Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 19 Snow buntings and Lapland longspurs tend to flock together in winter, too, when they join with resident horned larks. Open, wind- swept fields such as shortgrass prairie, overgrazed pastures, and stubble fields are their paradise, where the wind moves light snow cover off their seeds. When heavier snowfall arrives, the flocks wheel off to a less snowy area, or at least the edge of a gravel road that's been scraped by a snowplow. Snow can aid the snow bunting, as well. It provides camouflage and helps the bird change into its breeding plumage in late winter. at's when the bunting rubs against hardened snow to take the tips off its feathers, revealing its underlying breeding plumage. When snow bun- tings arrive on the tundra in early spring, temperatures may still be 22 below, but the early bird gets the safest rock crevice for nesting, a great incentive. is tolerance of cold, aided by feathering on its ankles, also shows in the location of its wintering range, which reaches north to the boundary of Alberta and the Yukon Territory. Lapland longspurs, on the other hand, barely get as far north as Alberta in an ordinary winter. e remaining bird in the migrant crew, the Bohemian waxwing, stands apart. It can laugh at snow depth, because in winter it eats noth- ing but the fruit that persists in trees and shrubs. It eats twice its weight in fruit each day. at's a lot of well-scattered food to find, but the flock roams together and then strips a tree in a matter of hours. A benefit to Bohemian waxwings in cold weather is the repeated freeze- thaw cycle that softens fruit, allowing the birds to swallow it whole. Montanans can rejoice that what's born in the North doesn't stay in the North. From the common redpoll to the snowy owl, our incoming migrants add much interest to the winter season. A benefit to Bohemian waxwings IN COLD WEATHER IS THE REPEATED FREEZE-THAW CYCLE THAT SOFTENS FRUIT, ALLOWING THE BIRDS TO SWALLOW IT WHOLE. Lapland longspur Northern shrike American tree sparrow Bohemians Snow bunting STEVE AKRE LIZ LARCOM LIZ LARCOM LIZ LARCOM LIZ LARCOM

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