On a trip (7/4-14) from Seattle to Montana, I was lucky enough to see 15
sparrow species. It was extremely gratifying to see some of these birds
on the edge of their habitat, while still in breeding plumage.Much thanks
must go to Andy Stepniewski and Denny Granstrand from Eastern Washington
and Ted Nordhagen in Eastern Montana. These folks as well as being
fabulous birders, were also fabulous company. They just don't come any
better than these individuals.
I left Seattle at 3:30 AM to meet up with Andy and Denny in Wapato,Wa. I
was interested in seeing Grasshopper Sparrows,Bobolinks,Wilson's
Phalarope's and Gray Flycatcher's. We were fortunate to easily see all
those birds,plus see Black-throated Sparrows. Andy helped me to lay out
the rest ofthe trip with excellently detailed instructions on where to
locate the other sought after species.
The next day took me through Spokane where I missed seeing Clay-colored
Sparrows, to Missoula where I saw Cordilleran Flycatchers. From there I
chased a tip from Terry Toppens about an Eastern Screech-Owl in Billings.
Unfortunately the bird had fledged its young and had recently left the
area. So I headed to Harlowton to look for McCown's Longspurs, Upland
Sandpipers, and Mountain Plovers. I was lucky enough to get great looks at
the first two species. The plovers weren't seen out of the spot north of
Two Dot.
On my way to Bedouin, I stopped at C.M. Russell to look for Least Flycatchers
The mosquitos there were about as bad as any place I have been. Luckily, I
was able to spot the flycatcher pretty quickly. Two more Upland
Sandpipers were spotted on the road north to Bedouin and the next day at
the reserve was a very magical one. Over 70 birds were spotted with the
highlights being:Sprague's Pipit,Clay-colored Sparrows, Baird's
Sparrows,Chestnut-collared Longspurs and White-faced Ibis. A pipit nest
was found with 2 blue eggs sitting in the tunnel like cavity in the
grass. It was an extraordinary experience.
I returned to the northern side of C.M.Russell and saw Field Sparrows
and a quite a few interesting birds including a
Brown Thrasher. From there I headed toward the north-east corner of
Montana hoping to see the following:
LeConte's and Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows
Piping Plover
Yellow Rail
Sedge Wren
All were surprisingly easy to find except for the rail which was heard
only. This area was rich in shorebirds as well. It seemed to be an oasis
for migratory birds. I looked for Black-billed Cuckoo on my way south to
Hwy 2, but to no avail. A beautiful Orchard Oriole was notable.
After spending a great day in north-eastern tip of Montana, I was ready to
proceed to Glacier National park to look for White-tailed Ptarmigan and
Rosy Finches. The drive across Northern Montana seemed endless, but as
one approaches Glacier National Park one can't help but be awed by the
beauty of the area. Within 20 minutes of entering the park I saw a
grizzly a couple of miles from my camp. I headed to the Intrepretive
Center and hiked up to the lookout over the lake. I would end up taking
this hike twice more without any luck finding Rosy Finches. It appeared
the same would be true for Ptarmigan as well. On my last trip up, I saw a
ptarmigan that was extremely well hidden in the rocks. Not the perfect
out in the open look I was hopeful of, but a just reward for all the
hiking through the snow fields that I had done.
One more stop on the way back that was noteworthy was Bison National
Park. Looking at these mammoth animals was a great way to end my time in
Montana (an amazing and wonderful state).
Here's a list of the sparrows and other notable sitings:
Western Grebes (Doing their mating dance)
White-faced Ibis
Yellow Rail (Heard Only)*
Piping Plover
Wilson's Phalarope *
Red-necked Phalarope
Upland Sandpiper *
White-tailed Ptarmigan *
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Gray Flycatcher *
Least Flycatcher *
Cordilleran Flycatcher *
Sedge Wren *
Sprague's Pipit *
Red-eyed Vireo (feeding a Cowbird chick)
Grasshopper Sparrow *
Baird's Sparrow *
Le Conte's Sparrow *
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow *
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
Field Sparrow *
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow *
Brewer's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Chestnut-collared Longspur
McCown's Longspur
Bobolink *
Orchard Oriole