March 11th Program – “The Natural Cycles of Greater Yellowstone”
On Monday, March 11th , the Sacajawea Audubon Society presents Orville "Butch" Bach, Jr., speaking on "The Natural Cycles of Greater Yellowstone." In order to preserve the gem in our backyard, Yellowstone National Park, we need to understand how its health depends on the the health of the entire ecosystem. Butch has devoted his life as a seasonal ranger to educating and inspiring people about this issue. He is the author of Tracking the Spirit of Yellowstone, 31 years as a Seasonal Ranger, and Backcountry Hiking Yellowstone.
The Sacajawea Audubon Society meets the second Monday of the month (September through May) at 7:00 p.m., at the Hope Lutheran Church, 2152 W. Graf Street (off of South 19th) in Bozeman. We invite the public to attend our meetings.
Raptor ID Workshop & Field Trip – Presented by Steve Hoffman
Gyrfalcon - Photo by Lou Ann Harris
Presented by: Steve Hoffman, Executive Director, MT Audubon and founder of HawkWatch International
Friday, March 8th - Workshop, 7-9 p.m. Bozeman Public Library
Saturday, March 9th - Field Trip, 8:30 a.m. Meet at the Museum of the Rockies
Have you ever wanted to sharpen your raptor identification skills? If so, this is the workshop for you! On Friday evening Steve will provide a detailed discussion of the identification and natural history of all raptor (e.g., hawks, eagles, falcons, etc.) species wintering in the Gallatin Valley. Steve’s illustrated talk will include a description of the many plumage variations (including subspecies and color forms, as well as age and sex variations) of the more common and observable species. Helpful behavioral clues will also be incorporated. Eagles, falcons and the “buteo” hawks (such as Red-tailed Hawks) will be emphasized. Participants will then go into the field (north of Bozeman) on Saturday to practice their newly-developed skills. Steve’s presentation will be especially valuable for “intermediate” and “advanced” raptor watching enthusiasts, although beginners will also find this workshop quite helpful. The Friday night presentation will start at 7 PM and last till 9 PM, in the Bozeman Public Library’s small conference room.
Saturday morning’s field trip 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. There is a $20 fee and 20 person limit for the workshop and field trip. Advance reservation and payment is required.
For more information and to make reservations please call John Parker at 586-5863.
Madison Valley IBA Bird Survey – March 2nd
Its time to do our annual late winter bird survey on the Madison Valley IBA. This year's survey will take place on Saturday, March 2nd with the hopes that we will find lots of raptors still hanging around the valley. Last year's survey surprised us with some early migrants-- Killdeer, Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Meadowlarks, and a Gull as well as 12 species of waterfowl using the open edges of Ennis Lake.
We will again meet at the Ennis Pharmacy Cafe in Ennis at 7:15 a.m. if you want to eat breakfast there, or a little later if you don't need breakfast. We will want to leave the cafe for our bird counts by 8 AM. We should be done and ready to leave by noon.
We hope you can join us and help to add to the data base for the IBA. If you can come or have questions please call Paulette at 406-580-6186 or email her at bigskyepples@msn.com.
Feb. 11th Program – “Studying The Wolf Issue: What Science and Scientists Suggest”
Photo by Doug Smith
Please join Sacajawea Audubon on Monday, February 11th for an interesting and fact-based program on the wolf issue, presented by Norm Bishop.
Norm, who has been interpreting wolves and their recovery in the Yellowstone area for 27 years, will briefly review a number of recent studies, many of which were enabled by wolf restoration, that may inform the issue of wolf management in the greater Yellowstone area. He will be open to questions following the talk.
Norm Bishop was a national park ranger for 36 years. He was the principal interpreter of wolves and their restoration at Yellowstone National Park 1985-1997. For his educational work on wolves, he received a USDI citation for meritorious service. He also received the National Parks and Conservation Association's 1988 Stephen T. Mather Award, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition's 1991 Stewardship Award, and the Wolf Education and Research Center's 1997 Alpha Award. He led many field courses on wolves for the Yellowstone Association Institute until 2005. Norm volunteers as the greater Yellowstone region field representative for the International Wolf Center. He serves on the boards of the Wolf Recovery Foundation, Wild Things Unlimited, and the Gallatin-Park County Chapter of Montana Conservation Voters. He is also on the advisory board of Living with Wolves.
