Yellowstone & Montana 2018 With Forrest Rowland and Joe Sebastiani

Transcription

1 Yellowstone & Montana 2018 With Forrest Rowland and Joe Sebastiani Peaks & Prairies Main Tour - May 26 th to June 2 nd 2018 (8 days) Glacier National Park extension June 2 nd to 7 th 2018 (6 days) Grizzly Bear sow by Forrest Rowland

2 About the Trip: Mountain Goats by Forrest Rowland This birding, wildlife, and scenery eco-tour will take you from the prairies of the Great Plains, up and into the Rocky Mountains of Montana and Wyoming. On top of all the birds and large mammals we will see, this trip boasts some of America s best scenery, mountain passes, and wilderness. This is a trip you won t want to miss! Forrest Rowland was the Ashland Hawk Watch Coordinator in 2007, our inaugural year, and is now the Coordinator of Western Hemisphere Bird Tours for Rockjumper. We ll be touring in his backyard, as he makes his home in Livingston, Montana. Enjoy the gushing geysers and hot springs of Yellowstone National Park as we look Bear, Bison, Elk, Pronghorn, Mule Deer, Coyote and many others. Of course, a trip with Joe and Forrest will feature the birds of this stunningly beautiful area. In the prairies, we will seek Ferruginous Hawk, Sprague s Pipit, Baird s and LeConte s Sparrows, McCown s and Chestnut-collared Longspurs, and Mountain Plover, and many other species. Enjoy looking for fossils and being awed by ornate canyon-wall pictographs in a quiet and seldom-birded hotspot. Explore lower elevation Ponderosa Pine forest, and special habitats such as burned-over forest holding Black-backed and American Three-toed Woodpecker. Financial Arrangements Main tour - $3,300 Single supplement US$ TBA per person Glacier National Park extension - $1,975 Single supplement US$ TBA per person Itinerary Outlines Main tour Day 1 26-May Arrivals Billings & transfer to hotel Red Lion Hotel Day 2 27-May All day Roundup area and Riverfront Park PM Red Lion Hotel Day 3 28-May Bear Canyon/Pryor Mountains/Weatherman Draw AM to Red Lodge. PM West Rosebud, Joki Feeders, Bridger Creek to Livingston Murray Hotel Day 4 29-May Cabin Gulch Burn, Shields Valley, Forrest's Feeders to Chico Hot Springs Chico Hot Springs Day 5 30-May All day western and southern parts of Yellowstone National Park Chico Hot Springs Day 6 31-May Eastern and northern parts of Yellowstone National Park to Cooke City Big Bear Lodge Day 7 01-Jun Bearooth Pass drive, birding en route to Red Lodge Pollard Hotel Day 8 02-Jun Departures from Billings, post-9am departure flight times

3 Glacier National Park extension Day 1 02-Jun Leave Red Lodge for East Glacier Village Mountain Pine Motel Day 2 03-Jun Birding Going-to-the-Sun Road and Lake McDonald en route to Apgar Apgar Village Hotel Day 3 04-Jun Camas Creek and Lake Howe Trails, birding to Polebridge Apgar Village Hotel Day 4 05-Jun All day birding Bowman and Kintla Lakes Apgar Village Hotel Day 5 06-Jun Birding en route to Missoula Holiday Inn and Suites Day 6 07-Jun Departure flights home Detailed Itinerary Main Tour May 26th, Saturday: Arrive Billings, get settled in. Overnight in Billings. May 27th, Sunday: Venture north into the prairies towards Lavina and Roundup for Ferruginous Hawk, Longbilled Curlew, Sprague's Pipit, Grasshopper, Baird's and LeConte's (rare) Sparrows, McCown's and Chestnutcollared Longspurs displaying, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Greater Sage Grouse (rare), Burrowing Owl and Gray Partridge in the AM. Overnight in Billings. May 28th, Monday: This morning leave early to Bear Canyon in the Pryor Mountains. This fabulous, seldomvisited birding site offers the possibility to see some very special birds, such as Gray Flycatcher, Sagebrush Sparrow, Brewer's Sparrow, the locally-endangered Mountain Plover, Pinyon Jays, Canyon and Rock Wrens, and some of the most interesting arid (think Utah) type scenery in the state. Fossils are abundant, as are pictographs in the canyons and draws. We will head to Red Lodge via Weatherman Draw, where some of the most ornate pictographs in the American West are found. In the afternoon, head to Livingston via the Joki Ranch feeders, some great Bobolink fields, and Bridger Creek for Lewis's Woodpecker and other old-burn birds. Pinyon and Steller's Jays, 5 species of woodpeckers, three species of Nuthatch, Cassins' Finches, Western Tanagers, Blackheaded Grosbeaks, Bullock's Orioles, and loads of other great species coming to the seed, nectar, and hummingbird feeders. Time permitting, head over towards East Rosebud drainage, and look for Plumbeous Vireo, Pygmy Nuthatch, and Red Crossbill in the Ponderosa forests. We will overnight at the famous historic Murray Hotel, and have dinner in the private room at the Second Street Bistro, in my hometown, Livingston. Livingston was recently rated the best place to live in Montana, and is a great place to spend the evening, including perhaps trying some local brews at Katabatic Brewing Company or Neptune's (both national awardwinning breweries) right here in town. Williamson s Sapsucker by Forrest Rowland May 29th, Tuesday: Head north of town to sites for Williamson's Sapsucker, Green-tailed Towhee, Saw-Whet Owl, Trumpeter Swan, and a visit to Cottonwood Reservoir for loads of waterfowl, shorebirds, Rednecked Phalarope, Sage Thrasher...and possibly a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek that could still be active. Our goal will be to spend some time in the recent Cabin Gulch burn this morning, which we might head directly to after the lek, then bird our way back south. This extensive burn located about 80 minutes drive from town, took place August 2016, and has attracted

