Yellowstone: Birds, Bears and Wolves
May 28-June 3 2006
Bird/Species Trip List

Guide: Peg Abbott and 8 participants

Pied-billed Grebe – seen in several small wetland areas, calling and courting at Floating Island Lake
Western Grebe – lovely look at a single bird on a snowy day in Hayden Valley
American White Pelican – several large flocks of pelicans catching sunlight on their wings was a treat – the first spotted by Ann, driving down Paradise Valley. Most common in Hayden, but a few floating on current of the Lamar.
Great Blue Heron – Lake area
Canada Goose – abundant, but no goslings yet…
Trumpeter Swan – a nesting pair at 7 Mile Bridge on the Madison, and several on the Yellowstone in Paradise Valley
Gadwall – Lake area
American Widgeon – several locations
Mallard – seen daily, quite common
Cinnamon Teal – gorgeous bird and fairly common. Our best sightings were at Slough Creek, where the angle of light caused perfect reflections of the bright males – wow!
Northern Shoveler – pond at Mary’s Bay near Lake
Green-winged Teal – fairly common, seen at several locations
Harlequin Duck – an impressive female showed her strength in feeding on the flood stage Yellowstone, seen by High Bridge in the rapids
Lesser Scaup – one of our most common ducks
Barrow’s Goldeneye – seen on most days, such a gorgeous duck!
Bufflehead – seen in several of the smaller ponds
Common Merganser – seen on lakes and rivers at most locations
Ruddy Duck – a pair at Floating Island Lake
Osprey - what a joy to see so many of these elegant birds, mainly tucked down on their eggs incubating
Bald Eagle – Lamar Valley (perched) and a flying adult on the Madison River
Cooper’s Hawk – great view of a resting bird, with a perfect mirrored reflection at Slough Creek
Red-tailed Hawk – our most common raptor, seen daily
Golden Eagle – fantastic views of an immature bird, feeding from low perches at Slough Creek
American Kestrel – quite common, seen most days
Merlin - beautiful prairie race bird flew low over our heads on the walk to the Island Lake vista point atop Beartooth
Peregrine Falcon – nesting pair on the Yellowstone, fantastic scope views
Blue Grouse – a strutting male put on a superb show for us on the Dunraven Pass switchback above Antelope Creek
American Coot – several of the smaller ponds
Sandhill Crane – heard and seen as flyovers, incredible look at a pair with two just-fledged chicks at Floating Island Lake
Killdeer – seen best in Hayden Valley on a gravel patch, then several times along the Lamar River
Spotted Sandpiper – seen daily
Common Snipe – seen near our picnic area near Norris
Franklin’s Gull – seen well in a mixed flock at Lake, near Mary’s Bay
Ring-billed Gull – numerous along the lake at Mary’s Bay
California Gull – a few in with the other gulls at Mary’s Bay
Rock Dove – near park lodges and town
Mourning Dove – fairly common, esp. at lower elevations
Common Nighthawk – heard only, while waiting at Round Prairie for hopeful sightings of the Druid wolf pack
White-throated Swift – seen well by the Tower area, flying acrobatically over the dramatic lava flow that makes an elegant cliffface…
Belted Kingfisher – Aspen grove on Beartooth Highway
Williamson’s Sapsucker – seen well on our walk up Slough Creek
Red-naped Sapsucker – great close views at the vista point for Tower Falls
Northern Flicker – seen daily, nesting
Hammond’s Flycatcher – seen well at Slough Creek, in low shrubs by the river
Dusky Flycatcher – singing male on territory, Aspen grove up Beartooth
Cordilleran Flycatcher – seen best at Slough Creek Campground, heard at several other locations
Eastern Kingbird – great looks in Paradise Valley
Western Warbling Vireo – posed for us on our walk at Old Faithful, seen at Slough Creek and heard at other locations
Gray Jay – Cooke City and Beartooth, as well as our picnic site at Norris
Steller’s Jay – Cooke City area, including a great view through the window at our final dinner