The Sacajawea Audubon Society meets the second Monday of the month (September through May) at 7:00 p.m., at the Hope Lutheran Church, 2152 W. Graf Street (off of South 19th) in Bozeman. We invite the public to attend our meetings and participate in our field trips.
January 14th Program
Juvenile Swainson's Hawk (photo by J. Harris)
2012 Bridger Raptor Count, The Inside Story
Join Sacajawea Audubon January 14th for a presentation by Bret Davis on the inside story on the 2012 Bridger Ridge Raptor Count. Bret Davis and Kalon Baughan camped on the Bridger Ridge from September 1 to November 5 this past fall and systematically counted all the raptors that migrated through. Both hawkwatchers are avid birders and naturalists. Bret is a physics student in the graduate school at MSU and Kalon is a wildlife illustrator and works on wolverine conservation.
During the study, they counted 2,822 birds of prey among 17 species, with the greatest numbers being Golden Eagles. More Golden Eagles (over 1,400) were counted at Bridger Ridge this year than any other hawk-watch site in the US. This season was also a record year for Peregrine Falcons and had high counts of Broad-winged Hawks and American Kestrels.
The Sacajawea Audubon Society meets the second Monday of the month (September through May) at 7:00 p.m., at the Hope Lutheran Church, 2152 W. Graf Street (off of South 19th) in Bozeman. We invite the public to attend our meetings and participate in our field trips.
2012 Bozeman Christmas Bird Count Report
Simply, it was an amazing year statistically for the Bozeman count. Previously the high total for species was 59, which had been reached four times in the past five years. I was wondering when we might ever reach 60 species. To increase the total species from 59 to 70 in a single count, with a 74 year data set, is incredible.
New to the count this year were a single Pied-billed Grebe and a count week Ring-necked Duck. Birds that were seen, that had only been recorded one time before included: Canvasback (count week), Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Northern Saw-whet Owl (last recorded in 1915), and a Spotted Towhee.
The single biggest factor for the increased species total, has been the expansion of the gravel pits east of Belgrade, along Interstate 90. Where the Bozeman circle typically had no open still water, the deepening of the pits has apparently reached the water table, which seems to be spring fed, allowing open water to persist into January. Also the mining activity has moved further to the east, so the birds have a quiet place to linger that is not accessible to the public.
Other factors in the high species total were the winter finch irruption, finding several rarities, good circle coverage, and of course, luck.
Overall, there were record high counts for 23 species (including 6 species of raptors and both crossbill species), with several more species just missing new high counts. Some of the notable increases in high counts were Bald Eagle (50 to 69), Rough-legged Hawk (77 to 106), Eurasian Collared-Dove ( 231 to 643), Brown Creeper (15 to 22), Red Crossbill ( 110 to 269), White-winged Crossbill (33 to 64). The total of individual birds was also a new high total, with the redpoll invasion being a major contributor. Perhaps again this year, the Bozeman circle will lead the way with the most magpies of all the counts.
Thank you to all of the participants on the 74rd Bozeman Christmas Bird count! Hopefully everyone had fun helping with the count and enjoyed seeing some terrific birds on a beautiful day.
Happy New Year.
John Parker
2012 Area Christmas Bird Counts Scheduled
It's time again for a busy slate of Christmas Bird Counts, held in Gallatin, Madison and Park counties. What a fun way to celebrate the holidays! Check out the schedule by clicking on the link below.
Christmas Bird Count Schedule 2012
Some background on the Christmas Bird Count:
The first CBC was done on Christmas Day of 1900 as an alternative activity to an event called the “side hunt” where people chose sides, then went out and shot as many birds as they could. The group that came in with the largest number of dead birds won the event. Frank Chapman, a famed ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History and the editor of Bird-Lore (which became the publication of the National Association of Audubon Societies when that organization formed in 1905) recognized that declining bird populations could not withstand wanton over-hunting, and proposed to count birds on Christmas Day rather than shoot them.
