Bird Notes – March 2024

Greater Yellowlegs by Andrew Guttenburg

Late winter has been full of large and small surprises from around the Gallatin Valley and beyond.  Most of these birds were seen after the severe cold spell mid-January, so they somehow found a way to survive -40-degree temperatures.  You have to be impressed by these birds’ fortitude and adaptability. 

The most unlikely bird of the period, and a Montana first for January or February, was a Greater Yellowlegs spotted by Andrew Guttenberg on January 28^th.  Andrew saw this yellowlegs on the East Gallatin River where it passes under Hamilton Road east of Belgrade.

On February 3^rd, Dave Benes saw 3 Sandhill Cranes in a field off of Cottonwood Road near Gallatin Gateway.  Last month I mentioned the 3 Sandhill Cranes that were taking advantage of the light snow cover and exposed grain fields west of Bozeman during the middle of December.  These two locations are only about seven miles apart, making you consider if they could be the same birds. Over the years, there have been a fair number of Sandhill Cranes seen in this area during the winter.  Most tend to be in late February, which points to those past sightings being early arrivals rather than over-wintering birds.

Turkey Vultures are even more unusual winter visitors to this area than Sandhill Cranes, with only a handful of winter records for southwestern Montana. Max Reynold’s January 25^th sighting of 3 Turkey Vultures on a carcass by Norris Road was even more noteworthy in that there were multiple birds.

During an evening walk up Sourdough Canyon January 23^rd, Kathryn Hiestand and Neal Miller heard a Northern Pygmy Owl.   Then on February 1^st Vic Fesolowitz and Kim Obbink heard another Northern Pygmy Owl just a couple drainages away near the mouth of Limestone Canyon.

On January 8^th Ashley Marten watched as a Pacific Wren flitted in and out of the snow and grass mounds on the side of the creek near Riley’s Bridge along the Sourdough Nature Trail in south Bozeman.  How many more of these small and secretive birds could there be hidden along the miles of local stream courses that aren’t accessible?

A trio of uncommon winter sparrows have found refuge in Gallatin Valley this year.  Lou Ann Harris has had an adult White-crowned Sparrow around her house northwest of Bozeman most of this winter.  Last winter Lou Ann had a long staying immature White-crowned Sparrow at her house, which she observed molting into adult plumage later in the winter.  Coincidentally, in both years, Lou Ann first noticed both of these White-crowned Sparrows on December 1^st.  From mid-December till mid-February John and Tamie Parker have had both a White-throated Sparrow and a Fox Sparrow frequenting their yard south of Bozeman.  If these sparrows linger in the area into March, we might be treated to their first spring songs.

From December 23^rd to January 5^th, Jim and Jeanne Waldo had a Yellow-rumped Warbler occasionally visiting their suet feeder in Willow Creek.  Though Yellow-rumped Warblers are considered semi hardy, there are only a handful of mid-winter records for the species in southwestern Montana.