Richard and all
 
Concerning the naming of Russian olive as an invasive species. There are many areas along the Missouri River where Russian olive has completely taken over the riparian areas. They form impenetrable thickets where the only thing that grows is Russian olive. Cottonwood, ash and all other native species are eliminated. Last year the Valley County Conservation District stopped selling the tree. Everyone recognizes that the tree provides food for a lot of species, but it is at the cost of creating a monoculture. The tree is spread very easily by birds and every other creature that eats the fruit. In upland, dry areas it may not be as easily spread but it most certainly is a threat to riparian habitats. Hopefully it will be placed on the weed list soon.
 
Chuck Carlson
chuckcmt@...
Ft. Peck  MT
 

----- Original Message -----

From: Richard Mousel

To: MOB-Montana@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 1:54 PM

Subject: Re: [MOB-Montana] Giant Springs Hedge/Windrow update

Arla: Very well put! Thanks again for bringing this to our attention and

getting the thinning stopped! With your permission I'd like to see your post

published in our next newsletter. On a related note, I understand there seems

to be a new crusade against Russian Olive, as being an invasive species. For

the most part I haven't noticed this. Can someone point out areas in the Great

Falls or central Montana area that this is the case? Russian Olive seem to be

one of the best bird magnets in the area, personally I think the trees are

very ugly, but if the birds like them so do I.

On Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:36:54 -0700

Arla Eckert <turtle@...> wrote:

> Giant Springs Hedge/windrow update

>

> I had been to Giant Springs off and on through out the GBBC which ran

> through Monday the 18th. On Wed. the 20th I headed for the park and to check

> below Rainbow dam to see if I could find the Green-winged Teal, which had

> hid, from us for the whole count. I found the hedge/windrow being thinned. I

> turned around and headed for the FWP office right away. Mat who is the park

> manager was on vacation and every one with any power was at a meeting in

> Helena. Someone did call Mat and got the thinning stopped. He had not been

> given any warning about this project. I have met with Mat since on Monday

> after he got back. They were taking the Russian Olive out. In so doing a lot

> of the very tangled native under story plants were cut, mangled, run over

> etc.

Sincerely;

Richard Mousel - rmousel@...

Wild Bird Mercantile - Recommended by Birds Everywhere!

1807 3rd St N.W. Great Falls, MT 59404 ph. 406-452-9377

www.4co.us - Wildlife, Nature, Scenic Photography.

Hi Richard, Arla, and others,

Chuck is right on with his response.  Russian olive has been declared a noxious weed in several areas, including Utah and Colorado (either statewide or in specific counties).  It can take over a river bottom and crowd out the more valuable native riparian species.  

Researchers have studied the impacts of this on birds in southeastern Idaho, where they compared Russian olive stands with native peachleaf willow (grows to about the same size and shape as RO, so it should support similar birds).  They found that most of the insect gleaners and cavity nesters had much lower populations, or simply weren't present in the Russian olive stands, because RO doesn't support very many insects and it's hard wood is difficult for woodpeckers to excavate cavities.  I've got a copy of the masters thesis describing this, if anyone is interested.

I worked for several years in the Salt Lake City area in Utah, including some songbird work along the Jordan River.  The areas dominated by Russian olive lacked or supported only low populations of house wrens, flycatchers, warblers, and downy woodpeckers--to name a few.  Can you imagine a river bottom without house wrens?  That's what we ended up with in Utah!

In Montana, Peter Lesica studied the invasian of Russian olive along the Marias River.  He traced the invading stands of RO to a shelterbelt planted in the park just below Tiber Dam.  In other words, it doesn't stay where you plant it, and it is spreading in Montana. Several of us in FWP have been working for years to change attitudes about RO, since FWP has planted it in shelterbelts for upland game birds.  The conservation nursery in Missoula continues to sell it at a low cost to landowners.  Hopefully we will be able to change that in the future.

One of the things that encourages Russian olive to spread is dewatering of streams (lowering the water table in the surrounding flood plain), which puts the native cottonwoods and willows at a disadvantage. Climate change will probably make RO invasions worse over time.

So while Russian olive may seem to provide benefits to some birds, it is at a cost to other species.  In eastern Montana, silver buffalo berry looks similar to Russian olive, but is a native species and is not invasive.  I highly recommend planting silver buffalo berry, rather than RO in shelterbelts and parks.

