7 July 2012

We finally left Glacier National Park this morning and began the long trip back home to New Hampshire. The highlights of today were a Golden Eagle that was trying for ground squirrels alongside the road and a brief trip into the Freezeout Lake Wildlife Management Area neat Choteau where we found migrating flocks of Marbled Godwits.

Golden Eagle video

Marbled Godwits

Day-list: Montana: Teton Co., Freezeout Lake Wildlife Management Area (near Choteau)

Clark’s Grebe

American White Pelican

Double-crested Cormorant

Black-crowned Night Heron

Canada Goose

Northern Harrier

Killdeer

Willet

Marbled Godwit

American Avocet

Black-necked Stilt

Wilson’s Phalarope

Franklin’s Gull

Mourning Dove

Common Nighthawk

Black-billed Magpie

Northern Raven

Marsh Wren

Common Yellowthroat

Red-winged Blackbird

6 July 2012

We spent our last day in Glacier National Park hiking towards Grinnell Lake in the Many Glacier area of the park. There were two boat rides, one on Swift Current Lake and one on Josephine Lake, then a short hike to Grinnell Lake. The birding was excellent with some new species for the park and the trip. The geology was spectacular as was the view of glaciers and snowfields. We also saw our first Grizzly Bear but fortunately it was a distant view.

Photo of Swift Current Lake and Mountains

Photo of Josephine Lake and Mountains

Photo of Grinnell Lake and Mountains

Day-list: Montana: Glacier Co., near Many Glacier, Glacier National Park

Barrow’s Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Red-tailed Hawk

Spotted Sandpiper

Willow Flycatcher

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Violet-green Swallow

Tree Swallow

Steller’s Jay

Black-billed Magpie

Northern Raven

American Crow

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Winter Wren

American Robin

Varied Thrush

Swainson’s Thrush

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Cedar Waxwing

Warbling vireo

Tennessee Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Townsend’s Warbler

Northern Waterthrush

MacGillivray's Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Brown-headed Cowbird

Western Tanager

Lazuli Bunting

Pine Siskin

Red Crossbill

Chipping Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

5 July 2012

We did our longest hike in the park today: 8 miles on the Loop trail. The Highline trail was closed because of snow so we had to come in from the west side and only could make it to the Chalet.

Photos from the Chalet on the Loop Trail

Aftermath of the 2003 Fire

Day-list: Montana: Glacier Co., near Logan Pass, St. Mary’s to the Loop Trail

Common Merganser

Osprey

Swainsons’ Hawk

Ring-billed Gull

Calliope Hummingbird

Northern Flicker

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Tree Swallow

Cliff Swallow

Black-billed Magpie

Northern Raven

American Crow

Hermit Thrush

Swainson’s Thrush

Townsend’s Solitaire

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

American Pipit

Warbling Vireo

Yellow Warbler

Townsend’s Warbler

MacGillivray’s Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler

Western Tanager

Black-headed Grosbeak

Lazuli Bunting

Pine Siskin

Red Crossbill

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

4 July 2012

We hiked the Jackson Glacier trail that included 3 waterfalls: Deadman’s Waterfall, St. Mary’s Waterfall and Virginia’s Waterfall. I had some more video of the American Dipper, and some photos of the waterfalls and surrounding terrain.

Photos along the Jackson Glacier overlook trail

Virginia’s Falls

Day-list: Glacier Co., near St. Mary’s Lake, Glacier National Park

Common Merganser

California Gull

Red-naped Sapsucker

Tree Swallow

Cliff Swallow

American Crow

Black-billed Magpie

American Dipper

Winter Wren

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Cedar Waxwing

Warbling Vireo

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Townsend’s Warbler

MacGillivray’s Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Western Tanager

Black-headed Grosbeak

Pine Siskin

Chipping Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

3 July 2012

It was raining throughout much of the park. The weather left us few options so we hiked the Aster Park Trail, Running Eagle Falls, Appistoki Falla trails at Two Medicine Lake. The birding was limited but we did have good look at the American Dipper at Running Eagle Falls.

Two Medicine Lake photo

American Dipper video

Day-list: Montana: Glacier Co., Two Medicine Lake area

Sora

Red-naped Sapsucker

Hairy Woodpecker

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Steller’s Jay

American Dipper

American Robin

Swainsons’s Thrush

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Townsend’s Warbler

MacGillivray’s Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Western Tanager

Dark-eyed Junco

2 July 2012

I picked up my wife, Kris in Seattle and on 1 July we drove from Seattle to Whitefish, Montana. It looked like a great winter resort and place to ski. On 2 July we drove through Glacier National Park. We decided to take two adventures before ending up in our cabin at the St. Mary’s Lodge.

First we took the boat tour on MacDonald Lake that offered spectacular views of the mountains you can’t see from the road. Then we hiked to Hidden Lake at Logan Pass. We happened upon some families of Mountain Goats – see video below.

Photo of the mountains from MacDonald Lake

Mountain Goat video

Day-list: Montana: Co.: Flatwood Co., MacDonald Lake and Glacier Co., Hidden Lake, Glacier National Park

Tree Swallow

Northern Raven

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

American Pipit

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Western Tanager

Lazuli Bunting

Red Crossbill