Denton Gulch Observations -- 2 |
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Denton Gulch Trip of Late May 2002 The Inexplicable Birds of Montana by Duckbutt Daily and Nuthatch Federighi We had fairly good weather, just missing the worst of a cold front and found a new place to bird in Kalispel. Clap on, Clap off Rail == a rarely seen bird of the swamp. Any kind of loud noises similar to hand clapping, even shouting, causes this bird to alternatively pop up and run around frantically, or stop and freeze in position, quickly exhausting itself until it can't move at all. It's common but like most rails, lives in swampy areas and once exhausted doesn't move and is rarely seen. Because of the cold front and storm, lots of accidental species were seen, like Tennessee warblers and ELVIS warblers. The males have crown of black feathers looking somewhat oily and they swagger a bit. The females are overly perky, some with "big hair" head feathers. Call: females -- "Hunka, Hunka!", males -- "Brrrng luv, Brrrng luv!" Elvis Sparrow -- call is "All shook UP! All shook UP!" A somewhat nervous bird that eats bugs on fuzzy trees, or fuzzy bugs on trees? On an evening drive west of Choteau, Montana we saw several Brown-nosed cowpie birds. These innocuous birds sit in fields, their brown feathers making them look very much like cowpies. They spend most of the day sitting on the ground, occasionally quickly turning their limber heads back to grab a fly which has landed on them. During the breeding season, males compete by bringing mouths full of flies to females. the more flies, the more likely she is to pick him. Some males will bring flies to other males who have already attracted a female. Then while he is trying to gather up all the extra flies, the interloper trysts with the female. Another bird, obviously blown way off course was the Copacabana Sparrow. Call is "LOla, LOla." This bird is usually found only near nightclubs in Nevada, Louisiana and Florida. It is often mistaken for the Burt Bacharach Thrush, but the beak makes them distinct.
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