Winter Raptor Excursion
Schedule
Sat, 07 Feb, 2026 at 09:00 am
UTC-07:00Location
120 Hickory St, Suite A, Missoula, MT, United States, Montana 59801 | Missoula, MT
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Date: Saturday, February 7Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: meet at MNHC, travel to the Nine Pipes in MNHC bus
Cost: $100 MNHC members/$110 non-members
Registration closes on Monday, February 2nd.
Enjoy the beauty and majesty of Montana’s winter raptors while learning key identification techniques, anatomy, and behaviors.
Naturalist Brian Williams will begin the day with an in-class orientation and a series of journaling exercises to reinforce field mark recognition. We will then move into the field to practice our skills and gain greater understanding of raptor behavior and ecology.
Nine Pipes and the Mission Valley provide spectacular raptor viewing opportunities including: rough legged hawks, harriers, kestrels, merlins, bald eagles, red tails and more.
Instructor: Brian Williams sharpened his birding chops under the Montana Natural History Center’s first staff naturalist – Charles Miller – in the early 2000s. Since then he has worked as a professional bird guide in South Texas, staff naturalist at the MNHC, 4th grade teacher at Hawthorne Elementary School, and, most recently, a Forester for the State of Montana. He coordinated the Christmas Bird Count at the Ninepipes NWR for 10 years.
We will meet at the Montana Natural History Center and travel by bus to the field site.
Activity level: easy. minimal walking, less than one mile. Frequent getting on and off the bus. Potentially cold temperatures. Please bring whatever you need to be comfortable in cold weather.
Minimal bathroom breaks.
Please Bring:
-Warm clothes! Hand and toe warmers, layers, hat, etc.
-Boots
-Water
-Lunch and snacks
-Journal
-Binoculars (MNHC has some to borrow)
-ID guide of your choice (MNHC has copies to borrow)
-Whatever you need to be comfortable on and off the bus
Recommended reading:
-Hawks in Flight by Pete Dunne, David Sibley, and Clay Sutton (Brian’s Favorite)
-Hawks from Every Angle: How to Identify Raptors by Jerry Liguori
-A Photographic Guide to North American Raptors by Brian K. Wheeler
-Raptors of the West: Captured in Photographs by Kate Davis, Rob Palmer, and Nick Dunlap
FAQs
What’s the refund policy?
The course fee (minus a 25% administrative fee) is refundable if a cancellation is made up to 7 days before the event. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made after this deadline. See our full refund/cancellation policy here.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
Nope! We will have a list of all the attendees.
REGISTRATION CLOSES ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2.
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Where is it happening?
120 Hickory St, Suite A, Missoula, MT, United States, Montana 59801Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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