 |
HOME |
|
|
|
Birds of Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
Bird diversity is highest where several habitat types are found together. One of the best birding spots on the Refuge is the Upper Red Rock Lake Campground. This site has large open water, mudflats, aspens, willows, grass, sagebrush uplands, and stands of evergreen trees all nearby. Other popular places to birdwatch include the Lower Structure, Idlewild, Odell Creek to Sparrow Pond, between Shambo Pond and the Upper Lake Campground, along Elk Lake Road, and Pintail Ditch West. Rare Birds Of the 232 bird species recorded here, 53 are considered rare or accidental. This means they are observed very infrequently in restricted habitat or are outside of their normal range here. In the past two years rare birds such as great egret, whooping crane, wood duck, turkey vulture, dunlin, northern mockingbird, northern parula, black-and-white warbler, northern oriole, rose-breasted grosbeak, and grasshopper sparrow have been seen. Another bird considered rare here that does not’t normally get many ooh’s and aah’s elsewhere is the rock dove! Winter Birds Because our winters are harsh, only a small percentage of species found on the Refuge stay through the winter. Our year-round residents include belted kingfisher, American dipper, northern goshawk, golden and bald eagles, blue and ruffed grouse, great gray and great horned owls, hairy and downy woodpeckers, Stellar’s jay, black-billed magpie, Clark’s nutcracker, common raven, black-capped and mountain chickadees, white-breasted and red-breasted nuthatches, pine grosbeak, red crossbill, and pine siskin. Some birds winter here but leave in the spring to breed in the north. Our winter birds include northern shrike, rough-legged hawk, snow bunting, American tree sparrow, common redpoll, and rosy finch. Several waterfowl species stay here in the winter on small ponds fed by warm springs. This includes waterfowl such as the trumpeter swan, Canada goose, mallard, common and Barrow’s goldeneye, American wigeon, bufflehead, and hooded merganser.
Grasslands and Sagebrush The Refuge’s grasslands have low bird diversity, which is typical of most grasslands. Only seven bird species are seen regularly in our grasslands. The most common grassland birds are the long-billed curlew, willet, sandhill crane, western meadowlark, horned lark, Savannah sparrow, and vesper sparrow. In areas of sagebrush, particularly on the northern side of the Refuge, watch for sage grouse, sage thrasher, vesper sparrow, and Brewer’s sparrow. Also using the grasslands are raptors such as short-eared owl, red-tailed hawk, Swainson’s hawk, American kestrel, prairie falcon, and northern harrier. Willows Riparian habitats, along creeks and rivers, and willow bogs tend to be more diverse than the grasslands. In the willows, look for spotted sandpiper, common snipe, willow flycatcher, house wren, yellow warbler, common yellowthroat, Wilson’s warbler, Lincoln's sparrow, and song sparrow. Woodlands The Refuge has several kinds of woodland habitats and a variety of birds associated with them. In the trees, keep an eye and ear out for western wood-pewee, olive-sided flycatcher, chickadees, nuthatches, Townsend’s solitaire, kinglets, warbling vireo, yellow-rumped warbler, western tanager, red crossbill, Cassin’s finch, dark-eyed junco, chipping sparrow, and white-crowned sparrow. Wetlands and Mudflats
Bird Boxes Many people ask about the bird boxes on the fence posts along the road. These are bluebird boxes donated, installed, and maintained by a private landowner in the valley. Birds using these boxes are primarily mountain bluebirds and tree swallows, birds which normally nest in cavities in trees. Our mountain bluebird population, unlike other bluebird species, has been thriving. There is abundant natural nesting habitat for them in the old aspen stands along the base of the Centennial Mountains. The mountain bluebirds do sometimes have to compete with European starlings and tree swallows for nest sites. Our starling population is relatively small but has been increasing the past few years. We do not have western bluebirds nesting on the Refuge. Our elevation is higher than what western bluebirds normally prefer.
United States
There is evidence of a gradual decline of the peregrine in some regions prior to the DDT era, due perhaps to higher mean temperatures and lower precipitation. However, this decline was minor compared to the effects of DDT. DDT (dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane), a chlorinated organic insecticide used in agriculture, caused eggshell thinning which led to poor reproductivity. Peregrines ingested DDT mainly from preying on migrant insectivorous birds. DDE, a metabolite of DDT, was present in amounts sufficient to account for pronounced shell thinning in peregrine eggs as early as 1948. Montana Prior to 1975, 23 peregrine nesting territories were known in Montana. By 1980, there were no known breeding peregrines in Montana. At this time, efforts were initiated to re-establish peregrines in Montana through the release of young birds produced in captivity. For Montana, these efforts started in the Centennial Valley, an ideal location because of its abundant cliffs and nearby bird populations.
