Fresh on the heels of their spectacular Panama trip in 2018, IOS is excited to announce it’s latest out-of-state field trip collaboration with Red Hill Birding–this time to Montana in the prime of summer! This 5-night trip (June 20-25, 2019) will take in some incredible birding, focusing especially on Great Plains and Rocky Mountain specialties.
In the Great Plains, this includes birds like Baird’s Sparrow, Sprague’s Pipit, McCown’s and Chestnut-collared Longspur, Ferruginous Hawk, and Mountain Plover. In the mountains, we will look for Black Rosy Finch, Red-naped and Williamson’s Sapsucker, Clark’s Nutcracker, and Sooty Grouse. We will also be birding in wetlands, riparian woodland, and sagebrush, giving us an outstanding diversity of western birds.
Besides the birding, the scenery will be spectacular, with mountains virtually never out of sight. We will also spend much of a day in Yellowstone National Park, where besides birds like Trumpeter Swan, Barrow’s Goldeneye, and Golden Eagle, we will look for large mammals like American Bison, Grizzly Bear, and Moose. The trip starts and ends in Bozeman, which is very convenient if you’d like to rent a car and further explore Yellowstone or other area national parks (and United Airlines offers non-stop flights between O’Hare and Bozeman).
The trip will be led by Adam Sell, Red Hill Birding guide and IOS member. If more than 7 people register, we will add a second vehicle and guide. The maximum number of participants is 14.
Registration is $1895 based on double occupancy and is done through Red Hill Birding’s booking form. Part of the proceeds from the trip are donated to the IOS Grant Program. Check out the trip’s webpage for the detailed itinerary and other trip details.