Birdwatchers raise money for MCV!

We had a talent auction at this year's MCV Gallatin-Park Chapter Annual Meeting, where some or our multi-talentened members could pitch in and donate a skill to help raise money for MCV's work in the ever-important November election.

David Mann, a Gallatin-Park Chapter leader and also the owner of Bozeman's Wild Birds Unlimited, offered to organize an outing for some summer birdwatching fun. 

So this merry band of birders met at the Greycliffs campground along the Madison River on July 6th. 

David had picked this spot noting that "cottonwoods are hands down the most important tree in Montana for bird habitat. That along with the adjoining Madison river and it becomes if not an important birding area, at least an exciting one. The babies have pretty much fledged, so we'll see a lot of immatures trying to learn the how-to's of survival. It's also a great area to see night hawks and poor-wills, but being evening feeders, they will not likely be flying."
 
How to get there;
The Greycliffs campgrounds are along the Madison River. From Bozeman, you drive straight out Main Street past 4 corners about 20 miles to the Madison R. From there you pull onto the dirt road that provides access to the Madison and follow the dirt road downstream about 6 miles to the Greycliff fishing access site. Keep a sharp lookout! There is an active Osprey nest about a quarter mile down the road where the chicks are about ready to fledge. It's worth stopping for several minutes to watch the parents catching fish and bringing them to the nest. Along the road keep a lookout for Western Meadowlarks, Eastern and Western Kingbirds, Bluebirds, Sandhill Cranes, and all sorts of swallows.

MCV Member Linda Clark had rave reviews for the trip - stating "thanks from me too - to everyone, for a fine day! Very special thanks, of course, to our Leader David, who taught us all, among other things, that knots on dead cottonwood limbs may have eyes and can surprise us by taking flight. Apologies to all those nighthawks who sacrificed a good day's sleep on our behalf."

She also kept a pretty extensive list of what the group saw that day.  Here it is:

• osprey parents feeding babies
• bald eagle parents feeding babies
• tree swallows feeding babies
• cormorant
• eastern kingbirds
• western kingbirds
• pelicans
• kingfisher
• yellow warblers
• redwing blackbirds
• cedar waxwing
• canvasbacks
• least flycatchers
• wrens
• western meadowlarks
• horned lark
• warbling vireo
• blackheaded grosbeak
• red-shafted flicker
• nighthawks
• poorwill
• redtail hawks
• mourning doves
• robins
• sandhill cranes
• goldfinch
• mergansers
• some NLBs* and UHs**

*nice little birds
**unidentified hawks