Birding around The Hohnstead Glamping Cabins

Have you ever found yourself in the woods, in the park with lots of singing birds, but you could not see or identify them?

Some bird species are quite small and can conspicuously blend in with their environment, but what is a birder ( bird-watcher) to do?

Answer: Download the FREE Merlin Bird ID App (not sponsored, just a big fan)

What is Merlin Bird Id App?

Merlin Bird ID, which was designed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is widely recognized as the best digital tool specifically designed for bird identification. With the help of eBird, this app is powered by Visipedia and has over 1382 supported bird profiles. The app's outstanding features of mostly accurate bird ID have helped all types of birders, from complete newbies to seasoned bird lovers.

Why should you download Merlin Bird ID?

The first time we learned about this new app, was from a guest, who loved the ease of use and easy identification based on the bird’s call. She opened the app, pressed the middle green button - Sound ID and the app used its magic to identify a bird that was singing at that moment. Or take a picture of the bird and use the Photo ID button instead.

Better yet, you get photos, sounds, range maps, and expert ID tips as you learn and build your birding skills while using the app.

Based on our last article on Birding around Missoula, MT, some people keep Life List of all bird species that they’ve ever witnessed. Merlin Bird ID helps you maintain that list if you sign in to a new account.

Explore function allows you to check out various birds that may be likely in an area near you (this morning, my app tells me that there are 119 bird species likely today near Missoula County). It is possible that other bird watchers in the area are also using this app and have been able to spot a few new ones for me.

My Sound Recordings inside the app keeps track of all the recordings I’ve done so far, which makes it fun to share with folks who are not familiar with this magical app.

When you connect with another birder, you realize that it’s not just the birds that we’re after, we’re observers and pay closer attention to nature. Some of us are photographers, like myself, and enjoy “getting that perfect shot.” Some of us are list-makers, using birding as a hobby we can track. Some of us are ornithologists, aka scientists who study birds using formal scientific methods. And if it wasn’t for the latter, we’d probably never have the ease and excitement of Merlin Bird ID.

More than 100 focal recordings are needed to train Merlin to identify a species, but only 20% of bird species worldwide have enough recordings. And that’s where you and me come in, by downloading and using the app!

Canada Jay / Gray Jay at The HohnStead Glamping Cabins

FUN FACT!

Canada Jay or Grey Jay are very smart birds. Their incredible adaptability allows them to eat almost anything, such as ticks off the back of a moose, baby bats, amphibians, baby birds, in addition to more normal foods like invertebrates, seeds, and berries.

The American Robyn in the rain.

One of our friends’ family is so passionate about birds, that they once competed against each other in a contest where you had to be able to identify birds by names and by their calls/sounds. This friend could identify a whopping amount, over 250 different bird species.

How many bird species can you identify?

Western Tanager at The Hohnstead Glamping Cabins

birds I identified with merlin bird id app at The Hohnstead this summer?

• Cassin’s Finch

• Mountain Chickadee

• Northern Flicker

• Clark’s Nutcracker

• Stellar’s Jay

• Sharp-shinned Hawk

• American Goshawk

• Brewer’s Sparrow

• Golden-crowned Kinglet

• Dark-eyed Junco

• Black-capped Chickadee

• Hairy Woodpecker

• Western Tanager

• Cedar Waxwing

• Chipping Sparrow

• Swainson’s Thrush

• Yellow-rumped Warbler

• Williamson’s Sapsucker

• Pine Siskin

• House Finch

• American Robin

• Evening Grosbeak

Wow! And that is only in the past 3 months.

While my camera and zoom lens haven’t always been available during my identifications, I was still able to catch some pretty great shots of a few birds (and other critters) in or near our garden, check them out below.

Whether you’re a birder or not, if you love nature, walking in the forest, or traveling and exploring National Parks and Forests, you’re definitely going to enjoy using Merlin Bird ID App. With this app, you are able to store, quickly identify, and share your knowledge of silly creatures that fly around you. I’m sure that you’re going to have fun and feel like a kid again when you start to memorize and eventually identify them on your own. Who knows, maybe you’re already ready to connect your Merlin App to the advanced Swarovski Optik binoculars for seamless observation and identification of more than 8000 birds or wildlife critters. But if you’re just a novice, like me, you’ll stick with the free app and a zoom lens :)

Birding around Missoula, Montana

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.””

— Wikipedia

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””

— Wikipedia

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