We should encourage R4 FWP to continue removing the Russian olive, and replace it with native species.  Although it may be painful to watch the shrubs get ripped out, over time we will have a much healthier bird community in the park in the long run without the Russian olive--as long as it's replaced by native shrubs and trees.  

Yes, many years ago (early 1980's) I wrote an article for the Upper Missouri Breaks Audubon newsletter, wondering about Russian olive as a nonnative species, but concluding that it didn't seem to be causing any problems.  After working in Utah for 3 years, and watching our Montana riparian habitats slowly fill up with RO over the past 25 years, I've changed my mind!

Kristi DuBois

Missoula (formerly from Great Falls)


At 01:18 PM 2/28/2008, you wrote:

Richard and all
 
Concerning the naming of Russian olive as an invasive species. There are many areas along the Missouri River where Russian olive has completely taken over the riparian areas. They form impenetrable thickets where the only thing that grows is Russian olive. Cottonwood, ash and all other native species are eliminated. Last year the Valley County Conservation District stopped selling the tree. Everyone recognizes that the tree provides food for a lot of species, but it is at the cost of creating a monoculture. The tree is spread very easily by birds and every other creature that eats the fruit. In upland, dry areas it may not be as easily spread but it most certainly is a threat to riparian habitats. Hopefully it will be placed on the weed list soon.
 
Chuck Carlson
chuckcmt@...
Ft. Peck  MT
 
----- Original Message -----

From: Richard Mousel <mailto:rmousel@...>
To: MOB-Montana@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 1:54 PM
Subject: Re: [MOB-Montana] Giant Springs Hedge/Windrow update

Arla: Very well put! Thanks again for bringing this to our attention and
getting the thinning stopped! With your permission I'd like to see your post
published in our next newsletter. On a related note, I understand there seems
to be a new crusade against Russian Olive, as being an invasive species. For
the most part I haven't noticed this. Can someone point out areas in the Great
Falls or central Montana area that this is the case? Russian Olive seem to be
one of the best bird magnets in the area, personally I think the trees are
very ugly, but if the birds like them so do I.

On Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:36:54 -0700
Arla Eckert <turtle@... <mailto:turtle%40mt.net> > wrote:
> Giant Springs Hedge/windrow update
>
> I had been to Giant Springs off and on through out the GBBC which ran
> through Monday the 18th. On Wed. the 20th I headed for the park and to check
> below Rainbow dam to see if I could find the Green-winged Teal, which had
> hid, from us for the whole count. I found the hedge/windrow being thinned. I
> turned around and headed for the FWP office right away. Mat who is the park
> manager was on vacation and every one with any power was at a meeting in
> Helena. Someone did call Mat and got the thinning stopped. He had not been
> given any warning about this project. I have met with Mat since on Monday
> after he got back. They were taking the Russian Olive out. In so doing a lot
> of the very tangled native under story plants were cut, mangled, run over
> etc.

Sincerely;
Richard Mousel - rmousel@... <mailto:rmousel%40bresnan.net>
Wild Bird Mercantile - Recommended by Birds Everywhere!
1807 3rd St N.W. Great Falls, MT 59404 ph. 406-452-9377
www.4co.us <http://www.4co.us/>  - Wildlife, Nature, Scenic Photography.

 

Hi Arla,

If Service Berry will grow there it would be good. If it can be watered
a little, Chokecherry and wild Hawthorne are good. Some native willows
can grow without much water and attract insect eating birds. Of course,
the Buffalo Berry that Kristi recommended is excellent. Birds and some
butterflies like Rocky Mountain Juniper, but they grow very slowly. A
variety of bushes and trees will attract more species, of  course, if
the park doesn't have to have everything all the same. We have all of
the above bushes/trees on our land and at least a few species of birds
like each of them.

Judy
Stevensville, MT

Found some new birds this am for this year at West Bank Park. 2 Eurasian
Collared-Doves sitting in a tree with a bird house, 1 California Gull who
had just taken a bath and was preening. Also had 3 American Robin up river
from this area on a wire over the Electric Coop. building. Arla

They took a lot of other small trees, and understory out along with some Russian Olive. We have a mess on our hands and I could use some help! They used heavy machines instead of doing a selective cutting. What can be planted that will be good for birds and not be a problem on down the road.  We are having a real problem here in Great Falls in all the parks, they keep taking the understory and mid story areas out.