When it was realized that the peregrine population was in grave danger, a plan was developed that called for the direct protection of peregrines and their habitat, action to increase natural reproductivity, and continuation of captive breeding and release. These three measures had emergency priority. Advances made by The Peregrine Fund in the technology of artificial insemination and incubation made large-scale captive propagation of peregrines feasible. Natural reproduction was enhanced by artificial incubation of eggs and the return of those young to the wild. Young were raised in captivity until just before they could fly. They then were placed at a hack site or hack tower in the wild. They were fed by hack site attendants while they learned to fly and hunt for themselves, eventually becoming independent. This process is called "hacking out". Red Rock Lakes and the Centennial Valley In the late 1970s, peregrines were only sighted occasionally in the Centennial Valley. From 1981 to 1988, captive-reared birds were hacked out by The Peregrine Fund at up to three sites. In 1984, the first wild pair to return to Montana nested on a cliff in the Centennial Valley. These were birds released into the wild by The Peregrine Fund several years earlier. This pair has produced young every year since. In 1986, a second pair returned to a hack tower in the valley. One of these was hacked out in Colorado. In 1987, a third pair returned to another hack tower, and in 1988, a fourth pair returned to the valley. By 1989, all hack sites were being used by wild pairs, in addition to one natural site. Efforts to hack-out captive-reared birds were discontinued. Peregrine falcons are sited regularly, and there are now four confirmed breeding pairs in the Centennial Valley. Life History
In the Centennial Valley, pairs are usually present on the nesting site by late March. A clutch of three or four eggs are laid in late April. Incubation lasts 33 days. The young remain in the area several weeks after fledging in mid-July. During this time they are fed and defended by both adults. Peregrines may travel up to 17 miles from nesting cliffs to hunting areas. Flight speed in excess of 60 miles an hour allow this falcon to hunt large areas with little effort. Preferred hunting habitats such as cropland, meadows, river bottoms, marshes, and lakes attract abundant bird life. Peregrines appear to capture a wide variety of birds, including blackbirds, jays, doves, shorebirds, and smaller songbirds. Most prey species are struck from above at great speed, but they often evade the falcon’s attack by aerobatics or diving to cover. Annual juvenile mortality is estimated at approximately 55 to 70 percent and adult mortality at 20 to 30 percent. The mean life expectancy for those young that fledge is probably near four years. The recorded maximum life span is in excess of 13 years, though it is not unreasonable to assume that a few individuals may live to 20 years since several peregrines reached that age in captivity. Human-caused mortalities that have been documented include shooting, poisoning, pole-trapping, destruction of nestlings, egg collecting, and interference at the nest causing abandonment or fatal interruption of parental care. A variety of predators have been known to prey on peregrines or their eggs, including great horned owls, prairie falcons, raccoons, coyotes, foxes, golden eagles, ravens, crows, striped skunks, bobcats, and possibly ospreys. Accidents account for some peregrine mortalities. These include collisions with powerlines, fences, automobiles, and airplanes, falling and being blown from nests, rock slides, aerie sloughing, electrocution, and drowning. At least ten diseases and parasites are known from wild peregrines. Peregrine deaths from botulism, herpes virus, pericarditis, leucocytozoonsis, and pneumonia have been reported. Peregrines do not normally breed until at least two years old. They must fledge approximately 1.25 young per pair in order to sustain the population. Due to long average life expectancy and the peregrine’s population dynamics, successful management operations do not provide quick population recovery. Epilogue On August 25, 1999, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially removed the American peregrine falcon from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, recognizing the subspecies' recovery following restrictions on organochlorine pesticides in the United States and Canada, and following the implementation of successful management activities. Although delisting the peregrine removes it from the ESA's protection, it still will be protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and state laws and regulations; and its status will be monitored for a minimum of five years. If during this period it is determined that the peregrine again needs the Endangered Species Act's protection, the Fish and Wildlife Service would relist the species. In response to the successful recovery of the peregrine falcon, the Peregrine Fund's last release of captive-bred peregrine falcons was in 1997. For information on recent peregrine falcon production in the Centennial Valley and Montana, visit the Threatened and Endangered Species section of the Refuge Management webpage. Acknowledgments Our sincere thanks and congratulation to all the staff, volunteers, and supporters of The Peregrine Fund who have helped make the peregrine’s return to the Centennial Valley a success. (Excerpts from The Peregrine Fund’s annual Operations Report, and Peregrine falcon productivity in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, 1988, by Ed Levine.)
on Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
There are six subspecies of sandhill cranes. Greater sandhill cranes, which nest on the Refuge, can be distinguished from the other subspecies only by geographic distribution. There is considerable overlap in coloration and size between the subspecies. Natural History Sandhill cranes pair for life. Courtship occurs in April and May. The cranes are famous for their elaborate courtship dances which consist of bows, jumps, and pirouettes. There can be from two to a hundred dancers involved in this ritual. Although the dance is considered mainly a courtship ritual, it is sometimes seen at other times of the year. Sandhills have a loud trumpeting call which can be heard for over a mile. Sandhill cranes are omnivorous. They eat small rodents, grain, frogs, snakes, insects, worms, and birds. Young cranes eat mostly insects. Nesting Sandhill cranes typically nest near water. The nest is usually a mound of dead reeds, grasses, or sedges. Nests can be found along streams, on islands, in marshes, and along the shorelines of ponds and lakes. The clutch usually consists of two eggs. They hatch after about 30 days of incubation. The young cranes, called colts, are active about 24 hours after hatching. Juveniles can be distinguished from adults because they lack the bald red crown. Instead their heads and necks are covered with brownish feathers. Sandhill cranes are very sensitive to disturbance when nesting and may abandon their eggs if they are approached too closely. Migration Normally, sandhill cranes begin returning from their wintering areas in southwest U.S. and northern Mexico in early April. They remain on the breeding grounds throughout the summer. Fall migration begins in late August. By the end of September, most all of the cranes have departed for southern climes. Cranes which breed in the Red Rock Lakes area often winter at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico. For more information on sandhill cranes and other Refuge animals contact the staff at Refuge headquarters.
Montana Rare Bird Alert For sightings of rare or accidental species, please provide detailed information to:
In order for your sighting to be included in the Montana Bird Distribution information, the Montana Bird Distribution Committee requires that a Montana Rare Bird Report Form be filled out. The form can be obtained from the Montana Natural Heritage Program listed above. To view an online, searchable version of Montana Bird Distribution information, visit the Montana Natural Heritage Program website listed in Websites of Interest to Birders below and navigate to Animals, Searches, Bird Latilong Search. For the citation for P.D. Skaar's Montana Bird Distribution, see Recommended Reading below. To hear a tape-recorded message of recent bird sighting around the state, call:
Websites of Interest to Birders
|
||||||||||||||||||
Popular Birding
Spots
The American peregrine
falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum) was present in the United States at least 30,000
years ago. It bred in nearly every state in the Union. Threats to the peregrine were
vastly increased after human population expansion in the last century. This adaptable
species thrived for many decades despite extensive persecution by man. But in the early
1950s, the breeding population began an unprecedented and precipitous decline. In
1970, the peregrine falcon was listed as an endangered species. By the mid-1970s, only 20
percent of the breeding pairs remained.
Management
Peregrines formerly nested on
cliffs, usually in mountainous areas or near rivers or lakes. In the Rocky Mountains, they
now persist mainly on mountain cliffs and river gorges. Remaining aeries exist on dominant
cliffs which generally exceed 200 feet in height. Nests are situated on open ledges or
potholes. A preference for a southern exposure increases with latitude. Peregrines nested
from the lowest elevations to above 9,000 feet. However, nesting above 8,500 feet is rare.
In the Rockies, the majority of known remaining pairs are near ponderosa pine forest or
pinyon-juniper woodland. Nest sites are often adjacent to water courses and impoundments
because of the abundance of avian prey which frequent such areas.
Sandhill cranes can be seen on the Refuge from April to
September. These stately birds stand at a height of three feet, have a bald red crown, and
range in color from light grey to a rusty brown. The rusty coloration is acquired from
iron in the soil which gets on their bills and stains their feathers when they preen.
Cranes can generally be observed throughout the Refuge along creeks, near wetlands, and in
open grassy areas. Around 400 sandhill cranes regularly summer in the Centennial Valley.
Hunting of sandhills is not allowed on the Refuge, although there is a special permit hunt
in Beaverhead County.
home