1SA/1SU Brewery Flats Brewery Flats Trail is southwest of Lewis-town along an old railroad bed. The easy, level trail following Big Spring Creek harbors warblers, grosbeaks, Say’s Phoebe, chickadees, nuthatches and Brown Creepers. Cliff Swallows circle rock uprisings with ducks, geese and Osprey by the creek. Departs at 8 am, returns by noon. Family Friendly. Facilities available.
2SA/2SU Big Springs State Fish Hatchery Big Springs State Fish Hatchery is 7 miles south of Lewistown. Springs bubble up supporting greenery and giant willows. A leisurely walk takes you through grassy hills and shade trees. Watch for Belted Kingfishers, woodpeckers, crossbills, grosbeaks, sparrows and warblers, and duck and goose families. Tour the hatchery and feed the fish! De-parts at 7 am, returns by noon.
3SA/3SU Bear Gulch Pictographs A chance to combine birding with cool history! Bear Gulch is in the foothills of the Little Snow-ies southeast of Lewistown. Native Americans (500 to 1700 AD) told their stories by painting on the sandstone rocks. 2,000 pictographs dot the canyon. The group will be split in two, half for guided viewing of the pictographs and half birding in the brush. Groups will then swap. Day concludes with our guide explaining the pic-tographs. Birds to watch include warblers, vultures, Mountain Blue-birds, nuthatches and nesting Red-tailed Hawks. $10 fee per person. Departs at 6 am, returns by noon.
4SA/4SU Warm Spring Creek is an amazing birding area surrounded by five of Central Montana’s mountain ranges. On this four-mile round trip walk, we will follow a two-track road through beautiful open fields and native shrub. We will visit a series of 3 ponds fed by Warm Spring Creek Canal. It is an easy, flat walking trip, but please wear sturdy shoes. Possible bird sightings include lots of raptors and an active Redtailed Hawk nest. Sandhill Cranes are commonly seen. Warblers, flycatchers (including a possible Corcilleran Flycatcher) and sparrows are found in the shrubs and grasslands. The ponds are full of ducks and geese. Departs 6 am, returns by noon.
Be sure to bring your rain gear,
comfortable shoes/boots, camera,
a two-way radio if you have one, binoculars, and
your water bottle for all field trips.
Big Spring Water will be providing
delicious Montana spring water for your refills.
Be prepared for insects too!
Montana Audubon 