Arla


On 3/1/08 11:17 AM, "Kristi DuBois" <kdubois@...> wrote:

Hi Richard, Arla, and others,

Chuck is right on with his response.  Russian olive has been declared a noxious weed in several areas, including Utah and Colorado (either statewide or in specific counties).  It can take over a river bottom and crowd out the more valuable native riparian species. 

Researchers have studied the impacts of this on birds in southeastern Idaho, where they compared Russian olive stands with native peachleaf willow (grows to about the same size and shape as RO, so it should support similar birds).  They found that most of the insect gleaners and cavity nesters had much lower populations, or simply weren't present in the Russian olive stands, because RO doesn't support very many insects and it's hard wood is difficult for woodpeckers to excavate cavities.  I've got a copy of the masters thesis describing this, if anyone is interested.

I worked for several years in the Salt Lake City area in Utah, including some songbird work along the Jordan River.  The areas dominated by Russian olive lacked or supported only low populations of house wrens, flycatchers, warblers, and downy woodpeckers--to name a few.  Can you imagine a river bottom without house wrens?  That's what we ended up with in Utah!

In Montana, Peter Lesica studied the invasian of Russian olive along the Marias River.  He traced the invading stands of RO to a shelterbelt planted in the park just below Tiber Dam.  In other words, it doesn't stay where you plant it, and it is spreading in Montana. Several of us in FWP have been working for years to change attitudes about RO, since FWP has planted it in shelterbelts for upland game birds.  The conservation nursery in Missoula continues to sell it at a low cost to landowners.  Hopefully we will be able to change that in the future.

One of the things that encourages Russian olive to spread is dewatering of streams (lowering the water table in the surrounding flood plain), which puts the native cottonwoods and willows at a disadvantage. Climate change will probably make RO invasions worse over time.

So while Russian olive may seem to provide benefits to some birds, it is at a cost to other species.  In eastern Montana, silver buffalo berry looks similar to Russian olive, but is a native species and is not invasive.  I highly recommend planting silver buffalo berry, rather than RO in shelterbelts and parks.

We should encourage R4 FWP to continue removing the Russian olive, and replace it with native species.  Although it may be painful to watch the shrubs get ripped out, over time we will have a much healthier bird community in the park in the long run without the Russian olive--as long as it's replaced by native shrubs and trees. 

Yes, many years ago (early 1980's) I wrote an article for the Upper Missouri Breaks Audubon newsletter, wondering about Russian olive as a nonnative species, but concluding that it didn't seem to be causing any problems.  After working in Utah for 3 years, and watching our Montana riparian habitats slowly fill up with RO over the past 25 years, I've changed my mind!

Kristi DuBois

Missoula (formerly from Great Falls)

At 01:18 PM 2/28/2008, you wrote:

Richard and all

 

Concerning the naming of Russian olive as an invasive species. There are many areas along the Missouri River where Russian olive has completely taken over the riparian areas. They form impenetrable thickets where the only thing that grows is Russian olive. Cottonwood, ash and all other native species are eliminated. Last year the Valley County Conservation District stopped selling the tree. Everyone recognizes that the tree provides food for a lot of species, but it is at the cost of creating a monoculture. The tree is spread very easily by birds and every other creature that eats the fruit. In upland, dry areas it may not be as easily spread but it most certainly is a threat to riparian habitats. Hopefully it will be placed on the weed list soon.

 

Chuck Carlson

chuckcmt@...

Ft. Peck  MT

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Richard Mousel < mailto:rmousel@... >

To: MOB-Montana@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 1:54 PM

Subject: Re: [MOB-Montana] Giant Springs Hedge/Windrow update

Arla: Very well put! Thanks again for bringing this to our attention and

getting the thinning stopped! With your permission I'd like to see your post

published in our next newsletter. On a related note, I understand there seems

to be a new crusade against Russian Olive, as being an invasive species. For

the most part I haven't noticed this. Can someone point out areas in the Great

Falls or central Montana area that this is the case? Russian Olive seem to be

one of the best bird magnets in the area, personally I think the trees are

very ugly, but if the birds like them so do I.

On Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:36:54 -0700

Arla Eckert <turtle@... <mailto:turtle%40mt.net> > wrote:

> Giant Springs Hedge/windrow update

>

> I had been to Giant Springs off and on through out the GBBC which ran

> through Monday the 18th. On Wed. the 20th I headed for the park and to check

> below Rainbow dam to see if I could find the Green-winged Teal, which had

> hid, from us for the whole count. I found the hedge/windrow being thinned. I

> turned around and headed for the FWP office right away. Mat who is the park

> manager was on vacation and every one with any power was at a meeting in

> Helena. Someone did call Mat and got the thinning stopped. He had not been

> given any warning about this project. I have met with Mat since on Monday

> after he got back. They were taking the Russian Olive out. In so doing a lot

> of the very tangled native under story plants were cut, mangled, run over

> etc.

Sincerely;

Richard Mousel - rmousel@... < mailto:rmousel%40bresnan.net >

Wild Bird Mercantile - Recommended by Birds Everywhere!

1807 3rd St N.W. Great Falls, MT 59404 ph. 406-452-9377

www.4co.us < http://www.4co.us/>   - Wildlife, Nature, Scenic Photography.

 

Mob-sters:

Although there have been noticeable numbers of Lesser Canada Geese in
the migrant flocks lately, one much smaller goose flew in with a
flock of about 25 Canadas this morning in front of our house in
Somers. I was able to get several pictures, and based on a number of
features I feel this bird is a "Richardson's" Cackling Goose. Notice
the small size, very short neck, blocky head, small bill and "frosty"
edges to the coverts/scapulars.

I also surveyed Church Slough again today, finding the following:

Canada Goose: 830
Mallard:53
Hooded Merganser: 15
Common Goldeneye: 2
Bufflehead: 1
Killdeer: 7
Herring Gull: 3

Many hundreds of Northern Pintails were still present on the north
shore of the lake today.

Dan Casey
Somers

Thank you for this information. Arla


On 3/1/08 3:01 PM, "Judy Hoy" <bjhoy@...> wrote:

> Hi Arla,
>
> If Service Berry will grow there it would be good. If it can be watered
> a little, Chokecherry and wild Hawthorne are good. Some native willows
> can grow without much water and attract insect eating birds. Of course,
> the Buffalo Berry that Kristi recommended is excellent. Birds and some
> butterflies like Rocky Mountain Juniper, but they grow very slowly. A
> variety of bushes and trees will attract more species, of  course, if
> the park doesn't have to have everything all the same. We have all of
> the above bushes/trees on our land and at least a few species of birds
> like each of them.
>
> Judy
> Stevensville, MT
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
MOB-Montana group:

Entries for the February MOB photo contest are now closed. We have 11 wonderful
entries in a season that is 'challenging' at best for wildlife photography in
Montana. Pick your favorite. The contest will close on March 7.
Pat must be busy so I decided to help out and create the poll, so this may be
unofficial.

   o Bald eagle
   o Common Redpoll
   o Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
   o Great Gray Owl
   o Prairie Falcon
   o Rough-legged Hawk
   o Ruffed Grouse
   o Brown Creeper
   o Northern Shrike
   o Great Gray Owl (white)
   o Northern Pygmy-owl


To vote, please visit the following web page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MOB-Montana/surveys?id=12728220

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!

----- Original Message -----

From: Kristi DuBois

To: MOB-Montana@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 10:36 PM

Subject: Re: [MOB-Montana] Russian olive--an invasive species

Hi Arla,

I obviously missunderstood which shelterbelt had been removed, and which species were involved.  Let us know what we can do to help with this situation.  Perhaps if FWP hears from a lot of birders, they will change their park management. 

It is so important for birders to be involved in management of their local parks and open spaces.  Thanks Arla and everyone else there in Great Falls for watch-dogging this problem.

Kristi

At 11:53 AM 3/1/2008, you wrote:

They took a lot of other small trees, and understory out along with some Russian Olive. We have a mess on our hands and I could use some help! They used heavy machines instead of doing a selective cutting. What can be planted that will be good for birds and not be a problem on down the road.  We are having a real problem here in Great Falls in all the parks, they keep taking the understory and mid story areas out.

Arla


On 3/1/08 11:17 AM, "Kristi DuBois" <kdubois@montana.com> wrote:

Hi Richard, Arla, and others,

Chuck is right on with his response.  Russian olive has been declared a noxious weed in several areas, including Utah and Colorado (either statewide or in specific counties).  It can take over a river bottom and crowd out the more valuable native riparian species. 

