A Great Beginning! contributions by Brent Mitchell, Pam Willison and Linda Winnie A common question about Owen Sowerwine is: “so how did Flathead Audubon get involved?”. Brent Mitchell can answer that question because he was involved from day one. Brent says, “Along came an interesting article in the Daily InterLake. The Parks Board had for…
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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…
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by David Manuwal Death by lead poisoning is a tragic way of dying and it can be prevented. The article in the January 5, 2022 Hungry Horse News about the death of a swan found at Flathead Lake reminds us that lead poisoning is still a source of mortality among birds. There are several symptoms…
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by Amy Seamon, Director of Policy & Science Are you ready to hear the ‘currlleeee’ of the Long-billed Curlew? Well, grab your binoculars and get ready, because curlew season is just around the corner! These charismatic shorebirds will be trickling back into the state in early April and we need your help finding as many…
Read Moreby Pam Willison and Linda Winnie BRIEF HISTORY Over the past twenty-five years Flathead Audubon and Montana Audubon have assumed the management roles for the Owen Sowerwine Natural Area (OSNA). Many FAS and community members have volunteered time to assist in this management, and to help keep OSNA available as a valuable community resource for…
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by Gael Bissell The close of 2021 can be marked by the completion of one of the most important Flathead River To Lake Initiative’s*1 conservation projects, the Bad Rock Canyon Project. In December 2021, Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MFWP) closed on the purchase of 772 contiguous acres of Columbia Falls Aluminum Company’s (CFAC) riparian/wetlands…
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by Pam Willison, Co-Chair OSNA During 2021, volunteers spent nearly 300 hours in Owen Sowerwine, doing work to remove or control plant species that are not native. The efforts were primarily directed toward cutting Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and February Daphne (Daphne mezereum) bushes, and removing seed heads from noxious weeds, particularly houndstongue, Canada thistle,…
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by Carole Jorgensen Good: 1) a study on reed warblers in England showed that they can navigate using magnetic fields, using them almost like GPS. When moved in a cage from England to outside their range in Russia, they were able to use magnetic fields to find their way back to their migratory route. A…
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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 Big Sky Watershed Corps member Peter Dudley Montana Audubon was back on the Missouri and Madison Rivers for Black-billed Cuckoo and avian surveys this summer, after a great pilot year in 2020. For nearly a decade, we have carried out land bird monitoring in partnership with the University of Montana Bird Ecology Lab (UMBEL)…
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