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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Flathead Valley Bird Report – January 2024

by Dan Casey Rare and Notables – November/December 2023 Winter was slow to arrive, and our avifauna did not change much from the previous month. Scoters continued at Foy’s Lake; all three of our largest falcon species made appearances. Steller’s Jays, Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls were widespread, but Bohemian Waxwing numbers did not build…

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Jewel Basin Hawk Watch Mid-Season Update 2023

by Dan Casey With another 21 surveys conducted since the last update in the Pileated Post, the 16th season of raptor surveys in the Jewel Basin has continued to result in above-average numbers for many species. We had tallied 2,586 raptors of 17 species as of October 15th. These included record numbers of Broad-winged Hawks,…

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Jewel Basin Hawk Watch 2023 Early Results

by Dan Casey The 16th fall monitoring season at Jewel Basin Hawk Watch (JBHW) kicked off August 25th, and as of September 15th we had conducted 18 surveys. It has been an interesting and rewarding early season, with high species diversity and higher than average counts. We suspect that the extensive fires in British Columbia…

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Kalispell CBC 2021 Results

The 23rd annual Kalispell Christmas Bird Count was held Sunday, Jan. 2nd, a day with calm winds that started sunny and finished with overcast skies. We had 36 participants in 18 parties, who reported temperatures from -2F in the morning to 23F in the afternoon, and snow depths of 2-23 inches. Our efforts included more…

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Flathead Valley Bird Report – February 2022

by Dan Casey Rare and Notables – Dec/Jan A “Red” Fox Sparrow and a White-throated Sparrow joined long-staying Brown-headed Cowbird and Lesser Goldfinch as notable birds visiting valley feeders. Up to three Snowy Owls were seen in the Lower Valley near Somers throughout the period, and all five species of falcons were found locally during…

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Flathead Valley Bird Report – May 2021

by Dan Casey Rare and Notables, Arrivals – March/April 2021 3/18 – White-throated Sparrow – Big Mountain (Shannon and Bridger D.) 3/20 – Ross’s Goose – Egan Slough Rd. (Craig H.) 3/20 – Mew Gull – (present two weeks) Somers Bay (Danny T.) 3/31 – Red-necked Grebe (6) – (first of year) Smith Lake (Derrick…

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