Birdingonthe.Net Recent Postings from Montana Birding > Home > Mail > Alerts Updated on Saturday, November 7 at 02:17 PM ET The most recently received Mail is at the top.	Tree Swallows,©Chris Kerrigan

07 Nov Re: Dark (backed) Gull ["Daniel" ] 6 Nov Ft. Peck birds ["Chuck Carlson" ] 6 Nov Re: Dark Gull ["Chuck Carlson" ] 06 Nov Gull map [Arla Eckert ] 06 Nov Posted [Arla Eckert ] 6 Nov Great Falls Gull [Beth Hill ] 06 Nov Gull with black back [Arla Eckert ] 6 Nov Possible Lesser Black Backed Gull [Beth Hill ] 6 Nov Re: Long-tailed Duck continues [Beth Hill ] 6 Nov Re: Dark Gull [Beth Hill ] 6 Nov Winter finch forecast [Byron Butler ] 5 Nov Foreign Visitors or Escapees? ["Jeff Marks" ] 5 Nov Foreign Visitors or Escapees? ["Sharon Dewart-Hansen" ] 06 Nov Long-tailed Duck continues ["barthoag" ] 5 Nov Re: Dark Gull ["Jeff Marks" ] 5 Nov Dark Gull [Beth Hill ] 05 Nov Egyptian Geese ["bug4eater" ] 5 Nov Surf Scoters and more ["Linda Winnie" ] 5 Nov Greater Sage-Grouse ["John Carlson" ] 5 Nov Poll results for MOB-Montana [] 05 Nov Re: Local CBCs ["patrick_toomey_jr" ] 4 Nov Owls in Bozeman [Christopher Nixon ] 04 Nov Helena Valley Update ["RobertM" ] 04 Nov Local CBCs ["garyswant" ] 04 Nov Greater Snow Geese in Montana [Michael Schwitters ] 04 Nov Owl at shopping center in Bozeman ["jswilsonmd" ] 3 Nov Re: Not a Montana Bird...but ["Carlene Farmer" ] 03 Nov Not a Montana Bird...but [Michael Schwitters ] 02 Nov A few Flathead birds ["Daniel" ] 01 Nov Nov. 1, 09 Great Falls update [Arla Eckert ] 01 Nov Medicine Lake ["BethM" ] 1 Nov New poll for MOB-Montana [] 1 Nov Yellowstone NP [Byron Butler ] 31 Oct Wow! [Arla Eckert ] 31 Oct 27C birds ["garyswant" ] 30 Oct End of Evening Birding [Beth Hill ] 30 Oct Great Falls Update, Oct. 30, 09 [Arla Eckert ] 30 Oct Black Rosy-Finch -- correction [Byron Butler ] 30 Oct Long-tailed duck : Warm Springs ["William McDowell" ] 29 Oct Trap, Neuter, and Release: Bad for Cats, Disaster for Birds (HD) [tailfeathers ] 30 Oct Bohemians in Bozeman ["pajaros0422" ] 29 Oct Sunday Along the West Bank [Beth Hill ] 29 Oct Thayer's Gull Still Present [Michael Schwitters ] 29 Oct Thayer's Gull--Freezout Lake [Michael Schwitters ] 28 Oct Re: Final RFI re: Black Rosy Finches [Byron Butler ] 28 Oct Final RFI re: Black Rosy Finches [Florence Sanchez ] 27 Oct Re: Re: Warm Springs Bird ["Gary Swant" ] 28 Oct Correction on Long-tailed Duck ["garyswant" ] 28 Oct Re: Warm Springs Bird ["Daniel" ] 27 Oct Warm Springs Bird ["garyswant" ] 27 Oct RFI on eBird usage ["Curtis" ] 27 Oct A few Boreal birds, and a LIFER! ["JoshuaC" ] 27 Oct Latest from the Montana Bird Records Committee ["Daniel" ] 26 Oct Jaeger at Ennis Lake ["Jeff Marks" ] 26 Oct Re: Red Phalarope ["nathan kohler" ] 26 Oct Re: Freezout Birds-Monday [Larry Carter ] 26 Oct Freezout Birds-Monday [Michael Schwitters ] 26 Oct Re: Greater White-fronted Geese at Central Park Pond ["Cheryl Farmer" ] 26 Oct Re: Red Phalarope ["Gary Swant" ] 26 Oct Red Phalarope ["pajaros0422" ] 26 Oct Glacier NP: Northern Hawk-Owl [Byron Butler ] 25 Oct E. Gallatin Recreation Area - 10/25/09 [Lou Ann Harris ] 25 Oct Hammonds Flycatcher ["John Carlson" ] 26 Oct Bridger Burn ["Konchog" ] 25 Oct Ft. Peck sightings ["Chuck Carlson" ] 26 Oct Long-tailed Duck ["NateK" ] 25 Oct Greater White-fronted Geese at Central Park Pond ["pajaros0422" ] 25 Oct Benton Lake and Giant Springs/Missouri River ["Sharon Dewart-Hansen" ] 25 Oct Westby birds ["fabian_vas" ] 25 Oct Deer Lodge Valley Bird Outing ["garyswant" ] 24 Oct Re: Jaeger at Ennis Lake ["patrick_toomey_jr" ] 23 Oct Re: Jaeger at Ennis Lake [] 23 Oct Re: Jaeger at Ennis Lake [Michael Schwitters ] 23 Oct Re: Jaeger at Ennis Lake ["NateK" ] 23 Oct RE: Jaeger at Ennis Lake ["Radd Icenoggle" ] 23 Oct Jaeger at Ennis Lake ["Robin M Wolcott" ] Subject: Re: Dark (backed) Gull From: "Daniel" <caseys4 AT centurytel.net> Date: Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:16:48 -0000 Arla, Beth et al: I agree with Chuck, that based on the size, description and photos this bird does seem to be an adult Lesser Black-backed. It would still be good to describe (or photograph) the bill and legs in detail. Great find, in any case. Dan Casey Somers Subject: Ft. Peck birds From: "Chuck Carlson" <chuckcmt AT nemont.net> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 22:52:52 -0700 Mobsters The Cackling Geese are here in good numbers now. I've posted two photos in my album of a small part of a much larger flock that was on the First Dredge Cuts yesterday. In both photos are a pair of Greater White-fronted Geese. In the longer one you can see a Canada Goose at the far right edge. Chuck Carlson chuckcmt AT nemont.net Ft. Peck MT Subject: Re: Dark Gull From: "Chuck Carlson" <chuckcmt AT nemont.net> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 22:45:34 -0700 Beth That sure looks like a Lesser Black-backed Gull from the photos that have been posted. Good find! Chuck Carlson chuckcmt AT nemont.net Ft. Peck MT Subject: Gull map From: Arla Eckert <turtle AT mt.net> Date: Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:24:47 -0700 I just posted a photo of a map showing where I saw the Lesser Black-backed Gull today here in Great Falls. This is for any of you wanting to try for it. It has been in that same place now for 2 days around 5 pm. The rest of the day we do not know where it is hiding out. I hunted almost all day today for it and could not find it until 5. Arla Eckert Great Falls Subject: Posted From: Arla Eckert <turtle AT mt.net> Date: Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:50:50 -0700 Hi all, I just posted the photos on mob I got today of our odd ball gull. Arla Eckert Great Falls Subject: Great Falls Gull From: Beth Hill <grizhill AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 18:06:26 -0700 I didn't have any luck with fast glances at the river at just before 1 pm and 5 pm. Apparently Arla saw it arrive at 5 and leave about 15 minutes later. We will try tomorrow evening and will be prepared with some good camera gear. Beth Hill Great Falls Subject: Gull with black back From: Arla Eckert <turtle AT mt.net> Date: Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:49:39 -0700 I could not find it all day, then was sitting in my van looking at the sand bar where Beth had it just before dark yesterday and it was there again behind a Ring-billed gull. It moved and I got some looks at it. I do not think my photos will be as good as hers were. It came in at about 5:02 and then it took off 5:18ish. Just to dark for good shots. I did get to see the bill. I have no clue where it is during the day, I checked down river and up river today plus really checked the sand bars in the area where we have been seeing it just at dark. After supper I will write more. Arla Eckert Great Falls Subject: Possible Lesser Black Backed Gull From: Beth Hill <grizhill AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 11:23:11 -0700 After googling some pictures of the said gull - the non-breeding plumage just jumped out at me as what I saw last night on a sand bar just upstream of Sacajawea Island. Arla has been checking this morning, but no dice. It's windy today so they may stay put wherever they are. I hope to find a few minutes to do a check. Beth Hill Great Falls Subject: Re: Long-tailed Duck continues From: Beth Hill <grizhill AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 08:48:38 -0700 I just wonder if it may not be there for the winter. The Great Falls Long-tailed Duck was here most of a winter one year. Maybe you have our wanderer. Beth Hill On Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 6:24 PM, barthoag wrote: > > > As of 1200 today the Long-tailed Duck was still at the Warm Springs sewer > ponds. As I watched he and assorted other ducks moved from pond 2 to pond 1. > I did not find anything else of note, except there are alot (14 at least) of > Rough-legged Hawks in the Big Hole, many of them quite light. > Bart Hoag, Darby > > > > Subject: Re: Dark Gull From: Beth Hill <grizhill AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 07:49:22 -0700 No on the eye color and bill - it had its head in armpit or was looking the other way most of my observation time. I did get a good impression of dark eye and definitely dark around the eye (like a heavy smokey mascara and eye shadow job). He was on the sandbar just up stream of Sac Island. There are 4 sand bars that the gulls loaf on - all up of the island. I was observing a little up from the "bear". Beth On Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 6:10 PM, Jeff Marks wrote: > > > Beth, > > It is too dark-backed for California Gull and sure looks and sounds (from > your description) like a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Did you get eye and bill > color? It would be great to post an exact location on the river so > others can be on the lookout tomorrow a.m. Nice find, whatever it is! > > Jeff > > ***************** > Jeff Marks > 4241 SE Liebe Street > Portland, OR 97206 > 503-774-4783 > Birds of Montana Project > http://mtaudubon.org/ > ***************** > > > Subject: Winter finch forecast From: Byron Butler <byronkbutlermt AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 03:13:40 -0700 Ron Pittaway's 2009-2010 winter finch forecast can be viewed at: http://brucedilabio.blogspot.com/2009/09/winter-finch-forecast-20092010.html Or, simply google on: ron pittaway winter finch forecast 2009-2010 Although this forecast applies mostly to areas east of Montana there is plenty of good information in it for us, especially in regard to understanding these finches and the trees they are associated with. Byron K. Butler Bozeman Subject: Foreign Visitors or Escapees? From: "Jeff Marks" <jeff17_marks AT msn.com> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 20:09:15 -0800 Sharon, Yes, they are Egyptian Geese. But they probably are not far from home given that they are commonly raised in captivity and have never set foot in their native home in sub-Saharan Africa. Jeff ***************** Jeff Marks 4241 SE Liebe Street Portland, OR 97206 503-774-4783 Birds of Montana Project http://mtaudubon.org/ ***************** Subject: Foreign Visitors or Escapees? From: "Sharon Dewart-Hansen" <smdhansen AT bresnan.net> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 20:33:02 -0700 Hello Fellow MOBsters, As Doug posted earlier, last Friday evening when we were returning from dinner, we found a couple of strange looking birds at the entrance to our mobile home park. I spotted them again yesterday coming home from work and was able to some shots, and Doug saw them earlier today but they were gone when I came home. The closest match I could find on my Internet search is Egyptian Goose which made me think they were possibly escapees or set free by someone in the area who had them as pets. Otherwise, they are a long, long way from home. I posted a shot at Mike's request. If anybody knows for sure what they are, and confirm that they are raised as pets, etc. That could solve the mystery. Sharon Dewart-Hansen Great Falls, MT Subject: Long-tailed Duck continues From: "barthoag" <barthoag AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:24:09 -0000 As of 1200 today the Long-tailed Duck was still at the Warm Springs sewer ponds. As I watched he and assorted other ducks moved from pond 2 to pond 1. I did not find anything else of note, except there are alot (14 at least) of Rough-legged Hawks in the Big Hole, many of them quite light. Bart Hoag, Darby Subject: Re: Dark Gull From: "Jeff Marks" <jeff17_marks AT msn.com> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 17:10:49 -0800 Beth, It is too dark-backed for California Gull and sure looks and sounds (from your description) like a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Did you get eye and bill color? It would be great to post an exact location on the river so others can be on the lookout tomorrow a.m. Nice find, whatever it is! Jeff ***************** Jeff Marks 4241 SE Liebe Street Portland, OR 97206 503-774-4783 Birds of Montana Project http://mtaudubon.org/ ***************** Subject: Dark Gull From: Beth Hill <grizhill AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 17:59:06 -0700 I had a few minutes before the sunset, so I ran back to the Missouri river for a quick look around. A larger and dark backed gull jumped out at me. I ran back to get a camera and a scope (24) to get a better look. Most of the time the head was tucked or turned. It was larger than the ringbills. Yellow legs, dark back (you can see that in the photos), dark around the eye, some shading on the chest/neck. A couple mallards walked by - he wasn't larger than them. Then something else spooked the group and off they went. So, is this most likely a California? I just hadn't seen one stand out so differently from the ringbills. It was sunset, but good light. The pictures I took aren't the greatest - especially since I racked the lens out to use the digital zoom, but you get the idea of color and size. At first I was thinking "a black backed gull" - but they are huge and would probably dwarf a mallard duck. Just wondering what better gull watchers thought. Beth Hill Great Falls Subject: Egyptian Geese From: "bug4eater" <dhansen01 AT bresnan.net> Date: Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:55:57 -0000 A pair of Egyptian Geese have been haunting the entrance to Countryside Village for about a week. We do have photos if interested. Doug Hansen Great Falls Subject: Surf Scoters and more From: "Linda Winnie" <lindawin AT centurytel.net> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 11:52:10 -0700 We just had 8 Surf Scoters arrive at Rogers Lake (west of Kalispell) -- one male, the rest female or juvenile. We've also had on the lake for a number of weeks: a flotilla of 30+ Barrows Goldeneyes, several pairs of Buffleheads, 14+ Hooded Mergansers, 4 female Common Mergansers (plowing the surface from one side of the lake to the other, and then back again), a varying number (depending on the day) of Ring-billed Gulls chasing after the Hooded Mergansers to steal away the crayfish that the mergansers are finding, and several pairs of Mallards. The ice is starting to form around the edges of the lake, so the above may not be here for much longer. Linda Winnie Subject: Greater Sage-Grouse From: "John Carlson" <jccarlson AT surfbirder.com> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 04:48:32 -0800 Subject: Poll results for MOB-Montana From: MOB-Montana AT yahoogroups.com Date: 5 Nov 2009 07:23:43 -0000 The following MOB-Montana poll is now closed. Here are the final results: POLL QUESTION: The November "Photo of the Month" Poll is now open and awaiting your vote! Though we only have six entrants this month, the photos are terrific. The Poll will close at midnight on November 5th. You can change your vote at any time up until the poll closes Patrick CHOICES AND RESULTS - Bufflehead, 4 votes, 9.09% - Chestnut-backed Chickadee, 1 votes, 2.27% - Golden-crowned Kinglet, 12 votes, 27.27% - Golden-winged Warbler, 11 votes, 25.00% - Hermit Thrush, 13 votes, 29.55% - Wood Duck, 3 votes, 6.82% For more information about this group, please visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MOB-Montana For help with Yahoo! Groups, please visit http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/general.html Subject: Re: Local CBCs From: "patrick_toomey_jr" <ptoomeyjr AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:52:45 -0000 MOBsters, A really great place to put the Christmas Bird Count information is on the calendar on the front page RATHER than in posted messages. That way people can easily glance in one place rather than trying to find the information in an old message. There is room to put date, time, contact, phone, meeting place etc. Let's systematically put the CBC stuff there so everyone can find it and we will have fully staffed bird counts. Patrick --- In MOB-Montana AT yahoogroups.com, "garyswant" wrote: > > Hi Birders, > > I thought that I would give you the dates of the local CBCs sponsored by Pintlar Audubon Society. If you want to join us for any of these contact myself or Jack Kirkley. > > Clark-Canyon - Dillon December 19 > > Grant-Kohrs Deer Lodge - December 21 > > Warm Springs January 1 > > All of them start at 8:00 AM. Contact us for details. > > Also, I was out at Warm Springs yesterday and the Long-tailed Duck is still present, but it has moved from Sewage Pond 1 to Sewage Pond 2. > > One interesting sighting was the presence of 27 Bonaparte's Gulls. > > Gary Swant > Deer Lodge > Subject: Owls in Bozeman From: Christopher Nixon <christopherfnixon AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 13:45:19 -0800 (PST) I haven't seen the owl on N 19th.  But, last Sunday night November 1st, there was a pair of Great Horned Owls on top of the Misco Mill Gallery on North Wallace Ave.  A friend and I heard the owls hooting to each other and then were able to see them both silouited against the bright moon. They were sitting on the very top ridge of the old grain elevator. One flew while we were watching.  