#alpinebirds

A lovely little Blue Tit at my bird feeder. It's snuck in between the usual Italian Sparrow mob and the Great Tits.

Blitz: a sudden, energetic, and concerted effort, typically on a specific task.

Alpine Bird BioBlitz: an early-morning, coffee-fueled quest to document the birds of Glacier’s alpine habitat, in which you may experience sudden, energetic bouts of weather representing all four seasons. Hail, snow, and rain not pictured, but we promise they happened. 

On July 19, a dedicated team of 33 volunteers and park staff set out at 5:30am for the second annual Alpine Bird BioBlitz. Five teams, each led by expert birders, searched for thirteen alpine bird species on different trails in the park. The goals? Find out where alpine birds hang out and engage the public in scientific discovery.

In spite of vigorous winds and just about every form of frozen precipitation, participants detected 46 different bird species and all 13 alpine focal species.

Some notable sightings: three Timberline Brewer’s Sparrows, a Cooper’s Hawk chasing a robin, and some gorgeous sideways snow in July! The photo is of a Western tanager -- not an alpine focal species, but a soggy-looking fellow spotted after a hail-and-rain storm on the way back down.

To see where in the park all 408 birds were spotted, check out this cool interactive ArcGIS map: https://nps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=5c351b355fc94a39ad10e3576c8c1b89  

Do you want to be involved in a BioBlitz? Our next one will focus on fungus! The Fall Fungus BioBlitz will be on October 12-13. For more information contact [email protected].

BioBlitzes help inspire the next generation of park stewards and provide snapshots of biodiversity. These events provide opportunities to discover more about the understudied species living in our parks. The more we learn about this biodiversity, the more we can understand about impending threats and better protecting living resources.

Feeling the heat? You're still probably better off than a ptarmigan.

These alpine birds require cool, moist habitat -- temperatures above 70 degrees can be detrimental to their health. As temperatures warm, there is less and less snow and ice in the high country to create the cool microclimates they require. 

Ongoing park research is showing their numbers declining over the last 60 years, but they are still occasionally spotted in the alpine. 

Can you think of any other animals that require cool, alpine habitat to survive? 

To learn more about these and other alpine birds, come to our Alpine Birds of Glacier brown bag presentation at noon on Wednesday, July 25th at the West Glacier Community Building: https://go.usa.gov/xURDh