Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
Located next to the J Bar L Guest Ranch is the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, considered by many to be the most beautiful national wildlife refuge in the country. Because of its outstanding habitat diversity, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is a unique and exciting place to bird-watch. A total of 232 bird species have been recorded at Red Rock Lakes. You will see trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes and peregrine falcons, among others.
Of the 232 bird species recorded here, 53 are considered rare or accidental. This means they are observed very infrequently in restricted habitat or are outside of their normal range. In the past two years, rare birds, such as the great egret, whooping crane, wood duck, turkey vulture, dunlin, northern mockingbird, northern parula, black-and-white warbler, northern oriole, rose-breasted grosbeak and grasshopper sparrow have been seen.
For more information on the refuge, visit http://redrocks.fws.gov/
| Grasslands Long-billed curlew Willet Sandhill crane Western meadowlark Horned lark Savannah sparrow Vesper sparrow |
Sagebrush Sage grouse Sage thrasher Vesper sparrow Brewer’s sparrow Short-eared owl Red-tailed hawk Swainson’s hawk American kestrel Prairie falcon Northern harrier |
Willows Spotted sandpiper Common snipe Willow flycatcher House wren Yellow warbler Common yellowthroat Wilson’s warbler Lincoln’s sparrow Song sparrow |
Woodlands Western wood-pewee Olive-sided flycatcher Chickadees Nuthatches Townsend’s solitaire Kinglets Warbling vireo Yellow-rumped warbler Western tanager Red crossbill Cassin’s finch Dark-eyed junco Chipping sparrow White-crowned sparrow |
Wetlands and mudflats Sora American avocet Killdeer Marbled godwit Willet Spotted sandpiper Wilson’s phalarope Marsh wren Yellow-headed blackbird Red-winged blackbird Many species of waterfowl |
Bird boxes along the roadside
Mountain bluebirds
Tree swallows
Starlings
Bird boxes on fence posts along the road
Bluebird boxes are donated, installed and maintained by a private landowner in the valley. Birds using these boxes are primarily mountain bluebirds and tree swallows.
Call or email J Bar L today to book your Montana Birdwatching Adventure