We and the neighbors have been hearing them in the area for at least three years now. Subject: Helena Valley Update From: "RobertM" <birder_bob AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:05:32 -0000 There is still a nice variety of birds at the Hln. Regulating Reservoir. Best of the morning was a late black-bellied plover near the outlet structure. Other birds of interest include; single common loon, 3 red-breasted mergansers, and lots of Barrow's goldeneyes and hooded mergansers. I could not relocate the pair of surf scoters that Coburn Currier and I found on Sunday. Also, I had a report of a Harlequin duck on one of the east side bays from yesterday, but couldn't relocate it. Numbers of common goldeneye has noticeably increased, as have gull numbers. But for the latter, I could not pick out any unusual species at the reservoir or the landfill, except for one smallish juv. gull whose picture I'll have to review more closely. Bob Martinka Subject: Local CBCs From: "garyswant" <Birdmontana AT rfwave.net> Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:42:29 -0000 Hi Birders, I thought that I would give you the dates of the local CBCs sponsored by Pintlar Audubon Society. If you want to join us for any of these contact myself or Jack Kirkley. Clark-Canyon - Dillon December 19 Grant-Kohrs Deer Lodge - December 21 Warm Springs January 1 All of them start at 8:00 AM. Contact us for details. Also, I was out at Warm Springs yesterday and the Long-tailed Duck is still present, but it has moved from Sewage Pond 1 to Sewage Pond 2. One interesting sighting was the presence of 27 Bonaparte's Gulls. Gary Swant Deer Lodge Subject: Greater Snow Geese in Montana From: Michael Schwitters <schwit AT 3rivers.net> Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:51:34 -0700 All, My note about the collared Greater Snow Goose brought a note from a Montana taxidermist (Ray Johnson, www.gamebirdtaxidermy.com ) who prepared a Greater Snow Goose for a client in the fall of 2007 that was taken at Freezout Lake. So Monday's collared bird was only the second confirmed record of Greater Snow Goose for Montana (of course not a separate species). The subspecies may be expanding its range into the Pacific flyway. Mike Schwitters Choteau MT Subject: Owl at shopping center in Bozeman From: "jswilsonmd" <jswilsonmd AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:59:31 -0000 Sunday night as I was getting ready to drive out of the parking area at the N. 19th shopping center, an owl flew in front of my car and landed on the corner of the Ross store above it's lighted sign. Even though I had binoculars, the contrast of the bright sign and the dark night sky made it impossible to get a look at it. Anyway, it's always interesting to see how critters adapt to our alteration of their environment. I'll be curious to see if anyone else has seen it or if it hangs around. Subject: Re: Not a Montana Bird...but From: "Carlene Farmer" <birddog AT mt.net> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 17:30:56 -0700 wow! how lucky for you "eagle eye Mike"! i was just looking at the latest issue of Wildfowl and someone shot a banded greater snow in MD; it had been banded in 2007 at Sud De Flat Sound, NU. it also had a yellow neck collar. Carlene Farmer Clancy, MT www.turtlebeartradingco.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Michael Schwitters To: MOB Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 12:11 PM Subject: [MOB-Montana] Not a Montana Bird...but MOBsters, My spotting scope search of white goose flocks at Freezout Lake found an unusual neckband. Yellow with four black characters. Contacting the biologist in Quebec I learned the bird was marked at Ellesmere Island (near NW Greenland...83N, 79W) in 2007. It is a GREATER SNOW GOOSE, a Snow Goose subspecies. These birds never cease to amaze me. Mike Schwitters Choteau MT Subject: Not a Montana Bird...but From: Michael Schwitters <schwit AT 3rivers.net> Date: Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:11:10 -0700 MOBsters, My spotting scope search of white goose flocks at Freezout Lake found an unusual neckband. Yellow with four black characters. Contacting the biologist in Quebec I learned the bird was marked at Ellesmere Island (near NW Greenland...83N, 79W) in 2007. It is a GREATER SNOW GOOSE, a Snow Goose subspecies. These birds never cease to amaze me. Mike Schwitters Choteau MT Subject: A few Flathead birds From: "Daniel" <caseys4 AT centurytel.net> Date: Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:36:56 -0000 MOB-sters: I was able to explore a little bit locally this weekend, looking mostly for waterbirds. Nothing unexpected, but nice looks at several interesting birds. I found 5 loons, all Commons. Two were off of the Somers hatchery, another in the Yacht Club docks, one at Church Slough, and one on Foy's Lake today. There were also 3 Red-breasted Mergansers off the fish hatchery yesterday, all female/immature. A nice batch of about 16 Hooded Mergansers at Wiley Dike yesterday, and an adult female Rough-legged Hawk. In the shrubland se of Manning and Farm Roads I found an immature Northern Shrike, and further east at Brosten's Pond there were 4 Bonaparte's Gulls. Speaking of gulls, Josh and I checked the dump today, where there were at least 1000 gulls. We found one first-winter Glaucous, this being the new earliest fall date for the species in the state. There were at least 3-4 first winter Thayer's, but just the usual 3 species beyond that. As always, there were a few perplexing first year birds as well. Subject: Nov. 1, 09 Great Falls update From: Arla Eckert <turtle AT mt.net> Date: Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:42:13 -0700 Nov. 1, 09 Great Falls update Found the White-winged Scoter today off West Bank Park, this time mixed in with American Coots. Benton Lake, swans and white geese and normal late fall ducks plus 2 American Tree Sparrows Birds of note below and at Giant Springs: 1 Double-crested Cormorant, again rope sitting on the dam warning balls, plus 3 American Tree Sparrows winter flock at Giant Springs made up of: 2 American Robins 1 Townsend¹s Solitaire Black-capped Chickadees Dark-eyed Juncos Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 Ruby-Crowned Kinglet 1 2 Brown Creepers Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker, these last 3 were all in the tree at one time where # 12 bird house is, in about 3 feet of each other and the house Arla Eckert Great Falls Subject: Medicine Lake From: "BethM" <bethmadden64 AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:55:32 -0000 Hi all, In watching the gang of pine siskins that has been at my thistle feeder for a few days, I just noticed the first of the season common redpoll among them! Also, I saw an immature gyrfalcon 10/29, on Hwy 16 near the Refuge entrance. Has been a nice fall for waterfowl here - tundra swans, ducks, cranes etc plentiful - nice that the drought subsided this year. Right now there are thousands of white-fronted and snow geese in the area...commuting around and filling the skies with their busy-sounding voices. They spent yesterday and last night down by the Hwy 16 bridge on the Refuge, with great viewing opps. Having a bit of mild fall weather here, for a change! Beth Madden Medicine Lake Subject: New poll for MOB-Montana From: MOB-Montana AT yahoogroups.com Date: 1 Nov 2009 12:05:52 -0000 Enter your vote today! A new poll has been created for the MOB-Montana group: The November "Photo of the Month" Poll is now open and awaiting your vote! Though we only have six entrants this month, the photos are terrific. The Poll will close at midnight on November 5th. You can change your vote at any time up until the poll closes Patrick o Bufflehead o Chestnut-backed Chickadee o Golden-crowned Kinglet o Golden-winged Warbler o Hermit Thrush o Wood Duck To vote, please visit the following web page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MOB-Montana/surveys?id=12958094 Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo! Groups web site listed above. Thanks! Subject: Yellowstone NP From: Byron Butler <byronkbutlermt AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 02:57:00 -0600 The roads in Yellowstone NP, except Gardiner to Cooke City (through the Lamar Valley), close on Monday. Today (Saturday) Maggie and I took advantage of this last weekend of the year to bird in the park all the way to Yellowstone Lake. We registered 86 miles driving from Gardiner to Grant Village via Norris and Canyon. Below are the birds we recorded, all birds were seen on the Wyoming side unless otherwise noted. We did not encounter other birders and saw only about 30 vehicles all day. We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. We did not go into the Lamar Valley on this trip. We did not find any feeders with seeds in Gardiner. BIRDS SEEN: Canada Goose [lost count, many, 100+, most on Yellowstone R., 10 at Grant.] Trumpeter Swan [44; Nymph Lake (16), Yellowstone R. (26), Yellowstone Lake (2); all the swans we identified were Trumpeters, not all swans seen were identified to species. At least 5 were juveniles.] Mallard [lost count, many, 100+, most on Yellowstone R.] Green-winged Teal [4, Yellowstone R., btwn Canyon & Lake Village] Lesser Scaup [10+, several locations, Nymph Lake, Yellowstone R., Yellowstone Lake.] Common Goldeneye [ approx. 50, several locations, most on Yellowstone R.] Barrow’s Goldeneye [approx. 100, Yellowstone R., 83 were in one raft at Grant, of which 20-30 were adult males and several others were first winter males. Adult & first winter females had mostly yellowish bills, and Barrow’s head color and shape. Did not see any clear-cut Commons in this raft. Other Barrow’s were seen on the Yellowstone R.] Bufflehead [5; Yellowstone R.] Common Loon [1, Grant Village] Pied-billed Grebe [1, Yellowstone R., btwn Canyon & Lake Village] Horned Grebe [5-6, Grant Village] Western Grebe [1, Grant Village] Bald Eagle [1 adult, Yellowstone R., a little s. of Canyon] Sharp-shinned Hawk [1] Wilson’s Snipe [2; together in Yellowstone R., btwn Canyon & Lake Village] Common Raven [13; 2 on MT side; 11 on WY side] Clark’s Nutcracker [13-15, scattered locations, mostly in pairs] Black-billed Magpie [2] Gray Jay [5, Yellowstone R., btwn Canyon & Lake Village, with Clark’s Nutcrackers. Non-vocal, silent flight.] American Dipper [6; 3 on MT side in Gardiner R.; 3 on WY side in Yellowstone R.] Townsend’s Solitaire [1, n. side of Mammoth, just before Post Office] Mountain Chickadee [approx. 