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Does Montana really possess the most spectacular scenery in the lower 48? This photo by tour participant Pat Newman certainly supports that position, but why not take the tour yourself and form your own opinion?

This is one of the greatest scenic wildlife trips in North America. On this trip, everywhere we look are incredible mountains and picturesque valleys coupled with abundant wildlife, including both birds and mammals. Yellowstone National Park is the biggest draw for the visitor and rightfully so, for if not for the geothermal features (geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, mudpots, and frying pans) it would be like most mountain areas of the Rocky Mountain West. But Yellowstone is also special for other reasons and is teeming with wildlife; the Yellowstone experience is one not to be forgotten anytime soon.

Then there is the less well-known Glacier National Park, which is purely magical to the human psyche, with an abundance of snow meltwater, hanging waterfalls, glaciers and snowfields, tall trees and colorful wildflowers, and an accompanying complement of birds and mammals.

But few visitors have experienced the areas in between these two magnificent national parks. We traveled this off-the-beaten path, because we know it personally by having lived and worked in these out-of-the-way places that few visitors (and even Montana residents!) have seen.

It was quite the trip, covering 1850 miles in 9 days. We crossed twelve high-elevation mountain passes, including crossing the Continental Divide on eight separate occasions. Most surprising was the fact that we traveled from the Arctic drainage to the Atlantic drainage to the Pacific drainage all within a four-hour period!

In all, we tallied 184 species of birds and 26 species of mammals. Highlight birds included: Boreal Chickadee, Black Swift, Sage Sparrow, Alder and Gray flycatchers, McCown’s and Chesnut-collared longspurs, and Short-eared and Burrowing owls. Our mammal list was equally impressive with Gray Wolves, Grizzlies, Moose, Mountain Goats, and Bighorn Sheep topping the charts for large mammals, while the rare Pygmy Rabbit won the prize by far for the top small mammal.

Our fondest bird memories included two beautifully-clad, breeding-plumaged Harlequin Duck drakes playing and feeding in a pattern by flying upstream, then descending and kayaking the Yellowstone River through a turbulent cascade only to repeat the process. We also watched a Golden Eagle performing an undulating territorial display in Glacier National Park. And we observed two Burrowing Owls sticking their heads out of a badger hole, not to mention incredible views of perched and flying Short-eared Owls at close range. The remarkable parachuting displays of the McCown’s Longspur will be etched in our minds. And of course a pale female Merlin, of the Great Plains or Prairie race (F.c. richardsonii), carrying a Brewer’s Blackbird was yet another highlight.

Our fondest memories of watching mammals, many with newborn young, included close views of adult Gray Wolves on two occasions. We found seven Grizzlies, including a rare sighting of a sow with a cub that ventured onto the plains from the Rocky Mountain Front. We also found what is becoming rare in Montana these days--Moose! We saw two in Yellowstone, eight on the Rocky Mountain Front, and closer-than-expected views of two in Glacier.

The Field Guides 2012 Yellowstone to Glacier tour was a smashing success, much in part due to mother nature, the cooperating weather, and a fun group of adventurous travelers seeking a unique experience. It was a pleasure for John and me to guide you from Yellowstone to Glacier, to the off-the-beaten-path places, and for the wildlife, skyscapes, and landscapes that we fondly symbolize and call Montana (the Big Sky state). Thanks for traveling with Field Guides!

--Terry

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KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant

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BIRDS

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MAMMALS

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ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

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Totals for the tour: 184 bird taxa and 26 mammal taxa