Last Chance Audubon Society
Promoting understanding, respect, and enjoyment of birds and the natural world
through education, habitat protection and environment advocacy.

About LCAS
Membership
Contact
Calendar
History

Birding
Field Trips
Christmas Bird Count
Birdathon
Birding in the Helena Area

Learning
Chapter Programs
Monthly Newsletters
Natural History Lecture Series

Conserving
Habitat Protection
Environmental Advocacy

Bird of the Month
The Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) is a common bird in forest areas around Helena and is a feeder visitor in many areas of town. This species is nomadic and an irregular visitor appearing in large numbers and then nearly disappearing. Crossbills breed any time they finds a sufficiently large cone crop, even in the depths of winter. The Red Crossbill is so dependent upon conifer seeds it even feeds them to its young.

The crossbill's odd bill shape helps it get into tightly closed cones. A bird's biting muscles are stronger than the muscles used to open the bill, so the Red Crossbill places the tips of its slightly open bill under a cone scale and bites down. The crossed tips of the bill push the scale up, exposing the seed inside.

Red Crossbills shows a great deal of variation in bill shape and voice, and it is believed that they are actually composed of several different species. Eight or more different flight call types have been described north of Mexico, and birds giving each type have slightly differently shaped bills and prefer to feed on different tree species with differently sized cones. (Dan Sullivan)

Upcoming Programs
MEMBERSHIP MEETING: Last Chance Audubon Society meets the Third Monday of the Month, September - May, at 7:00 pm at the Montana Wild Center. The Montana Wild Center is located on 2668 Broadwater Ave off of Euclid Avenue across from Kessler Elementary School on the west side of Helena.(map)

The program -- Winter Birds and Culture of Gambia presented by: Bob Martinka Monday - January 16, 2012.

Birds and Culture of Gambia (West Africa) -- will be presented by Bob Martinka. Gambia is the smallest country in mainland Africa and lies on the west coast, southwest of the Sahara desert. In the late 16th through early 18th centuries, this region was a major center of the slave trade. The Gambia River is the primary geographical feature of the country and the riparian habitats that it supports are one of several factors responsible for the country's great diversity of birds, with about 580 species in a country the size of Connecticut.

Over the past decade, MT Audubon has been at the forefront of leading birding trips to The Gambia in West Africa. Dr. Jeff Marks has been instrumental in organizing these adventures. Bob Martinka, an avid birder and photographer, participated in the latest trip, which took place from October 28 through November 12, 2011. His PowerPoint presentation will cover more than just the birds of The Gambia. The people, culture, scenery, villages, and other wildlife will also be emphasized. This was a wonderful trip and Bob's photos are not to be missed.

Recent News

September 2011 begins our move of monthly program meetings to the Montana Wildlife Center (2668 Broadwater Ave.) located on the west side of Helena.(map)