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Bison Range marks annual Migratory Bird Day

by Alex Violo/Valley Press
| May 16, 2014 3:40 PM

MOIESE – In a sign that summer is drawing ever closer, the National Bison Range opened its summer driving trails, welcoming interested individuals from throughout the region to enjoy the warmer weather at the refuge.

Visitors headed to the National Bison Range throughout the weekend, with the wildlife refuge celebrating a big day on Saturday, May 10. 

The Saturday before Mother’s Day marked the annual opening of Red Sleep Mountain Drive for the summer season, the 19-mile loop through the refuge that climbs 2,000 feet, offering stunning views of the Mission Mountains and the range’s furry denizens. 

Additionally, it was also International Migratory Bird Day at the Bison Range. 

The weekend started early for staff at the Bison Range with the main gate opening at 6:30 a.m.

Birders had to wait a little later in the morning as Outdoor Recreation Planner at the National Bison Range Complex; Pat Jamieson led a beginning bird walk tour, starting at 9 a.m.

With the cloud cover obscuring the view of the Mission Mountains, Jamieson took the beginning birders on a mile loop around the pond near the entrance of the park, going over the basics and providing tips to those just getting into birding. 

“It gives people a taste, shows them how to use binoculars and how to use a bird book,” Jamieson said. 

The tour also included a group of eighth graders from De La Salle Blackfeet School in Browning, who spent the day at the Bison Range following the conclusion of the bird walk tour. 

In the initial part of the day it appeared as if the weather would not cooperate as clouds rolled over  menacingly, and the occasional downpour sent visitors rushing for cover.

However, as the day wore on, the sun managed to break through the overcast skies, giving visitors and staff, a beautiful day to enjoy the National Bison Range. 

Down by the ponds, the black flies began to emerge in great numbers, hovering in impressive hordes waiting to terrorize the unsuspecting passerby.

The sun also brought the birds out from their hiding spots with red-winged-blackbirds and the yellow-headed variety jumping from tree to tree and serenading those who passed by.

As temperature warmed up the cloud cover began to burn off and visitors to the bison range were given a spectacular view, as the Mission Mountains came into full view, bereft of the morning’s overcast skies.

The bison range also offered a backcountry bird adventure, led by Amy Lisk, for more experienced birders. The backcountry trip involved a car pool up Red Sleep Road and gave experienced birders a chance to search for birds not found at the lower environs of the park. 

In the visitor center, author and photographer Don Jones was on hand, with his impressive camera equipment, for a book signing during the day, while leading a wildlife photography field trip in the early evening hours.

All of the staff at the bison range was available throughout the day, offering bird watching tips and tidbits about the range itself to visitors. 

According to Jamieson, many of the migratory birds at the bison range are insect dependent and don’t arrive until their food is out in the range. Jamieson noted the range’s warblers and wrens had just started arriving recently. 

Migratory Bird Day is not a set date, explained Jamieson, but rather participating areas choose when to host their bird day, depending on when migratory birds arrive in a particular area.

Migratory birds continue to arrive at the bison range well into June, added Jamieson,  with the common nighthawk being one of the later arrivals at the wildlife refuge. 

International Migratory Bird Day is the brainchild of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, and was created in 1993 and first celebrated at the National Zoo in D.C., as a public program to teach about migratory birds, their migrations and ongoing conservation efforts.