by Dan Casey Rare and Notables – March 2021 2/19 – Gyrfalcon hunting large flocks of Mallards, N. Shore WMA (Dick W.) 2/24 – Snowy Owl in Lower Valley off Farm and Manning Roads through 2/24 (m. ob.) 3/03 – Mountain Bluebird (first of year) in Lower Valley (Craig H.) 3/06 – Western Bluebirds (first…
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Nature provides it all with NATIVE SHRUBS IN YOUR GARDEN by Kathy Ross Tanagers, grosbeak, solitaires, chickadees, vireos, woodpeckers, robins. In a small dense patch of native serviceberry, chokecherry, dogwood, mountain maple, and juniper I have watched with delight on a late summer afternoon, song birds feeding on the berries and the insects of these…
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Lewis Young, a Lifetime of Conservation Work by Kay Mitchell At the FAS General meeting on March 8, we honored and presented a Lifetime Conservation Achievement Recognition to Lewis Young. Conservationists from all over the state of Montana who have worked with Lewis on projects sent photos and testimonials about Lewis’s hard work, knowledge and…
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While it might make us feel great to both keep or consumerism running rampant and then recycle, the truth is not so straightforward. Often recycling simply doesn’t work like we’d hope and we end up doing more “wish-cycling” than anything else. What to do? Our friends over at Climate Smart Glacier Country are hosting a…
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Of Ravens, Wolves, and People presented by John Marzluff Ravens are known to scavenge from wolves and people, but the degree to which they exploit these and other sources of food has not been studied in detail. In 2019, Matthias Loretto and John began tagging ravens in Yellowstone National Park with long-lasting GSM transmitters. After…
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by Lewis Young Artificial outdoor lighting at night can cause light pollution. What is light pollution? It is generally defined as unwanted consequences of outdoor lighting and includes such effects as sky glow (brightening of the sky), light trespass (light reaching areas where it’s not needed or wanted), glare (excessive brightness causing visual discomfort and…
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By Denny Olson In what now seems like a geologic epoch ago, I was going to graduate school on a teaching assistantship, working summers at my first interpretive naturalist job in a Minnesota state park. The park’s main attraction was a beautiful gorge with rapids and waterfalls, but there was also an 8,000 acre wild…
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BACKYARD AND LOCAL CONSERVATION – FOR THE BIRDS THEY REALLY NEED YOUR HELP The Problem Several scientific studies found that bird populations have declined drastically in recent years. One study indicates we’ve lost over 3 billion birds in the last 50 years. In several articles, Flathead Audubon authors summarize these findings, discuss possible causes of the…
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by Cindy and Tom Roberts, Flathead Audubon Education Committee Co-Chairs In the works! The Flathead Audubon Conservation Educator, Denny Olson, is in the process of converting a number of power point presentations that he has shared with local students to stand-alone, audio-narrated presentations that teachers can share with students. These video/audio presentations will include: Cranes…
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by Darcy Thomas New birds have recently been added to the bird list for Owen Sowerwine Natural Area (OSNA). Derrick Rathe spotted two new birds during an outing on Nov.17, 2020, which adds the Cassin’s Finch and White-winged Crossbill to the OSNA bird list. On Dec. 4, 2020, Tony Lloyd saw four Pine Grosbeak which…
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