106 New Statebirds in Eastern Montana, May 2014

Each year I take an extended birding vacation somewhere to work on my various statelists, and hopefully move a step closer to my lifelong goal of reaching the old ABA reportable goals in each of the lower 48 states and DC (the “lower 49”).  This year it was to the Great Plains in North Dakota, Montana and South Dakota.  This entry to my blog summarizes the results of the MT part of the trip; other posts discuss ND and SD.

MT was one of 2 last states where I had very small lists – with just 69 I would have lots of statebirding potential.  So I started to put a plan together to bird as many habitats as possible in eastern MT.  I spent some time reviewing a recent birdfinding guide for MT, but quickly realized it was somewhat out of date.  So I reached out to the MT listserve asking for birdfinding advice, and received some excellent advice from several birders.  That included offers from local birders to bird with me in Westby and the Fort Peck/Glasgow area.  I set up an itinerary with 3 days in eastern MT, with an optimistic goal of adding at least 100 statebirds, especially concentrating on those birds most likely to be in the eastern part of the state.  Since the old ABA reporting threshold is 216, I would come up short of threshold.  So I would eventually need to come back to western MT, especially to aim for birds of the mountains to reach the threshold.

Days 1, 2, and 3 – Northern ND – see my ND blog post for a summary of these days

Day 3 – Evening Stop in Westby

I arrived in Westby in the northeastern corner of MT just after dinner and immediately connected with local birder Ted Nordhagen.  Ted had birded the area all his life, and knew all the hotspots in and around town.  That was a good thing because I had several key MT targets that were only likely in the area around Westby.  I met up with Ted at his house and spent a few minutes at his feeder picking up three birds that I would not see again in MT – late White-crowned and Harris’ Sparrows, and several Rose-breasted Grosbeak.   Soon after we got in the car to head to some local birding spots we had Eurasian Collared Doves perched on wires in town.  MT was my 39th state for ECD – I just need it in several northeastern states (see my statebird map below).

We then headed to the wetlands north of town where we got a couple of the local specialties – Piping Plover and several Baird’s Sparrows, along with a number of Chestnut-collared Longspurs.  Unfortunately we dipped on local targets Sedge Wren and Nelson’s Sparrow.  We also had numerous shorebird species (which was important because the traditional shorebird locations at Medicine Lake NWR were underwater due to good spring rains) including my only Sanderlings of the trip.  We briefly drove through town and went past the small town park which was formerly so well-known as a tremendous migrant hotspot.  The town had recently “cleaned-up” the park and removed all the brush and several trees, so it was no longer the hotspot it used to be.  We ended our birding at dusk, and had 60 species, 41 of which were new statebirds.  Although it was a great start I wish I could have spent more time there.

Day 4 – Plentywood and Medicine Lake NWR in Northeast MT

I started the day at dawn in the town of Plentywood.  After the demise of the park in Westby, Wildwood Park in Plentywood had become the best migrant hotspot in the northeast corner of MT.  I spent a couple hours in this very small park seeing only a few migrants.  Though I did have two rarities – an adult Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a Broad-winged Hawk.  Both were most cooperative giving long views.  My statebird map for the sapsucker now pretty much matches its regular range (along with CA as a rarity).

A quick visit to the campground yielded a few more migrants and nesters like Chat, Catbird, and Thrasher, but it was pretty slow.  My last stop was the reservoir just to the north that held a few of the expected waterfowl.  But the key bird here, based on an excellent tip from Ted, was to try for Sprague’s Pipit in the hills just to the east.  And sure enough, I heard one bird calling from high in the sky. 

My next key stop was Medicine Lake NWR, but instead of heading right there via the highway, Ted suggested some back roads which were most productive.  That included one spot were both Baird’s and Sprague’s were singing.  And I was even able to see the Sprague’s as it sang high overhead.  And I stopped at another place where Ted’s suggestion for Mountain Bluebird was spot on.

I made it to Medicine Lake NWR by late morning, and planned to spend the rest of the day there.  The entrance road was well-known for Baird’s and it did not disappoint as I heard numerous birds along the way.  This sign was posted along the entrance road describing how the refuge is managing its grasslands to support this species (too bad Lostwood in ND couldn’t do the same).