Clark’s Nutcracker – several locations, a favorite bird for several
American (Black-billed) Magpie – seen daily
American Crow – seen in Paradise Valley, also one at Slough Creek
Common Raven – seen every day, courting and nesting, three almost fledged young at Petrified Tree were fun to see in the scope
Horned Lark – Gail and Rosemarie spotted these above treeline on Beartooth Highway
Tree Swallow – incredibly abundant over the lake, obviously a big migrant flock, present most locations
Violet-green Swallow – seen well, starting to nest
No. Rough-winged Swallow – river areas
Bank Swallow – ponds near lake, only a few
Cliff Swallow – abundant, esp. near buildings at the park lodges and bridges in Hayden Valley
Barn Swallow – fairly common agricultural areas
Mountain Chickadee – seen in forested areas and on our walk at Old Faithful
Red-breasted Nuthatch – picnic area near Norris, Aspen grove up Beartooth
White-breasted Nuthatch – heard only, several locations
Rock Wren – great views in Lamar Valley
House Wren – quite common, seen or heard daily
American Dipper – likely a trip favorite for many, seen at several nesting locations and at LeHardy rapids feeding
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – great views of this one, often showing the ruby crown patch
Mountain Bluebird – seen daily – another favorite
Townsend’s Solitaire – seen well at several locations
Swainson’s Thrush – best looks at Le Hardy Rapids, heard many days
American Robin – numerous, seen daily
Sage Thrasher – heard only, lower Dunraven Pass above Antelope Creek
European Starling – urban area, and aspen grove in Little America along the Lamar Valley Rd. (where we watched bison with calves and the Cedar Waxwings…)
American Pipit – Top of the World and Beartooth Pass, fun to watch them catching invisible small insects off the snow!
Cedar Waxwing – beautiful view of these birds sallying out to catch insects, and resting on limbs of white-barked Aspen trees
Orange-crowned Warbler – quick glimpse in flight, mainly heard – aspen grove up Beartooth Pass Road
Yellow Warbler – aspen grove in Little America, singing
Yellow-rumped Warbler – seen daily and in good numbers, what a beauty!
Common Yellowthroat – singing male seen well in Slough Creek
Western Tanager – several gorgeous males arrived to put on a show at Tower Falls, finally on our last full day! Soon they will be quite common….
Chipping Sparrow – common, seen daily
Brewer’s Sparrow – common in sagebrush areas, seen daily in appropriate habitat
Vesper Sparrow – seen in sagebrush areas, Lamar and Dunraven Pass area above Antelope Creek, singing in the area by our Blue Grouse photography session… Also on our walk in the geyser basin at Old Faithful
Savannah Sparrow – seen well in a thermal runoff channel at Old Faithful
Lincoln’s Sparrow – singing on the trail we walked at Slough Creek, good looks.
White-crowned Sparrow – seen or heard on most days, common
Dark-eyed Junco – quite common, starting their nesting cycle
Red-winged Blackbird – present at each wetland area
Western Meadowlark – such lovely mountain music each morning in the sage!
Yellow-headed Blackbird – first good looks coming in through Paradise Valley, then at several other wetland locations, great bird!!
Brewer’s Blackbird – quite common
Common Grackle – seen near horse corrals at Tower Junction
Brown-headed Cowbird – all too common, esp. around Bison
Gray-crowned Rosy Finch – one male in with a small flock of Black Rosy Finch atop Dunraven
Black Rosy Finch – the first male spotted by Al, several great looks at this alpine gem
Cassin’s Finch – seen especially well on our walk at Old Faithful, seen at most locations
Red Crossbill – heard only, flock over Crazy Creek Campground on Beartooth Highway
Pine Siskin – abundant in pine and mixed conifer areas
American Goldfinch – nice male posed for us while wolf watching up Antelope Creek
House Sparrow – Bozeman airport

