by Darcy Thomas In the darkness of an early October morning, a small group of birders gathered together at the West Valley Ponds viewing area with binoculars and spotting scopes and waited for sunrise. At first light, Canada Geese began to cackle and Mallards began their quacking. Then as sunrise brightened the skies with gorgeous…
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by Denny Olson The evening version of Sandhill Crane watching happened October 1, after a downpour rain delay of one day. The cranes staged at distance or just out of sight, while a few hundred Canada Geese came into the pond. A fairly good variety of waterfowl were there from the start. Just at sunset,…
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by Linda deKort West Valley Naturalists are back with presentations at West Valley School (2290 Farm to Market Road, Kalispell). Laura Katzman, Land Protection Specialist with Flathead Land Trust, will talk about the Sandhill Cranes which grace our valley each fall when hundreds of them refuel at a staging area in the West Valley on…
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by Darcy Thomas Our Bird of the Month authors deserve a wonderful word of praise for their contributions to the newsletter this year. Once again, we had a couple of new authors including Alex Crowley who is a 12-year-old bird lover who wrote about the American Coot and even included his own drawings for the…
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by Darcy Thomas Eleven hardy birders braved the cold, windy morning on April 10th to go bird watching around Smith Lake. We were rewarded for our discomfort by spending a morning in great company and seeing many beautiful birds. We saw a total of 31 species. Our highlights included Sandhill Cranes which we saw at…
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by Denny Olson Flathead Audubon and its Education Committee, partner Flathead Land Trust and consultant Region One Fish, Wildlife and Parks, are embarking on a plan to use 7th and 8th-grade education about birds as a portal to a broader concept of “place-based” education. Montana School Standards, are by definition, generic. They have application across…
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by Dan Casey Rare and Notables – Feb/March The Long-tailed Duck at Bigfork, first found in Feb, was joined by another at the same location. One or more Snowy Owls continued near Somers, and a variety of uncommon gull species were reported, mostly from Flathead Lake. Bluebirds and Western Meadowlarks arrived in early March, and…
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by Denny Olson It has been an unforgettable year. The uncertainty of COVID and all of its variants has us all wishing for personal contact, more mobility and that calming feeling of being safe from invisible and unpredictable forces. It doesn’t help that, just when we are seeing a glimmer of light on the horizon,…
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by Gael Bissell Good News! Migratory Bird Treaty Act Is Back! But Improvements Need Your Support! (It’s Easy!!!) From National Audubon Action Alert: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced it is not only reinstating bird protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), but is also considering strengthening the rules going forward. A…
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by Darcy Thomas A group of 12 bird lovers participated in the Sandhill Crane Viewing at the West Valley ponds just north of Kalispell. Darcy Thomas led the group which saw over 250 Sandhill Cranes. From the Bird and Wildlife Viewing Area a large group of cranes grazed in the agricultural fields very near the…
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