20; 6-8 btwn Mammoth & Norris; another 10+ btwn Norris and Canyon.] Dark-eyed Junco [1, Canyon Village] Red Crossbill [10-20, btwn Norris and Canyon, another 10 birds that flew off were probably this spp.; 4.3 mi. w. of Canyon.] Pine Grosbeak [6-10, btwn Norris and Canyon; 4.3 mi. w. of Canyon] Pine Siskin [1, btwn Norris and Canyon, with the crossbills; 4.3 mi. w. of Canyon] We returned to Bozeman a little after 10:00 pm and went to the historic downtown area where MSU students have a tradition of walking Main Street in downtown and hitting the bars in costumes on Halloween. Hundreds of students were in costume. Maggie and I had great fun watching them until 11 pm. I understand the students take this annual event seriously, few were not in costume. Byron K. Butler Bozeman Subject: Wow! From: Arla Eckert <turtle AT mt.net> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:31:14 -0600 Wow, as I was looking a a large group of Red Heads I saw a Scoter. On more looks it turned out to be the one I have been missing! White-winged Scoter below Giant Spring. Not only a Mt. bird for me but a life lister. Wow! Arla Eckert Great Falls Subject: 27C birds From: "garyswant" <Birdmontana AT rfwave.net> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:31:23 -0000 Birders, The Long-tailed Duck is still at Warm Springs at Sewage Pond 1. It has been observed since 10/25 in the same location. Other birds of interest were more than 700 Canada Geese, 27 Tundra Swans, and 17 Snow Geese. Gary Swant Deer Lodge Subject: End of Evening Birding From: Beth Hill <grizhill AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:48:45 -0600 With the turning back of clocks this weekend tonight was the last evening I will be able to do some birding after work until spring. And it didn't disappoint me. West Bank Park Geese Mallards Coots Bufflehead Eared Grebe Gulls Lesser Scaup 40-50 Common Mergansers ! That was a surprise to see so many. And there were probably more since there was only light and time to spend 15 minutes looking and walking. I expect the east side of the island held many more. No evening birding - the evenings inside are going to begin to be long. Beth Hill Great Falls Subject: Great Falls Update, Oct. 30, 09 From: Arla Eckert <turtle AT mt.net> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:49:02 -0600 Great Falls Update, Oct. 30, 09 Pacific Loon-Fox Farm area-private land-where there is one there may be more so keep your eyes open in the areas where we see loons Oct. 28, one Double-crested Cormorant playing hide-and-seek with me from behind one of the big orange balls that warns of Rainbow Dam Canada Geese Common Loon Mallard Northern Shoveler Gadwall American Wigeon Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Common Goldeneye 1 Barrow¹s Goldeneye 5 pool area first of the fall for me Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Common Merganser Ruddy Duck Bald Eagle adult & imm. American Coot Ring-billed Gull Northern Flicker 7 Black-capped Chickadee Giant Springs 5 Western Meadowlark Benton Lake-the snow was too deep to go off the paved road and was none to fun on the paved road! Horned Larks lots 2 Rough-legged Hawks Oct 25 American White Pelican West Bank Oct 19 1 American Avocet 10 American White Pelican 4 Double-crested Cormorants Plus many ducks 1 Orange-crowned Warbler West Bank Park 2 Yellow Rumps Giant Springs 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk West Bank 1 American Tree Sparrow Morony Dam 1 Northern Shrike Morony Dam Mind blowing no waterfowl over or below the dam-unreal!!! Common loons below Giant Springs 2 swans below Giant Springs 1 Golden Eagle Benton Lake swans and snow geese plus many ducks and Horned Larks Arla Eckert Great Falls Subject: Black Rosy-Finch -- correction From: Byron Butler <byronkbutlermt AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:51:50 -0600 Yesterday, in my reply to Florence Sanchez, I stated that the best time to see Black Rosy-Finch in Silver Gate is February. That was incorrect. The best time to see rosy-finches in Silver Gate is late-March through April. Byron K. Butler Bozeman Subject: Long-tailed duck : Warm Springs From: "William McDowell" <willymcdowell AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:16:07 -0000 The male long-tailed duck that Gary Swant reported at Warm Springs sewage ponds was still present, and easily viewed at close range on Thursday at noon. Cheers...........Will Subject: Trap, Neuter, and Release: Bad for Cats, Disaster for Birds (HD) From: tailfeathers <tailfeathers AT juno.com> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:14:43 -0600 A problem I have on my ten acres of grass... Gary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fvN7FNUPas ____________________________________________________________ Weight Loss Program Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/c?cp=0gMDux-599xz_kTuBXGd_gAAJ1DgTItXwn7ZqczP0e8SBSucAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEUgAAAAA= Subject: Bohemians in Bozeman From: "pajaros0422" <pajaros AT wewolcotts.com> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:02:38 -0000 Hi Mobsters, While walking the Sourdough Trail in Bozeman today, I was delighted to discover about 12 Bohemian Waxwings in a mixed flock of about 36 waxwings. A lone Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle), a Ruby-crowned Kinglet and an abundance of Black-capped Chickadees also graced my path. A dipper chattered somewhere along the creek. That's all folks! Robin Wolcott Bozeman Subject: Sunday Along the West Bank From: Beth Hill <grizhill AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:38:19 -0600 It was cool early and the birds were sparse until geese started coming in by the dozens about 10 am. I watched a Bald Eagle preening on a dead cotton wood by the upper West Bank Park (nearer the courthouse). He kept his back to me - but still allowed a nice photo. He didn't even mind a couple walking their dog. Groups of coots had various water birds intermixed. One raft would have Am. Wigeons, another Buffleheads. The largest group of ducks was interesting - coots at the head of the raft, then came hundreds of Lesser Scaup with Redheads and Canvasbacks in the mix to make it interesting. A common merganser had the nerve to show up. The Ruddy Ducks kept more or less to themselves. A Common Goldeneye was diving with a group of Buffleheads. Pairs of Western Grebes were scattered the whole length of the river segment. A couple of Eared Grebes put in an appearance. One goose - took off from next to the bank - I watched it fly mid-river. Domestic? White-fronted? I got a better view of its flying wings than anything. But, it did have the white behind the bill. There was also a fluffed up "something" sparrow - almost looked like a Savannah (lightly, finely striped upper breast) - it goes down as a ? Then, when the walk was almost over - 9 Long-billed Dowitchers probing - actually, 5 were actively probing, 4 were head-tucked and sleeping. Still present - 2 Cormorants. Posted photo of the eagle and a young of the year gull - is a ring bill or California? It had black tipped pink bill and pinkish legs. Beth Hill Great Falls Subject: Thayer's Gull Still Present From: Michael Schwitters <schwit AT 3rivers.net> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:21:28 -0600 The first winter Thayer's Gull was still present at Point N of Freezout Lake this morning. Mike Schwitters Choteau MT Subject: Thayer's Gull--Freezout Lake From: Michael Schwitters <schwit AT 3rivers.net> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:14:21 -0600 MOB, A first winter Thayer's Gull was present at the "dike" (point N in the birding brochure) Wednesday afternoon. The medium-small gull swam nervously along the shore. It is a first of the species that I have seen at Freezout Lake. I have posted a photo in my "Mike Schwitters" album. Mike Schwitters Choteau MT Subject: Re: Final RFI re: Black Rosy Finches From: Byron Butler <byronkbutlermt AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:33:02 -0600 Florence, I'm sure you already know that Black Rosy-Finch breeds in Montana at high elevations in the summer. Access to most of the higher elevation roads are closing now due to recent snows. As the snow deepens rosy-finches will move downslope to feeders. However, most feeders are empty now and will remain so until the bears go into hibernation. Even when the feeders are out they are on private property and are only rarely reported. To my knowledge, there are only two reliable publicly accessible places in Montana where rosy-finches are reported in the winter. One is the residential areas of Red Lodge and the other is Dan Hartman's house in Silver Gate. The Hartman's place is private property, however the family runs Wildlife Along the Rockies out of their home and birds going into and out of their yard