Mammals
Black Bear
Grizzly Bear
Coyote
Gray Wolf
Pine Marten
Snowshoe Hare
White-tailed Jackrabbit
Nuttall’s Cottontail
Yellow-bellied Marmot
Uintah Ground Squirrel
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
Red Squirrel
Least Chipmunk
Cliff Chipmunk
Pronghorn
Mule Deer
White-tailed Deer
American Elk
Moose
Bison
Bighorn Sheep
Mountain Goat

 

Montana Prairie Spring
June 3-8, 2006
Trip List

Helen Carlson and Peg Abbott, guides, with seven participants

Common Loon – gorgeous bright male on the waters of Medicine Lake
Eared Grebe – Helen’s signature bird, we found it plentiful and in bright breeding plumage ( a treat for our California girls….) at Boudoin. Lunch on the boat ramp, with so many close at hand was most memorable.
Western Grebe – we encountered several of these elegant birds, including a pair on Medicine Lake that we examined in detail
American White Pelican – numerous and seen daily
Double-crested Cormorant – seen often in flight, and hundreds out on the breeding islands amidst Lake Bedoin
Great Blue Heron – fairly common
White-faced Ibis – seen close enough to see all the feather colors gleam in the sun, spectacular bird…
Turkey Vulture – Billings area
Canada Goose – very common, several families with goslings
Gadwall – fairly common
American Wigeon – not a common duck, but seen clearly
Mallard – common, but no chicks yet…
Blue-winged Teal – fairly common, we got great looks at this handsome bird
Cinnamon Teal – perhaps half a dozen pair seen over the course of two days on the refuge
Northern Shoveler – gaudy as ever and in very good number
Northern Pintail – not as common as other duck species, but seen at most locations
Green-winged Teal – fairly common, and seen quite close on several occasions
Canvasback – numerous in deeper water
Redhead – fairly common, nice to compare with Canvasback
Lesser Scaup – very common, as with other ducks, found in pairs and ready to nest
Bufflehead – John Good spotted a small group of these on Lake Boudoin from the boat dock
Ruddy Duck – very common
Bald Eagle – Medicine Lake, flying at a distance but unmistakable
Northern Harrier – female on the Columbus Road, Boudoin, and a fantastic display of a courting male en route back to Billings
Cooper’s Hawk – pond at Visitor’s Center, and Mary Kay had a fly by at Zortman
Swainson’s Hawk – we first spotted an immature by the Visitor’s Center pond, being harassed by kingbirds. Later we found several pair, including one with an adult peeking out of the nest, and the mate perched quite low on a farm fence near by – super views
Red-tailed Hawk – fairly common
Ferruginous Hawk – a final day sighting, spotted by Rose Marie, while we searched for Cassin’s Kingbird
Golden Eagle – outside of Billings
American Kestrel – seen daily but in small numbers
Prairie Falcon – Les spotted the falcon in a hunt flight on the Columbus-Molt road, mostly likely chasing the numerous Lark Bunting. It crossed the road and was gone in a flash….
Ring-necked Pheasant – heard or seen each day, one male flying in its side-tilting pattern between our van and another car was memorable!
Wild Turkey – a bright male seen by Zortman, and another waiting for Helen to return to her yard!
Sora – heard only, Boudoin
American Coot – common
Killdeer – seen daily but not in large numbers, likely busy with nesting
Black-necked Stilt – seen at one location along the lake, beautiful as ever
American Avocet – very common, and we were fortunate to watch a good deal of behavior, including a confrontation between two pair that was quite agitated
Willet – once we finally found one, we found many. One perched on a fence post way out in the field indicated likely nesting
Upland Sandpiper – we saw these on 4 or 5 locations, including one very close to the road. Nice to hear their vocalizations and to watch them feeding
Long-billed Curlew – first seen in the field at Molt, then quite regularly at Boudoin.
Marbled Godwit – numerous at Boudoin. One almost bombed Les while we walked on a farm road; others did the same to our van. Their calls were a rich part of the landscape experience. We saw one very young chick being carefully guarded in tall grass.
Wilson’s Snipe – we heard one while walking a farm road, and Les and Margie saw one on their walk
Wilson’s Phalarope – absolutely abundant – we saw huge numbers of this classy bird.
Franklin’s Gull – numerous and nesting
Ring-billed Gull – abundant
California Gull – fairly common
Common Tern – seen daily but not in large numbers
Black Tern – this was a great find, seen both days at the refuge, both feeding and loafing on the small islands
Rock Pigeon – towns and near farm buildings
Mourning Dove – numerous
Great Horned Owl – we spooked this bird as we walked around the Visitor Center ponds, much to the agitation of kingbirds! Got great looks in the scope and then seen flying
Common Nighthawk – one individual at Medicine Lake, while we enjoyed our coffee break on the lakeshore
Northern Flicker – seen often
Downy Woodpecker – seen near the hotel in cottonwoods, and at Zortman at the campground
Western Wood Pewee – seen well at the city park and heard at the refuge
Least Flycatcher – Visitor Center pond walk at the refuge, quite common
Hammonds Flycatcher – one individual seen well by the church in Zortman
Dusky Flycatcher – calling, and seen well at the Visitor Center pond area, again at the campground in Zortman
Say’s Phoebe – seen near some farm buildings near Molt
