Bigfork CBC 2023 Results

by Craig Hohenberger  The 50th annual Bigfork Christmas Bird Count was held Saturday, December 16th, under cloudy skies (fog & stratus) with calm conditions. Snow depths were variable, with most areas in the valley essentially snow free. At the eastern edge of the count circle, snow depths ranged from zero to six inches. Temperatures ranged…

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Herron Park Spring 2023 Field Trip Report

by Jake Bramante It didn’t look good for birding. The fog was low and the birds, were largely quiet as we stood shivering at the entrance to Herron Park. Undeterred, we began our quest, heading up to The Notch. Before entering the forest, we spied an American Robin, heard a House Finch, and a silent…

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Surrounding NW Montana CBC 2022 Results

Upper Swan CBC December 15 Upper Swan held its annual Christmas Bird Count on Thursday, December 15, with nine field observers. We had decent weather with temperatures ranging from 19 to 27, cloudy skies, and wind at 7 mph.  Most still water was frozen and moving water was partly open. Snow depths ranged from six…

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Kalispell CBC 2022 Results

The 24th Kalispell Christmas Bird Count was held on Sunday, January 1, 2023.   A total of 75 species was recorded, a number which is about average for this count.    Highlights included the 2nd ever Yellow-headed Blackbird (Craig Hohenberger et. al.), the 2nd ever Pied-billed Grebe (Elaine Snyder et al.), the 3rd ever Northern Saw-whet Owl…

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Smith Lake Field Trip Report – September 2021

by Darcy Thomas A morning of bird watching at Smith Lake in Kila was very successful September 8 with  eleven birders joining Darcy Thomas around the lake. Two were visiting from out-of-state and the youngest was only 5 years old. It was a bit chilly at 41 degrees when we started but warmed up comfortably…

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Smith Lake Field Trip 9-8-21 Report

by Darcy Thomas A morning of bird watching September 8 at Smith Lake in Kila was very successful. Eleven birders joined leader Darcy Thomas; two were visiting from out-of-state; the youngest was 5 years old. It was a bit chill at 41 degrees when we started but warmed up comfortably later in the morning. A…

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Hermit Thrush

Catharus guttatus  by Gail Cleveland Northwest Montana is blessed with a number of species from the family of Turdidae or Thrushes. These include the Western and Mountain Bluebird, Townsend’s Solitaire, American Robin, Varied Thrush as well three species of the genus Catharus: the Swainson’s Thrush, Veery, and the subject of this article: the Hermit Thrush….

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Glacier National Park Christmas Bird Count 2018 Results

by Lisa Bate Glacier National Park (GNP) held its annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) on Sunday, December 16, 2018. Thirty participants contributed to this event by covering 10 different routes in Glacier and 1 bird feeder in West Glacier. Participants spent the day counting all bird species and individuals detected. The weather was unusually mild…

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