Are you a birder? a bird-watcher? a twitcher?
Birder — The acceptable term used to describe the person who seriously pursues the hobby of birding. May be professional or amateur.
Birding — A hobby in which individuals enjoy the challenge of bird study, listing, or other general activities involving bird life.
Bird-watcher — A rather ambiguous term used to describe the person who watches birds for any reason at all, and should not be used to refer to the serious birder.
— Birding, Volume 1, No.2
Twitching is a British term used to mean "the pursuit of a previously located rare bird." In North America, it is more often called chasing. The term twitcher, sometimes misapplied as a synonym for birder, is reserved for those who travel long distances to see a rare bird that would then be ticked, or counted on a list.
Luckily, living in the lush forest at The Hohnstead, we don’t have to travel or walk very far in order to see some magnificent bird species. Over the years, I’ve definitely become that person who upon seeing a new photogenic bird has to run into the house to grab my long zoom lens and a camera in order to try to capture these otherwise hard to spot species in the wild. At times the images are very easy to come by, when a bird lands on our garden’s fence. Other times, I’m following them up and down the hills in order to get a better shot, better light, better angle but also trying very hard not to spook them.
I wish I could say that the chase is just as exciting as the final result, but as a photographer of 15+ years, I’m always hoping that the final image is not just ok, but in focus, has a great composition, and looks like something you might see in a magazine (yup, the standards are pretty high over here, but I call it The Happiness of Pursuit :P
locations to bird watch near missoula, montana
Kelly Island Fishing Access (146 observed species)
(click to see on eBird for up to date sightings and species recorded at this location.)
4854 Spurgin Rd, Missoula, MT 59804, USA
Some expected birds are Bald Eagle, Turkey Vulture, Pileated Woodpecker, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Vaux’s Swift, Western Wood-Pewee, Yellow Warbler, and Black-headed Grosbeak.
Maclay Flat and Blue Mountain (196 observed species)
Forest Rd 19155, Missoula, MT 59804, USA
Watch for Dusky Flycatcher, Hammond’s Flycatcher, Clark’s Nutcracker, Townsend’s Solitaire, Western Tanager, kinglets, warblers, chickadees, and nuthatches.
““There are about 10,000 species of bird and only a small number of people have seen more than 7,000.””
Rattlesnake National Recreation Area (134 observed species)
Rattlesnake Dr, Missoula, MT 59802, United States
The first mile is a narrow, brushy riparian area that is good for many species of the conifer forest including Ruffed Grouse, Rufous Hummingbird, Western Tanager, and Townsend’s Warbler. Flammulated Owls occur on the ridge overlooking Marshall Canyon to the Southeast.
Mount Jumbo (110 observed species)
Drive to the east end of Cherry Street or Poplar Street just north of I-90.
Look for Calliope Hummingbird, Nashville Warbler, Spotted Towhee, and Lazuli Bunting. The summit ridge is a good place for migrating raptors in spring and fall. Access the saddle, which leads to varied habitats, by following Lincoln Hills Drive through the housing area to the trailhead. Look for Western and Mountain Bluebirds, Cassin’s Vireo, Western Tanager, Vesper Sparrow, and Cassin’s Finch.
Greenough Park (160 observed species)
1001 Monroe St, Missoula, MT 59802, USA
Resident species include Western Screech-Owl, Great Horned Owl, Pileated Woodpecker, American Dipper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Lesser Goldfinch and Song Sparrow. Northern Pygmy-Owls, Bohemian Waxwings, and Varied Thrushes visit in winter. Summer residents include House Wren, Swainson’s Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Red-eyed Vireo, warblers, Bullock’s Oriole, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, and Spotted Towhee.
““In 2016, Arjan Dwarshuis became the world-record holder for most species seen during the span of one year, logging 6,852 bird species in 40 countries””
Riverfront-Kim Williams Trail (157 observed species)
Campus Dr. Missoula, MT 59801
The habitat includes several islands, riparian trees and shrubs, and nearby Douglas-fir forest. Common birds in Spring and Summer include Osprey, Calliope Hummingbird, Vaux’s Swift, Willow Flycatcher, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, swallows, warblers, Gray Catbird, Bullock’s Oriole, Western Tanager, and Lazuli Bunting. Winter birds include Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Bald Eagle, Bohemian Waxwing, and Song Sparrow. Look for American Dippers where Rattlesnake Creek enters the Clark Fork.
The Clark Fork River: Milltown State Park and I-90 East
Milltown State Park provides several areas for birding. The Confluence area offers access to the North shore of the Clark Fork. Milltown Pond, Rock Creek, Beavertail Hill State Park, Bearmouth Canyon are a few areas worth noting for birding around here.
The Overlook offers expansive views of the Clark Fork and ponds to the East, and hosts a large colony of Violet-green Swallows that will swirl around the overlook on warm Spring and Summer days.
Pattee Canyon
Take Higgins Avenue south past Dornblazer Field. Turn East on Pattee Canyon Drive and go 4.5 miles to the Pattee Canyon Trailhead.
This area is good habitat for Northern Goshawk, several owl species, Pileated Woodpecker, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Swainson’s Thrush, Hermit Thrush, warblers, Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak, and Red Crossbill.
Other areas worth checking out for birding:
Mount Sentinel
Erksine Fishing Access
Tower Street
Council Grove
Information provided by: Five Valleys Audubon Society and Destination Missoula
