Category Archives: Listing

Dynamic Spring Birding in Deer Lodge

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When life hands you an opportunity—especially a birding opportunity—you’d better take it. We learned that the easy way last weekend when Phil Ramsey, dad of our birding buddy Nick, offered us a two-night stay at the Clark Fork Coalition’s amazing Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch. Phil couldn’t join us, but on Friday Nick picked Braden and me up in his truck, and off we went.

Thanks to Montana’s abundant spring daylight, we reached Deer Lodge with plenty of time to bird and after a quick dinner at 4Bs, explored the back roads leading south from the prison. Nick’s top target for the weekend was a long-shot, Greater White-fronted Goose, while Braden especially wanted to see his first Golden Eagle of the year. Me? I had my own goal: Long-billed Curlews, a species Braden and I had seen only once before in Montana. Altogether, Braden figured that for the weekend we might pick up eight new year birds while I predicted ten.

This was Braden’s and my first good look at an (intermediate morph?) Swainson’s Hawk and the bird cooperated beautifully, sitting on this post for a full five minutes.

As we drove, we spotted a number of nice, albeit expected, birds: Mountain Bluebirds, American Kestrel, and a scattering of ducks. We also got to observe a beautiful Swainson’s Hawk on a telephone pole—the first real surprise of the weekend. As we turned right, down a dirt road, however, I suddenly shouted “Look out there!” Sure enough, three Long-billed Curlews hunted insects under beautiful evening light. Before the evening was out, we would tally 20 more of these graceful bizarre-looking birds, a number of them dancing out their courtship rituals.

Several pairs of curlews were feeling especially frisky but the females seemed a bit antagonized by the attention. Maybe the males should have opted for dinner and a movie?

Part of the weekend package was a personalized tour of the ARCO superfund ponds with Gary Swant (see post “For Birders, Every Year is a Big Year”). Nick, Braden, and I had been lucky enough to bird with Gary the last Christmas Bird Count, but we were eager to see how spring species differed from the area’s winter visitors. As expected, waterfowl were out in full force—including Eared, Horned, Western, and Red-necked Grebes. We enjoyed Red-breasted Mergansers and Nick spotted a Sora, but the real surprise was the number of loons—eight, all told. “That’s easily the most we’ve ever seen together,” Braden exulted.

We saw at least twenty Red-necked Grebes during our day with Gary—and enjoyed every single one of them! It’s easy to see why.

Leaving the ponds, Gary took us to a place near Anaconda that we’d never birded: Dutchman’s Slough where, within minutes, Braden nabbed his top weekend target, Golden Eagle. Then we noticed three wading birds in the distance and assumed they must be more Long-billed Curlews. One of them was, but the other two were something we’d never seen: Marbled Godwits in the middle of a grassy field! After bidding a fond farewell to Gary, we rounded out the day with one more great score—Solitary Sandpiper in a large puddle on the south edge of Deer Lodge.

We were sad to be leaving the next morning, but an unseasonal snow storm urged us home. On the drive, however, we decided to stop at Rock Creek, the site of Braden’s Eagle Project (see post “Five Valleys, Many Birds”). Almost as soon as we got out of the car, we spotted three more stunning year birds: Chipping Sparrow, Hermit Thrush, and shockingly, Lark Sparrow. The latter two were most likely just migrating through and we felt lucky to nab them as they often prove difficult to find in Montana.

The Clark Fork Coalition’s Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch proved the perfect HQ for birding the spectacular Deer Lodge Valley.

So how did we do for the weekend? Well, we shattered our estimates for how many new year birds we might see, adding more than twenty to each of our lists. More important, the trip drove home a lesson for every birder: during spring migration, anything can show up—and does! Well, except for the elusive Greater White-fronted Goose! Sorry, Nick.

Winter Birding in Atlanta’s Surprising Piedmont Park

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When we were invited to my brother’s wedding in Atlanta, Braden and I immediately began wondering which birds we might encounter in the “Dogwood City” in mid-January. Our first morning there, we determined to find out by taking a loop around Piedmont Park in the company of our good friend—and famous “Hidden Figures” movie extra—Erica Brown. Almost immediately, the birds came out to meet us!

Sneed and Braden trying to track down a Carolina Wren in some brush at Piedmont Park. (Photo by Erica Brown)

Making a loop to the north from the parking lot, we soon found common hoped-for Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Carolina Chickadees, but then surprised a gorgeous Red-shouldered Hawk lurking along the stream bed. The birds only got better from there.

This Red-shouldered was a real delight—and proof that a thriving bird community can exist in the heart of an urban environment. (Photo by Braden Collard)

Continuing north, we picked up Tufted Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Carolina Wrens, Eastern Phoebes, and to my delight, a Golden-crowned Kinglet, which I was especially glad to see because my crummy hearing doesn’t allow me to find these by sound. Looping back on the far side of the park, I began wondering where the woodpeckers might be when I spotted a small candidate in a tree. “There’s a Downy,” I pointed to Braden. “I see it,” he said, “but that’s not a Downy. It’s a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker!” “Huh?” Turns out, we’d been looking at different birds!

