Audubon's annual Bird Festival
Wings Across the Big sky
June 8 - 10, 2012. Kalispell, MONTANA
Co-hosted with Flathead Audubon Society.
Co-sponsored by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks,
Flathead National Forest, and the US Bureau of Reclamation.
Thanks to all our many sponsors.
Join us for a fun and educational festival! We are planning pre-festival conservation and education workshops for Friday, diverse field trips Saturday and Sunday in the Flathead Valley and beyond, and great speakers and presentations. The festival will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center in Kalispell.
Questions? Contact Larissa Berry; 406-443-3949
festival information
Registration is now OPEN - click on the button:
View or download our festival BROCHURE HERE
- Pre-festival Workshops
- Field Trips
- Keynote Speaker
- Saturday Afternoon Presentations
- Raffle items -- opens pdf
- Duet ~ Nesting Cranes. Special Raffle
- Venue and Accommodations
- 2012 Sponsors
- Greening the Festival
- T-shirts
- Awards
- Past Festivals (2011 - 2009)
pre-festival workshops ~ Friday June 8
Two Conservation and one Education Workshop:
CONSERVATION, Friday, June 8th. 8 AM - 2:00 PM
Join us for one of two workshops and learn about regional conservation issues from a local perspective. These field tours are designed to have plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion. Cost for each is $30, which includes transportation and a sack lunch. Limited to 20 participants per workshop. Tours begin from Hilton Garden Inn.
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Northwestern Montana Birds and Wildlife in a Warming World. We will explore local watersheds, forests, and the poster child for global warming, Glacier National Park. Participants will get up close and personal with the flora and fauna of the area, discuss the impacts of our changing climate on individual species and ecological processes, and delve into how we can lessen the impact by building resilient habitats best able to adapt to a changing climate. We'll share stories about and look for birds affected by warming in this region – species like Clark's Nutcracker, Black Swifts, White-tailed Ptarmigan and Harlequin Duck. If we don't find them, we'll at least talk about why we didn't! USGS and Glacier National Park's Dan Fagre is our primary tour guide, and you can learn more about this climate research here. Amy Cilimburg from Audubon will provide additional bird perspectives.
River-to-Lakes Initiative. This workshop will spend the day exploring key areas along the Flathead River and Flathead Lake. Since 2000, the River to Lake Initiative has been providing conservation and restoration expertise to private landowners along the Flathead River and at the North Shore of Flathead Lake. River-to-Lake partners work directly with landowners to craft conservation projects that meet their needs. We'll meet many of these partners, learn about how they get collaborative conservation done, and visit two Important Bird Areas (Owen Sowerwine Natural Area and North Shore Flathead Lake). Of course we'll keep our eyes open for the many riparian and wetland birds that call these northwestern Montana habitats home.
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EDUCATION. FRIDAY JUNE 8, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Hilton Garden Inn
Develop a Bird Education Program in your Community. This six-hour training is for any Audubon Chapter member looking to begin or improve their bird education programs within their community. Each participant will receive training and curricula-oriented materials from Flying Wild, a Council for Environmental Education program which introduces students to bird conservation through standards-based classroom activities and environmental stewardship projects. In addition, instructors will share their expertise and experiences in developing new environmental education programs for all ages. (For more information see Project Flying Wild) This workshop will be presented by the Montana Audubon Conservation Education Center: Darcie Vallant, Center Director, and Heather Ristow, Education Director. For questions on this training please contact Darcie at 406-294-5099, ext. 302. Limited to 30 participants. Cost: $35/per individual
field trips
Saturday & Sunday, June 9th & 10th 
We have 26 Field Trips planned!—13 each on Saturday and Sunday—guided by knowledgeable birders and naturalists familiar with the species and their habitats in the Flathead Valley, Glacier National Park and the surrounding area.
All the field trips are detailed in our brochure. Here is just a brief sampling of some of those trips:
Glacier National Park is the jewel of the Crown of the Continent, where birding is unique. We’ll focus on neotropicals and the spectacular Harlequin Duck, exploring various habitats on the west side of GNP, from lush riparian areas to dense forest, from meadows to rushing streams. We’ll walk along McDonald Creek looking and listening for warblers, vireos, flycatchers and ducks.
