Tour begins at pick-up from Glacier Park International Airport (FCA). We check in to our accommodations in Columbia Falls, and go for a leisurely evening of birding local hotspots looking for local specialties like Red-necked Grebe, Western Bluebird, and Pygmy Nuthatch, as well as our first visit into Glacier National Park where we will see stunning mountains at the head of McDonald Lake and visit the Avalanche Gorge; target birds there would be Varied Thrush, Vaux’s Swift, Harlequin Duck, and Chestnut-backed Chickadee. Night in Columbia Falls.

We depart for Red Meadow Lake. Along the drive up the gravel mountain road, we will stop for Spruce Grouse, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Varied Thrush, Pacific Wren, and Townsend’s Warbler. Near Red Meadow Lake, we stop for Boreal Chickadee. With any luck, this lands us the prestigious “4-Chickadee day”, with 4 Poecile species in one day!. White-winged Crossbill, Fox Sparrow, and Pine Grosbeak are a few bird targets, and Snowshoe Hare is a mammal target for the area. We will continue along this road, likely only seeing a few locals out for a day of fishing (compared to the traffic inside the national park), and end up at the famous Polebridge Mercantile for a hot lunch of homemade sandwiches and baked goods. We will continue to Bowman Lake in the beautiful and much less visited NW corner of Glacier NP. Night in Columbia Falls.

Heading out early, we head on to St. Mary area from which we’ll explore Logan Pass. We will look at the weather to decide our strategy, but with two nights in this area to explore, we will soak up the beauty of one of Glacier’s most famous and scenic areas. Logan Pass is indeed picturesque and an area known to harbor specials like White-tailed Ptarmigan, Hermit Thrush, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. White-tailed Ptarmigan will be a challenge, but with concentrated scanning of the rocky slopes, we hope to find this incredible high-elevation species. And we’ll keep an eye out for mammals too, such as Mountain Goat, Bighorn Sheep, Hoary Marmot, and American Pika. Along with Logan Pass, we will explore lower elevation areas while cruising along the spectacular Going-to-the-Sun Road. Birding spots here can hold Townsend’s Warbler, White-winged Crossbill, Western Tanager, Pacific Wren, American Dipper, MacGillivray’s Warbler, and Pine Grosbeak. We will also take time to enjoy some more leisurely birding in the fabulous forests of Glacier NP. Nights in St. Mary.

Our morning of birding will be in the Many Glacier area, targeting Boreal Chickadee, Spruce Grouse, and any other species we need. This area is also one of the best for spotting Grizzly Bear and Moose! The view from the lakeshore is breathtaking, and when we finish our morning of birding, we will eat lunch by the lake. Moving to Choteau in the afternoon, we will get our first views of the immense prairies of northern Montana. Along the way, we will stop for landscape photos and whatever prairie wildlife we find. Evening birding around Freezout Lake, one of the largest and most bird-rich prairie wetlands in the state. Night in Choteau.

We will explore the prairies along Bellview Road as it makes its way towards the stunning Rocky Mountain Front forming the easternmost line of mountains of the Rockies. Thick-billed and Chestnut-collared Longspur, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, and Sharp-tailed Grouse are a few of the prairie birds we will target in the morning. For lunch, we will enter the mountains and have a picnic along the Teton River, enjoying the amazing landscapes all around us. Afternoon birding around Freezeout Lake will get us a whole suite of prairie pothole species. Black Tern, Forster’s Tern, Cinnamon Teal, Clark’s Grebe, White-faced Ibis, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Wilson’s Phalarope, American White Pelican, Short-eared Owl, and many others! Night in Choteau.

Keeping with the theme of scenic landscapes and off-the-beaten path locations, we will bird our way towards Great Falls, stopping for Thick-billed Longspurs, Baird’s Sparrows, Sprague’s Pipits, Upland Sandpipers, Ferruginous Hawks, and more. Taking the scenic route along the Missouri River will get us White-throated Swifts, Violet-green Swallows, a chance at Golden Eagle, and some great canyon landscapes! A Black-tailed Prairie Dog town, also home to Burrowing Owls, will be our last stop of the morning before we check in to our hotel in Great Falls. Richardson’s Ground-Squirrel, Pronghorn, and Coyote will be some target mammals throughout the day. Afternoon birding at Benton Lake NWR for more photo ops with classic prairie and prairie pothole species. Night in Great Falls.

Easy birding around local spots in the morning before drop-off at Great Falls International Airport (GTF) by 11:00am.