Researchers have studied the impacts of this on birds in southeastern Idaho, where they compared Russian olive stands with native peachleaf willow (grows to about the same size and shape as RO, so it should support similar birds).  They found that most of the insect gleaners and cavity nesters had much lower populations, or simply weren't present in the Russian olive stands, because RO doesn't support very many insects and it's hard wood is difficult for woodpeckers to excavate cavities.  I've got a copy of the masters thesis describing this, if anyone is interested.

I worked for several years in the Salt Lake City area in Utah, including some songbird work along the Jordan River.  The areas dominated by Russian olive lacked or supported only low populations of house wrens, flycatchers, warblers, and downy woodpeckers--to name a few.  Can you imagine a river bottom without house wrens?  That's what we ended up with in Utah!

In Montana, Peter Lesica studied the invasian of Russian olive along the Marias River.  He traced the invading stands of RO to a shelterbelt planted in the park just below Tiber Dam.  In other words, it doesn't stay where you plant it, and it is spreading in Montana. Several of us in FWP have been working for years to change attitudes about RO, since FWP has planted it in shelterbelts for upland game birds.  The conservation nursery in Missoula continues to sell it at a low cost to landowners.  Hopefully we will be able to change that in the future.

One of the things that encourages Russian olive to spread is dewatering of streams (lowering the water table in the surrounding flood plain), which puts the native cottonwoods and willows at a disadvantage. Climate change will probably make RO invasions worse over time.

So while Russian olive may seem to provide benefits to some birds, it is at a cost to other species.  In eastern Montana, silver buffalo berry looks similar to Russian olive, but is a native species and is not invasive.  I highly recommend planting silver buffalo berry, rather than RO in shelterbelts and parks.

We should encourage R4 FWP to continue removing the Russian olive, and replace it with native species.  Although it may be painful to watch the shrubs get ripped out, over time we will have a much healthier bird community in the park in the long run without the Russian olive--as long as it's replaced by native shrubs and trees. 

Yes, many years ago (early 1980's) I wrote an article for the Upper Missouri Breaks Audubon newsletter, wondering about Russian olive as a nonnative species, but concluding that it didn't seem to be causing any problems.  After working in Utah for 3 years, and watching our Montana riparian habitats slowly fill up with RO over the past 25 years, I've changed my mind!

Kristi DuBois

Missoula (formerly from Great Falls)

At 01:18 PM 2/28/2008, you wrote:

Richard and all

 

Concerning the naming of Russian olive as an invasive species. There are many areas along the Missouri River where Russian olive has completely taken over the riparian areas. They form impenetrable thickets where the only thing that grows is Russian olive. Cottonwood, ash and all other native species are eliminated. Last year the Valley County Conservation District stopped selling the tree. Everyone recognizes that the tree provides food for a lot of species, but it is at the cost of creating a monoculture. The tree is spread very easily by birds and every other creature that eats the fruit. In upland, dry areas it may not be as easily spread but it most certainly is a threat to riparian habitats. Hopefully it will be placed on the weed list soon.

 

Chuck Carlson

chuckcmt@nemont.net

Ft. Peck  MT

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Richard Mousel < mailto:rmousel@bresnan.net >

To: MOB-Montana@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 1:54 PM

Subject: Re: [MOB-Montana] Giant Springs Hedge/Windrow update

Arla: Very well put! Thanks again for bringing this to our attention and

getting the thinning stopped! With your permission I'd like to see your post

published in our next newsletter. On a related note, I understand there seems

to be a new crusade against Russian Olive, as being an invasive species. For

the most part I haven't noticed this. Can someone point out areas in the Great

Falls or central Montana area that this is the case? Russian Olive seem to be

one of the best bird magnets in the area, personally I think the trees are

very ugly, but if the birds like them so do I.

On Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:36:54 -0700

Arla Eckert <turtle@... <mailto:turtle%40mt.net> > wrote:

> Giant Springs Hedge/windrow update

>

> I had been to Giant Springs off and on through out the GBBC which ran

> through Monday the 18th. On Wed. the 20th I headed for the park and to check

> below Rainbow dam to see if I could find the Green-winged Teal, which had

> hid, from us for the whole count. I found the hedge/windrow being thinned. I

> turned around and headed for the FWP office right away. Mat who is the park

> manager was on vacation and every one with any power was at a meeting in

> Helena. Someone did call Mat and got the thinning stopped. He had not been

> given any warning about this project. I have met with Mat since on Monday

> after he got back. They were taking the Russian Olive out. In so doing a lot

> of the very tangled native under story plants were cut, mangled, run over

> etc.