can be seen from the road. I do not think they will have feeders out now. You can google on wildlife along the rockies to read his journal. The website is free, but remember the guide service is a business. The best time to see rosy-finches there is in February. Therefore, the advice you've been given by others so far has been good, perhaps the best available information you are likely to receive. If the snow has been heavy enough above Red Lodge the finches may have come down but I've not heard any reports from there yet. This is not the best time of year to look for Black Rosy-Finch. I am posting this as an open letter in case other Montana birders can correct any of the above or add to it. I, too, would like to hear what others can add. Byron K. Butler Bozeman Subject: Final RFI re: Black Rosy Finches From: Florence Sanchez <sanchez AT polsci.ucsb.edu> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:13:30 -0700 Thanks to MOBsters who kindly responded to my earlier request for info on birding around Bozeman and Yellowstone next week. You've given us some excellent resources and help for our target birds. A source for one target species still remains undetermined, and that is for Black Rosy-Finch. If anyone has leads on places we might check out near Gardiner, we should have some time to do so on our way into Yellowstone on Wednesday Nov. 4 and on our way out on Saturday, Nov. 7th. Please reply off-list. (To those who have suggested looking in the Red Lodge area, unfortunately our itinerary won't permit us to get that far east.) Many thanks, Florence Sanchez Santa Barbara, California Subject: Re: Re: Warm Springs Bird From: "Gary Swant" <Birdmontana AT rfwave.net> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:17:26 -0600 Dan, I realized my mistake and posted a correction. Gary ----- Original Message ----- From: Daniel To: MOB-Montana AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 8:48 PM Subject: [MOB-Montana] Re: Warm Springs Bird Gary (et al): While agree we don't often see adult males, the beautiful drake Long-tailed Duck at Warm Springs is in winter, not breeding plumage. Dan Casey Somers Subject: Correction on Long-tailed Duck From: "garyswant" <Birdmontana AT rfwave.net> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:16:53 -0000 In my last post on the Long-tailed duck I refered to breeding plumage. I meant winter plumage. Gary Swant Deer Lodge Subject: Re: Warm Springs Bird From: "Daniel" <caseys4 AT centurytel.net> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:48:56 -0000 Gary (et al): While agree we don't often see adult males, the beautiful drake Long-tailed Duck at Warm Springs is in winter, not breeding plumage. Dan Casey Somers Subject: Warm Springs Bird From: "garyswant" <Birdmontana AT rfwave.net> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:38:15 -0000 Birders, Did my weekly survey of Warm Springs Today, and of course the highlight was the Long-tailed Duck. The duck has been there for three days now. If you have not seen an adult male in breeding plumage you should make the effort to see this bird. I have seen them in the Missouri at Giant Springs before, but they have always been either a juvenile or non-breeding plumage. Additional, the ones at Giant Spring have been a long ways off. This bird can be observed at less than 100 feet. The bird can be found at the Warm Springs Sewage ponds. There are three ponds and the bird is in the first pond next to the road. There is a pull off that is elevated above the pond and gives great views. I have put a picture I took today in my folder just to "encourage" you to have a look. Another good bird in the area was a Surf Scoter in the Ducks Unlimited pond 3. Other highlights were 17 Tundra Swans, 1 Ross's Goose, 400 + American Wigeons, and more than 100 Eared Grebes. Barrow's Goldeneyes are on the increase with 95 today. Western Grebe's have peak from more than 400 last week to only 58 today. In all, 21 species of Geese, Swans and ducks were seen. Gary Swant Deer Lodge Subject: RFI on eBird usage From: "Curtis" <whitelinereaper AT yahoo.ca> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:11 -0000 Hello Birders I plan to (or attempt to) write an article about eBird ( http://ebird.org/content/canada )an upcoming issue of The Parkland Naturalist, the journal of the Edmonton Nature Club. This is a general call for input regarding eBird. I have been contributing to eBird regularly for a couple of years now, as well as uploading lists as far back as 1996 from our Avisys files. I do this primarily because I believe in the power of programs like this, the Christmas Bird Count, Project Feederwatch, Nestwatch, etc. to make use of individual observation to contribute to a much wider picture. I also find a number of features that can be accessed through eBird to be interesting and informative. That being said I feel there are some features that are poorly represented or not immediately obvious. The groups that I am interested in hearing from are: 1) Users. Why do you use eBird? How do you use eBirdWhat features are appealing (contribution to a larger effort, a free powerful listing program, aid in species location, etc) What features are unappealing or missing? 2) Informed Non-users. This would include anyone who is aware of eBird but does not use the program for some reason. Obviously some birders are not listers... at least I've heard that. Do you use different software (or a handwritten journal)? Do you find eBird cumbersome or difficult to utilize? 3) Other Non-users. This group would include those who may have heard of eBird, but don't really know anything about it , or those who have never heard of eBird at all. I would ask anyone who has input for me on this subject to contact me personally, at whitelinereaper AT yahoo.ca in order not to clutter up the forum. Thank you Curtis Manly Spruce Grove Subject: A few Boreal birds, and a LIFER! From: "JoshuaC" <birdbrainjwc AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:39:09 -0000 Sunday was opening day for the general hunting season as many of you may know, and my friend and I went out to the far west end of Flathead Co. and The far eastern end of Lincoln county. In "lost Prairie" I had one SNOW BUNTING!!!! Also a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. Around the Thompson Lakes, we had many GRAY JAYS and a few CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES, also one GOLDEN EAGLE. My lifer was an AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER!!!!! AMAZING looks from 10 feet away!!! first and maybe not last lifer seen through a rifle scope (didn't grab the binoculars from the truck) Later that day, we almost hit a RUFFED GROUSE, and got out to bag it, but found our selves staring at 3 SPRUCE GROUSE in the trees above us!!! SPRUCE GROUSE!!! WAY COOL!! I have only seen one before and it too was hunting in the same area, but this time we got to hold them. :) One of the males was a pure "FRANKLIN'S" subspecies but the other male and the female are a mix of the nominate subspecies and the the "Franklin's" I called them 'tweeners. I have there tails curing to be mounted. The subspecies variation in them is very cool and interesting!! Didn't bag a deer or elk, but came home with 3 grouse and the satisfaction of a great day of hunting, with some birding in the mix. Subject: Latest from the Montana Bird Records Committee From: "Daniel" <caseys4 AT centurytel.net> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:05:23 -0000 MOB-sters: The MBRC held our annual meeting in Great Falls last Friday, and I thought this would be a good time to update everyone on our activities. First, I want to publicly thank Terry McEneaney of Gardiner for his 18 years on the committee. He resigned while he continues the recovery from his heart trouble, and we all wish him the best of health. We welcomed two new members for this meeting, Coburn Currier of Helena, and Nate Kohler of Deer Lodge. So far this year we have reviewed 54 reports of rare birds, and 85% of these were accepted as records for entry in the Montana Bird Distribution database, including two additions to the state list (Eastern Meadowlark and Lesser Black-backed Gull). As always, the non-acceptance of 8 reports does not indicate that the birds were misidentified, just that the documentation fell short (typically by not fully eliminating other possible species). We are fairly conservative, and any report that receives more than one vote against acceptance (from the 11 members of the committee) does not go into MBD. Digital photos have really helped in the documentation of rarities. This year, 35 of the 54 reports included photos, and all but one of those were accepted. I looked over the past five years of our activities as a committee, and found the following: * We have reviewed nearly 300 reports in five years. * We have accepted an average of 86% of the reports (84-89% annually) * We have accepted 97% of the reports accompanied by a specimen or photos. * We have accepted 74% of written reports without specimen or photo. * The percentage of reports accompanied by photos has risen from 