD Before you remove or burn those dead trees or brush piles, think about the critters that live there. Dead wood (standing and down dead trees and logs, bark, stumps and roots) creates a complex community storing carbon, moisture, invertebrates and fungi. Primary excavators such as woodpeckers, create cavities for nesting…
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National Audubon Society 2019 Climate Report by Lewis Young, Conservation Committee In 2014, National Audubon Society published a report documenting the effects of climate change on birds. This 2019 report revisits the same subject. It utilizes peer-reviewed data to look at the vulnerability of birds across North America to climate change based on a new,…
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by Lisa Bate Glacier National Park (GNP) held its annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) on Sunday, December 16, 2018. Thirty participants contributed to this event by covering 10 different routes in Glacier and 1 bird feeder in West Glacier. Participants spent the day counting all bird species and individuals detected. The weather was unusually mild…
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by Pete Fisher, compiler The 19th annual Kalispell CBC was held on Sunday, December 31. A total of 78 species were counted. This is a respectable number given the harsh weather conditions (subzero temperatures, up to 3 feet of snow). The count’s first ever Northern Shoveler was found as well as the second ever Common Grackle. Record high numbers…
Read Moreby 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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Highlights from December 2016 Board Meeting The December Board Meeting was cancelled due to the snowstorm but some business was conducted by email afterward. Voted to approve the minutes from the November Board Meeting. Agreed to send out an appeal letter for donations to the West Valley Wetlands Project. West Valley Naturalists Did you know…
Read MoreBIRDS WHO CAN REALLY GET A GRIP! By Jeannie Marcure As members of the bird family SITTIDAE, nuthatches are described by this Greek word as birds that peck at the bark of trees. Additionally, the name nuthatch originated in Europe and refers to the foraging technique in which the birds take a seed, fly to…
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By Linda de Kort Last week, the serviceberry bushes by our home were buzzing with royal activity. Kinglets of both local species were flitting and hovering, gleaning the insects from the leaves of the bush. This gave me a golden and ruby opportunity to compare the field markings of these two diminutive birds. The kinglets…
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