Sincerely;

Richard Mousel - rmousel@bresnan.net < mailto:rmousel%40bresnan.net >

Wild Bird Mercantile - Recommended by Birds Everywhere!

1807 3rd St N.W. Great Falls, MT 59404 ph. 406-452-9377

www.4co.us < http://www.4co.us/>   - Wildlife, Nature, Scenic Photography.

 

Hello to All,
I did my first count at Freezout Lake WMA since 26 Feb.  There have been
some significant moves toward spring migration.
The number of Canada Geese is close to the historic peak for the
spring...2371; there were about 800 the last time I counted.  There are
several hundred each of Mallards and Northern Pintails. A single
American Wigeon.  And there were five swans on the west side of the Main
Lake.
I found three Great Horned Owls on the area including a female
incubating.  I had been seeing the male since the Great Backyard Bird
Count but the female had been hiding (atop a ratty-looking old magpie
nest).
The lake and ponds are still solidly frozen except of a little water on
top of the ice and around some of the edges.
Good birding,
Mike Schwitters
Choteau MT

The gulls are coming in. Saw 5 California Gulls off West Bank park and then
about 25 of them just upriver from the Lewis and Clark Center. The
Long-tailed Duck is still here near the far bank of the river off the large
gravel parking area below Giant Springs. No sign yet of Canvasback Ducks or
an increase in numbers of Northern Pintails. Any day now. Arla Eckert

Hi Fellow Birders,

We went down to Giant Springs and the River's Edge trail this morning. Saw many of the usual culprits which appear to pairing off already. Some of the Goldeneye were still into their whiplash displays. Found a pair of Killdeer at the mouth of the little creek by the bridge. I posted one of the pictures. Also, saw about half a dozen California gulls flying up and down the river, as well as the ones hanging out by the island upstream from the L & C Int Ctr that Arla saw.  We came across a pair of Flickers below the L & C Int Ctr that appeared to be getting rather frisky. And one very friendly Marmot that sat for pictures right next to the trail. The House Finches, Song Sparrows and Chickadees were singing more and more, too. There was no sign of any Bald eagles.

We tried to visit Benton Lake but when we got there we found that the gate was up just past the Headquarters, said roads were unsafe. Didn't find much on the way in but Horned Larks. Better luck next time.

Sharon Hansen

Great Falls, MT

March 1:

   Had a great day afield.  Saw some waxwings playing in the wind, in
Columbia Falls.  Right near Somers, I saw a NORTHERN PYGMY OWL(#77).
THat was cool.  I'm gald I finally got it; it seems as if almost
everyone on the MOB has seen one already.  Heard a WESTERN MEADOWLARK
(#78)outside of Lakeside and also in lower valley.  Saw a single pair
of NORTHERN PINTAIL(#79) at Somers Bay.  There were also Herring and
Ring-billed Gulls there, along with the usual ducks.
Later at Church Slough I found two pairs of GREATER SCAUP(#80)amoung
the hundreds of geese.  That was cool.

   March 2:

   Birded with Dan Casey from about noon to 4.  Started the day of
with some WOOD DUCKS(#81) in Evergreen.  That was really cool,
because they were feeding on a hanging bird feeder.  I have never
seen that before.
Next, we saw 2 RUFFED GROUSE(#82)on some road I don't remember where.
We went to the landfill next.  There was the same species, but in a
different ratio.  Last weekend, the majority was Herring, then
California and ringbilled, then Thayer's, then the one Glaucous.  Now
there was almost all California Gulls.
Still increasing numbers of waterfowl at Church Slough.  OVer 1400
Canada Geese.  About 72 mallards, 20 hooded mergansers, one pintail
and one Geen-winged Teal.  Also a few goldeneye.  No Cackling Geese
though (bummer)  There was one that looked like it, but not at the
same time.
No Cackling on Flathead Lake either.
I did find 7 TRUMPETER SWANS(#83) on McWenneger Slough.

All in all, a great start to the month.

Good Luck Birding
Josh

Mob-sters:

Today, 1420-1500:

Canada Goose: 1364
Mallard: 74
Northern Pintail: 1
American Green-winged Teal: 1
American Wigeon: 4
Common Goldeneye: 3
Hooded Merganser: 20
Ring-billed Gull: 6
Killdeer: 6

The slough ice is melting slowly, still only 1-2% open water.

Our Harris's Sparrow was singing today.

Dan Casey
Somers

Chuck and All,
I believe you have correctly identified the small white-cheeked
geese--"Richardson's" Cackling Geese, Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii.  It
is the time that these Arctic nesters move from winter range in the
south central U.S. to major spring staging areas in Saskatchewan and
E-central Alberta.  The western edge of their migration corridor likely
brushes Fort Peck.
The other white-cheeked geese are a bit more problematic.  Photo #1 is
interesting in this regard.  The photo shows the Richardson's Cackling
Goose, but the large and medium sized birds are likely Canadas, but what
kind?  The big guy (or gal) does seem to be a Moffitts but the
medium-sized goose is up for grabs...interiors? perhaps.  My impression
is that most of the Canada Geese in the other photos are the same
subspecies as the medium-sized bird.
As you MOBsters should note, separating the various races of Canada and
Cackling Geese is far from exact.  There seems to be a lot of arm waving
from even the "experts".  Applying the "expert's" guidance to a specific
bird is often difficult...even with good photos.
One thing that has been lacking from the web sources is good maps of the
breeding and wintering areas and the migration corridors of the various
subspecies.  In many cases range is likely the key to coming close to an
identification.  Chuck, in your review of the various web sources have
any of the experts added a good set of maps since I last looked?
As Chuck has for sure shown, this is probably the best time to add a
Cackling Goose that is likely a real Cackling Goose to your
life's/Montana lists.  You just have to travel to northeast Montana to
do so.
Good birding,
Mike Schwitters
Choteau MT



Chuck Carlson wrote:
> Mobsters
>
> In my album photo #1 shows a Cackling Goose in the center foreground.
> Behind it is a Canada Goose and to the right is a goose of
> intermediate size. I think the Cackling Goose if of the Richardson's
> race (Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii). We can be quite sure it is not a
> Cackling Cackling Goose (B. h. minima) or the Aleutian Cackling Goose
> (B.h. leucopareia) because of range and coloration. The large goose is
> most likely Moffitt's Canada Goose. The bird to the right of
> intermediate size has a head that is blocky and a steep forehead which
> are said to be indicative of Cackling Geese. This is much more evident
> in the original photo.I am unsure of the identification of this one.
>
> In photo #2 the goose in the center is most likely another
> Richardson's Cackling Goose. The rest of the geese here are of various
> sizes although many show the blocky head and steep forehead indicative
> of cackling Geese.
>
> In photo #3 the bird in the center is, again, a Richardson's, although
> it could be a Taverner's. the goose to the right with it's head tucked
> in appears smaller, but this may be because it is turned a little away
> and therefore foreshortened.
>
> Photo #4 shows another Richardson's Goose. Note the hen Mallard.
>
> Photo #5 shows 3 Richardson's in the center parading through a mixed
> group of geese. There are several other Cackling Geese in the photo as
> well as larger birds.
>
> I made these ID's after wading through the confusing descriptions from
> at least three different sources on the web. If anyone has any
> different opinions on the IDs I would really like to hear them, and
> they might help others.
>
> Chuck Carlson
> chuckcmt@... <mailto:chuckcmt@...>
> Ft. Peck  MT
>

65 or so Evening Grosbeaks flying around Thompson Falls (calling and
moving past Ogden and Clay streets, westerly into town) @0930 03 March
2008. Male Hairy Woodpecker and our first 2 Oregon Juncos at feeders,
along with robins and usual other winter/resident birds. A juvenile
Bald Eagle flew over Goose Park earlier in am. Report yesterday of
what may be a female Great-tailed grackle (description: "large brown
bird, plain brownish breast, what appears to be eyeliner above eye,
longish bill, larger than jay, smaller than crow"), at a feeder in
town; will check it later if owner can't photo it. Medium heavy snow
falling at 0945 - Jim Greaves, Thompson Falls

