Birds of the bush

Admittedly, not too many people head into the swamps, swales and beaver ponds of Glacier National Park. They’re usually infested with mosquitoes and thick with muck and brush and hidden potholes, just waiting to swallow your shoes.

They’re also a great place to raise a family, if you happen to be a songbird.

It’s not uncommon to see close to a dozen species of birds in one small area of a Glacier Park swamp. The most enthralling migrate from far away.

The diminutive American redstart migrates from as far away as northern South America. The male is a deep black and orange. Ornithologists say the redstart flashes its bright tail plumage to scare insects from the brush and then catches them in mid-flight. Having watched the behavior closely over the years, it also appears to be a way for the bird to announce its territory.

Other warbler species include yellow warblers, yellow-rumped warblers and the common yellowthroat. The yellowthroat male has a call of rapid notes in machine-gun like procession. When breeding season is over, you can still here them in the bush, puttering around going “chat, chat, chat.”

The bush is also home to flycatchers, catbirds and northern waterthrushes, to name a few. The waterthrush has a high-pitched sharp call and is generally found poking along the shoreline, bobbing up and down as it feeds.

You don’t have to bust into a thicket to enjoy these birds, however. Portions of the Oxbow Trail, an easy hike south of Apgar Village, are home to all of the above-mentioned species. The Howe Lake Trail up the Inside North Fork Road is also a good viewing place.

On the east side, the Beaver Pond Trail at St. Mary is a great little birding trail. None of these trails see much in the way of crowds either.