Overview

Soon after we began writing Birds of Montana, it became clear that despite the considerable number of studies that had been conducted much remained to be learned about the status, distribution, and biology of the state’s birds. The Montana Bird Advocacy is dedicated to conservation, but we also believe in supporting efforts that increase basic knowledge about all native birds. Accordingly, we will address various conservation issues at the same time that we work to obtain new information on species that are not necessarily of immediate conservation concern.

We will initiate two projects in our inaugural field season of 2018: determining the distribution and numbers of nesting Gray Flycatchers and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers in the canyons of the Pryor Mountains, and searching for a nesting population of Solitary Sandpipers in Glacier National Park. We also will begin planning for future work on Horned Grebes and Pinyon Jays, each of which is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN and BirdLife International owing to range-wide declines in numbers.