More than 250 bird watchers are expected to land in the Flathead Valley this week for the Montana Audubon’s Annual Bird Festival on June 8-10. The event is co-hosted by the Flathead Audubon and, according to board member Dennis Hester, the chance for bird watchers in this area to get out and enjoy their hobby with like-minded individuals is rare.
“For bird people it’s a once-in-a-decade opportunity to go out with other birders and experts,” Hester said.
During the three-day event, birders can attend various lectures about conservation and partake in bird watching field trips throughout the region, including Glacier National Park to the north and the National Bison Range to the south. Every year, the Montana Audubon’s bird festival is hosted by one of its local chapters and bringing the event to the Flathead provides some interesting bird watching opportunities.
“It’s a really prime spot for species you don’t see anywhere else in the state,” said Larissa Berry, bird festival coordinator for the Montana Audubon.
The Audubon group was formed in the 1970s and currently consists of nine chapters located all over the state, from Glasgow to Missoula. Hester said the Flathead chapter traces its roots to the same era and back then it was called the Bigfork Bird Club. Although some may think bird groups are only interested in watching the winged creatures fly through the sky, Hester said there’s more to it than that.
“Birds are the primary reason for the group, but with that comes conservation projects to protect bird habitats,” he said.
The festival, dubbed “Wings Across the Big Sky,” will feature 27 different guided field trips that will be led by ornithologists and local experts. Peter Sherrington, founder and research director of the Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation, a nonprofit group that studies eagles in the region, will give the keynote address.
Montana Audubon Executive Director Steve Hoffman said Sherrington’s speech should be the highlight of the event.
“Peter is a giant in the field of raptor study and conservation along the Rockies,” Hoffman said in a press release. “I fully expect he’ll give a talk that shines a very illuminating light on the migration of eagles in Montana and Alberta.”
For more information about the Audubon and this year’s bird festival, visit www.mtaudubon.org or www.flatheadaudubon.org. Hester said the local chapter often organizes day trips throughout the area and the public is always welcome to join and learn more about bird watching.