Dear Friends,
How many migrants have you seen returning to our Montana mountains, prairies, and grasslands thus far? Are you itching to break out the binos? Have you already? We're right there with you. Between our science, policy, and Audubon Conservation Ranching departments we're getting ready to conduct our spring surveys. Which means stocking up on coffee for those early mornings! Keep reading to see how our team is preparing for birds, birds, and more birds.
Yours in Conservation,
Montana Audubon Staff
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Wings Across the Big Sky Registration is open! |
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For online registration you can go HERE.
If you'd prefer to print out the brochure and the physical registration form, you can find both links HERE.
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Montana Audubon helps host Helena’s 2022 Migratory Bird Day Celebration |
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In 2022, communities across the world are paying special attention to the impacts of light pollution on migratory bird species. We know that as spring approaches, our night skies are filled with the chirps and cheeps of millions of night-time migrants. These birds need dark night skies to safely navigate between their breeding and nonbreeding grounds each spring and fall.
Here in Helena, Montana Audubon is helping bring awareness to the issue by celebrating migratory birds the week of May 1st - 7th. We’re going to spread the message to “Dim the lights for birds at night” by presenting an online event May 5th, at 7pm, via zoom.
In addition to presenting, we have joined Mission Mountain Audubon Society and the Montana Chapter of the International Dark Skies Association to engage volunteers in looking for bird fatalities during the spring and autumn migrations in Montana's cities. This survey effort is based on National Audubon's Lights Out program and seeks to understand how cities can provide safe passage for nocturnal migrants.
The morning of the 6th, following our presentation, we’re going to lead a walk in downtown Helena to see if we can detect any migratory mortality. The walk will take place at 7am, and participants can plan to meet at the HUB coffee shop on Last Chance Gulch. Participation will be limited to 30, so make sure to contact aseaman@mtaudubon.org to participate.
Help us spread the message to “Dim the Lights for Birds at Night” by joining us and any of the other Helena-based activities that celebrate migratory birds, including guided birds hikes on the 1st, an evening hike on May 2nd, bird trivia on the 4th, and a celebration at the regulating reservoir Saturday, May 7th.
A calendar of Helena events can be found HERE.
To register for the May 5th evening presentation, visit our Eventbrite page HERE!
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MT Audubon Conservation Ranch- Prepping for Our Second Field Season |
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Soon we will strap on our binoculars and clipboards to survey breeding birds in the pastures, grasslands, and sagebrush steppe of ranches enrolled in the MT Audubon Conservation Ranching (ACR) program.
To date, we’ve enrolled approximately 92,000 acres across nine bird-friendly ranches into the MT ACR program. These ranches partner with Montana Audubon to implement adaptive Habitat Management Plans--plans that maintain, create, and enhance bird habitat. This is critical work due to the fact that grassland birds are imperiled. As value-added to the rancher, the Bird-Friendly Certification and seal coveys good land stewardship practices and empowers consumers to purchase meat products that support these practices, often at a higher premium. To measure the efficacy of how grassland bird communities respond to ACR land management, bird monitoring is critical.
We’ve been hard at work mapping ranch boundaries and randomly allocating survey points within these boundaries. After confirming survey dates with ranchers, we will conduct all surveys between mid-May to early July to capture peak avian breeding activity.
It is an incredibly exciting time as we prepare for bird monitoring on ACR Ranches. Time to grease up the boots, check the batteries on our GPS units, and get the legs back into shape for some serious walking. Not to mention the pre-dawn wake-up call!
Read more about our ACR Survey Prep HERE!
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Promising New Hawkwatch Site near Ramsey! |
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Every fall thousands of raptors migrate south along Montana’s mountain ridges, valleys, and across our eastern plains and badlands. High ridges in the Bridger Mountains, Jewel Basin, and Mount Brown are some of the best fall hawkwatch sites in the nation, and while a visit to these locations requires a moderate to strenuous hike, it is usually well worth the effort.
Long term monitoring of fall migration at these locations where the topography funnels the southward flow of raptors can teach us a lot about population patterns and trends. But what about spring migration? When raptors move north across Montana from late March to early May it can be quite challenging or nearly impossible to reach high-elevation monitoring sites.
Montana Audubon has been on the lookout for accessible, quality spring hawkwatch sites since 2021. A number of our scouted locations were dead-ends, usually due to late spring snow or other access issues that made the sites unreliable. We did, however, find one promising location that may become a good spring raptor monitoring site. The site is near Ramsay, a small town about 6 miles west of Butte.
Read more on our website HERE and find directions to the Ramsey site if you want to participate in our hawkwatch outings!
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Long-Billed Curlew Update!
With the 2022 field season now underway, volunteers hit the ground running with the annual Long-Billed Curlew Survey. The first statewide efforts to study the Long-Billed Curlew began in 2012. Now 10 years out, the survey is positioned to illuminate how Montana’s changing landscape is impacting Curlews. The survey focuses on grassland habitat in the Blackfoot, Helena, and Mission Valleys, where the species’ biggest threats, habitat loss and land use change, are on display. North America’s largest shorebird also happens to require a large amount of habitat, anywhere from 35 to 120 acres of grasslands. Not only did the conspicuous birds grab the attention of dedicated volunteers this month, Montana reporter Tom Kuglin, penned a piece about the project after participating in a survey with our Avian Specialist. You can find the Helena Independent Record article HERE or in print.
Volunteers have already surveyed many routes throughout the three focal areas, but it’s never too late to get involved! Please contact Peter Dudley at peter@mtaudubon.org for more information.
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Herons On The Horizon!
With our successful launch of the Long-Billed Curlew surveys, we have another opportunity for passionate birders, conservationists, and interested citizens to get involved in bird conservation. Data from the Breeding Bird Survey indicated that populations of Great Blue Heron have declined every year from 1966 to 2015. Herons can nest in colonies, or rookeries, along major waterways throughout Montana. Several factors may be affecting the iconic bird’s population decline, including the loss of riparian cottonwood stands, increased urban sprawl and human disturbance, or changing conditions of the waterway. As conditions change, it is not uncommon for herons to abandon their nests and establish elsewhere. As a result, they may move to more remote and undisturbed areas making population monitoring difficult. To better track these populations, Montana Audubon has partnered with the Montana Natural Heritage Program to improve and support greater statewide inventory and Monitoring. The Great Blue Heron Survey will take place from May 1st - June 15th, with an online training on May 2nd at 7pm. For more information please email Peter Dudley at peter@mtaudubon.org for more information.
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See our Montana Audubon Center April eNews HERE!
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Help secure the future of Montana’s birds at risk from climate change, habitat loss, and other threats. A monthly donation ensures Montana Audubon can protect birds and wildlife well into the future. Make your $20 commitment now!
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Montana Audubon
406.443.3949
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