We never get tired of watching phoebes—especially one that we rarely get to see, the Eastern Phoebe. (Photo by Braden Collard)

Our real jackpot turned out to be a large, muddy puddle next to some dead grasses. There, we picked up Swamp, Chipping, Song, and White-throated Sparrows, Eastern Towhees, and my favorite, a pair of Brown Thrashers. All told, we bagged 28 species, far exceeding our wintry expectations. Better yet, Braden scored three Lifers: Eastern Towhee, Swamp Sparrow, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker!

This Eastern Towhee proved a Lifer for both of us! (Photo by Braden Collard)

As a bonus, that night, we got to visit with the wonderful folks of Atlanta Audubon at my book signing with A Cappella Books, held at Brickworks Gallery. What a fun group! The welcoming people—and welcoming birds—left only one burning question: what could “Hot’lanta” possibly be like during spring migration? One day, we hope to find out!

Next Post: another urban birding report from my upcoming trip to San Antonio for the TCTELA Conference.

Lucky Day at Maclay

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As we pulled out of the garage, my dad asked, “So, where to? Mt. Sentinel for rosy-finches? The Gravel Quarry?”

“How about we go look for the Great Gray Owl at Maclay Flat?” I asked.

“Well, okay, even though Maclay always disappoints me—it’s kind of empty.”

This was true—while we had spotted excellent birds at Maclay, including Barred, Great Gray and Northern Pygmy-Owls, it generally didn’t hold up in terms of overall species. For instance, on the day we saw the Barred Owl, we only logged about five species. Dog-walkers and cross-country skiers also loved Maclay, and the number of people might have affected bird numbers.

Fortunately, when we pulled up in the parking lot with our dog Lola, it seemed barren of people—maybe people had other things to do with their holiday break. A thin, fluffy layer of snow covered the ground and trees, and a few clouds dotted the sky. We pulled on our snow boots and layers, then trudged into the forest, our eyes open for large gray shapes watching us from the upper branches.

Our year lists sat within reach of our Montana year records, with my dad and I needing two and three, respectively. I hoped we could get Merlin and Golden-crowned Kinglet today, which would buff my dad’s list. Other birds that topped our Montana needs included Ruffed Grouse, Northern Goshawk (which we had unsuccessfully chased up Pattee Canyon a few days earlier), Gray-crowned Rosy-finches (which we could hopefully nab with a hike up the “M”), Gyrfalcon and Snow Bunting (grrrrrrr). A ski trip could also get my dad Gray Jay.

Right beyond the parking lot we encountered one of Maclay’s famous mixed flocks, containing three Black-capped Chickadees, two Mountain Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches and a Brown Creeper, which was a nice surprise.

My dad and I bushwhacked through the trees and slid down ditches searching for the owl, or any owl. We investigated a stand of aspen near the edge of a huge field that had cavities that should have contained screech-owls, but to no avail. From a distance, though, we did spot a handsome adult Bald Eagle perched on a huge snag.

Suddenly, we spotted a raptor zip out of the trees, chasing a collared-dove. I tore off my mittens and set my camera on overexposed, then snapped as many photos as I could. We’d had a similar experience in this same field a few years ago, but the look had been too quick for identification. This time we were ready.

Our Lifer Northern Goshawk, heading home after an unsuccessful pursuit of a Collared Dove.

The bird sported a long tail and slim wings, and was fairly large—definitely a falcon or accipiter species. Remarkably, my photos showed a slate-gray body and a black eyeline. Northern Goshawk! We’d never seen this bird before, and it was one of our long-time nemesis birds. Finally, we’d gotten to see this rare raptor in action!

Seeing the goshawk definitely made up for not spotting the Great Gray. As we walked back to the car, we finished up the birding with another great mixed flock, including two Downy Woodpeckers. Happy New Year!

Montana Christmas Bird Count #1: Owlservations

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At 9 a.m. on December 15^th, my dad and I sat in his truck in the parking lot of DeSmet School. It was the morning of our first Christmas Bird Count of the year, and we were wondering if we had the place and time right. My dad pointed to a blue Prius driving towards us.

“Those look like birders.”

“Yeah, right.” I said as they turned and drove past us.

How many birders can fit into a Subaru? Turns out, the answer is six!

A minute later, though, the Prius reappeared and pulled into our parking lot—I guess they were birders! In a few minutes, four more cars pulled up, and we all got out and introduced ourselves. The leader of the count, Debbie Leick, whose name my dad and I recognized from eBird, was a cheerful and optimistic woman. We quickly divided into two groups—the harder but possibly more rewarding forest group, and the slightly easier lower Butler and LaValle Creek group. My dad and I joined the latter, along with Debbie and three excited women from Northwestern Montana: Madeline, Laura, and Heidi. Only Madeline was an experienced birder, but they all showed true birding spirit!

