TAS Great Parks Trip

Birds and Beasts of the Great Parks

Part II, June 18-22, 2008 (click for Part I or the triplist)

The next day began with an early morning visit to Jackson airport, a well-known location for Greater Sage Grouse. During the drive to the airport, we spotted a pair of Trumpeter Swans on a pond just north of Jackson. At the airport, the group scoured adjacent sagebrush habitat, but failed to produce a Sage Grouse. Several Brewer's Sparrows were flushed and a Sage Thrasher was heard. After breakfast at Bubba's Barbeque in Jackson, where the group was introduced to Paul's friend Jimmy, the rest of the morning was spent in Grand Teton National Park, on trails near Jenny Lake. We began on the Valley Trail at Lupine Meadows, south of Lake Jenny, and then moved on to the Hidden Falls Trail at the lake's northern end. At Lupine Meadows, the group saw Northern Goshawk, Williamson's Sapsucker, Least Flycatcher, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglet, Western Tanager, Chipping Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco, not to mention a dazzling array of wildflowers. In a burn area along the Hidden Falls Trail, we found a nesting Black-backed Woodpecker, as well as Calliope and Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Williamson's Sapsucker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Wood-Pewee, Clark's Nutcracker, Mountain Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush and MacGillivray's Warbler. An American Dipper was spotted in a stream that flowed into Jenny Lake. Jimmy led us to a pair of Yellow-bellied Marmots playing on rocks alongside the trail.

Lupine	Moose

After enjoying lunch and spectacular views of the Tetons at Dornan's in Moose Junction, we headed to Gros Ventre Campground, located east of the national park. Empidonax flycatchers were abundant here. Cordilleran Flycatcher was identified by call; Dusky Flycatchers were almost certainly present, but none could be reliably identified. Also present were Swainson's Hawk, Common Nighthawk, Western Wood-Pewee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Yellow Warbler and Cassin's Finch. After covering the campground, the group split up, with half returning to the lodge for a late-afternoon break. The other half joined me for a short hike on the trail to Death Canyon, located off Moose-Wilson Road in the southern end of the national park. Our highlight here was a Hammond's Flycatcher, which was seen and heard by everyone. Farther down Moose-Wilson Road, a female moose feeding right along the road provided excellent photo opportunities. Also feeding on a roadside tree was a Three-toed Woodpecker, but the bird disappeared before everyone in the van could view it.

After dinner south of Teton Village, the group was graciously invited to Jimmy's house to view the Calliope Hummingbirds coming to his feeders, and to wait for darkness to fall. At the appointed time, we all headed to the spot where the Great Gray Owl was seen the previous night. No owl was present when we first arrived, so we drove farther down the road to give the owl more time. Sure enough, the owl was there when we returned, perched on a phone wire ahead of us. Just when we thought that our views would be limited to silhouettes, the owl took off and flew towards us, landing on a fence right alongside the vans! With a nearly full moon in the background, we enjoyed crippling views of this magnificent bird before it finally moved on. What a memorable ending to an incredible day!

Trumpeter Swan	Great Gray Owl

Our first stop during our last day in the Tetons was at Signal Mountain, a reliable spot for Dusky Grouse. On previous visits here, I've found grouse feeding along the road close to the summit. On this visit, we had to wait until we reached the overlook beyond the summit parking area, where a male grouse was obligingly perched on a fence. The bird then flew into an adjacent spruce, allowing us to observe it at close range. Other birds seen at the summit included Gray Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Green-tailed Towhee and Dark-eyed Junco. After breakfast at the Signal Mountain Lodge, we continued north, pausing briefly at Lake Jackson Dam and Christian Pond, our last stops in Grand Teton National Park. A Red-naped Sapsucker was seen near the dam, while Willow Flycatchers were easily found around the pond.

Dusky Grouse	Black Bear

After re-entering Yellowstone National Park, we headed to the park's east side. Our route took us past Yellowstone Lake and through the Hayden Valley to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, where we stopped briefly to view the upper falls. We continued north towards Dunraven Pass, Mt. Washburn and Tower Falls, but heavy snow prevented us from exploring much along this stretch. As a result, we saw only a few birds, including Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Townsend's Solitaire, Gray Catbird, Western Tanager and Dark-eyed Junco. We also experienced our second bear-jam, where another Black Bear was entertaining the tourists. At Tower Junction, we headed west towards our night's lodging at Mammoth Springs. A short hike at Petrified Tree, just west of Tower Junction, produced our last sightings of Williamson's Sapsucker, but the first for Paul. We also experienced our only rain shower of the trip on the drive to Mammoth Springs.

A herd of Elk greeted us as we left Yellowstone National Park the next morning and headed north to Montana and Interstate 90. A Black-headed Grosbeak was spotted across the road from our breakfast stop in Livingston. Red-naped Sapsucker, Western Wood-Pewee, House Wren, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler and Northern Waterthrush were found at a rest area on I-90, west of Deer Lodge. We also stopped briefly at the University of Montana in Missoula, but were unable to locate any of the Evening Grosbeak that allegedly summer on campus. From Missoula we headed north to National Bison Range, part of the National Wildlife Refuge system. After a brief stop at the visitor center, we explored the refuge via the Red Sleep Mountain Drive, which includes a 2000-foot change in elevation along the 19-mile route. We saw a handful of Bison, along with Pronghorn, Mule and White-tailed Deer, as well as a pair of Columbian Ground Squirrels whose burrow was in the middle of the road. The birding here was exceptional; gorgeous Lazuli Buntings were singing everywhere we looked! Another highlight was the Lewis' Woodpecker we found along a high elevation section of the drive; still another was the Willow Flycatcher that landed on the open door of Paul's van! Other birds seen include Ring-necked Pheasant, Bald and Golden Eagle, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, Western and Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Clark's Nutcracker, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Mountain Bluebird, Spotted Towhee, Vesper and Savannah Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, Yellow-headed Blackbird and Bullock's Oriole.