45% in 2005 to 65% of those reviewed in 2009. * Although we had photos of 8 of the 9 species we added to the state list during this period (Eastern Towhee, Ross' Gull, Iceland Gull, Curve-billed Thrasher, Inca Dove, Tufted Duck, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Eastern Meadowlark), we also added Blue-winged Warbler based on detailed sighting reports that did not include photos. I cannot overemphasize that while digital photos are getting easier all the time, as cameras with zoom capabilities come down in price and up in quality, written notes are still a critical part of the documentation process. When you find a rarity, take notes or sketches of the features you observe in the field, and take care to eliminate similar species. The best reports state clearly what was seen, and how other species could be eliminated by plumage, behavior, voice, etc. The good news is that most of the reports submitted are accepted by the committee. So thank you to all who take the time to provide documentation, adding to the long-term record of MT bird distribution. And thank you to my fellow committee members, who donate their time toward that same cause. All are available to help birders through the process, and can be contacted through the MBRC link on the Montana Audubon website at: http://mtaudubon.org/birds/mbrc.html Minutes of our last two meetings and changes to the state review list will be posted there soon. Those changes include dropping Mew Gull, Band-tailed Pigeon, Black-throated Blue Warbler and Swamp Sparrow from the list, and adjusting the exception area for a few others (Anna's Hummingbird, Gray Flycatcher, and Blue-headed Vireo). Good Birding, Dan Casey MBRC Chairman Subject: Jaeger at Ennis Lake From: "Jeff Marks" <jeff17_marks AT msn.com> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:47:58 -0700 Mobsters, I just now looked at Robin's photos of the jaeger. On a couple of the original photos that show the upperwing, I think I see that the outer 4 or 5 primaries have whitish shafts, which is good for Parasitic but not Long-tailed. And I agree that the bill seems thin and longish, again good for Parasitic. But of course, immature jaegers can be very tough. Jeff ***************** Jeff Marks 4241 SE Liebe Street Portland, OR 97206 503-774-4783 Birds of Montana Project http://mtaudubon.org/ ***************** Subject: Re: Red Phalarope From: "nathan kohler" <nskohler AT bresnan.net> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:22:51 -0600 Robin et al, I visited the Silver Lake area today and did not see the Red Phalarope. In fact, it couldn't be found just a few hours after we observed it on Saturday morning. However, the Long-tailed Duck was still holding at the Warm Springs sewage ponds this afternoon. Not as rare of a bird, but he sure is a dashing fella. Nate Kohler Deer Lodge On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:09:37 -0000 "pajaros0422" wrote: > Has anyone tried to relocate the Red Phalarope? > > Robin Wolcott > Bozeman > Subject: Re: Freezout Birds-Monday From: Larry Carter <birder43 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:28:48 -0700 (PDT) Hi Mike, Well finally back online, was over at Freezout this afternoon saw the several Tundra Swans on Pond 4.  At Priest Butte Lake I saw 11 of your 15 Common Loons and the several Western Grebes with a few Eared Grebe's.  the Buffleheads are back as well.  Took a drive down Mud Road (I call Rattlesnake Road good reason) and found three  northern arrival's. Saw one Barrow's Goldeneye near the out house and down the road from that saw one Northern Shrike.  Along Mud Road saw a small flock of 10 Snow Buntings as well.  They are a coming the north birds.  Take care and good birding, Larry --- On Mon, 10/26/09, Michael Schwitters wrote: From: Michael Schwitters Subject: [MOB-Montana] Freezout Birds-Monday To: "MOB" Cc: "Brent Lonner" Date: Monday, October 26, 2009, 5:47 PM   MOBsters, Tundra Swan numbers are down considerably- -only 600 compared to last week's 4,000. I have been looking for the scoters, jaegers and long-tailed ducks others are finding...so far without success. There were 15 Common Loons and well over 100 Western Grebes on Priest Butte Lake. Good birding, Mike Schwitters Choteau MT Subject: Freezout Birds-Monday From: Michael Schwitters <schwit AT 3rivers.net> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:47:53 -0600 MOBsters, Tundra Swan numbers are down considerably--only 600 compared to last week's 4,000. I have been looking for the scoters, jaegers and long-tailed ducks others are finding...so far without success. There were 15 Common Loons and well over 100 Western Grebes on Priest Butte Lake. Good birding, Mike Schwitters Choteau MT Subject: Re: Greater White-fronted Geese at Central Park Pond From: "Cheryl Farmer" <songbird AT wispwest.net> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:43:26 -0000 This afternoon Konchog Norbu and I went out to the pond and sure enough the two Greater White-fronted Geese were still there. Thanks for staking them down Robin! In fact they hardly moved while we were there. They stood long enough for us to clearly see their bills and face (better with a scope) but then most of the time they hunkered down and kept bills tucked into chests. The sky became darker and the breeze strong enough to make digiscoping a shaky proposition. Konchog did get a blurry picture. Nice job Robin--finding these geese among all the Canada Geese! And thanks for posting the info.. Probably the same birds were there today: lots of C. Geese, a group of Tundra Swans, a few Pintails and A. Wigeons but mostly thousands of Mallards. Happy birding trails to you! Cheryl Farmer, Bozeman --- In MOB-Montana AT yahoogroups.com, "pajaros0422" wrote: > > Hi Mobsters > > On a spectacular afternoon in the Gallatin Valley, two juvenile Greater White-fronted Geese visited Central Park Pond – and so did I! They have not been noted here in quite some time and were a challenge to find among the teeming throngs of Canada Geese and Mallards. Keeping the newcomers company were about 15 Tundra Swans and a few assorted other waterfowl. I've posted some pathetic but confirmatory images in my album entitled AMRO Photos. > > Directions to Central Park Pond can be found online at: > > http://mtaudubon.org/birdwatching/gallatin_txt.html > 7. Central Park Pond. > > > Good October Birding, > > Robin Wolcott > Bozeman, MT > Subject: Re: Red Phalarope From: "Gary Swant" <Birdmontana AT rfwave.net> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:13:56 -0600 Robin, Later the same day, after we birded another area, Wayne Tree looked for the Red Phalarope again and it was gone. That was about 2 to 3 hours after we originally saw it. Today, Wayne and Nate Kohler were in the area and the bird was not present. We were fortunate to see it. Gary Swant Deer Lodge ----- Original Message ----- From: pajaros0422 To: MOB-Montana AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 4:09 PM Subject: [MOB-Montana] Red Phalarope Has anyone tried to relocate the Red Phalarope? Robin Wolcott Bozeman Subject: Red Phalarope From: "pajaros0422" <pajaros AT wewolcotts.com> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:09:37 -0000 Has anyone tried to relocate the Red Phalarope? Robin Wolcott Bozeman Subject: Glacier NP: Northern Hawk-Owl From: Byron Butler <byronkbutlermt AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:49:05 -0600 Maggie and I got away this weekend on our first overnight trip since going to Westby and Fort Peck in early September. Then we were looking for migrating warblers, hawks and shorebirds. This weekend we went to Kalispell / Glacier NP to look for very different birds. Thayer's Gull. We began at the Kalispell landfill to look for early winter gulls reported on Oct 19th by Dan Casey. On Friday afternoon, in a steady rain and with 2-3 inches of mud clinging to my boots, I scoped the gulls in the retaining pond below the brush dump. We found to immature Thayer's Gulls, but not the adult Thayer's or the adult Mew Gull. We returned Saturday morning for another try but again found only immature Thayer's. There was also one Bonaparte's Gull. GLACIER NATIONAL PARK: Saturday afternoon we drove the Inside North Fork Road ("Inside Road") from Fish Creek to the Howe Lake trailhead, and back. We were on this road for several hours but never saw a single bird and only two birds (ravens) were heard. We did not do much better in the rest of the park either. A Common Loon, seven Western Grebes and about 100 ducks, including a Red-breasted Merganser, were on Lake McDonald (seen from Apgar). The bird-of-the-day was Golden-crowned Kinglet of which 2-3 were seen. We spent all day Sunday in Glacier with much better results due to very nice weather. Northern Hawk-Owl. We found two hawk-owls. The first individual was sighted three times on the Howe Lake trail. The first sighting was in the burn area about 0.25 mile or more from the trailhead. The second sighting was in the wooded area between the trailhead and the burn, about 100-200 yards from Inside Road. This was the first time we have seen a