Birding

We got some great birding in last weekend.  We stopped at the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge near Malta, MT on our way to see a play at the historic Fort Peck Theater.  The birding around Fort Peck was also excellent.  We logged several new-to-us birds.

We saw:
Baltimore Oriole

We saw this pretty fella while eating a sandwich in a city park in Malta.  It was such a delightful surprise for our lunch hour.

Cedar Waxwing

 Franklin's Gull

 American White Pelican

 Black-necked Stilt--a first for Matt!

 American Avocet

 Western Kingbird

 Chestnut-collared Longspur--a first for both of us!

You'd have to click to enlarge the photo to start getting an impression of the cool coloration on this bird.   This rather diminutive bird was possibly our biggest source of excitement on the birding trip.  They're just cool looking--and always seem to be hiding in the grass.

 Eastern Kingbird

This is a cool shot in that its actually of a Western Kingbird (left) sharing a fence line with an Eastern Kingbird (right).  This is in a part of the country where their ranges overlap.

Yellow Warbler

Do you see him?  Yellow Warblers are so tiny!

 Brown Thrasher-a first for both of us!

 Downy Woodpecker

 American Goldfinch

This male American Goldfinch (left) seemed to be feeding his mate (right).  This is a common bird habit which demonstrate the ability to provide for her and a brood of babies.  Its sweet and fun to watch.

We also saw:
Turkey Vulture
American Robin
Mallard
Western Meadowlark
Ring-billed Gull
Tree Swallow
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-tailed Hawk
Common Yellowthroat--a first for us both!
Gray Catbird
Bank Swallow--a first for Matt!
Osprey
Common Raven
American Crow
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Yellow-billed Magpie
Killdeer
Mourning Dove
Northern Flicker
House Wren
Common Merganser
Long-billed Curlew
Wilson's Phalarope
Common Nighthawk
American Coot
White-faced Ibis
Ruddy Duck
Willet

We took my niece and nephew along for a few of our birding walks.  Eli had me help him write out a list of the birds he'd seen--I had to spell them if they were tricky, like Double-crested Cormorant.  Keleigh asked me, "How do you know what they all are?!"  I told her, "practice, practice, practice...."  They were cute looking through their binoculars and we were pleased to share our birdlove with them.