We took a quick check for birds around the school, then drove to the bottom of the canyon and parked our cars at a barn, where we picked up magpies, ravens, Red-tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle, pigeons and a Song Sparrow. We then shuttled up to the top of our route and hopped two fences and a creek, before slowly making our way back down the canyon.

The Christmas Bird Count just seems to bring out the birder in everyone! (Photo by Madeline Finley).

The walk, though cold, was fun. It took about two hours to get to the bottom, and birds were sparse. We were in great company, though, and everyone was enthusiastic—maybe too enthusiastic. One woman forgot we were birding a few times and just randomly burst into song or started yelling with unprompted glee. My dad designated himself as our owl-finder—we had done this area four years ago on our very first CBC, and been lucky enough to spot a Western Screech-Owl wintering in an old woodpecker hole in the cottonwood draw. Unfortunately, during our whole walk today we did not see a single owl.

We did see some great birds, however. I spotted a large flock of winter-plumaged American Goldfinches that seemed to follow us, and we added Black-capped Chickadees, Townsend’s Solitaires, and a White-breasted Nuthatch to the tally. We also picked up House Finch and Red-breasted Nuthatch at feeders near the end of the route. Once we got back to the barn, my dad called out a group of eight Gray Partridges flying by!

We said goodbye to the other women, then took one last short drive with Debbie up Butler Creek Road. On the way up we tallied a few Wild Turkeys, hawks, magpies and flickers, but nothing to write home about. On the way down, though, I glimpsed a round shape perched high in a deciduous tree next to a house.

No matter how much you *want* to see them, owls are always an unexpected delight. This guy was only Braden’s and my third NOPO ever!

“Stop!” I said. The bird looked like a fat Northern Shrike, which would be a great addition to our list.

When I raised my binoculars, though, I was greeted with black false eye-spots.

“Northern Pygmy-Owl!” I yelled.

“What!?” was the reaction from the front of the car.

Suddenly, the bird flew—into a convenient tree right next to our car!

Just like the last time we’d birded here, we ended our CBC with a great, tiny owl!

One great thing about owls is that they are generally more tolerant of human observers than many other species.

Winter Birding at Brazos

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It was Saturday, November 17 and I have to admit I was feeling a bit down on myself. Before my work trip to Houston, Braden had set a goal for me of 100 species, something I thought I could easily achieve. My visits to Anahuac and Bolivar Flats, however, had left me only at 75 confirmed species—well short of my goal. With only one free half-day left of my trip, I searched the eBird hotspot map and asked myself, “Where could I score big and still get back to my last book signing on time?” My eyes landed on Brazos Bend State Park.

Alligators seem to be the main attractions at Brazos Bend, but the birds are far more interesting!

The official motto of Brazos State Park is “Come for the gators, stay for the birds.” Okay, I’m making that up—but it should be the motto because the birds are far more interesting. On the recommendation of the park attendant, I kicked off my visit with a counterclockwise circumambulation of 40 Acre Lake. The lake surface held far fewer species than I had predicted: coots, Common Gallinules, Pied-billed Grebes, and only two duck species—Blue-winged Teal and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. Herons, Anhingas, Cormorants, and other water birds abounded, however, and as I walked, I started picking up some prized forest birds as well.

I first saw a Pine Warbler on Braden’s and my Texas trip in January, so seeing one again was like seeing an old friend.

Before my trip, I had hoped to see all three wintering warblers in the area: Yellow-rumped, Pine, and Orange-crowned but had only spotted the Yellow-rumped earlier. Within fifteen minutes, though, I happened upon a great mixed flock where I picked up my missing two warblers—and Golden-crowned Kinglets to boot! A little while later, I saw a pair of Vermillion Flycatchers—my first ever in Texas. It was a good start, but I wanted more!

Vermillion Flycatchers were a real surprise at Brazos, but I guess they shouldn’t have been.

Driving to Elm Lake, I decided to bushwack through some promising forest across from the parking lot. I could hear a variety of birds there, but needed to see them for the IDs. The birds made me work for them! First, I found the noisiest birds—a pair of Carolina Wrens. Then, I happened to see a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. I could see something else, but dang it, the bird just kept flitting out of my vision. I thrashed through the brush until I finally managed a decent ID shot with my camera. Slather me in BBQ sauce! It was a Lifer: Blue-headed Vireo! I was elated, and minutes later I scored a Year Bird, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker!

I was tickled to ID this Blue-headed Vireo myself. I didn’t even realize it was a Lifer until Braden later pointed it out to me! Number 778!

Afterward, I hiked the two miles around Elm Lake, but except for some impressive gators, it was fairly unproductive. I didn’t mind. I was thrilled with my “birdservations” for the day. Which I’m sure is leaving you all wondering: did I reach my 100-bird goal? Alas, no. Five species short. But I had discovered a wonderful new birding location, a place I was sure to return.