May 16 - Benton Lake NWR Montana

We awoke very early in Great Falls, grabbed some breakfast items from the hotel buffet and were on our way. The Benton Lake National Wildlife Reserve was about 40 minutes from our location. I took my first photo at 6:24 AM, although I might not have adjusted the camera for Mountain time.

The photo was a beauty of a Marbled Godwit alongside the gravel road into the reserve.


Marbled Godwit - Benton Lake NWR, MT - 2019 Bird #141

If that wasn't good enough for a roadside bird, the next one was better. It was a Short-eared Owl.

Short-eared Owl - Benton Lake NWR, MT - 2019 Bird #142

It's often true that birding from the car is like being in a mobile bird blind. The birds are less inclined to notice the people and don't scatter if one is driving slowly enough. I had the opportunity to use the Nikon zoom to get a close up.

Short-eared Owl - Benton Lake NWR, MT

We'd seen American Avocet in other places on our tour, but this was the best photo opportunity, again from the car.

American Avocet - Benton Lake NWR, MT

Here's a zoom with the Nikon again.

American Avocet - Benton Lake NWR, MT

And one more for good measure.

A bird I had been expecting to see on the tour finally materialized on our last real day of birding, the dark headed Franklin's Gull. 

Franklin's Gull - Benton Lake NWR, MT - 2019 Bird #143

Where there's one Gull, there are usually more.

Franklin's Gull - Benton Lake NWR, MT

This Nikon shot is not as clear as I'd like, but does show the interesting pattern around the eye.

This Meadowlark knew a safe place when it saw one.

Western Meadowlark - Benton Lake NWR, MT 

Alongside the road was one of my hoped-for birds, a Chestnut-collared Longspur. It had been a few years since my last sighting of this attractive bird. According to Wikipedia, the name is based on "the long claw on the hind toe of each foot" which can't be seen in this photo.

Chestnut-collared Longspur - Benton Lake NWR, MT  - 2019 Bird #144

We'd already had Grasshopper Sparrow in Idaho, a lifer for me. Chris spotted another one here.

Grasshopper Sparrow - Benton Lake NWR, MT

Another 2019 bird soon appeared in the lake, a group of Eared Grebes. I normally see these at Frank Lake, south of Calgary. This would be my only chance for this year.

Eared Grebe - Benton Lake NWR, MT  - 2019 Bird #145

It had now been an hours since we'd seen the Short-eared Owl, and there were still other species to see. This was one of the most productive spots on our tour.

Redhead - Benton Lake NWR, MT - 2019 Bird #146

We'd seen Wilson's Phalarope on a flyby in Idaho. Here there was an opportunity for a close-up.

Wilson's Phalarope - Benton Lake NWR, MT 

One of my favourite duck species is the Canvasback. In my opinion, both the male and female are quite elegant. Here's a pair together. The male is in the foreground.

Canvasback - Benton Lake NWR, MT - 2019 Bird #147

One last bird as we left Benton Lake, my first 2019 shot of a Marsh Wren.

Marsh Wren - Benton Lake NWR, MT  - 2019 Bird #148

We now had a 6 to 7 hour drive to get to Grand Forks BC, where my sister Patty lives. We'd be staying there for the night. We did see some birds along the way, enough for a separate post.