Observer: Address: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Weather: Date: Time: Red Rock Lakes Total Species: National Wildlife Refuge For birds seen not on this list please contact the refuge with species, location, time, and date. Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Birding Guide 27650B South Valley Road Lima, MT 59739 Red Rock Lakes National [email protected] email Wildlife Refuge and the http://www.fws.gov/redrocks/ 406-276-3536 Centennial Valley, Montana 406-276-3538 fax For Hearing impaired TTY/Voice: 711 State transfer relay service (TRS) U.S Fish & Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/ For Refuge Information 1-800-344-WILD(9453) July 2013 The following birds have been observed in the Centennial Valley and are Red Rock Lakes considered rare or accidental. These birds are either observed very infre- quently in highly restrictive habitat types or are out of their normal range. National Wildlife Refuge Artic Loon Black-bellied Plover Winter Wren Clark’s Grebe Snowy Plover Northern Mockingbird Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is located in the scenic and iso- lated Centennial Valley of southwestern Montana, approximately 40 miles Great Egret Red-necked Phalarope Red-eyed Vireo west of Yellowstone National Park. The refuge has a vast array of habitat, Mute Swan American Woodcock Yellow-breasted Chat ranging from high elevation wetland and prairie at 6,600 feet, to the harsh alpine habitat of the Centennial Mountains at 9,400 feet above sea level. It Black Swan Pectoral Sandpiper Common Grackle is this diverse, marsh-prairie-sagebrush-montane environment that gives Ross’ Goose Dunlin Northern Oriole Red Rock Lakes its unique character. White-fronted Goose Parasitic Jaeger Rose-breasted Grosbeak Because of this habitat diversity, Red Rock Lakes is a unique wildlife and Wood Duck Herring Gull House Finch birding area. The rugged mountains bordering the valley catch the heavy Greater Scaup Bonaparte’s Gull White-winged Crossbill snows of winter that replenish the valley wetlands. The Red Rock Lakes ecosystem is one of the most important trumpeter swan breeding areas in Harlequin Duck Common Tern Rufous-sided Towhee North America. Red Rocks is more than trumpeter swans, it was estab- Long-tailed Duck Caspian Tern Grasshopper Sparrow lished in 1935 as a refuge and breeding ground for many wild birds and animals. White-winged Scoter Band-tailed Pigeon Sage Sparrow Surf Scoter Rock Dove Clay-colored Sparrow A minimum of 232 species of birds have been recorded within the refuge and the Centennial Valley. Because winter conditions are harsh, only a Turkey Vulture Yellow-billed Cuckoo Harris’ Sparrow small percentage of this total stay through the winter. During spring migra- Gyrfalcon Black-billed Cuckoo White-throated Sparrow tion many migrants pass over Red Rock Lakes without stopping because Sharp-tailed Grouse Western Screech Owl McCown’s Longspur of these conditions. Fall migration, however, is much more spectacular. Ring-necked Pheasant Pileated Woodpecker Chestnut-collared Long- spur The relative abundance of each species at each season is coded as Whooping Crane Red-headed Woodpecker follows: Yellow Rail Least Flycatcher Sp - March-May Mountain Plover Blue Jay S - June-August F - September-November W - December-February Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is one of a system of refuges admin- istered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and dedicated to the preservation A - abundant: numerous and widespread, certain to be seen of wildlife. The financial base for this system was firmly established in 1934 C - common: certain to be seen in suitable habitat through the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act. This Act requires U - uncommon: present, but not certain to be seen waterfowl hunters to purchase annually a migratory bird or “duck stamp.” Funds O - occasional: seen only a few times during a season collected from duck stamps sales have been used to purchase numerous ref- R - rare: see once a year or less uges that provide habitats necessary to sustain a variety of wildlife for both hunters and nonhunters to enjoy. * - a confirmed breeder (nests, eggs, or young have been observed) SPECIES SEASON SPECIES SEASON SP S F W SP S F W GROSBEAKS, FINCHES, SPARROWS, BUNTINGS LOONS Black-headed Grosbeak O U Common Loon O O O Evening Grosbeak O O GREBES Lazuli Bunting* U Clark’s Grebe* U U U Cassin’s Finch* C C C U Western Grebe* C C C Pine Grosbeak* C C C C Red-necked Grebe* O O Rosy Finch* C O O C Horned Grebe* U O Common Redpoll C C Eared Grebe* C C C Pine Siskin* C C C O Pied-billed Grebe* C C C American Goldfinch* U U PELICANS, CORMORANTS Red Crossbill* U U U U American White Pelican* C C C Green-tailed Towhee* O O O Double-crested Cormorant* C C C Savannah