Spring is a frenzied season for birds and the people who watch them. With its rich variety of habitats, the Crown of the Continent is one of the best places in North America for birders. Busy as they are with migrations, courting and nesting, more than 200 species of birds are visible targets for watchers who are patient and willing to explore some great country.

Www.crownofthecontinent.net, in cooperation with the Flathead Beacon, focuses a weekly spotlight on regional themes with a sampling of places, events and experiences. The theme for May 20, 2009: Spring is for the Birds!

You can view the printed newspaper feature under documents (left) or click through to each of the stories under contacts (right).

1. Harlequins in Glacier – Spring is a frenzied season for birds and the people who watch them. With its rich variety of habitats, the Crown of the Continent is one of the best places in North America for birders. Stroll or bike the Going-to-the-Sun Road along McDonald Creek to catch a rare glimpse of this clown-faced, wave-surfing duck. Bonus: Look for grizzly bears and elk grazing green avalanche chutes.
http://www.crownofthecontinent.net/crown_continent_detail.php?cuid=cotD6AC870E22BA75B88

2. Kids a’Flutter – For Mother’s Day, young naturalists and their families explored grassland wildflowers and critters of Kikomun Provincial Park, near the Elk River’s confluence with Lake Koocanusa. It was exciting and sad to watch a red-tailed hawk nab a ground squirrel. On June 11, youngsters may join the Fernie Young Naturalist Club to spy birds in cottonwood galleries.
http://www.crownofthecontinent.net/crown_continent_detail.php?cuid=cot42D8460A8C50C1B0C


3. Loon and Fish Festival – Seeley Lake is a hopping place during Memorial Day weekend, and much of the bustle will be at the 17th Annual Loon and Fish Festival. On the quiet side, join Loon Lady Lynn Kelly on a guided hike to view nesting loons.
http://www.crownofthecontinent.net/crown_continent_detail.php?cuid=cot841EDFA951A851EAB


4. Piistaistakis (Place of the Eagle) – Biologists have recently discovered what the Piikani Blackfoot have long known. Every spring and fall, thousands of migrating golden eagles ride updrafts above this ridge on the eastern flank of the Rockies. Volunteers count them daily at the South Livingstone Raptor Watch Site.
http://www.crownofthecontinent.net/crown_continent_detail.php?cuid=cot8E697B1C4FBEBAA91


5. Wings Over the Rockies Festival – At the northern reach of the Crown of the Continent, a low, almost imperceptible pass divides the headwaters of the Columbia River and Kootenay (as it’s spelled in Canada). The Source of the Columbia Nature Trail was inaugurated this month. This annual festival celebrates one of the longest continuous wetlands in North America, home to 265 bird species, with 50-plus field trips, workshops and western barbeque.
http://www.crownofthecontinent.net/crown_continent_detail.php?cuid=cot0FCDDD22AEB7F8BA5


6. Freezeout Lake – Watch upwards of 300,000 snow geese enjoy a two-week pit stop along the Rocky Mountain Front during their annual flight from Pacific Coast to Canadian Arctic. Late March is the peak, but birding is excellent all spring. In late May, look for new osprey arrivals, puddle ducks, plover, curlew and any goslings that survived the recent blizzard.
http://www.crownofthecontinent.net/crown_continent_detail.php?cuid=cot5859CFC5634AF311D

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