The group met near the visitor center at the Lee Metcalf Refuge where we watched Widgeons, Coots, Mallards, and Gadwalls moving on the pond. Duck sounds filled the air. We continued out the Kenai Trail, stopping to observe a Red-Tailed Hawk flying across the field and we noticed a kestrel perched atop a fir tree. We lingered at a viewing area where we observed a variety of ducks and Canada Geese swimming in the water below us. I was focused on some small birds flitting in and out of nearby bushes when I stopped! …

This Field Note was written by Roberta McElroy. Would you be interested in writing one? Contact Allison De Jong, Field Notes editor, at adejong [at] montananaturalist [dot] org or 406.327.0405. Please visit the Field Notes website at the Montana Natural History Center for more information.