Birding in Glacier National Park

Program Orientation: 4:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us in the auditorium at Lake McDonald Lodge to get any updated information. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will ride in 15-passenger vans to trailheads for field trips. Trail selections will be made by Group Leaders each day based on weather, trail conditions, and group ability. Each day, hikers will have a choice between hikes of different levels of difficulty. We will break into hiking groups based on preference and ability. Groups will be led by local experts who will share their knowledge along the trail. Bring a reusable, one-liter, leak-proof water bottle. Restrooms available at most trailheads. “America the Beautiful” passes cover entrance fees at national parks for up to 4 adults. If you have one of these national park passes, please bring it with you to the program and on field trips. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

At a restaurant within walking distance of the motel.

At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow participants, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

At a restaurant within walking distance of the motel.

We will ride in 15-passenger vans to Apgar Village. From there, local birding experts will lead a 2-mile hike along lower McDonald Creek through an even-aged stand of lodgepole pine created by the Half Moon Fire in 1929. Along the creek, the bird encounter possibilities may include yellow, yellow-rumped, MacGillivray’s and orange-crowned warblers, American redstart, northern waterthrush, yellowthroats, black-headed grosbeaks, Swainson’s thrush, willow flycatcher, warbling and Cassin’s vireos, all five of our native swallows, ruffed grouse, spotted sandpipers, and various ducks and geese. Through the lodgepole forest on the way back, we may see dusky, Hammond’s, and least flycatchers that frequent the area, as well as western tanagers, Townsend’s warblers, and red-eyed vireos. After our hike, we will travel by van for a drive-and-stop day exploring the west side of Glacier. We’ll stretch our legs at McGee Meadows where we will watch and listen for open wetland species such as red-winged blackbirds, song and Lincoln’s sparrows, Townsend’s solitaires, and ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets. From there, we’ll stop and get out of the van for listening stops at several creeks and small swamps, an older deciduous forest, and a 15-year-old burn area. We'll be birding by ear and by sight and – due to thick vegetation – some birds may be heard but not seen. Please note the species listed are possibilities but not guaranteed.

On the trail, we’ll have bag lunches.

We’ll travel further along the western edge of Glacier, watching the snags from the 1988 Red Bench Burn for northern hawk owls. We will stretch our legs with an approximately 2-mile roundtrip hike on a level trail where many kinds of non-bird wildlife show up unexpectedly. We’ll be on the lookout for Western tanagers, sapsuckers and flickers, Lincoln’s sparrows, gray jays, mountain, and western bluebirds. Next, we’ll take a short a walk on the closed portion of the road to where we might hear or see many kinds of warblers, sparrows, and raptors. Then we will return to Motel Lake McDonald. Later this afternoon, we’ll sit back and enjoy “Bird Behavior in Glacier,” a content- and comedy-rich theatrical presentation by that very knowledgeable, very bird-brained ornithology expert, Professor Avian Guano, Bir.D.

At a restaurant within walking distance of the motel.

At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At a restaurant in walking distance of the motel.

We’ll board the vans to travel along a portion of the Going-to-the-Sun Road (road and weather conditions permitting) and explore a habitat unique to the west side of the continental divide. We’ll stop along thundering Upper McDonald Creek where we'll search for Harlequin ducks and nesting black swifts behind a waterfall! Next, we'll begin our journey to the east side Glacier National Park via Highway 2 which follows the southern border of the park. Along the way our expert instructors will provide lessons in geology and history. Please remember, the species listed are possibilities in this habitat but not guaranteed sightings. Birding by ear will be emphasized due to thick vegetation, and many birds may be heard but not seen.

On the trail, we’ll have bag lunches.

We’ll cross the continental divide at Marias Pass, a magnificent place view Lewis Overthrust Fault, a geological feature that shaped the landscape millions of years ago. We'll take a short hike to listen and look for birds at Lubec Lake. We'll make additional birding stops along our route and explore the changing habitats as we travel from west to east across the continental divide. Later in the afternoon, we'll check in at the St. Mary Motel. The motel is located just outside the east entrance of Glacier National Park where the mountains meet the prairie.

At a restaurant within walking distance of the motel.

At the motel, we’ll enjoy a lively and informative presentation by one of our expert birding instructors.

At the Snow Goose Grill, a restaurant within walking distance of the motel.

We'll spend the day exploring the dramatic landscape of the east side of Glacier National Park. Our expert instructors will lead us on hikes where we will listen and look for bird species such as loons, gray and Steller’s jays, mountain and black-capped chickadees, Lazuli buntings, eagles, and osprey. We'll watch the hillsides for bears and mountain goats and search the lake shores for moose. We'll be birding by ear and by sight, and many birds may be heard but not seen because of thick vegetation. The species included here are possibilities but not guaranteed encounters.

On the trail, we’ll have bag lunches.

After our hikes, we will depart back to St. Mary. We’ll keep our eyes open for white pelicans in Lower St. Mary Lake on our drive back. After arriving back at St. Mary, we’ll enjoy an educational presentation by one of our local birding experts.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

There will be an early morning outing prior to breakfast. A light snack will be provided to tide everyone over until breakfast. Our early hike will be near the motel on Beaver Pond Trail (2.6 miles). (The length of this early hike means a somewhat later full breakfast today.) This trail winds through meadows and forest, eventually moving into the 2007 Red Eagle Burn and terminating at a beautiful beaver pond. Possible bird encounters include black-backed and three-toed woodpeckers, prairie and peregrine falcon, northern hawk owl, northern harrier, two kinds of bluebirds, veery, ovenbird, and a huge variety of warblers, sparrows, and other perching birds. We’ll be birding by ear and by sight; many birds may be heard but not seen. Please note the species listed are possibilities but not guaranteed encounters. After the hike, we will return to the Snow Goose Grill, where we will use vouchers to order breakfast.

Following breakfast, we'll check out of the motel. We will travel by van on some of the eastern portion of the Going-to-the-Sun Road. We'll stop and take a few short walks to bird along this spectacular corridor. St. Mary Lake and steep mountains in every direction will occasionally distract us from our appointed tasks!

On the trail, we’ll have bag lunches.

As we commence our journey back to Kalispell, via Highway 2 along the southern boundary of Glacier National Park, we'll have one last chance to marvel at the incredible landscape. Along the way, we'll stop to get out of the van for more birding and short walks. Upon arrival in Kalispell, we will check in to the hotel.

At the hotel. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Near the end of dinner, we will share some closing thoughts, review our synonym game answers – perhaps awarding a prize or two for the winners – and say goodbye to our Group Leader. The remainder of the evening is at leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

At the hotel. This concludes our program.

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!