Triumph! The saying goes “third time is a charm” and that certainly proved to the case today. Lifer Long-eared Owl! Two individuals deep in a thicket in the Mission Valley provided good looks. We headed North, riding that lifer high and stopping periodically along Flathead Lake to glass waterfowl. To my surprise a female Long-tailed Duck in Winter plumage was present at Somers Bay, diving and feeding with Common Goldeneye and Lesser Scaup. I hadn’t expected to see this species until Fall and it was a nice addition to the year list. Canvassing the lower Flathead yielded the expected species of raptors including Bald Eagle, Rough-legged Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk. With the wind picking up we headed back South, stopping at Ducharme FAS to glass the East Bay of Flathead lake which yielded a nice variety of waterfowl and 55 Trumpeter Swans.
Winter is about to make a big comeback this week with a big temperature drop, strong winds and precipitation and a flash freeze. What will the storm bring?!
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