Hello SAS! Birding has taught me two critical things that I think are very important to pass along. Always keep your binoculars close, and never ever become distracted by a bird while your spouse is talking. 😉 Seriously though, birding and bird photography have been wonderful ways for me to…

A Message from SAS President, Chris Nixon  With the birds all flocking southward, it is again time for us as a group to flock back together. Join us for the first membership meeting and speaker presentation of the 2024/2025 season as Patrick Cross informs about the conservation efforts by MDT….

by Paulette Epple A Great Year for Kestrels (and Owlets!) It was another fantastic year for our kestrel nest box program!  Kestrels used 28 of our boxes and we had a record number of 96 young kestrels fledge. But in addition, we had an exciting surprise this year when we…

Leslie Gaines sits down with Doug Smith and John Marzluff for a great discussion about Common Ravens and other birds in Yellowstone National Park featured in the recently released book, Yellowstone Birds: Diversity and Abundance in the World’s First National Park. Tune in on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3Vj5NPN7OWdGm8WtLJIAog or head to https://outsidebozeman.com/company/newsletters…

MT Wildlife Watchers Now Required to Purchase Conservation License Beginning July 1, 2023, a Montana Conservation License is now required to access most state lands including fishing access sites (FAS), wildlife management areas (WMA), and wildlife habitat protection areas (WHPA). Montana State Parks do not require a Conservation License. A new law…

by Lou Ann Harris The 54th year of the Bluebird Trail Project concluded with below average numbers of Mountain Bluebirds. A total of 467 bluebirds fledged from our five trails, compared to 587 last year. The two interesting observations of the season were a European Starling nesting in Box #1…

Yellowstone Birds: Diversity and Abundance in the World’s First National Park Book Edited by Douglas W. Smith, Lauren E. Walker, and Katharine E. Duffy, with  Robert K. Landis. A beautifully illustrated survey of Yellowstone’s breathtaking birdlife, written by a team of renowned ornithologists and wildlife biologists.    Order your copy…

To read the complete annual report, click on the link below.   2023 IAWP Point Count Report

By Steve Hoffman We are now one-third of the way through our 32nd consecutive full season of scientific migratory raptor counts atop the Bridger Mountains (above Bridger Bowl Ski Area). So far, we are off to a wonderful start! Through September 17th we have already counted 766 raptors of 16…

By John Edwards The City of Bozeman is leading the development of a Gallatin Valley Sensitive Lands Protection Plan. Jeff Mihelich, Bozeman City Manager, is the project leader. Gallatin County is heavily involved in a leading role. Belgrade, Three Forks, and Manhattan are also involved. Sacajawea Audubon Society (SAS) is…