Finally- it appears that the Helena Valley is welcoming some migrants. Three quick dog walks before 9am this morning netted a healthy 30 species. New for the year are Willets, White-faced Ibis, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. The Warblers were massing at the Ponds- along with Ruddy ducks, Northern Shovelers, Hooded Mergansers, American Coots, Mallards, a tiding of Magpies, and a Cooper’s Hawk. The Ibis were along the shoreline of the Frontage Road Pond and the Willets were flying around the margins of Lake Helena WMA. Thirty species before 9 am makes me think I can get 20 or so more before the end of the day. We’ll see what happens.
Update at 8:10pm
We chose to spend the rest of the day wearing the dog out and trying to find as many species as possible. And so it is that we ended the day with a fairly decent 64 species of birds without leaving the Helena Valley. We also saw a very nice Antelope Buck, Prairie Dogs, a fairly recent deer kill (really, just a few parts- probably courtesy of the Mtn Lion that has been seen a few blocks from home) and several species of wildflowers.
Shooting Stars
All less than 10-12 miles from home. Not a bad Sunday.
The List for today is:
| Black Billed Magpie |
| Common Raven |
| American Robin |
| Red-winged Blackbird |
| American Coot |
| Northern Flicker |
| Red-tailed Hawk |
| Cinnamon teal |
| Ring-billed Gull |
| Mallard |
| Sandhill Crane |
| Hooded Merganser |
| Canada Goose |
| European Starling |
| Eurasian Collared Dove |
| Mourning Dove |
| Northern Shoveller |
| Rock Pigeon |
| American Crow |
| Black Capped Chickadee |
| White-faced Ibis* |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler* |
| Willet* |
| Ruddy Duck |
| Cooper’s Hawk |
| Swainson’s Hawk |
| Osprey |
| Mountain Chickadee |
| Eared Grebe |
| Turkey Vulture |
| American Kestrel |
| American White Pelican |
| Great Blue Heron |
| Horned Grebe |
| Red-necked Grebe |
| Common Loon |
| Double-crested Cormorant |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch |
| Townsend’s Solitaire |
| Stellar’s Jay* |
| House Finch |
| Trumpeter Swan |
| American Wigeon |
| Wilson’s Snipe |
| Lesser Scaup |
| Barn Swallow* |
| Tree Swallow |
| Gadwall |
| Redhead |
| Western Grebe* |
| Common Grackle |
| House Sparrow |
| Brewer’s Blackbird |
| Northern Pintail |
| American Pipit* |
| Shortbilled Dowitcher* |
| American Avocet* |
| Northern Water Thrush* |
| Solitairy Sandpiper* |
| Western Meadowlark |
| White-crowned Sparrow |
| Wood Duck |
| Downy Woodpecker |
| Pine Siskin |
Nature, every day. 
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