Hummingbird Highlight By Shannon Donaldson Compare these two male hummingbirds, both are common in Northwest Montana. Do you see some differences? You may notice their shiny, iridescent throat feathers first, also called their gorget. Gorget comes from the French word for throat. Male Rufous Hummingbirds are a rusty brown color with a flashy red-orange gorget. Male…
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Hardly a Life of Royalty by Karen Nichols Golden-crowned Kinglets are a mystery and a marvel of wintertime survival in the north woods. These grey and olive birds weigh only the mass of two pennies — just bigger than a Rufous Hummingbird. This species is Montana’s smallest permanent resident passerine and it eats insects all…
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by Dan Casey Important Bird Area Status Last month we began a series of articles describing the characteristics, history, and management status of the Owen Sowerwine Natural Area (OSNA). This month we examine its status as an “Important Bird Area”, a designation that carries with it no legal protection, but that recognizes the value of…
Read MoreBy Linda de Kort The whir of young hummingbirds is in the air as they buff up and prepare for their southern journey.Their parents arrived here last spring from as far away as Mexico. Most adults have already started their return to their wintering grounds and the young will be leaving by the end of…
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