Articles
75 posts
Identifying Prairie Birds by Songs and Calls
A repeatable way to identify prairie birds by ear in Montana: describe the sound, compare labelled recordings, and keep uncertain candidates open.
Chestnut-collared Longspur Identification and Prairie Habitat
Chestnut-collared Longspur size, male and female plumage, tail pattern, song and prairie habitat, with breeding and wintering range for Montana birders.
American Avocet Identification and Seasonal Context
Identify the American Avocet by its upcurved bill, blue-gray legs and seasonal plumage, separate it from look-alikes, and read Montana's monthly observation chart.
Bird Molt and Changing Plumage
How to recognize molt in wild prairie birds: visible signs of feather replacement, when birds molt, how often it happens, and how changing plumage affects identification.
Sandhill Crane Identification and Observation
How to recognize a Sandhill Crane by size, red crown, gray or rusty plumage, extended-neck flight and rattling calls, and how to read Montana crane sightings carefully.
Understand Sprague’s Pipit field clues
Sprague’s Pipit field clues: shape, plain large-eyed face, pale-pink legs, white outer tail, prairie habitat and behavior, plus a worksheet for careful IDs.
Invasive Terrestrial Plant Field Guide: What Montana Prairie Field Evidence Can and Cannot Establish
How to read field-guide evidence for invasive land plants on the Montana prairie: which visible features support an identification, and where the record falls short.
Standardized North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Protocol
What the Standardized North American Marsh Bird Monitoring Protocol is, how it differs from casual marsh birding, and what details still need checking in the full protocol.
Hawk or Falcon? Comparing Field Identification Clues
Hawk or falcon? See which field clues the supplied references support, including wing shape, wingtip fingers and silhouette, plus what is still unverified about beaks and tails.
Observing and identifying Montana wildflowers
A field-reference approach to Montana wildflowers: which flower, leaf and habitat features to record, what those observations can and cannot establish, and why regional guides must confirm identification.