Lazuli Bunting	Willow Flycatcher
White-tailed Fawn	American Bison

From our motel in Kalispell, we headed north the next morning to the West Glacier entrance of Glacier National Park. Our first stop was at Fish Creek Picnic Area, on the north side of Lake McDonald, where we saw Spotted Sandpiper, Winter Wren and Townsend's Warbler. Stops along Camas Road produced sightings of Swainson's Thrush, MacGillivray's Warbler, Western Tanager and White-tailed Deer. Along Going-to-the-Sun Road, we first visited Sprague Creek Picnic Area, on the south side of the lake, where we found Willow Flycatcher, Cedar Waxwing and American Redstart. At Trail of the Cedars in the Avalanche Creek Campground, we had up-close looks as a Varied Thrush gathered food for its fledgling offspring. Black and Vaux's Swift fluttered over Avalanche Creek; a distant Mountain Goat was spotted high above us on the cliff face opposite the creek. Due to heavy snow at the highest elevations of Going-to-the-Sun Road, the road was closed beyond Avalanche Creek, so we had to backtrack to West Glacier, then drive around the southern end of the park to our lodging in Rising Sun, near St Mary at the east end of Going-to-the-Sun Road.

On US-2, just north of the Goat Lick Overlook at the southern tip of the park, Paul spotted, on a power pole along the road, the only unexpected bird for the trip, a White-headed Woodpecker. They backtracked to try to relocate and possibly photograph the bird, but unfortunately, it had disappeared. White-headed Woodpeckers are normally found in the mountains of Washington, Idaho, Oregon and California. According to Jeff Marks, secretary for the Montana Bird Records Committee, there are only seven accepted records for this species in Montana! Only Paul could find such a rarity on his first visit to the state! At the Goat Lick Overlook, we found several Mountain Goats, including young. We then headed to Two Medicine campground, in the southeast corner of the park, where Paul's woodpecker luck continued. As we walked through the campground, Paul spotted a Three-toed Woodpecker; we eventually found its favorite snag, allowing everyone in the group to add that bird to their life lists. Also seen here were Bald Eagle and Fox Sparrow. We tried desperately to find a Steller's Jay, which we were told were common in the picnic area, and should have been seen long before this point in the trip, but were once again unsuccessful.

On our last full day, we began with a visit to the Many Glacier area; it would be our closest approach to the Canadian border. Hooded Mergansers were seen on a beaver pond at the beginning of Many Glacier Road, near the town of Babb. A cooperative Common Loon on Swiftcurrent Lake provided excellent looks. Before breakfast at the Swiftcurrent Motor Lodge, we hiked a portion of the Iceberg Lake Trail, where we saw Warbling Vireo, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Dark-eyed Junco and Pine Siskin. We also found fresh bear scat along the trail, possibly Grizzly, and spotted Bighorn Sheep on the cliffs overlooking the lodge. We stopped at the beaver pond again on our way out; Cedar Waxwing and Yellow Warbler were seen and Wilson's Warblers were heard. We then began the long drive back to Billings. On US-89 south of St. Mary, we encountered a Ruffed Grouse hen with young, standing in the road. Fortunately, the grouse did not stray far from the road, allowing satisfying looks for all participants. After lunch in Choteau, we drove through Freezeout Lake Wildlife Management Area (US-89 bisects the refuge), pausing to admire the nesting American Avocets, as well as Cinnamon and Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Eared Grebe (in breeding plumage), Black-necked Stilt and Forster's Tern. Ring-necked Pheasant and Swainson's (on nest), Red-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks were also spotted along US-89 before we reached Interstate-15, just north of Great Falls.

Searching for McCown's Longspur

From Great Falls, we continued to Billings via back roads, first US-87, then US 191 to US-12. Late in the afternoon, we stopped in Two Dot, a barely-on-the-map location I had visited in 2003 with Robin Diaz, Stefan Schlick and Leo Miller. During that previous visit, we found two target birds, Mountain Plover and McCown's Longspur. Driving into short-grass prairie habitat on Haymaker Road, north of US-12, we soon spotted McCown's Longspurs, many performing their aerial mating displays. Also seen were Northern Harrier, Horned Lark, Vesper Sparrow, Chestnut-collared Longspur and Western Meadowlark. In spite of a thorough search of the first few miles of Haymaker Road, we failed to find a Mountain Plover. Running out of daylight, we proceeded to our motel in Billings, to prepare for our early-morning flights back to south Florida.

Participants: Brian Rapoza, Paul Bithorn, Susana Barciela and Dan Zuckerman, Kathy Burkhart, Nancy Freedman, Linda McCandless, Maria Rodriguez, Lorena Siqueira, Arthur and Susan Sissman and Jeff Weber. Special guest: Jimmy Farmer (Thanks for that owl!)

You can see the bird and mammal lists or return to Part I.

—Brian Rapoza, TAS Field Trip Coordinator
Photographs by Jeff Weber

Sitemap