by Alex Crowley (age 12) Chicken? Duck? Nope! It’s the American Coot, one of the coolest birds you can see here in Northwest Montana! The American Coot, or Fulica americana, can be found along the banks of our slow rivers and on the edges of our lakes and ponds. You may even see one on…
Read MoreAuthor: Jake Bramante
Ninepipes CBC 2021 Results
by James Oates The Ninepipes CBC was conducted on December 19th, with 19 participants split into 8 parties. 73 species, which is about average, were reported with no new species. The total number of birds was down about 30% mostly in Canada Geese and Red-winged Blackbirds. A possible new species was seen on the 15th…
Read MoreFlathead Valley Bird Report – March 2022
by Dan Casey Rare and Notables – Jan/Feb At least two Snowy Owls persisted in the Lower Valley northeast of Somers throughout the period and were enjoyed by many local and visiting birders. Seasonally uncommon to rare, a White-throated Sparrow and a Brown-headed Cowbird continued at feeders in Whitefish and Creston, respectively. Migrant waterfowl numbers…
Read MoreMarch 2022 Program – “Bird Brain” is a Compliment!
presented by Denny Olson Birds have often been described in disparaging terms as “dodos” — incapable of anything but instinctive behaviors, and having tiny brains with limited learning capacity. After all they’re just reptiles with feathers, right? Bird brains are smaller, to be sure, but mostly because of the weight limit demands of flight. Even…
Read MoreFebruary 2022 presentation on the challenges of grassland bird conservation now available for replay!
At our February 2022 General Meeting, Dan Casey discussed his work on grasslands preservation primarily with ranchers to help grassland birds and their preferred habitats. His work entailed going from town to town, meeting with ranchers and landowners to discuss ways to help them achieve goals of feeding cattle (and keeping their lands as grazing…
Read MoreConservation Educator’s Niche – February 2022
by Denny Olson It was such a relief, after seemingly endless COVID variants, cancellations, sequesterings and quarantines, to see real people in front of me at the January “hybrid” meeting. I almost felt that I recognized some of the well-spaced upper halves of faces in the audience — but it’s been a while, you know…
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