Biking and Birding on the Rails to Trails to Somers. Dan Casey, of the American Bird Conservancy, will lead a level 15-mile round trip on the new Rails to Trails system from the conference hotel. You’ll encounter riparian shrublands, wetlands, grasslands, and forest, with target species including Clay-Colored Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Nashville Warbler, Willow Flycatcher, Calliope Hummingbird and more. A pastry shop stop in Somers will refuel the return trip to Kalispell.
A Walk through the Owen Sowerwine Natural Area. This trip will be a pleasant morning wander through this 442-acre riparian forest habitat on the Flathead River an an Important Bird Area managed by Flathead Audubon. Here over 80 species of birds can be seen, including Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos, Bullock’s Oriole, Vaux’s Swift, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Calliope Hummingbird. Along the river we may see Wood Duck, Common Goldeneye, Spotted Sandpiper, Bank Swallow and Great Blue Heron.
Bison, Birds and Blooms of the National Bison Range. This tour of grasslands, uplands, and streamside thickets of the Bison Range will reveal abundant wildflowers and a remarkable diversity of birds, from Bullock’s Orioles to Golden Eagles, from Rock Wrens to Western Wood-Pewees, and from Lazuli Buntings to Lewis’s Woodpeckers. We will walk along the trails in the picnic area and along the Jocko River. The panoramic view from the top of the Bison Range encompasses the Mission Valley to the north, the magnificent Mission Mountains to the east, and a long view of the Flathead River to the south.
Birding by Ear on the Way to Tally Lake. Explore a wide variety of habitats on the way to Tally Lake, Montana’s deepest lake. At the campground one can see every warbler species found in northwestern Montana. Neotropical migrants such as American Redstarts, Wilson’s Warblers, Northern Waterthrush, and Fox Sparrows inhabit the streamside thickets. Townsend’s Warblers and Western Tanagers sing in thick conifer stands nearby, and Common Loons and Bald Eagles breed along the shore. This trip will focus on both bird identification in the field and birding by ear.
Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge. Formally a working ranch, and now being returned to its original habitat, it is one of the best places to see grassland and riparian birds up close. The road through the Refuge wanders along wet meadows where Wilson’s Snipe, Brewer’s Blackbirds, and Vesper Sparrows sit on fence posts next to the road. The abundant songs and calls of various warblers and flycatchers can be heard from the thickets along the road. Dahl Lake, a large shallow lake on the Refuge, has breeding populations of Black Terns, Ruddy Ducks, Grebes—Red-necked, Pied-billed, Horned, and Eared—and Sandhill Cranes. Overhead we are likely to see Golden and Bald Eagles soaring on the wind as both species breed here.
keynote speaker ~ peter sherrington
We are thrilled to have Peter Sherrington as our keynote speaker this year!
Peter is a geologist/paleontologist who in 1992 gave up a career in the oil industry to study Golden Eagle migration in Alberta's Rocky Mountains. He is the founder and Research Director of the Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation and currently lives in the hamlet of Beaver Mines, Alberta.
Peter will provide the lunchtime keynote: Twenty Years of Golden Eagle Migration Studies in the Alberta Rockies: the Big Picture Begins to Emerge.
Saturday afternoon presentationS
We have a diverse lineup of speakers and topics for Saturday afternoon. We're excited to bring Cornell's Brian Sullivan to the festival for his talk eBird--Where Birding Meets Science.
Brian will kick off the sessions with a presentation to all festival-goers: eBird is an internet-based checklist program built for birders by birders. eBird allows birders to post sightings, keep track of their bird lists, manage their personal records, and explore the millions of bird observations being reported by other birders each month. eBird's goal is to harness the collective power of the birding community, organize the information it collects, and then provide these data to inform science and conservation efforts. This presentation will teach you what eBird is and why it's important that you contribute, show you what it can do for you as a birder, and teach you how to get started. Join eBird Project Leader Brian Sullivan for a look at this remarkable tool, and get empowered to make your observations count!
