Page 122 - Flathead Living // Spring 2015

48o NORTH DESTINATIONS STORY & PHOTO BY GREG LINDSTROM
Ninepipe Wildlife Area
Explore a vast waterfowl habitat
V enture south this spring to explore the more than 4,000 acres of prime waterfowl habitat in the lower Flathead Valley. The Ninepipe Wildlife
Management Area south of Polson features approximately 1,000 identifiable bodies of water and hundreds of natural wetlands.
Kettle ponds – which were formed from depressions in the ground caused by retreating glaciers – dot the area and complement Ninepipe and Kickinghorse reservoirs as stag- ing areas for migratory and native birds. As these smaller bodies of water begin to warm up in the spring, insects and invertebrates become more prevalent, making them excellent feeding areas for birds gorging on protein as they prepare for the upcoming nesting season.
Mallards and diving ducks are generally first to arrive in the spring, and shore birds show up later into April. Trumpeter swans and Canada Geese are also prevalent in the area as they stage to continue their migration north. And while waterfowl are the main focus, raptor species also frequent the area.
While the options for viewing birds are numerous, tim- ing their arrival is another issue. “It’s about as easy to pre- dict as the weather,” said wildlife area manager John Grant. With the mild winter and warm temperatures in February, Grant has already seen mallards and ducks on open water, which could signal an early arrival of other species.
Dawn and dusk are prime times to see birds take to the air, but waterfowl can be identified as they remain on the water throughout the day. A few sections of the Ninepipe and Pablo National Wildlife Refuges are closed in the spring because of nesting birds, but visitors can access most viewing areas on foot or from the comfort of their cars along the roads that navigate the complex.
How to Get There: From Kalispell, travel south on U.S. Highway 93 for approximately 65 miles. Just past the town of Ronan, look for Wildlife Management Area signs on both sides of the highway. Several county roads border the area, and signed parking areas are located along many of the roads. FL
Frozen reeds along Mission Creek.
120 FLATHEAD LIVING | SPRING 2015