by Shannon and Bridger Donaldson The 25th Annual Kalispell Christmas Bird Count took place on Sunday, December 31, 2023. It was New Year’s Eve and most everything on the valley floor was cloaked in an amazing amount of hoar frost. Very low visibility was the theme for the day, as it was incredibly foggy, especially…
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Rare and Notables – Nov/Dec 2022 As we shifted into winter weather, smaller lakes froze and the waterfowl flocks on Flathead Lake and River grew, particularly mixed flocks of Aythya species (Redhead, Canvasback, scaup). The first Snowy Owls of the season arrived, and there were a few notable lingering birds that more typically leave us…
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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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By Margaret Parodi. Seventeen people participated in the Flathead Audubon field trip to the Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge (northwest of Marion) on June 19. Participants met at the refuge headquarters at 8:30 am. The day was cool, breezy, and sunny, with morning temperature in the lower 50’s, later reaching a high of 65 degrees. The…
Read MoreBy Gael Bissell Each spring, just after the ice melts and the bulk of the Northern Pintails and American Wigeon pass through our waters, I quickly look for the brightly colored Redheads (Aythya americana). I am not sure why I like these particular waterfowl; perhaps it’s because when I see them in the Flathead Valley,…
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