hawk-owl within dense woods. The third sighting was a few minutes after the second sighting at the trailhead as we were at our car. The bird had followed us out of the woods. The second hawl-owl was seen on the Inside Road exactly 4.5 miles south of the Howe Lake trail parking area, where the road crosses Fern Creek. This bird was not paying any attention to us but appeared to be actively foraging. Earlier in the day, where the Camas Road crosses Fern Creek, Maggie had seen a bird atop a snag, in silhouette only, consistent with the profile of a hawk-owl. This bird flew down before we got our glass on it. Thus we believe we saw two individual hawk-owls, one working the Howe Lake trail, the other working Fern Creek. Gray Jay: We tallied 23 Gray Jays in eight sightings (1, 4, 7, 3, 2, 1, 3, 2). Most were seen on the Camas Road, one was between West Glacier and Apgar, and several were on Inside Road and the Howe Lake trail. Spruce Grouse: We saw 11 Spruce "Franklin's" Grouse in 4 sightings (1, 8, 1, 1). Ten were seen on the Camas Road south of the wolf exhibt, one was seen on the Inside Road. American Three-toed Woodpecker: One individual was seen on the Howe Lake trail 100-200 yards from Inside Road. This is in same place where we had the second sighting of the hawk-owl. We saw the 3-toed here on our hike in and the hawk-owl was found on our hike out while we were looking again for the woodpecker. Byron K. Butler Bozeman Subject: E. Gallatin Recreation Area - 10/25/09 From: Lou Ann Harris <montlou AT earthlink.net> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:39:19 -0600 Mobsters, During a morning walk with my husband at the E. Gallatin Rec. Area, we saw two first-of-season American Tree Sparrows poking around on the path that winds around the lake, along with one Marsh Wren. On the lake were Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Green- winged Teal, Western Grebe, and American Coot. No sign of Ed Harper. I believe he's headed south for the winter. Lou Ann Harris Bozeman Subject: Hammonds Flycatcher From: "John Carlson" <jccarlson AT surfbirder.com> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:57:11 -0700 Subject: Bridger Burn From: "Konchog" <palyulmonk AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:32:27 -0000 Taking advantage of the beautiful day, I went up and carefully walked the publicly accessible parts of the recent burn near the Bridger Bowl. Granted it was afternoon doldrums, but I didn't see A bird in the burn area, nevermind something as desirable as, say, a Black- backed Woodpecker. In one small spot, I saw evidence that woodpeckers might be starting to chip at the trees a little, but I'm going to wait until spring for a revisit. Subject: Ft. Peck sightings From: "Chuck Carlson" <chuckcmt AT nemont.net> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:02:38 -0600 Mobsters We had a new yard bird this afternoon - a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was bathing in one of the water spots in the backyard. This puts our list of yard birds at 153. We only count birds that are in, or directly over, the yard. The numbers of juncos dropped dramatically on Saturday morning. We had a minimum of 15 to 20 in the yard on Friday but I was able come with only 2 on Saturday morning. The two Harris's Sparrows and two White-throated Sparrows that had been hanging out evidently departed with the juncos. Two adult Bald Eagles were sitting on the rockpile below the powerhouses late this afternoon. The number of gulls has also dropped somewhat. There are about 4 or 5 pelicans still here and a few cormorants. The sewage ponds have good numbers of Buffleheads and Northern Shovelers with some Redheads and Lesser Scaup. The three or four broods of Common Goldeneyes that were raised here seem to have left some time ago. And strangely, there have been no migrants around. Usually by now the sewage ponds have fair numbers of these by now. That's all for now. Good birding. Chuck Carlson chuckcmt AT nemont.net Ft. Peck MT Subject: Long-tailed Duck From: "NateK" <nskohler AT bresnan.net> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:54:43 -0000 Hello All, I found an adult male Long-tailed Duck in winter plumage at the sewage ponds in Warm Springs. Sharp looking duck - and he's in an area where you can get nice close looks. He was still there at 5:30pm when I left the area. I posted a few photos in Nate's album. Nate Kohler Deer Lodge Subject: Greater White-fronted Geese at Central Park Pond From: "pajaros0422" <pajaros AT wewolcotts.com> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:45:06 -0000 Hi Mobsters On a spectacular afternoon in the Gallatin Valley, two juvenile Greater White-fronted Geese visited Central Park Pond – and so did I! They have not been noted here in quite some time and were a challenge to find among the teeming throngs of Canada Geese and Mallards. Keeping the newcomers company were about 15 Tundra Swans and a few assorted other waterfowl. I've posted some pathetic but confirmatory images in my album entitled AMRO Photos. Directions to Central Park Pond can be found online at: http://mtaudubon.org/birdwatching/gallatin_txt.html 7. Central Park Pond. Good October Birding, Robin Wolcott Bozeman, MT Subject: Benton Lake and Giant Springs/Missouri River From: "Sharon Dewart-Hansen" <smdhansen AT bresnan.net> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:57:06 -0600 It was too nice to stay inside, so I went to check out who may have dropped in for a visit to the area. At Benton Lake, besides the usual suspects, I found A small flotilla of Snow Geese (40-50), and about 6-8 Bonaparte Gulls. At Giant Springs my biggest surprise was a couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets feeding with a flock of Black-capped Chickadees. Pictures to come. Benton Lake Horned Larks Black-billed Magpie Starlings American Coots Ruddy Ducks Eared Grebes Pied-billed Grebes Gadwalls Bufflehead Mallards Great Horned Owl Tundra Swans Northern Shovelers Northern Harrier Lesser Scaup Bonaparte Gulls Canada Geese Giant Springs/Missouri River Common Goldeneye Ruddy Duck Tundra Swan Western Grebe Eared Grebe Pied-billed Grebe Redheads Canvasback American Widgeon Ring-necked Duck American Coot Bufflehead Ring-billed Gulls Mallards Black-capped Chickadees Golden-crowned Kinglet Northern Flicker Canada Geese Sharon Dewart-Hansen Great Falls, MT Common Loon Subject: Westby birds From: "fabian_vas" <soraart AT nemont.net> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 02:07:06 -0000 Mob, Today, Matthew and I birded from Westby to Brush Lake State Park, eventually ending up at Medicine Lake. Rain showers followed us throughout the day, sometimes heavy, but all in all an exceptional day for late October in Sheridan County with several unexpected finds. We were hoping for scoters, but no such luck. Here's our total list- Greater White-fronted Goose Snow Goose Cackling Goose Canada Goose Tundra Swan Gadwall Mallard N. Pintail N. Shoveler Green-winged Teal Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Ruddy Duck R. N. Pheasant Sharp-tailed Grouse Eared Grebe Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Western Grebe Ring-billed Gull N. Harrier-6 Red-tailed Hawk-4 Rough-legged Hawk-11 A. Kestrel-1 Merlin-1 Prairie Falcon-2 A. Coot Sandhill Crane-500+ Black-bellied Plover-3 (late) A. Avocet-2 Greater Yellowlegs-15 Pectoral Sandpiper-4 (late) Long-billed Dowitcher-300 Ring-billed Gull Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Great Horned Owl Downy Woodpecker N. Shrike-1 B. B. Magpie A. Crow Horned Lark A. Robin E. Starling C. Waxwing A. Tree Sparrow Song Sparrow Harris' Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow White-throated Sparrow D. E. Junco Lapland Longspur-300-400 Rusty Blackbird-7 Red-winged Blackbird House Finch A. Goldfinch-1 House Sparrow Ted Nordhagen Westby MT Subject: Deer Lodge Valley Bird Outing From: "garyswant" <Birdmontana AT rfwave.net> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:52:53 -0000 Birders, The Deer Lodge Valley Birders went out today to look for migrating fall birds. Actually we had folks from Butte, Stevensville, Missoula, Butte, Elliston, and Deer Lodge for a total of 11. We were targeting Scoters, and were fortunate to see a total of 10 today. Two Surf at Warm Springs, 5 Surf at Silver Lake, 2 Surf at Georgetown and a single White-winged Scoter at East Fork Reservoir. Of course we were hoping for a Black, but no luck. We saw a Black at Silver Lake in November of 2007. However, we did get an excellent bird at Silver Lake today in a small pond below the dike road. We first thought Red-necked Phalarope. It turned out to a Red Phalarope! We got good looks from 30 feet and less for more than 10 minutes and many pictures. We will have good data for a Rare Bird Report. Several of our group got Life and State Birds with these three species. In all we found 48 species. Gary Swant Deer Lodge Subject: Re: Jaeger at Ennis Lake From: "patrick_toomey_jr" <ptoomeyjr AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:15:33 -0000 Radd, I thought you gave it great individual analysis and