Winter Raptor Excursion

Enjoy the beauty and majesty of Montana’s winter raptors while learning key identification techniques, anatomy, and behaviors.
Naturalist Brian Williams will begin the day with an in-class orientation and a series of journaling exercises to reinforce field mark recognition. We will then move into the field to practice our skills and gain greater understanding of raptor behavior and ecology.
Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge and the Mission Valley provide spectacular raptor viewing opportunities including: rough legged hawks, harriers, kestrels, merlins, bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, and more.
Instructor: Brian Williams sharpened his birding chops under the Montana Natural History Center’s first staff naturalist Charles Miller in the early 2000s. Since then he has worked as a professional bird guide in South Texas, staff naturalist at MNHC, 4th-grade teacher at Hawthorne Elementary School, and, most recently, a Forester for the State of Montana. He coordinated the Christmas Bird Count at the Ninepipe NWR for 10 years.

We will meet at the Montana Natural History Center and travel by bus to the field site.
Activity level: easy. minimal walking, less than one mile. Frequent getting on and off the bus. Potentially cold temperatures. Please bring whatever you need to be comfortable in cold weather.
Minimal bathroom breaks.