114th CBC Montana Regional Summary

By Daniel Casey

Montana birders found 139 species during the 114th CBC season, but no new species were added to the cumulative CBC species list for the state, which remains at 210 species.  The most remarkable find was a Curve-billed Thrasher at Eureka, most likely the same bird found on a CBC there seven years earlier! There were 22 individual count firsts around the state during a CBC season in which a third of the counts had high temperatures above 40F, and only three reported precipitation on count day.  New count firsts included Rusty Blackbird and Common Grackle at Bigfork, a Chipping Sparrow well-documented by a photo at Bozeman, a Tundra Swan at Lewistown, a Redhead at Troy, and a Long-eared Owl at Fort Peck. Missoula (85 species), Stevensville (84), and Hamilton (80) were the only counts reporting 80 species or more.  But 206 new high counts for individual species were recorded for circles all across the state, including 12 Trumpeter Swans at Glacier N.P., 89 Red-tailed Hawks at Hamilton, 56 Rough-legged Hawks at Helena, 165 Cedar Waxwings at Clark Canyon Dam, and 2106 Bohemian Waxwings at Yellowstone N.P. 

Though overall waterfowl numbers seemed a bit low compared to recent years, Canada Geese (39,147) and Mallards (52,989) still comprised 40% of all birds reported.  While Cackling Goose reports have increased across the state during migration as observers improve their identification skills, they remain rare in winter. This year the only two were reported from Missoula, where they were new to the count.  Trumpeter Swans (247 on nine counts) once again outnumbered Tundra Swans (97 on five counts). Missoula observers erred on the side of caution and reported a single Blue-winged/Cinnamon Teal for the second consecutive year.  A White-winged Scoter at Glacier N.P. was new to that count, and was the only one reported. California Quail was added to the official state list by the Montana Bird Records Committee in 2013. That decision was based in part on historic CBC data that indicated it has now been established for more than 10 years in the Bitterroot Valley.  This year numbers at both Hamilton (218) and Stevensville (680) were down from the record highs of 2012 (count 113). 

Eureka had this year’s only Common Loon and Red-necked Grebe, in addition to 27 of the 29 Western Grebes recorded statewide.  Two Eared Grebes at Libby were new to that count. While most previous CBC records of American White Pelicans have been known or suspected to be injured birds, there does seem to be a trend toward more lingering individuals. This year three were at Great Falls and two at Helena. A Turkey Vulture on the Grant-Kohrs count was well-described, and represents just the eighth CBC record statewide.  Bald Eagles were reported on every count, with a total of 832 statewide; Kalispell reported the most, with 70, but new high counts were also recorded at Bigfork (69) and Three Forks (53).  Thirteen Golden Eagles, 11 Sharp-shinned Hawks and four Cooper’s Hawks at Bozeman were new highs for the state’s longest-running count. Nine Sharp-shinned Hawks at Kalispell, three Cooper’s Hawks at Ninepipe N.W.R., and five of the latter at Stevensville were also new count highs.  Harlan’s Hawks comprised 7% of the 625 Red-tailed Hawks reported statewide, and 15 of the 187 reported on the Ninepipe count. Single Ferruginous Hawks, always uncommon in winter here, were found on the Ennis, Great Falls, and Warm Springs counts.  Use of playback and familiarity with hotspots has made Virginia Rails more expected on certain counts. This year 11 were recorded, with new highs at Billings (3), Ninepipe (3), and Bozeman (2), where they were new to the count.  Gulls were found only at Fort Peck and three counts in the Flathead Valley, where they are most expected.  Single Glaucous Gulls were at Kalispell and at Fort Peck, which also hosted two Thayer’s Gulls and a count week Iceland Gull.

