Day 166: June 14th – West Glacier Park

Sunny, mild and windy

       Out at the traditional 5:30 AM to cover area near East Glacier Park before we have to check out of the lodge at 11:00.  Our birding this morning concentrated on the area of St. Mary in the park proper and in the reservation lands adjacent to the park.  Our first sighting got us off to the right start as we found a Townsend’s solitaire perched right along the roadside.

       Above and beyond the birding, the early morning sun cast a golden hue upon the magnificent landscape in what is known as “Alpinglow”.  The snow capped mountains literally jumped out of the surface of the land as a great painting jumps off the canvas (except that this

 was better!)  The amber hues were radiant and were set off by the rich green of the lush vegetation on the mountain.  If you want to experience this, it has to be in the early morning.

       Driving along the reservation roads to our breakfast destination in St. Mary had its own diversions.  Here we are, riding in territory rife with bears and moose and the only caution signs we saw were for Cows on the road.  We did in fact run across a number of horses walking untethered on the roadway, and we did come within a few feet of colliding with a moose.  We did not, however, have any vehicular interaction with any cows along the way.

       Behind the café where we had our breakfast, feeders attracted many species in addition to our cohort of birders.  Evening grosbeaks, Pine siskins, Black-headed grosbeaks, Cowbirds and, our favorite….the Cassin’s finch.

       After dining, we headed back into the park at St. Mary towards Going to the Sun Highway.  We knew the pass was closed due to blockage caused by snow (yup, it is June 14^th), but we also knew that if we got to where the road was barricaded, we would be at an altitude where Boreal chickadees and Gray jays might be found.  We scored on both counts, although the only photo I could grab was one of the jay.    A Mountain chickadee (right) was also on hand and we got a few shots of it as well.

       After checking out of our hotel, it was off to the Western part of Glacier Park.  Along the way, we had stunning scenery to entertain us as well as a few stops which provided birds such as the Olive-sided flycatcher.  The best viewing, however, was of the Mountain goats which skillfully scaled the most precipitous of mountainsides.  How they managed to maneuver over this terrain without tumbling to their doom was amazing.

       We are now at our new lodgings and have already added the violet-green swallow, the Steller’s jay, Hammond’s flycatcher, more Harlequin ducks, Vaux’s and Black swifts, and a Varied thrush to the day’s trip list at our hotel alone.  Tomorrow, we will continue to explore this magical place and let you know how we made out.

Violet-green swallow