March Raptor Trip On Tap
Sharp-shinned Hawk (photo by L. Harris)
MARCH RAPTOR TRIP
Join us on Saturday, March 3rd for a morning searching for raptors, along the roads of the northern Gallatin Valley. On this early spring trip the focus will be on finding raptors, but there should be some other interesting birds along this route. The trip ends early in the afternoon at Central Park Pond. We will meet at the Museum of the Rockies at 8:30 am, and leave at 8:45. Be sure to dress for the weather and bring any necessary drinks or snacks for this 4-5 hour trip. If you have a spotting scope that you can bring, that would be helpful. For more information call John Parker at 586-5863.
Madison Valley IBA Winter Bird Census Scheduled
Photo by Beth Johns
Its been an exciting winter with record setting Christmas Bird Counts, the Snowy Owl invasion, and odd birds wintering in Montana like the Great-tailed Grackle at the Gallatin Valley Mall. Its time to do our late winter bird survey on the Madison Valley IBA and it will be interesting to see if we turn up some different birds with the mild winter we have had this year.
The next IBA survey will be on Sunday, March 4th. We will meet at the Ennis Pharmacy Cafe in Ennis at 7:15 if you want to eat breakfast there or a little later if you don't need breakfast. We will try to leave the cafe for our bird counts by 8am. We should be done and ready to leave by noon.
For more information, please email Paulette Epple at bigskyepplesATmsn.com or call at 406-580-6186.
Christmas Bird Count Schedule Announced
Come join the fun in one of our area’s Christmas Bird Counts. The Christmas counts, started in 1900, are an opportunity for beginning and expert birders to get together and enjoy this holiday tradition.
Ennis - Wednesday, December 14th
Compiler: Robin Wolcott 582-0070
Meet at Yesterdays Café in the Ennis Pharmacy, Ennis
at 7:30 AM
Bozeman - Saturday, December 17th
Compiler: John Parker 586-5863
Meet at Perkins Restaurant, 2505 West Main, Bozeman
between 7:00-7:30AM
West Yellowstone - Sunday, December 18th
Compiler: John Heinie (w) 646-7001 (h) (406)640-0124
Meet at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center
West Yellowstone at 8:30 AM
Livingston - Sunday, December 18th (NEW MEETING LOCATION)
Compiler: Sally MacDonald 222-5752 or 223-9167
Meet at the Northern Pacific Beanery at 108 W. Park in
Livingston between 7:00-7:30 AM,
smacbirder@msn.com
Three Forks - Monday, December 26th
Compiler: Dennis Flath 406-539-1145
Meet at Bair’s Truck Stop (Flying J at the
South side of the Belgrade Interchange)
at 7:00 AM
For more information, contact the count compilers. Please Contact the area compiler before the count, as this will give them the opportunity to plan and organize the count before the count day. There is a $5.00 (kids are free) participation fee. This money is sent to the National Audubon Society to pay for compiling and publishing the results of all of the Christmas Bird Counts.
Ennis Lake Field Trip Report – Oct. 22nd
Ennis Lake Waterfowl Field Trip Report
Saturday, October 22nd
Twenty-one people took advantage of the glorious fall day for the Ennis Lake field trip on October 22nd. It was a congenial group that enjoyed the beautiful day, and three members of the group got life birds on this trip.
Perhaps the most stunning sight of the day was right when we arrived at the lake. Over 200 Tundra Swans flew in several V’s north to south over the lake, with the Madison range as a backdrop. At Meadow Lake fishing access, we had excellent views of several species of ducks and gulls, including 2 adult and 1 immature Herring Gulls.
Townsend’s Solitaires were continuously calling and singing as the group spent the next couple of hours around the entrance to Bear Trap Canyon. At the bridge three Clark’s Nutcrackers flew over, giving one group member a life bird. There was a Double-crested Cormorant, several Common Loons, Belted Kingfisher, and Horned Grebes. Bald Eagles wheeled overhead, giving aerobatic displays for the group.
We then went to the southeast corner of the lake. A large number of ducks, including Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Ducks, Canvasbacks, Redheads, and Ruddy Ducks, were close in and easy to observe with the seven spotting scopes brought by members of the group. Two people got good looks at their life bird for the day, which was a Barrow’s Goldeneye. After spending about two hours here, the group reluctantly left to go to Clute’s Landing for a brief look. After seeing 30 American White Pelicans fly over the lake, and counting over 300 Western Grebe, they then left to go back to Bozeman.
John Parker