Audubon's Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is the longest running Citizen Science survey in the world. The CBC is an early-winter bird census, where volunteers count every bird they see or hear during one day in a designated 15-mile diameter circle. Count volunteers follow specified routes within the circle. It’s not just a species tally—all birds are counted all day, giving an indication of the total number of birds in the circle that day. If observers live within a CBC circle, they may arrange in advance to count the birds at their feeders and submit those data to their compiler. All individual CBC’s are conducted in the period from December 14 to January 5 (inclusive dates) each season, and each count is conducted in one calendar day
These counts have proven incredibly valuable for what they tell scientists -- and all of us -- about our changing world.
December 10th Program – Documentary Film “Mating For Life”
Film Still from "Mating For Life"
Join us Monday, December 10th as Cindy Stillwell, Associate Professor in the MSU School of Film and Photography, will present her film Mating for Life. Part first person essay, part nature film, Mating for Life is an hour-long documentary that features the yearly migration of half a million sandhill cranes to the Platte River in central Nebraska. The film positions the journey of the cranes alongside the human search for meaning as we move into “the second half,” meditating on turning forty, the lessons learned and our human ability to mate for life.
The Sacajawea Audubon Society meets the second Monday of the month (September through May) at 7:00 p.m., at the Hope Lutheran Church, 2152 W. Graf Street (off of South 19th) in Bozeman. We invite the public to attend our meetings and participate in our field trips, listed here on the chapter's website.
November 12th Program – Wind Energy in Montana
Where the Wind Blows – Wind Energy in Montana: Impacts on Birds and Other Wildlife
Join us November 12th for an informational talk on wind energy by Montana Audubon's Janet Ellis. As the threat of global warming looms ever larger, alternative energy sources like wind power become increasingly essential to meeting our country's energy demands. Montana ranks as one of the best places in the United States to build new wind farms. A few large-scale wind farms have already been built - and many new projects are slated for construction across the state. This development must be managed responsibly, because poorly-sited wind farms can cause significant impacts to birds, wildlife, and habitat. Learn what Audubon's concerns are on this important issue.
Janet Ellis, Montana Audubon’s Program Director, has lobbied for Montana Audubon since 1983, and was hired to staff its office on a year-round basis when it opened in 1989. Her work focuses on protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat through public policy, with an emphasis on land use planning, stream setbacks, wind energy, and more. She has received several awards for her work, including the Conservationist of the Year Award from Montana Audubon, the Montana Wildlife Federation, and the Montana Environmental Information Center; and Special Achievement Awards from the Montana Dept. of Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
The Sacajawea Audubon Society meets the second Monday of the month (September through May) at 7:00 p.m., at the Hope Lutheran Church, 2152 W. Graf Street (off of South 19th) in Bozeman. We invite the public to attend our meetings and participate in our field trips, listed here on the chapter's website.
Ennis Lake Field Trip Report
All fourteen of the participants on the October 20th Ennis Lake field trip had a great day at the lake, with many opportunities to study the different species of waterfowl. The predicted snow or rain never materialized, and the wind was manageable.
The loon migration was near the peak, with over 70 Common Loons counted. Along with the many nice views of the loons, we were also able to get plenty of close-up looks of Western, Eared, and Horned Grebes for comparison. The numbers and variety of ducks did not disappoint, with 14 species spotted among the huge rafts of waterfowl spread across the lake. Several Barrow’s Goldeneye were found along with Common Goldeneye. On two occasions it was instructive to have Common and Red-breasted Mergansers side by side in a flock.
At the bridge in the northwest corner of the lake, many Bald and Golden Eagles of all ages put on a spectacular show. What a thrill to watch them soar effortlessly on the wind.
Along with numerous Ring-billed Gulls, there were two California Gulls and an immature Herring Gull. Best of all were the half dozen or so Bonaparte’s Gulls. The buoyant tern-like flight of these small gulls was a joy to watch.
-John Parker