|
|
 |
|
|
2006 |
|
DECEMBER |
 |
CHRISTMAS BIRDS
By
Jeannie
Marcure
For
most of us, the month of December is filled with
visions of sugar-plums and the other trappings
that have come to be expected during the holiday
season; but for bird lovers the premier event
might just be Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird
Count. This annual event offers opportunities
for both expert and novice birders to gather and
spend a day observing, counting, and learning
about birds.
>
MORE |
|
|
|
NOVEMBER |
 |
TURKEY TALES
By Gail Cleveland for Flathead Audubon
In early
August, two Wild Turkey Moms and twelve chicks
showed up in our backyard. At that time one
female led the chicks while the other brought up
the rear. Their target was underneath our bird
feeder----sunflower seeds. While the chicks ate,
one Mom was always on duty, head raised,
surveying the area for signs of danger.
>
MORE |
|
|
OCTOBER |
 |
NORTHERN
HARRIERS, HUNTERS OF THE MARSH
By
Jeannie Marcure
Although my years of bird watching have
familiarized me with many of the beautiful birds
in our area, I have to confess that when it
comes to raptors I’m still often frustrated by
my inability to make positive identifications.
>
MORE |
|
|
SEPTEMBER |
 |
NORTHERN
HARRIERS, HUNTERS OF THE MARSH
By
Jim Graves
We have been watching a family of raptors swoop
and soar around a neighborhood wetland
throughout the summer. These relatively small
hawks are Northern Harriers. Harrier means
hunter and the harrier jet, which can take off
and land vertically, was named for it.
>
MORE |
|
|
AUGUST |
 |
YOUNG HUMMERS
PREPARE FOR TAKE-OFF
By
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 this month.
>
MORE |
|
|
JULY |
 |
WAITING FOR
LATE ARRIVALS
Compiled by
Jeannie Marcure
When I moved to a new neighborhood five years
ago, I was fairly confident in my ability to
identify the birds that frequent the Flathead
Valley. However, that confidence was soon shaken
when I met my new neighbors who were camping and
building a house on the hill above us. Once I’d
told them of my interest in birds, they asked me
to identify the bird making that “rude sound” in
the early morning and evening. Well, I didn’t
have a clue!
>
MORE |
|
|
|
|
JUNE |
 |
OUR STATE BIRD
Compiled by
Jeannie Marcure
The first bird song that I learned to recognize
as I was growing up on the prairies of eastern
South Dakota was that of the western meadowlark.
There, as here, spotting a meadowlark sitting on
a fence post, head thrown back in jubilant song,
was one of the rites of spring. Some twenty-five
years later when I relocated to Western Montana,
I was delighted to learn that not only did the
western meadowlark live here, but that it was
the state bird of Montana.
>
MORE |
|
|
|
MAY |
 |
AS THE SWALLOWS
RETURN TO ….. THE FLATHEAD
Compiled by Linda deKort
Like the
legendary cliff swallows who loyally return each
year to the mission in Capistrano, California,
the swallows of the Flathead are arriving back
at their predictable times. We may not greet
them with the ringing of church bells, nor a
huge fiesta, but their return is no less
remarkable.
>
MORE |
|
|
APRIL
 |
BALD EAGLE OR
GOLDEN EAGLE?
By
Ben Long, FAS Member
Flathead County is fortunate to host
both of North America’s eagles. Both are majestic,
but they are unique and not even closely
related species: the bald eagle and the golden
eagle.
>
MORE |
|
|
MARCH
 |
HOUSE FINCH EYE
DISEASE APPEARS IN
WESTERN MONTANA
By
Jeannie Marcure
House
Finches are among the most reliable and frequent
visitors to feeders in the Flathead Valley. At
our home south of Kalispell, 30 to 40 of these
cheery, sparrow-sized birds spend most of the
day perching in the top of a larch tree near the
house and making frequent visits to the feeders
and water on our deck.
>
MORE |
|
|
FEBRUARY
 |
RED RED-WINGED
BLACKBIRDS
OUR TRUE HARBINGERS OF SPRING
By
Linda de Kort
February
seems to be a time when we begin to question the
length of our winter. Will Punxsutawney Phil see
his shadow on February 2? Will we have 6 more
weeks of misty skies and crystalline trees? One
of the reassuring events of this month is the
reliable return of the Red-winged Blackbirds—
Flathead County’s true harbingers of spring.
>
MORE |
|
|
JANUARY
 |
SNOWFLAKE BIRDS
By Jeannie Marcure
This month’s feature bird visits the Flathead in
winter, seeking relief from the harsh weather of
its breeding grounds in the tundra and has the
distinction of being the only winter songbird in
our area that is mostly white.
>
MORE |
|
|
|
|
|