We then feature 2 additional sessions with three concurrent talks each. Look for:
- Janene Lichtenberg - Nesting Waterbirds and Swans on the Flathead Indian Reservation
- Lisa Bates - Bats: The Night Fliers in Glacier National Park
- Bob Martinka - Birds of Gambia, a Montana Audubon Tour
- Dan Casey, Steve Hoffman and others - Tracking Raptor Migration across Montana
- Bruce Tannehill - Recording Bird and Nature Sounds
- Heather Ristow - Conservation Education and Students Attitudes towards the Environment
back up
Duet ~ 2012 special raffle
Artist Kevin Box's cast stainless steel cranes situated on character stone hand selected from the Santa Fe landscape, offers a unique portrayal of the ancient art of origami. Duet is a one-of-a-kind sculpture featured in Box's series Nesting Cranes. The sculpture features two cranes, wing tips touching in harmony as one sits on the lichen-speckled stone and the other appears to be taking off for flight. The pair of nesting cranes is symbolic of peace and the lifelong commitment that cranes maintain with their mates. The unique dimensions of this piece are eye catching, with several smoothed edges of the rock in contrast with the sharp folds of the paper cranes.
Kevin Box became a fulltime artist in 2003 and has been creating masterpieces ever since. He has won several awards including the Merit Award: Sculpture at the River Market, Arizona and Best in Sculpture: Austin Fine Art Festival, Texas. Box's work is also featured in several galleries across the western U.S.
Just choose Duet sculpture raffle tickets in the Gift Designation field on our secure donation page, and we will fill out tickets on your behalf and enter them in the raffle drawing. The drawing will be held at the festival banquet celebration Saturday, June 9. You need not be present to win. You also can purchase Duet raffle tickets through our online festival registration system (see above). |
This piece is the perfect fit for a desk, coffee table, or dining table; and sits at approximately 9.5"x5"x10.5". This one-of-a-kind original and unrivaled sculpture is truly something that will last a lifetime. Duet is valued at $900.
Box describes his philosophy as, "To inspire and be inspired, not necessarily in that order."
This is a work of art that perfectly depicts that philosophy. Whether this will be a piece of art to add to your collection, or yourfirst sculpture acquisition, you will want a chance to win this Kevin Box exclusive.
Open your pocketbooks generously to win this superb work of art, all the while supporting birds and habitat across Montana!
Venue and accommodations
The festival will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center, 1840 US Hwy 93 S in Kalispell. The Hilton is centrally located in the heart of the Flathead Valley and provides easy access to all our birding activities, field trips, and workshops, and is within a short drive of abundant recreational destinations such as Flathead Lake and Glacier National Park.
Currently we have 50 rooms blocked out for festival-goers Friday and Saturday nights. (25 King beds and 25 Queen/Queen beds at $99 per night plus applicable taxes.) This rate will be extended to us for three days prior and post event. Be sure to tell them you're with the Bird Festival group to get the special rate. We suggest you make your reservations soon: call directly at 1-406-756-4500 or or go to www.kalispell.hgi.com.
Here's a map to Hilton Garden Inn
Other accommodations within walking distance of the Hilton, options include:
• Aero Inn, 1830 US Highway 93 South | Kalispell, MT | 59901. 1-406-755-3798
• Motel 6, 1540 US Hwy. 93 South | Kalispell, MT | 59901. 1-406-752-6355
• Super 8 Motel, 1341 1st Avenue East | Kalispell, MT | 59901. 1-406-755-1888
• The Outlaw Hotel, 1701 Hwy. 93 S | Kalispell, MT | 59901. 1-406-755-6100
More can be found at www.kalispell.stayingj.com, toll free 1-877-STAY-HGI
More information on Kalispell and the surrounding area:
- Glacier National Park
- Flathead National Forest
- Flathead Valley Camping
- Flathead Valley Outdoor Recreation
- Amtrack
- Air flights
- Kalispell Chamber
2012 Festival sponsors
Our 2012 Festival will be a success thanks to the generous support of this year's sponsors:
greening our festival
We're dedicated to lessening our impact on the planet and the annual bird festival is no exception. We continue our efforts to become a carbon neutral organization, and in doing so, we plan to both reduce and "offset" the impacts from this year's festival.
