I first saw White-faced Ibis in Yellowstone. Although they breed in western Wyoming and central Montana, I only ever saw them migrating. This breeding couple (male birds are larger) are resting along the Madison River. Standing on one leg, warming the other on this very chilly Yellowstone April morning.
June in Central Montana is a great time to explore the Wildlife Refuges for baby birds of all kinds. On this trip I’m mainly searching for little ones of waterfowl and shorebirds. So let’s go on a baby bird adventure!
Wait, how do you even say Makoshika?! Thought you’d never ask my friend. We are here at Makoshika State Park, Montana’s largest state park with 11,538 acres of amazing badlands to explore.
Makoshika, pronounced Ma-KO-shi-ka, is a variant of the Lakota Native American word “mako sica”, meaning “bad land”. Across much of eastern Montana, western North and South Dakota, are badlands, all abundant with fossils from the end of the Age of Dinosaurs. So come along and let’s explore!
Every spring a spectacular migration of Snow Geese takes place in Central Montana’s Freezout Lake. They winter in central California, rest for a week or two here at Freezout, then continue to their Arctic tundra breeding grounds. By the end of March annually there can be 50,000 geese a day at Freezout!
It is now 6:30am and time to appreciate a beautiful pre-sunrise sky. The wind is picking up and we have a bit of a hike to get closer to the geese. Deep, peaceful breath . . . let’s go!
