Tag: migration

Thrushes I’ve Seen in the West Valley

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Pat Jaquith
pjaquith@westvalleynaturalists.org

Click on images to enlarge them

2.05.2024

The American Robin may be the most familiar of the Thrush (Turdidae) family of birds. We used to think of their arrival as a sign that winter was over, but more recently, they have become a common sighting year ’round. In addition to pulling earthworms out of thawed earth and capturing a great variety of other insects, Robins feed on Juniper cones as well as frozen fruit and berries when the ground is frozen. Read on for more stories and pictures about members of the Thrush family that I’ve seen in the West Valley.

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Bird Flu in West Valley

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by Dick Walker
dickwalker2009@hotmail.com
walker photography.smugmug.com

I count cranes, specifically on six sections of grain and hay fields and ponds in the west valley.  I go every day, late morning, 365 days a year unless I’m gone. Some people go to the gym, some for coffee with friends, some go to work. (More images of Dick’s photography are viewable on this companion article on our web site.)

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Painted Ladies

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by Skip Via
skip@westvalleynaturalists.org

Butterflies are often difficult to photograph, so I was pleased to finally get a good opportunity to photograph a Painted Lady butterfly. Looking back over my collection of butterfly photos, I realized that this was the first I had ever photographed, and likely one of the first I have ever positively identified, perhaps due to their general resemblance to several other local species such as crescents, tortoiseshells, and checkerspots when they are not standing still, which is most of the time.

Painted Lady Butterfly

That prompted a little research into the species, which yielded some interesting information.

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Nomadic Winter Birds

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by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org

Bohemian Waxwings in freezing fog 1.17.2018

Many birds migrate from a winter home to take advantage of an abundance of insects, longer periods of daylight for scavenging, and increased success in raising a brood in the north. As winter arrives and insects become scarce their survival depends on their returning to a warm climate where insects are available.
Birds that depend on non-insect food sources and move from place to place in response to the availability of food sources, independent of season, are referred to as nomads. They often travel in flocks of the same species, searching out food, and moving on.

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Fall Bird Migration

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by Laura Katzman, Land Protection Specialist, Flathead Land Trust
lkatzman@flatheadlandtrust.org

Fall bird migration is in full swing in the West Valley. Last week 800 snow geese, 1,000 Canada geese, 150 sandhill cranes and hundreds of ducks were seen at the West Valley Wildlife Viewing area. With the cold weather over the weekend the West Valley Wetland ponds have become mostly ice-covered, but yesterday hundreds of snow geese and a couple hundred sandhill cranes were seen feeding in the nearby fields so birds still can be seen in the area.

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Wings over the Valley

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by Pat Jaquith
pat@westvalleynaturalists.org

Geese, Cranes, Ducks and Gulls flock to the West Valley Wildlife Viewing Area 10.20.20

Throughout the fall, as birds start moving from nesting sites toward warmer climates and more plentiful food sources, they teach us how they value our valley as many species gather in the harvested fields and in and around the several potholes for rest, food, and perhaps reunions before moving on.

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