Transportation and waste produced at the hotel/festival headquarters are the biggies. One of the best ways to reduce our carbon footprint is by carpooling. The transportation committee is working diligently to have field trips and the pre-festival workshops covered by group transportation (vans, buses, or SUVs). This committee will facilitate carpooling once festival participants have registered. We'd be very appreciative of anyone who wishes to volunteer a vehicle or who knows a person or organization with an available van or bus. Please email Kathy Ross. If we could halve the number of cars coming to the festival, we would cut ~ 20 tons of carbon dioxide from the festival's footprint!
Other ideas we have: everyone brings a reusable water bottle, we drink shade-grown coffee, and we use compostable plates and cups when washable flatware are not available.
In order to "offset" the waste we cannot reduce outright, we support carbon sequestration programs. What better place to embark on afforestation than at the Audubon Conservation Education Center in Billings. For a $15 donation we will plant two trees that will sequester more and more carbon dioxide as they mature. The more trees we plant, the more carbon we can offset. Look for that option when you register.
Festival T-Shirts 2012
T-shirts will be available at the festival so plan to get your's while you are there.
Thanks to Bigfork's own Brett Thuma for his amazing original artwork for this festival!
We will not pre-order shirts this year. Come to Kalispell....
annual awards
Each year at our annual Festival we present four awards: Conservationist of the Year, Educator of the year, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Special Achievement Award. We rely on our friends and members to assist in choosing these awards. It's not too early to consider our 2012 award winners. Past recipients and details here.
2011 Festival in Glasgow
What a blast - over 200 people form all over the state (and beyond) joined us in Glasgow. Highlights included:
- Highly educational pre-festival workshops about grassland and sagebrush conservation.
- Great variety of field trips
- Inspiring Keynote address by Gary Ferguson
At our 2011 festival we presented four Annual Awards:
- Ron Farmer ~ Lifetime Achievement Award
- Steve Hoffman~ Conservationist of the Year
- Carla Wambach ~ Educator of the Year
- Catherine Wightman ~ Special Achievement Award
Photos and accolades for each award winner are here.
Field trips included Fort Peck, North Valley County, South Valley County, Missouri River Float/Canoe Trip, Bird Banding, Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge, and Manning Lake Tribal Wildlife Refuge.
Photos from a handful of the trips can be viewed HERE
A bird list for the entire festival has been compiled - View in excel or pdf. Thanks Woody!
2010 festival in Missoula
Montana Audubon and the Five Valleys and Bitterroot Audubon Chapters, together with birders from across the state, came together for our 2010 annual festival.
Thank you for coming and thanks to all our volunteers! Thanks also to our major sponsors: Bureau of Land Management; Friends of Lee Metcalf; GlaxoSmithKline; Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Montana Natural History Center; & U.S. Forest Service
AWARDS: At our 2010 festival we presented four awards:
- Jim Brown ~ Lifetime Achievement Award
- Dr. Steve Running~ Conservationist of the Year
- Sue Reel & Dick Hutto ~ Educators of the Year
- The Bitterroot Audubon IBA Committee ~ Special Achievement Award
2009 festival in great falls
Montana Audubon and the Upper Missouri Breaks Audubon Chapter, together with birders from across the state, came together for our 2009 annual festival in Great Falls. AWARDS: At our annual 2009 festival we presented four awards:
- George Engler ~ Lifetime Achievement Award
- McKenzie Graye ~ Conservationist of the Year
- Lisa Flowers ~ Educator of the Year
- Richard Mousel ~ Special Achievement Award
FIELD TRIPS were varied and plentiful, and though the rain may have dampened our opportunities to see birds, it didn't dampen our spirits. And all together we identified over 180 species! The simple field trip bird list is available HERE. You may be interested in the details: which birds we saw on which field trip. If so you can download the spreadsheet version or the in-depth pdf version.