4 several pairs of Black-backed and Three-toed Woodpeckers. There are many other great species in the area we can enjoy today on the way back south, through Paradise Valley, and the scenery is spectacular. We end the day at Chico Hot Springs Resort, with a nice soak and a delicious meal at their award-winning dining room. Yellowstone hot springs by Joe Sebastiani May 30th, Wednesday: Full day in Yellowstone. Start today very early (leaving abode by 5:30am latest) taking coffee and a road breakfast with us. Dawn comes early here, and if you want to get wildlife on the road it's best to get in early. Today, visit the iconic geothermal sites - Grand Prismatic, Old Faithful, and so on. Birds today might include Great Gray Owl, Harlequin Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye, Brewer's Sparrow, Golden Eagle, and White-throated Swift. Likely mammals include American Pika, Yellow-bellied Marmot, River Otter, Mountain Goat, Bighorn Sheep, Black Bear, Grizzly Bear, Grey Wolf, Coyote, and Red Fox. Overnight Chico Hot Springs. May 31st, Thursday: Birds and Wildlife in Yellowstone NP. We'd do well to spend all day working our way from Hayden Valley, through the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, up the Lamar Valley, to Cooke City. Spend most of the day in Hayden Valley and Lamar Valley looking for wildlife. End the day with a look at Mammoth Hot Springs, which is otherworldly. Overnight Cooke City. Tonight we might want to venture out in search in Boreal Owl, which is dense around the area, though the peak of their breeding season is March to Mid-April. June 1st, Friday - The morning will be spent working our way up the series of switchbacks up to the top of Hellroaring Plateau, at Beartooth pass (10,800' elevation). Look for Black Rosy Finch, Dusky Grouse, Pipits, Golden Eagle, and plenty of forest species. This is one of the best drives, if not THE most scenic drive, in the lower 48. Only Going-to-the-Sun road in Glacier National Park even comes close. Bring snow boots to go tromping about in the snow for photos, glacier lilies, and other sights best seen on short sallies from the road. Spend the afternoon birding around Red Lodge, Nichols Creek, and sites close to town, or spend an hour or two about town, before dinner, to sightsee. Red Lodge is famously cute, and a quintessential Montana mountain town. The main street is great, and the brewery is stellar! Overnight in Red Lodge or Billings, depending on when people's return flights are scheduled. June 2nd, Saturday: Departures from Billings.

5 Lower Falls Yellowstone River Joe Sebastiani Glacier National Park Extension June 2nd, Saturday: Client flights home for those not joining the extension. For those coming to the Glacier extension, we will drive North and West to East Glacier Village (6.25hrs straight through) passing some great shorebirding and waterfowl spots en route for Black and Forster's Terns, Wilson's and Red-necked Phalaropes, and loads of ducks, waders, etc. Overnight East Glacier Village.