----- Original Message -----

From: Michael Schwitters

To: MOB-Montana@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 7:46 AM

Subject: Re: [MOB-Montana] Cackling Geese

Chuck and All,
I believe you have correctly identified the small white-cheeked
geese--"Richardson's" Cackling Geese, Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii. It
is the time that these Arctic nesters move from winter range in the
south central U.S. to major spring staging areas in Saskatchewan and
E-central Alberta. The western edge of their migration corridor likely
brushes Fort Peck.
The other white-cheeked geese are a bit more problematic. Photo #1 is
interesting in this regard. The photo shows the Richardson's Cackling
Goose, but the large and medium sized birds are likely Canadas, but what
kind? The big guy (or gal) does seem to be a Moffitts but the
medium-sized goose is up for grabs...interiors? perhaps. My impression
is that most of the Canada Geese in the other photos are the same
subspecies as the medium-sized bird.
As you MOBsters should note, separating the various races of Canada and
Cackling Geese is far from exact. There seems to be a lot of arm waving
from even the "experts". Applying the "expert's" guidance to a specific
bird is often difficult...even with good photos.
One thing that has been lacking from the web sources is good maps of the
breeding and wintering areas and the migration corridors of the various
subspecies. In many cases range is likely the key to coming close to an
identification. Chuck, in your review of the various web sources have
any of the experts added a good set of maps since I last looked?
As Chuck has for sure shown, this is probably the best time to add a
Cackling Goose that is likely a real Cackling Goose to your
life's/Montana lists. You just have to travel to northeast Montana to
do so.
Good birding,
Mike Schwitters
Choteau MT

.

Mob,

This afternoon, I had a dark colored Merlin flying very high and
heading northwest.  Watching it disappear from sight, I was reminded
that I've rarely, if ever, observed these birds flying leisurely.
Whether in passage or on the hunt Merlin seem to have only one speed,
which is wide open, and the bird today was no exception.  I find this
flight character can be useful in separating Merlin from A. Kestrel,
especially at a distance. Along with their slightly longer wings and
more rakish build, Kestrels tend to have their powered flight
interrupted with more gliding which reminds me a little of
Sharp-shinned Hawk in flight.

Additionally, today I had a FOS Ferruginous Hawk south of Westby which
I believe may be my earliest spring arrival date.  I also had several
A. Tree Sparrows, which were also my first of spring.  Yesterday, I
had a lone Canada Goose, calling, and winging it north.

Ted Nordhagen
Westby MT

Mob-sters:

As one of the co-moderators of this site, let me remind people that it
is NEVER appropriate to respond to, or to forward, personal off-list e-
mail on this list-serve, regardless of the topic. One way to avoid
this is to never put the MOB address in the CC line of an email.

Dan Casey
Somers

Mob-sters:

A check of Church Slough this morning found fewer geese (although many
hundreds were in the surrounding fields), but a bit more diversity:

Times, 1035-1050

Canada Goose: 847
Mallard: 77
Northern Pintail: 20
American Wigeon: 1
Greater Scaup: 14
Common Goldeneye: 4
Hooded Merganser: 3
Ring-billed Gull: 1
Killdeer: 4

Dan Casey
Somers

Well a few days ago I saw 3 Robins which fit in with the number I knew to be
over wintering here in Great Falls. Just saw a group of about 6 birds go
over the yard that I though were robins maybe. Just now another group of
about 15 that were Robins for sure flew over in the snow storm we are
having. So I would say the American Robins are coming in now for sure. Arla
Eckert Great Falls

This is for the ones out there who are interested in odd ball House
Sparrows. I just had one show up who was larger over all, and was sooty gray
on the underside. It was at one point right next to a normal looking male
thus easy to see the size different and the color different. Also seems to
be shyer then the rest as to me in the window area. It did not come into the
feeders. Arla Eckert Great Falls

Lark and I have seen a combined 65 bird species in Sanders Co this
year (since mid Jan) through Feb 29 2008 (64 each); plus a "possible"
list of 10 species [either unconfirmed, unconfirmable, or uncertain if
we saw in this county or "across" a line], including Lapland longspur
we missed in Camas Prairie. Best bird: Gray-crowned rosy-finch [23
Jan]. Abundance (aside from Starlings): Snow bunting [1200 or so,
Camas Prairie]. Most recent: Evening grosbeak [29 Feb]. Most
consistent "fun" bird(s): the Dippers along Thompson River (up to 6
known sites, and likely that many pairs) between MT 200 and Copper
King Campground (end of paved segment). Anyone else keeping track of
Sanders Co, we'd be glad to coordinate #'s, species, locations, and
maybe start some monthly or bi-weekly trips. Thanks -- Jim and Lark