The natural environment and history of Kalispell’s West Valley area
by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
In every class, there is a class clown. If you put all ducks into a classroom, that role would probably be filled by the ruddy duck. I don’t know of any duck that is more amusing to watch.
Continue Reading →by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
Both male and female coots sharing parenting responsibilities for their brood. However, they are not notoriously good parents, at least in one sense of the term. Coots usually hatch 7-9 chicks, but the parents–by some pretty draconian means–like to get that number down to a more feedable 3 or 4. How they do it is…not pretty.
Continue Reading →by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
Bald eagles are a fairly common sight in the valley year ’round. In the summer, you’ll find them in trees along creek beds, around ponds and marshes, and even congregating around a roadkill deer. They are opportunistic feeders, preferring fish that they either catch themselves or snatch from other animals such as ospreys or otters, but they will happily take hares, birds, snakes, gophers, frogs, or whatever else is available, including roadkill.
Continue Reading →By Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
Rocky Mountain beeplant is native to the valley, although I seem to rarely encounter one. They are annuals, but they can grow up to 5 feet in a season. They are in the cleome family (Cleome serrulata) and are often cultivated in gardens. They are one of the most visually striking wildflowers in the area, as you will see.
Continue Reading →by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
Kalispell’s West Valley is situated toward the northern end of the breeding range of the beautiful white faced ibis. The spring migration season of 2020 was witness to an unusually large number of these birds making their presence known in the valley. We’ve had multiple sightings of more than 50 birds at once at the Potholes and the West Valley Wildlife Viewing area (see Locations), and fewer at Bowser Lake in the Pig Farm state trust land area.
Continue Reading →By Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
One of the less common—and certainly one of the most unusual—flowering plants you might encounter in the valley is the spotted coralroot orchid. At first glance it may appear to be dead. It has no leaves, and it can be a deep brown color. But look closely and you’ll find an exceptionally beautiful orchid.
Continue Reading →by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
The valley is home to two bluebirds: the western bluebird and the mountain bluebird. We usually get at least one pair of western bluebirds in one of our birdboxes each spring due to our close proximity to open fields where they like to feed.
Continue Reading →by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
Click on an image to enlarge it.
West Valley is home for a huge variety of migratory and resident ducks and other waterfowl. While some waterfowl are waders (e.g., sandhill cranes, great blue herons, dowitchers) or skimmers (none around here, although some gulls do this occasionally), ducks can be broadly separated into two groups based on how they obtain food: dabblers and divers.
Continue Reading →by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
What’s the difference between a bug and an insect?
All bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs. Insects typically have a body segmented into three parts (head, thorax, and abdomen), a hard exoskeleton, six legs, and two antennae. Bees are insects. So are dragonflies, ants, butterflies, beetles, moths, and crickets among many others.
Continue Reading →by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
Many birds and other animals such as foxes depend on berries as food sources, especially in the winter when other food options are limited. The valley has a wide variety of plants that produce berries, some of which are edible by people but many of which range from mildly to severely toxic if eaten. DO NOT consume any berries unless you are completely confident of whether or not they are safe for human consumption.
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by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
A pair of great horned owls nest near my home between West Valley and Farm to Market roads. Each year, we see 1-3 juveniles (and at least one adult) in the ponderosa pines in our yard. From there they can watch for voles and gophers in the agricultural fields next to our property. We find lots of owl pellets and more than a few feathers–especially the downy ones that are dropped as the juveniles mature.
Continue Reading →by Linda De Kort
linda@westvalleynaturalists.org
Thinking about starting a naturalist notebook of your own? Here is an example. Use the arrow keys at the bottom of the window to move back and forth between pages, and use the + button to enlarge or – button to zoom out as needed.
Continue Reading →by Skip Via, with Jeanine Buettner
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org
The Kuhns homestead consists of farmland and several original buildings erected along a small creek across Farm To Market Road from the Pig Farm state land area. It is managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for the purpose of wildlife protection. The homestead is an important winter wildlife area because old growth Douglas fir provides food as well as tree wells for browsing on Oregon grape for deer and other wildlife. It is also at the perfect elevation–not too high and not in the creek bed, which is where the cold gathers in winter.
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