Eureka CBC 2023 Results

by Ellen Sullivan and Lauren Michelsen The 31st annual Eureka Christmas Bird Count was held on Saturday, December 16, on a mild day that ranged from 27 degrees to 33 degrees. Koocanusa Reservoir was open as were parts of the streams, but smaller lakes and ponds were mostly frozen. Eighteen people went to the field…

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Flathead Valley Bird Report – February 2024

Rare and Notables – December 2023/January 2024 As mild as it seemed going into the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) season, it certainly changed in early January! Pine Grosbeaks continued to show up throughout the area, but Bohemian Waxwings were present in much smaller numbers than usual. Rough-legged Hawk numbers were also surprisingly low. Common Loons…

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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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Flathead Valley Bird Report – November 2023

by Dan Casey Rare and Notables –  September/October 2023 It was an excellent month for migration, with record numbers of Broad-winged Hawks at the Jewel Basin Hawk Watch, and an influx of gulls (including Lesser Black-backed and Short-billed). A small group of Greater White-fronted Geese in Somers was followed by two which spent several days…

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Flathead Valley Bird Report – September 2023

Rare and Notables – May-August 2023 Spring migrants were generally late and in low overall abundance. An abnormally hot dry summer still provided a few surprises, with the first local record of a Red-headed Woodpecker near Kalispell, the seventh local record of a Yellow-breasted Chat (in Somers), an intriguing summer sighting of a Broad-winged Hawk…

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Flathead Valley Bird Report – May 2023

by Dan Casey Rare and Notables – MAR/APR 2023 Mid-March offered its usual diversity and abundance of waterfowl, with great numbers of geese and ducks throughout the valley (despite the late ice-out). Eurasian Wigeon were seen among the flocks at many sites around the valley, from March 17through April 11. A Eurasian Green-winged Teal at…

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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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Ninepipes CBC 2022 Results

by Jim Oates We had good weather for the 30th Annual Ninepipe Count on December 18, with temperatures 27 to 33, calm winds, mostly cloudy skies, and morning flurries. Most still water was frozen. Twenty-five participants counted about 80 species (up a little) and about 12,000 birds (down a little). About 3,000 of those were mostly…

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Raptor ID Workshops offered by Montana Audubon

by Amy Seaman Join Montana Audubon’s Director of Policy & Science, Amy Seaman, for a series of online Raptor Identification Workshops! There is no question that learning how to identify raptors takes time. That is why we are going to help Flathead Audubon Society celebrate raptor week with a three-part raptor identification series and fundraiser….

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