showed inspirational verve in your posting regardless of the actual ID result, and want to encourage more of our MOBsters to 'take a stab' at some of their sightings. This is how amateurs, like myself, become proficient and ultimately become better birders. I think that many of us leave too many ID's go by the wayside rather than sharing thoughts and possible ID's with others. It is the discussion about ID's that will make us better birders, not just ID'ong those that we are sure of. Seems like we're so worried about 'getting it wrong.' Great posting. Thanks. Patrick --- In MOB-Montana AT yahoogroups.com, radd AT ... wrote: > > Think I'm getting voted out and I now believe that I paid too much attention the undertail covert barring and amount white in the underwing > Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry > > -----Original Message----- > From: Michael Schwitters > Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:05:05 > To: > Subject: Re: [MOB-Montana] Jaeger at Ennis Lake > > Robin and All, > I got out my bird books and studied and manipulated the images. I > believe the light bill, only 1/3 black, and the brownish (not grayish) > color leads me to a light juvenile Parasitic Jaeger. The barring showed > up well when I removed some of the shadow as I manipulated the Edited > image. See Sibley's illustrations on 198. > Sorry Radd. > Mike Schwitters > Choteau MT > > > Robin M Wolcott wrote: > > > > > > Good Morning MOBsters > > > > In my /_AMRO Photos_/ album, I have posted the images of the jaeger we > > encountered yesterday on the north shore of Ennis Lake. The first 4 > > pictures (5892-5895) are mine and the last two were taken by Konchog > > Norbu. I took the liberty of decreasing the contrast on his original > > image and marked it EDITED. It is the last of the jaeger photos. > > > > We would welcome any input you might have regarding exactly which type > > of jaeger this was! If there is a jaeger "expert" out there, let's > > hear from you! > > > > Thanks for your help in identifying this difficult and challenging > > species. > > > > Robin Wolcott > > > > Bozeman > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > Subject: Re: Jaeger at Ennis Lake From: radd AT raddphotography.com Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:09:02 +0000 Think I'm getting voted out and I now believe that I paid too much attention the undertail covert barring and amount white in the underwing Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry -----Original Message----- From: Michael Schwitters Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:05:05 To: Subject: Re: [MOB-Montana] Jaeger at Ennis Lake Robin and All, I got out my bird books and studied and manipulated the images. I believe the light bill, only 1/3 black, and the brownish (not grayish) color leads me to a light juvenile Parasitic Jaeger. The barring showed up well when I removed some of the shadow as I manipulated the Edited image. See Sibley's illustrations on 198. Sorry Radd. Mike Schwitters Choteau MT Robin M Wolcott wrote: > > > Good Morning MOBsters > > In my /_AMRO Photos_/ album, I have posted the images of the jaeger we > encountered yesterday on the north shore of Ennis Lake. The first 4 > pictures (5892-5895) are mine and the last two were taken by Konchog > Norbu. I took the liberty of decreasing the contrast on his original > image and marked it EDITED. It is the last of the jaeger photos. > > We would welcome any input you might have regarding exactly which type > of jaeger this was! If there is a jaeger “expert” out there, let’s > hear from you! > > Thanks for your help in identifying this difficult and challenging > species. > > Robin Wolcott > > Bozeman > > > > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MOB-Montana/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MOB-Montana/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:MOB-Montana-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:MOB-Montana-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: MOB-Montana-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Re: Jaeger at Ennis Lake From: Michael Schwitters <schwit AT 3rivers.net> Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:05:05 -0600 Robin and All, I got out my bird books and studied and manipulated the images. I believe the light bill, only 1/3 black, and the brownish (not grayish) color leads me to a light juvenile Parasitic Jaeger. The barring showed up well when I removed some of the shadow as I manipulated the Edited image. See Sibley's illustrations on 198. Sorry Radd. Mike Schwitters Choteau MT Robin M Wolcott wrote: > > > Good Morning MOBsters > > In my /_AMRO Photos_/ album, I have posted the images of the jaeger we > encountered yesterday on the north shore of Ennis Lake. The first 4 > pictures (5892-5895) are mine and the last two were taken by Konchog > Norbu. I took the liberty of decreasing the contrast on his original > image and marked it EDITED. It is the last of the jaeger photos. > > We would welcome any input you might have regarding exactly which type > of jaeger this was! If there is a jaeger “expert” out there, let’s > hear from you! > > Thanks for your help in identifying this difficult and challenging > species. > > Robin Wolcott > > Bozeman > > > > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MOB-Montana/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MOB-Montana/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:MOB-Montana-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:MOB-Montana-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: MOB-Montana-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Re: Jaeger at Ennis Lake From: "NateK" <nskohler AT bresnan.net> Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:52:59 -0000 I'm no Jaeger expert, but the long, slender bill and the pointed central tail feathers swing toward Parasitic. Also, the overall tail projection appears shorter than one should see on a Long-tailed. My impression is light, first-year Parasitic. Nate Kohler Deer Lodge --- In MOB-Montana AT yahoogroups.com, "Robin M Wolcott" wrote: > > Good Morning MOBsters > > > > In my AMRO Photos album, I have posted the images of the jaeger we > encountered yesterday on the north shore of Ennis Lake. The first 4 > pictures (5892-5895) are mine and the last two were taken by Konchog Norbu. > I took the liberty of decreasing the contrast on his original image and > marked it EDITED. It is the last of the jaeger photos. > > > > We would welcome any input you might have regarding exactly which type of > jaeger this was! If there is a jaeger "expert" out there, let's hear from > you! > > > > Thanks for your help in identifying this difficult and challenging species. > > > > Robin Wolcott > > Bozeman > Subject: RE: Jaeger at Ennis Lake From: "Radd Icenoggle" <radd AT raddphotography.com> Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:22:20 -0600 I'll take a stab at this one. The characteristics that I notice are the light head and underbody with no apparent banding (IMG_5892); the apparent moderate undertail barring (IMG_5894); little white on the underwing; and hint of elongated central tail feathers (edited image). So, I'm thinking a light juvenile Long-tailed Jaeger. Although I could be wrong. Let the slings and arrows of rarity identification loose. Radd Icenoggle logo From: MOB-Montana AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:MOB-Montana AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Robin M Wolcott Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 6:38 AM To: MOB Subject: [MOB-Montana] Jaeger at Ennis Lake Good Morning MOBsters In my AMRO Photos album, I have posted the images of the jaeger we encountered yesterday on the north shore of Ennis Lake. The first 4 pictures (5892-5895) are mine and the last two were taken by Konchog Norbu. I took the liberty of decreasing the contrast on his original image and marked it EDITED. It is the last of the jaeger photos. We would welcome any input you might have regarding exactly which type of jaeger this was! If there is a jaeger "expert" out there, let's hear from you! Thanks for your help in identifying this difficult and challenging species. Robin Wolcott Bozeman No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.423 / Virus Database: 270.14.27/2452 - Release Date: 10/22/09 18:44:00 Subject: Jaeger at Ennis Lake From: "Robin M Wolcott" <pajaros AT wewolcotts.com> Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:38:23 -0600 Good Morning MOBsters In my AMRO Photos album, I have posted the images of the jaeger we encountered yesterday on the north shore of Ennis Lake. The first 4 pictures (5892-5895) are mine and the last two were taken by Konchog Norbu. I took the liberty of decreasing the contrast on his original image and marked it EDITED. It is the last of the jaeger photos. We would welcome any input you might have regarding exactly which type of jaeger this was! If there is a jaeger "expert" out there, let's hear from you! Thanks for your help in identifying this difficult and challenging species. Robin Wolcott Bozeman