Cassin’s Kingbird – a bonus bird in Montana, seen thanks to Helen’s knowledge of a special spot to look and Betty Ann’s keen eyes to find it!
Western Kingbird – everywhere – highly vocal this time of year
Eastern Kingbird – seen daily and very bold, wonderful to have as a common bird.
Loggerhead Shrike – seen near Broadview, going into Helen’s owl spot…
Warbling Vireo – Two Moon Park, Billings, Zortman
Red-eyed Vireo – Two Moon Park, Billings, quite a few pair, Fred Robinson Bridge
Black-billed Magpie – quite common
American Crow – a few seen near the Milk River bridge in town, also en route back to Bozeman
Common Raven – near Fred Robinson bridge and areas close to the sandstone bluffs near Billings
Horned Lark – super close looks as they perch readily on farm fences, first seen en route to Molt, then one of our more common birds
Tree Swallow – numerous, one on a nest box at the refuge was a good close study
Cliff Swallow – numerous
Barn Swallow – fairly common
Black-capped Chickadee – wooded areas of the refuge, and seen well in Two Moon Park in Billings
Red-breasted Nuthatch – heard at Zortman
White-breasted Nuthatch – Two Moon Park, great looks on a cottonwood tree
House Wren – very common and seen at all locations
Marsh Wren – highly vocal, several of us got a quick glimpse near a nest at the refuge at Boudoin, great looks at the marsh we stopped at en route back to Billings
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – heard, and seen with a quick glimpse at Two Moon Park, also heard at Camp Creek Campground near Zortman
Mountain Bluebird – several seen in flight north of Billings
American Robin – numerous, already fledged young was admirable given Montana’s weather…
Swainson’s Thrush – Visitor Center Pond , heard at campground near Zortman
Gray Catbird – Two Moon Park, Billings
Brown Thrasher – seen well our first day near the Visitor Center, then Mary Kay spotted again our second day
European Starling – numerous
Sprague’s Pipit – we had to really work for this bird this year, but finally found a pair we could see well in a pasture grazed by horses, where they couldn’t disappear. Tall grass this spring hid many a bird….
Cedar Waxwing – heard by Visitor Center at the refuge, and in Helen’s yard
Orange-crowned Warbler – heard and seen briefly at the campground near Zortman
Yellow Warbler – everywhere!
American Redstart – Two Moon Park, Billings, also near Zortman
Ovenbird – heard at Fred Robinson’s bridge, spotted by Mary Kay at the campground near Zortman – great looks by all.
Common Yellowthroat – heard daily, in dense marsh vegetation, finally seen well our last day en route back to Billings
Yellow-breasted Chat – our first bird out of the van at Two Moon Park, also heard at Fred Robinson Bridge
Spotted Towhee – heard in the Zortman area
Chipping Sparrow – Zortman area and sandstone bluffs outside Billlings
Brewer’s Sparrow – sagebrush fields going into the refuge, also while waiting for road construction en route back to Billings
Vesper Sparrow – several good looks while on fencewires, and often seen flying by
Lark Sparrow – again, thanks to fence wires we got good looks at Boudoin, and in the bluffs outside Billings
Lark Bunting – very common this year. Our introduction was to huge flocks along the Columbus Molt road. They were also common at the refuge and around Malta, and many were doing flight display and song.
Savannah Sparrow – this bird seemed far more numerous this year, perhaps in response to the higher grass height.
Grasshopper Sparrow – Helen picked out the call of our first one, and despite very strong winds we got a scope on it to watch it sing – wow!
Song Sparrow – Two Moon Park, Billings
Lincoln’s Sparrow – heard at the campground near Zortman
McCown’s Longspur – We found several of these at a distance singing flight songs near Broadview, then on the refuge we saw several in flight, and one female perched for inspection. Again tall grass made study on the ground almost impossible!
Chestnut-collared Longspur – quite common at both Molt and on the refuge, we were able to get them in the scope, and saw a good number flying. Two taking a bath in a puddle in front of the van was memorable
Black-headed Grosbeak – great looks at Two Moon Park, Billings
Lazuli Bunting – great looks at several males, Two Moon Park, Billings
Bobolink – this sighting was a trip highlight for many. On our first blustery day, the light on the prairie was spectacular, and made this group of birds seem to glow. Peg spotted a perched male from the van; once we pulled over there were many, and several displaying
Red-winged Blackbird – abundant
Western Meadowlark – abundant
Yellow-headed Blackbird – very common and always fun to see, and to listen to their wild calls…
Brewer’s Blackbird – seen daily, less common than other blackbirds
Common Grackle – common
Brown-headed Cowbird – common too numerous, and sadly very active in pursuing the prairie songbirds
Baltimore Oriole – two brilliant males seen, on in the Malta city park and another at the refuge
House Finch – Two Moon Park and town, Billings
Pine Siskin – flock seen near the church in Zortman
American Goldfinch – seen well in the hedgerow of the refuge, and at our stop before the campground at Zortman
House Sparrow – common in town and scattered near farms and at the refuge

Mammals:
Red Fox
Richardson’s Ground Squirrel
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
White-tailed Jackrabbit
Desert Cottontail
White-tailed Deer

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