Sparrow* A A A SWANS, GEESE, DUCKS Lark Bunting O Tundra Swan O R U Vesper Sparrow* C C C Trumpeter Swan* C C C C Lark Sparrow* O O O Canada Goose* C C C U Dark-eyed Junco* C C C U Snow Goose U U American Tree Sparrow O O Mallard* C C C C Chipping Sparrow* C C C Northern Pintail* C C C O Brewer’s Sparrow* C C Gadwall* C C C O White-crowned Sparrow* C C American Wigeon* C C C U Fox Sparrow O O Northern Shoveler* O C C Lincoln’s Sparrow* C C Blue-winged Teal* C C U Song Sparrow* C C C Cinnamon Teal* C C C Lapland Longspur O O U Green-winged Teal* C C U O Snow Bunting U U C Wood Duck O O Redhead* C C C Canvasback* C C C Ring-necked Duck* U U U Lesser Scaup* C C C SPECIES SEASON SPECIES SEASON SP S F W SP S F W Common Goldeneye* C O O C Bohemian Waxwing O O Barrow’s Goldeneye* C O O C Cedar Waxwing* U U Bufflehead* C U U O Northern Shrike U U U Ruddy Duck* C C C Loggerhead Shrike* U U U Hooded Merganser* O O O STARLINGS Red-breasted Merganser* U O U European Starling* C C C Common Merganser* C U U O VIREOS HAWKS, EAGLES, FALCONS Solitary Vireo U U O Northern Goshawk* U U U O Warbling Vireo* C C U Cooper’s Hawk* O U O WOOD WARBLER, WEAVER FINCHES Sharp-shinned Hawk O U O O Tennessee Warbler O O Northern Harrier* U C C O Orange-crowned Warbler* O O Rough-legged Hawk U C O Yellow Warbler* C C U Ferruginous Hawk* U U Yellow-rumped Warbler* C C U Red-tailed Hawk* C C C Townsend’s Warbler O Swainson’s Hawk* C C C Northern Waterthrush O O Golden Eagle* U U U U Common Yellowthroat* C C Bald Eagle* C C C C MacGillivray’s Warbler* C C Osprey* O O O Wilson’s Warbler* C C Prairie Falcon* C C C American Redstart* U U Peregrine Falcon* U U U House Sparrow* O O Merlin* O O O MEADOWLARKS, BLACKBIRDS American Kestrel* C C C Bobolink* O GROUSE, PARTRIDGE Weastern Meadowlark* C C C Blue Grouse* C C C C Yellow-headed Blackbird* C C U Ruffed Grouse* U U U U Red-winged Blackbird* C C C Sage Grouse* O O O O Brewer’s Blackbird* C C Gray Partridge O O O O Brown-headed Cowbird* C C HERONS, BITTERNS, IBISES TANAGERS Snowy Egret O O Western Tanager* C C SPECIES SEASON SPECIES SEASON SP S F W SP S F W American Crow* C C U Great Blue Heron* C C C O CHICKADEES Black-crowned Night-Heron* C C U Black-capped Chickadee* C C C C American Bittern* U U U Mountain Chickadee* C C C C White-faced Ibis* O U O DIPPERS, NUTHATCHES, CREEPER CRANES American Dipper* C C C U Sandhill Crane* C C C Red-breasted Nuthatch* C C U U RAILS, COOTS White-breasted Nuthatch* U U U U Virginia Rail* O O O Pygmy Nuthatch* O O O O Sora* U U U Brown Creeper* O U U O American Coot* A A A WRENS SHOREBIRDS, GULLS, TERNS House Wren* C C C American Avocet* C C C Rock Wren* U U Black-necked Stilt O O Canyon Wren O O Semipalmated Plover O Marsh Wren* C C C Killdeer* C C C THRASHERS Marbled Godwit* U U U Gray Catbird O O Long-billed Curlew* C C U Sage Thrasher* U U U Greater Yellowlegs U U U THRUSHES, BLUEBIRDS, KINGLETS Lesser Yellowlegs U U U American Robin* C C C Solitary Sandpiper O C O Townsend’s Solitaire* C C C U Upland Sandpiper O O O Hermit Thrush* C U Willet* C C C Swainson’s Thrush* U U Spotted Sandpiper* U C U Veery* U U Long-billed Dotwitcher U U U Western Bluebird O O O Wilson’s Phalarope* C C C Mountain Bluebird* A A A Common Snipe* A A A Golden-crowned Kinglet U U U Sanderling O Ruby-crowned Kinglet* C C C White-rumped Sandpiper O PIPETS, WAXWINGS, SHRIKES Baird’s Sandpiper O American Pipit U U U Least Sandpiper O O SPECIES SEASON SPECIES SEASON SP S F W SP S F W Semipalmated Sandpiper O O O Williamson’s Sapsucker* O O O Western Sandpiper O O O Hairy Woodpecker* C C C U California Gull* A A A Downy Woodpecker* C C C U Ring-billed Gull* U U U Black-backed Woodpecker* O O O O Franklin’s Gull* C A Three-toed Woodpecker O O O O Forster’s Tern* C C FLYCATCHERS Black Tern O O Eastern Kingbird* U U U DOVES Western Kingbird U U U Mourning Dove* U U C Say’s Phoebe O O OWLS Willow Flycatcher* U C Great Horned Owl* C C C C Dusky Flycatcher U C Long-eared Owl* O O O Hammond’s Flycatcher* U U Short-eared Owl* U C U Western Flycatcher* U U Great Gray Owl* U U U U Western Wood-Pewee* C C Burrowing Owl O O O Olive-sided Flycatcher* U U Northern Saw-whet Owl* O O O O LARKS, SWALLOWS Northern Pygmy-Owl O O O O Horned Lark* C C C U GOATSUCKERS, SWIFTS, HUMMINGBIRDS Barn Swallow* C C C Common Nighthawk O O O Cliff Swallow* C C C White-throated Swift O O O Violet-green Swallow* U O Broad-tailed Hummingbird* U U Tree Swallow* C C C Calliope Hummingbird* U U Bank Swallow* C C Black-chinned Hummingbird O O Northern Rough-winged Swallow* U U Rufous Hummingbird* U U JAYS, MAGPIES, CROWS KINGFISHERS Steller’s Jay* O O O O Belted Kingfisher* C C C U Pinon Jay O WOODPECKERS Gray Jay* U U U U Northern Flicker* C C C Black-billed Magpie* A A A A Lewis’ Woodpecker O O O Clark’s Nutcracker* C C C C Red-naped Sapsucker* C C C Common Raven* C C C C .