 

My next stop was to try for migrants in the trees around the headquarters building.  I picked up a few birds there (like Orange-crowned, Redstart, Say’s Phoebe), but the woods were pretty slow.  As with my stops in Plentywood, it wasn’t a big migration day.

I spent the rest of the day concentrating on the prairie and waterbirds in the refuge.  The largest lakes were full of Western and Eared Grebes.  And after combing through maybe 200 Westerns I finally picked out a Clark’s.  The wetlands had all the expected dabblers and divers, and even had 1 late female Hooded Merganser.  Shorebirds were rather limited because water levels were very high, and most shorebirds were actually local nesters like Upland Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit, and Willet.  Also had the only Great Egret of my trip.  One surprise was an American Pipit walking along the shoreline doing its best shorebird imitation.

Prairie birds around the refuge were excellent.  I heard one or more Baird’s Sparrows at each stop in appropriate habitat, including this one bird that perched long enough for me to get this digiscoped photo.

I also had 1 Sprague’s and quite a number of Marbled Godwits and Upland Sandpipers, though I couldn’t find any Long-billed Curlews.

The last stop at Medicine Lake was to try for marsh birds at the far east end of the refuge.  I had 3 different singing LeConte’s Sparrows though no Nelson’s.  I bet that this species had not yet returned from its wintering grounds as I looked for it in several appropriate locations both in MT and ND on this trip with no luck.  All in all, I had a great time at the refuge getting most all of my targets.

It was not mid-afternoon, and time to head west toward Glasgow.  En route I made a stop at the bridge over the Missouri River near Culbertson for the first of 2 unsuccessful tries for a flyby Least Tern, though an active Bald Eagle nest and several Wood Ducks were nice consolations.

In the Fort Peck/Glasgow area I had arranged to meet up with Chuck Carlson, who is well-known as the birding expert in the area.  Chuck knows where all the local birding targets are.  Our first stop together was just after sunset to try for Poorwill.  Along the way Chuck pointed out the Great Horned Owl nest with a nest-full of large young.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but that was total tick number #13,000 for me!  Great Horned is a good example of a species that I’ve seen almost country-wide, just missing it in IN, WV, and DC.

We got to the Poorwill spot and had several respond to taped calls almost immediately.  And we even had one come in and perch just a few feet away.  A nice way to end the day with my 42nd new statebird for MT. 

Day 5  Glasgow and Fort Peck

Our plan was to start early in the morning and have Chuck take me to an area of very short grass prairie west of Glasgow on Bentonite Road for 2 key targets – McCown’s Longspur and Mountain Plover.  But before we even started a couple Chimney Swifts twittered overhead in the motel parking lot – one of my targets for the area.  As we drove west Chuck described how both the McCown’s and plovers need very short grass prairie, and are more typically seen in heavily grazed areas or near prairie dog towns.  But in this area the soils were such that the grass naturally only grows to a very short height.  It took a while but we eventually had good looks at several McCown’s and then a distant view of a Mountain Plover.  I’ve now seen this species in 5 states on its breeding ground and in 2 states in winter.

 

What to do next?  With now 85 new MT statebirds, my target list was getting smaller, so I could start chasing after specific species instead of birding general habitats.  I mentioned to Chuck that I still needed several shorebirds for my MT list, so he took me to a flooded farmer’s field where he had had good numbers of shorebirds recently.  And although much of the water had evaporated at this spot, there was still a good diversity of birds.  I added Long-billed Dowitcher, Pectoral Sand, and Black-bellied Plover there, along with the first Turkey Vulture for the state.  Unfortunately I missed the Gray Partridge that flushed in front of Chuck’s car.

We then went to Chuck’s house to spend time watching his back yard and feeding station.  Although it is a modest yard by size, it is well-landscaped with bird-friendly vegetation, and has water and several feeders.  Key targets we got there were Blue Jay, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Black-headed Grosbeak.  Another notable bird was a Baltimore Oriole with some extra white in the wing that must have had some Bullock’s genes.

Next stops were at several locations below the dam at Fort Peck, where we got targets like Common Loon, Orchard Oriole, Red-eyed Vireo, and Field Sparrow, though dipped on Eastern Bluebird and Red-headed Woodpecker. 

I said goodbye to Chuck, and headed east toward Sydney.  That evening I hoped to try for Eastern Screech Owl at Seven Sisters WMA.  While waiting for dusk I heard several Ovenbirds singing – a key spot for these birds in MT.  And although I dipped on the Screech Owl, I added up my lists and realized I now had 99 new statebirds so far in MT.  And still one more day to go.

Day 6 – Yellowstone River WMAs and Ponderosas East of Miles City

I planned to spend much of the day visiting several nice riparian areas along the Yellowstone River in search of several specific targets.  The first stop was at Seven Sisters WMA just south of Sydney.  This park was in a heavily wooded floodplain, and was full of birds.  Soon after arriving I got my first target, Hairy Woodpecker – new statebird #100.  And just a few seconds later I had a calling White-breasted Nuthatch.  It was important to get this bird along the eastern edge of the state as the one breeding in the western MT mountains will likely be a different species sometime soon.  A little later I had several local nesting Black-and-white Warblers – another bird only likely to be seen in the eastern part of MT.  My statebird map pretty well matches the typical range of this species, along with vagrants seen in NV and CA.

I also ran into a flock of 4 Lazuli Buntings that had likely just arrived for spring.  Although I had now covered Seven Sisters pretty well, I still had 3 more local eastern MT specialties to try for - Turkey, Eastern Bluebird, and Red-headed Woodpecker.  But with 3 more riparian parks to bird I was cautiously optimistic on all of these birds.

The next stop was Elk Island WMA, which again had a large floodplain woodlands.  And although there were many birds, I got no new statebirds there.  The next stop was Intake WMA, but that park was full of campers so I didn’t even get out of my car to try to bird the area.

The last riparian stop was Pirogue Island State Park, where Red-headed Woodpeckers had been reported last fall.  I arrived at the park and found yet another excellent area of riparian woodlands.  Access to the park was solely by foot, and the only trail into the park (and onto the island), was flooded.  So with no access, I gave up on this park and riparian areas in general, and unfortunately realized I would end up leaving MT without the turkey, bluebird, and woodpecker.

Since Pirogue Island was a bust, I had some additional time on my hands.  I remembered some advice given to me by a local birder about an area east of Miles City in an elevated area of ponderosa pines.  He talked about Turkeys, Plumbeous Vireos, Cassin’s Kingbirds, and Pinyon Jays being in the area.  Initially I hadn’t planned to go there as it was somewhat out of the way.  But with some spare time, I decided to take the drive and give it a try, even though it was now mid-afternoon on a hot day.  The first area he described had some nice ponderosas, but none of the targets.  The best birds there were 3 Western Kingbirds which I couldn’t turn into Cassin’s, and a Bullock’s Oriole.  The next spot was further into the ponderosas, and the habitat looked really nice.  I started at the suggested spot for Turkey with no luck.  Next I drove along to nice areas in the ponderosas and started to play tape for Plumbeous Vireos.  At my first stop I didn’t have the vireos but did hear a distant familiar call – Pinyon Jay.  It ended up flying in to a nearby perch for great views.  Things were looking up.  At the next stop I played some more vireo tape, and two Plumbeous Vireos flew right in.  Now I just needed the kingbird.  Sibley’s says these birds are in dry savannah, so I started looking for kingbirds in grasslands tucked in among the ponderosas.  I eventually found a horse pasture with many feet of fencing which I thought would provide great perches for kingbirds.  And sure enough, I found 2 Cassin’s Kingbirds calling in the distance.  A new statebird on my last stop in the state – nice.  MT was about my last state for Cassin’s.

And these last 3 statebirds are only in eastern portions of MT, so not likely to be found on my future trips to the western part of the state.

I ended up with 161 species for the MT portion of my trip, including 106 new statebirds.  That exceeded my goal of 100 new statebirds which in itself I thought was going to be pretty optimistic.  My new MT statelist is now 175, a huge improvement from before, but still 41 short of the old ABA reportable threshold.  I’m already thinking about a trip to the mountains in the western part of MT and hoping that that trip would give me enough birds to reach the threshold.