Field Trip Summary – Bison Range

by Darcy Thomas  A small group of four birders spent a lovely Indian Summer Day at the Bison Range. Our bird count was not large (23 taxa) but was varied as we saw both resident birds and migrators. The list included Red Crossbills, Evening Grosbeak, Townsend Solitaire, eagles, hawks, harriers, kestrel, kinglets, siskins, nuthatches, chickadees…

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Field Trip Summary – October 2022 outing extravaganzas for students and adults alike!

by Denny Olson The Sandhill Cranes in West Valley put on a show for students from Evergreen Middle school (2 days), West Valley School (2 days), Cayuse Prairie School, Fairmont Egan School and two adult morning and evening field trips led by Darcy and Denny and assisted by Tom and Cindy Roberts. Bald Eagles in…

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Field Trip to Lower Valley

Field Trip Leader Appreciation (and Recruitment)

Flathead Audubon would like to thank all the dedicated and enthusiastic FAS volunteers who have recently led field trips. These include: Denny Olson, Darcy Thomas, Dan Casey, Bob Lee, Cory Davis, Maria Mantas, Laura Katzman, Beth Watne and the Wild Wings staff, Kathy Ross, Derrick Rathe, Shannon and Bridger Donaldson, Steve Gniadek and Lewis Young….

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Sandhill Crane Presentation at West Valley Naturalists

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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Earth Day 2022 Celebration Field Trip at Creston Fish Hatchery

by Darcy Thomas Everybody had a bird they wanted to see and I think everyone got their wish today at the Creston Fish Hatchery. Ten birders watched an Osprey  at its’ nest and later watched as the same Osprey dove at a Bald Eagle in another tree a couple of times before the later flew…

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Smith Lake Spring 2022 Field Trip Report

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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February 27th, 2022 Field Trip Report: Creston Fish Hatchery

by Margaret Parodi and Kathy Ross The day dawned cloudy and cold (22 degrees) and fortunately there was little wind. We had a good turnout of birders. Some open water helped our observation and hearing of 26 different species. Two American Dippers were jumping around in the creek and singing near the hatchery building. Six…

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