Hey Xema. Spring migration brings birds to Freezout

[Ptah]

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080320/NEWS01/803200303



Spring migration brings birds to Freezout
By MICHAEL BABCOCK
Tribune Outdoor Editor

The spring migration of waterfowl is on and numbers of tundra swans, pintail ducks and snow geese are
building at the Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area between Fairfield and Choteau,
just west of U.S. Highway 89.

On Wednesday, the last day of winter, knowledgeable bird watchers estimated about 500 tundra swans
were on the water and 10,000 to 15,000 pintails and about 15,000 snow geese have stopped over to rest
and refuel on their way to summer nesting grounds in the far north.

"The snow geese are a little late," said Mike Schwitters, a Choteau resident who volunteers to monitor geese
for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "It (the migration) still is fairly slow
and we are in the beginning of the process with maybe 500 swans present, which also is quite late."

Schwitters said the number of snow geese did not increase over Tuesday's total. He can tell they are
the same geese from earlier in the week by looking at their neck collars.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=G1&Dato=20080318&Kategori=PHOTOGALLERIES03&Lopenr=318002&Ref=PH

[XemaSab]

1. Cool!

:D

[Ptah]

3. I thought you would like that.

:thumbsup:

[mtnester]

2. We do not get that here, but what we DO get are the pass through birds

a couple, or one here and there...guys we rarely get to see. The fruit eaters.

We also get the spectacle of the buzzards. Amazing stuff to start seeing one or two for a few weeks, then all of a sudden see a flock of 60+ circling, looking for a thermal ride.