Eurasian Collared-Doves outnumbered Mourning Doves at nearly a 4:1 ratio, with new record totals on ten of the 24 counts where they were reported. Hamilton had the most, with 634.  Rock Pigeons still outnumbered the other two dove species combined at more than a 2:1 margin, with 12,907 statewide.  A single feral Ringed Turtle-Dove was reported at Kalispell. Individual Snowy Owls were reported at Fort Peck, Kalispell (in town!), and Troy (where the species was new to the count).  The only Barred Owl was reported from Ninepipe, where both Short-eared and Long-eared owls were surprisingly absent; both of these species were seen at Miles City, where they were new to the count. Seven counts reported American Three-toed Woodpeckers, with a high of three counted at Glacier N.P.  Better describing the distribution of Northern Flicker forms remains an untapped challenge, and this year 48% of the nearly 1600 flickers counted were classified, with 97% of those reported as Red-shafted.  This editor suspects that a large percentage of these were merely assumed to be that form, as only two intergrades were reported (from the Bowdoin N.W.R. count).  Bowdoin also hosted five Yellow-shafted Flickers, with just two other singles reported, from Great Falls and McNeil Slough.  Large falcons made a good showing, with two Gyrfalcons (Fort Peck, Grant-Kohrs), three Peregrines (Miles City, Missoula, Ninepipe), and 29 Prairie Falcons reported.  Six of the latter at Three Forks established a new high count there; five were at Bozeman.

Northern Shrikes were well distributed, with 62 on 22 counts; Stevensville led the way with seven counted.  Three Canyon Wrens at Billings and 11 Marsh Wrens at Stevensville were new high counts for those circles.  Townsend’s Solitaires were found on 23 counts, with notable totals at Yellowstone N.P. (94) and Bozeman (82).  The remarkable Curve-billed Thrasher at Eureka was almost certainly the same bird first seen on the December, 2006 count, although this time the bird was found at a site several miles from that initial location. The owner of the new location said the bird had been present sporadically for the previous year or more. The bird, apparently from the eastern subspecies (curvirostre), was well-documented with photographs, and was present until at least February 19th, 2014.  Hamilton reported the only (cw) Varied Thrush this count period.  An American Pipit photographed on the Ninepipe count was just the fourth CBC record for the state.  Bohemian Waxwing was the third most common species on Montana counts, with 25,960 individuals reported.  The 7017 at Bigfork were a new count high, and Kalispell had more than 8000. Continuing a trend, Cedar Waxwings made up 6% of all waxwings reported to species statewide, with the largest numbers at Hamilton and Kalispell. 

Single Spotted Towhees, always rare during winter here, were reported from Libby and Missoula. Out-of-season sparrows included the Chipping Sparrow photo-documented at Bozeman, and a Lincoln’s Sparrow at Ninepipe that was well-described.  Observers identified 47% of all juncos (N=955) to form, an improvement over most recent years.  “Oregon” Juncos were the most common (70%), followed by “Slate-colored” (29%) and “Pink-sided” (1%).  For just the second time in the past 17 years, no Yellow-rumped Warblers were reported.  Both Rusty Blackbird and Common Grackle were new to the Bigfork count, from the portion of the circle (Creston) where feedlot flocks of Red-winged and Brewer’s Blackbirds have typically occurred. Only Bozeman reported all four of these blackbird species this year.  There was a true paucity of “winter” finch reports this CBC season.  Pine Grosbeaks (19 on four counts), Red Crossbills (66 on seven counts), Common Redpolls (106 on eight counts), and Evening Grosbeaks (127 on five counts) were all present in well below average numbers.  The only Purple Finches were reported from Missoula, and the report did not adequately eliminate Cassin’s Finches.  The only White-winged Crossbill was a single bird at Libby.

Count 114 was my 20th and final year of serving as the regional editor for Montana counts.  I have truly enjoyed working with the compilers and with individual participants, and have learned a lot through the process of reviewing and summarizing these data.  But having accepted some new challenges in my career, it was time to pass this task on to another.  Rose Leach of Missoula will be taking over, and I am confident that her enthusiasm will be welcomed by Montana compilers.  Thank you to all the compilers who keep the Montana counts going, and to all who put in the effort to ensure that we continue to document the distribution and abundance of early winter bird populations in Montana.  I’ll see you in the field on counts 115 and beyond.