6 Hoary Marmot by Forrest Rowland June 3rd, Sunday: Take all day to bird/enjoy the Going-to-the-Sun Road over to the West Side of the park, if open. We will shoot to be at McGee Meadows late in the PM, for Le Conte's Sparrow. There will be loads of Varied Thrush, Harlequin Duck, Black Swift, and other great birds, including our chance for White-tailed Ptarmigan at Logan Pass, if the pass is clear. Mammals often include Mountain Goat, Bighorn Sheep, Hoary Marmot, and Grizzly Bear. We will overnight in Polebridge, MT. Located 24 miles up a dirt road, this little-known entrance to Glacier is one of the best-kept secrets in Montana. The food at the Saloon is great, as is the ambience and vista over the North Fork of the Flatheadhead River. June 4th, Monday: Today, bird all day around the most scenic lakes in the park: Kintla and Bowman Lakes. The views are ridiculous. Birds include Rufous and Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Spruce and Dusky Grouse, Chestnut-backed and Boreal Chickadees, Townsend's, Tennessee, Wilson's, and Nashville Warblers, Pine Grosbeak, White-winged Crossbill, Vaux's and Black Swifts, Common Loon, Lewis's Woodpecker, and many more. Overnight Polebridge. June 5th, Tuesday: Today we will work our South after the short hike up the Lake Howe Trail. This is THE trail in the park for Northern Hawk Owl and Spruce Grouse, and includes passing McGee Meadows one more time to try for LeCont'e Sparrow and Yellow Rail. We will spend the afternoon around the famous Avalanche area and Lake McDonald, and work our way up the Going-to-the-Sun-Road from the West side, in case it was closed a few days earlier, coming from the East. Overnight West Glacier area. June 6th Wednesday: This morning we will bird around the Flathead Lake area before lunch, arguably the most scenic Lake in the lower 48. There will be other birding stops en route to Missoula, including chances for Pygmy Nuthatch, Western Bluebird, Cassin's Vireo, and other nice birds around the National Bison Range and Ninepipes NWR. Overnight Missoula. June 7th, Thursday: Departures from Missoula. About Your Leaders: Forrest Rowland s first birding trip, at the age of 9-years-old, was to the island nation of Trinidad, and Asa Wright Nature Center. Among the riot of Toucans, Trogons, Hummingbirds, and tropical foliage, he found his calling. 25 years later, Forrest still spends much of the year guiding tours, conducting research, and traveling the World for the sake of birds and birding. Forrest has lived and worked in Oman, and birded in some 34 countries. While Rowland s birding expertise is centered in the North Andean countries of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, he has published articles on various aspects of birds and birding in the United States. Rowland has participated in research projects and led trips from the hottest deserts of Arizona, to the wet forests of Oregon, and across the nation to

7 the Appalachian Mountains. Forrest served as the Hawkwatch director of the Ashland and Cape Henlopen Hawkwatches in Delaware. Currently, Rowland works full-time as New World Operations Director for Rockjumper Birding Adventures, leading tours across the globe, and organizing logistics. Joe Sebastiani is the Ashland Nature Center Manager for the Delaware Nature Society, and has worked for the organization since Joe has traveled in search of birds and wildlife since childhood and has led nature-based adventures to Cuba, Trinidad, Costa Rica, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Nebraska, Maine, New York, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, and a multitude of locations in and around Delaware. Joe is a former President of the Delmarva Ornithological Society, founder of the Ashland Hawk Watch, and Delaware ebird editor for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. TO REGISTER or ASK QUESTIONS: Call the Delaware Nature Society Registrar at (302) ext Registration is being taken through the Delaware Nature Society. The tour prices above INCLUDE: All meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 8 for main tour and from lunch on day 1 to breakfast on day 6 of the extension; All accommodations as specified above or similar (subject to availability), on a sharing basis; All ground transportation required during the main tour and extension and fuel costs; All airport/hotel/airport transfers; Park entrance fees where applicable; Gratuities for local guide and hotel staff and Ground costs & guiding services of a Rockjumper leader (Forrest Rowland) and DNS Leader (Joe Sebastiani); The tour prices above EXCLUDE: Any International or domestic flights (and associated taxes); All drinks, bottled drinking water and tea/coffee; Trip Insurance; Special gratuities, gift shop purchases, telephone calls, laundry and other items of a personal nature. IMPORTANT NOTES: a) Due to constantly fluctuating exchange rates, we now quote our tours in the currency pertaining directly to the particular destination. The prices above are fixed in the currency printed in BOLD, i.e. US$ (US dollars). Final invoicing will take place 4 months prior to departure. b) These costs are subject to unforeseen increases in tour costs and may have to be adjusted as a result. c) Lastly, we may be forced to change or alter the itinerary at short or no notice due to unforeseen circumstances; please be aware that we will attempt to adhere as close to the original program as possible. Rockjumper Birding Ltd Website: